Week 14 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

This week could see several prominent IDP names come off of IR, further crowding position groups as we get six teams back from a bye. The instinct of many will be to grab these big names from waivers the second they are activated. Some players merit such a move, while others won’t in standard or shallow leagues.

One name worth stashing is Nick Bolton. The Missouri product returned to practice last week and could return to the field as soon as this week. When Bolton is healthy, he can be a fantasy difference-maker. In four games this year, Bolton is averaging seven tackles and 0.25 turnovers per game, but his pace in 2022 was even better (10.5 tackles per). The Chief is rostered in just 17% of leagues, and his schedule in the fantasy playoffs (NE, LV, and CIN) is very favorable.

One name who isn't a must-roster is Jeremy Chinn. A favorite of mine dating back to when he was drafted, Chinn's role with Carolina was limited before his injury. He played fewer than 40% of the Panthers' defensive snaps in his final two games before injury. That's troubling. While his snaps could spike with Frank Reich gone, the defensive staff is largely the same. The downside is too low to stash Chinn in shallow leagues, even if he returns in Week 14.

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IDP Scoring System for Rankings:

6-points per Defensive Touchdown

4-points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)

3-points per Sack

2- points per PD, FR, Safety

1-point Solo Tackle

0.5-points Assisted Tackle

Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week:

YaYa Diaby, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week, Shaquil Barrett was pegged as the week's biggest riser, noting his plus matchup with the Carolina Panthers. It was Diaby who exploded in that contest, however.

The Louisville product made my Players to Add column earlier this year, primarily as a dynasty and long-term stash. He is seeing an uptick in playing time sooner than we anticipated. The Buccaneers seem to recognize that Diaby is one of their best pass rushers, considering they’ve given him over 60% of the snaps in the past two games. The rookie has four sacks in his past four games.

Fair warning: Diaby does not have an ideal matchup this week. The Falcons are the seventh-lowest pass volume offense in the league, have allowed just 106 quarterback pressures, and Desmond Ridder spends the fifth-lowest time in the pocket amongst starting quarterbacks. However, Atlanta still allows the tenth-most sacks per game and Diaby is ascending, so he merits consideration in deeper leagues.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Josh Sweat, Philadelphia Eagles

Sweat spent a good chunk of this season in our DL2 tier, but we faded him hard ahead of his matchup with Trent Williams. That fade proved prescient as Sweat struggled against San Francisco. Some of that was likely fatigue, as Philly's defense led the NFL in snaps over the prior two weeks. However, Sweat has struggled against premium offensive tackles, registering zero sacks against Tyron Smith, Williams, and Tristan Wirfs.

While Sweat produced solid stats against the Cowboys in Week 9, his lone sack came in a rare snap against Terence Steele. The Florida State alum spends 85.7% of his time lined over an offense’s left edge, though. That should put him on Tyron Smith for the majority of Week 14. Smith is PFF's highest-graded pass-blocking tackle this season, allowing just one pressure per game and zero sacks.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Mykal Walker, Pittsburgh Steelers

We play this game with Pittsburgh every week, don't we? Each week, Coach Tomlin’s squad loses another starting linebacker. Then it's on us to hype the next man up, given that high-volume on the inside of this defense often translates to solid fantasy production.

Elandon Roberts exited Sunday's game with a groin injury and never returned. He was listed as a non-participant on Monday and a limited participant on Tuesday, which is concerning since the Steelers have a quick turnaround before playing New England on Thursday. That could mean Walker gets most of the interior snaps on running and passing downs against a Patriots offense that feeds opposing linebackers.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers

In 2021, Campbell put forth a career season as the Packers’ lead enforcer. It rocketed him into LB1 territory for most. However, that production wasn’t consistent with his career production, in which he produced one triple-digit tackle season in the previous five years. In 2022, we saw his production dip back to the norm, and injuries began to play a factor. Those trends have carried into this year two-fold.

Campbell has played just seven full games this year, leaving two contests early and missing four more. He's notched seven or fewer tackles in five of those seven full games. While he is the 24^th most rostered LB in fantasy, Campbell is the 54^th highest scorer on a fantasy ppg basis. That number actually drops if you just count the full games Campbell has played, too. In those contests, Campbell is the 57^th-best LB in fantasy ppg.

Considering the potential for injury and Campbell's declining production this season, he is rostered and played in far too many leagues. While the Giants are a tremendous matchup that keeps him in our LB3 discussion, far too many people still consider Campbell a high-end LB2 option each week. He hasn't returned that kind of production this year, though.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans

I listed Stingley as a player to stash on your bench a month ago. We noted he was widely available, had a favorable schedule ahead, and still had strong ball skills. Since then, he's notched four interceptions in his past three games.

While Stingley's turnover pace is almost as unsustainable as Daron Bland's, his matchup with the Jets is positive. He has shadowed an opponent's best receiver before, and Garrett Wilson begs for that treatment with ten targets per game. Better yet, the Jets moved on from the conservative Tim Boyle, who was both bad for Wilson’s volume and for turnover potential. Stingley should have a shot at double-digit fantasy opportunities here.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs

I've traditionally been lower on Sneed in fantasy than many. He moves all over the formation, but he's not a shadow corner or consistent in fantasy production. Sneed is currently the 67^th highest-scoring fantasy DB per game, yet he is the eighth most rostered. He has three or fewer total tackles in four of his past five games, and he has scored four or fewer Standard IDP Points in seven games this year.

Fair warning: fading Sneed is risky since the Bills are a positive matchup. Against Josh Allen, the probability of multiple turnovers is better than usual. That said, far too many people are comfortable relying on Sneed as the guy who will get that turnover. Players with a better ceiling and floor combo who are more available include Devon Witherspoon, Kyle Hamilton, Camryn Bynum, and Jevon Holland.

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