Week 15 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Many fantasy leagues have started their fantasy playoffs already, and most others will this week. Most of us avoid Week 18 as a matter of practice and optimize playoff seeding based on the depth of our leagues. But not all commissioners know how to maximize their playoff settings. Some commissioners are new and just don’t know how, while others simply rely on the defaults of their provider. For those people, I have a few basic notes.

When setting up your playoffs for next year, the first thing to do is avoid Week 18. While the new NFL playoff guidelines encourage more competition for seeding in Week 18, good teams still try to rest their players before the playoffs if they can. Consider that the 49ers' starters played in Week 18 of 2022, with the No. 2 seed on the line, yet Christian McCaffrey saw just 27% of their rush attempts. No good fantasy league should put any weight in a week where healthy players sit.

If you're avoiding Week 18, as you should, then the next thing to consider is how deep and long your playoffs should go. In 12 or 16-team leagues, you want a playoff with at least six teams, meaning you'll have to schedule three or four one-week rounds. However, in shallow leagues with eight or ten total teams, having more than four in the playoffs will kill regular season competition. In those leagues, a four-team playoff with two-week rounds makes more sense.

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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:

Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears

Sweat has outperformed expectations since his trade to Chicago. From an analytics standpoint, Sweat was notably worse than former teammates Jonathan Allen and Chase Young in Washington. Allen and Young had better pass rush grades, Pass Rush Win Rates, missed tackle percentages, and pressure rates. So, when Sweat went to a Bears team that had less support for him on its line, the fear was he could struggle.

After a slow start in the Windy City, Sweat has registered at least one sack in each of his past three games. Now, he gets a plus matchup with the Browns. On the season, Cleveland is the sixth-highest volume pass attack in the NFL. Since Joe Flacco took over at quarterback, they are first in pass attempts per game. Even better, the Browns are without their two starting offensive tackles AND their top backup tackle.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

Fading one of the best players of our generation feels disgusting. That's doubly true when Aaron Donald's metrics and film are still elite. His playing time is still what it once was and his Pass Rush Win Rate is the fourth highest amongst DLs with 100-plus starts, too. So, why would we fade a Hall of Famer still playing so well?

The truth is Donald’s fantasy production has simply bottomed out. He isn’t closing out his pressures or registering tackles consistently. The Pitt product is currently the ninth-most rostered DL in fantasy, but he’s just the 60th highest-scoring DL in fantasy points per game. He has registered one or fewer tackles in three of his past four games and has three games without a sack or a tackle to his name. That’s the definition of a low floor.

Mind you, the Commanders are a fine matchup this week. So, Donald remains in DL2 consideration. This note is more of a reminder that the floor has dropped on this superstar, and his fantasy reliability is low despite a stellar resume and strong play. Many of you will still rely on him as a DL1 in your playoffs, and that could lose you a matchup.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings

I've been on you about Pace since back in March. Back then I projected him as a third-round NFL Draft pick, only for him to go undrafted. Since then he has made my pre-season sleeper list, has routinely made my "players to add" column, and he led my IDP Streamers article last week. So, you may ask, how can he still be a riser after I've pumped him up so much already?

It isn't hyperbole to state Pace was the best player on the field for either the Vikings or Raiders on Sunday. In a shutout win that saw just three points scored, Pace was a revelation. He totaled 13 tackles, one sack, and an interception. He was easily PFF's highest-graded player on Minnesota and produced in various ways… much like I said he would in my streamers article.

However, this piece isn't to pat myself on the back… entirely. It is to remind you Pace is an ascending young player capable of providing you with tackles, sacks, and turnovers. If the Vikings realize what they have, it wouldn't be unheard of if Pace came close to a young Shaquille Leonard’s production levels. Yet, the rookie is the 49th most rostered LB in fantasy. With the Bengals on tap, Pace should start for most of you this week.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

Parsons is designated as a DL on many sites. However, some fantasy providers still list him exclusively as a fantasy LB. If you're on a site like that and use Parsons, it's because of his pass-rush production. It may be hard to rely on those big plays this week, though.

As we have addressed several times when fading fantasy DLs, the Bills are a stout opponent for pass rushers. They give up the fewest sacks and quarterback hits in the NFL. For a guy who gets most of his production from rushing the passer, those metrics are troubling.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Jordan Howden, New Orleans Saints

Marcus Maye has struggled with injuries this season, and Howden has stepped in when Maye is out. With the veteran now on IR, the rookie has started in each of his past two games. Howden has totaled 11 solo tackles and two forced turnovers in those games.

While most of his fantasy production came in a big game against the Panthers on Sunday, Howden has been surrounded by buzz since training camp. He has upside against the Giants and is available in almost every IDP league. Consider this rookie a high-upside poker chip worth playing if you’re projected to lose your playoff matchup badly and need to swing for the fences.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins

Since donning a Dolphins jersey, Ramsey's highest tackle output has been four in Week 9. He has just one pass deflection that wasn't tied to an interception, zero tackles for loss, zero sacks, and no forced or recovered fumbles. In short, Ramsey has depended on INTs in his six games as a Dolphin, with 58% of his fantasy production coming from his three picks.

Now, the Jets are not an entirely bad opponent for Ramsey to face, given they are the 15th most pass-heavy offense and focus 30% of their targets on one receiver (Garrett Wilson). However, that matchup doesn’t seem to help Ramsey, who is DB151 in fantasy PPG. The FSU product doesn’t shadow with Miami, and teams tend to avoid him since his allowed completion percentage (36.4%) is significantly worse than Xavien Howard’s (67.9%).

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