Week 15 IDP Start Em, Sit Em - Streamers and Fades for Fantasy Football Defensive Players

One thing to remember as we enter the fantasy playoffs is, you must ignore the urge to tinker with your established lineups. Injuries aside, the players you've been starting all year are likely the ones to start in the final weeks of the season. While I understand the urge is great to show off and stream a little-known player with a great matchup, more often than not, that move won’t pay off in the playoffs. At the risk of sounding trite, you dance with the one who "brung you."

This advice may seem obvious to some, but I get dozens of questions every week about benching players in my top ten for streamers at the back of my rankings. Sometimes that question is valid or even brilliant. After all, there are situations where you are projected to lose by 30, so you want to chase the highest ceilings you can while ignoring low floors. So, I don't mind helping people in these situations. That said, more often than not, the players at the top of our rankings are there for a reason.

The truth is, I won’t ever advise someone to bench a healthy Derwin James or Nick Bosa for a streamer with a better matchup. Regardless of the opponent, players like Bosa or James transcend matchups and should be started in all situations. Their talent and usage are so great you cannot risk benching them even in bad matchups, unless you have a Micah Parsons sitting there on your bench. This fact is even more true in the playoffs. With everything on the line, don't get cute. Dance with who brung you.

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Widely Available Defenders Who Can Help in Your Playoffs

Josh Uche, DL, New England Patriots

Uche is rostered in just 1.5% of IDP leagues, despite registering ten sacks in his past five games. As we've stated before, I loved Uche coming out of Michigan and am thrilled to see him take off. He's quick, agile, and has great hands. His playing time is on the rise as well. The final boon for him is he plays the Raiders, Bengals, and Dolphins in the fantasy playoffs. Those are each extremely pass-heavy teams with middling pass blocking.

Brandon Graham, DL, Philadelphia Eagles

Despite collecting 5.5 sacks in his past four games, Graham is rostered in just 0.8% of IDP leagues. He also has an elite matchup with the Bears this week and a solid matchup with New Orleans in Week 17. He's worth a flyer in deeper formats.

Monty Rice, LB, Tennessee Titans

The Titans recently put David Long Jr. on IR, but they just activated Zach Cunningham. So, it's unclear how much Rice's bump in playing time on Sunday will persist. That said, we've been relatively high on him since college, and he played well with increased usage this past weekend. The Chargers are a solid matchup for LBs like Rice, given their heavy usage of their RBs and slot in the passing game.

Kerby Joseph, DB, Detroit Lions

We've talked up Joseph for a few weeks now, but his roster percentage is still below 5%. He's already solidified himself in our rankings as a low-end DB2, and he has a plus playoff schedule ahead. The Jets, Panthers, and Bears play into Joseph’s strengths as a run defender and ball puncher. He’s got one of the better playoff schedules of any fantasy DB.

Casual IDP Streamers and Fades for This Week

Stream: Josh Sweat, DL, Philadelphia Eagles

We've talked up Sweat several times this year, including making him a Gamble of the Week. Against the Bears, Sweat is elevated to a viable DL1 streamer in shallow leagues. There's not too much risk here, and the ceiling is high.

While Sweat is regularly playing fewer than 50% of his team's snaps, the Bears continue to have the worst Adjusted Sack Rate in the NFL, and they've given up the fifth most sacks despite throwing the fewest passes in the league. Sweat has at least one sack in four of his past five games, and a matchup with the Bears should make that five of six games.

Stream: Drue Tranquill, LB, Los Angeles Chargers

After flirting with LB1 status in Weeks 9 and 10, Tranquill is averaging just 6.5 tackles per game over his past four contests. He saved some fantasy teams last week by notching an interception, but before that, he'd gone 12 weeks without forcing a turnover…. So, why are we calling him a streamer in shallow leagues? Simple, he plays the Titans this week.

Fade: Chase Young, DL, Washington Commanders

We've been telling you to stream Chase Young if he returns for several weeks now because his talent is so elite that he could net you a sack or two in a limited return. Well, now the time finally appears ready for the Buckeye to return, and we are telling you to fade him. Why?

First off, his playing time should be capped on a loaded defensive line that can afford to bring him along slowly. Second, he played almost exclusively on the left side of the line last year, where Andrew Thomas plays. While Washington could go back to using Young as they did when he was a rookie, playing him on the right, the onus of facing Thomas in his first game back is too much for us to gamble on in shallow leagues, especially with zero teams on bye.

Fade: Bobby Okereke, LB, Indianapolis Colts

You're not benching Okereke in deep leagues, and you're likely starting him as a low-end FLEX in casual formats. However, it would be best if you lowered expectations this week. You should also consider looking for a higher upside option if you're currently favored to lose in Week 15 and need a boom out of your defense.

The Minnesota Vikings are the fourth most pass-oriented offense in the NFL this year, while ranking 22^nd in RB targets. The Colts have yet to face an offense that involves their running backs as infrequently as the Vikings do. That is a concerning note to make when you consider Okereke is entirely tackle-dependent for fantasy production, totaling zero sacks and one forced turnover all year.

Premium Scoring & Deep League Streamers and Fades for This Week

Stream: Jamin Davis, LB, Washington Commanders

Since Cole Holcomb went down, Jamin Davis has seen his playing time nearly double. He's playing 100% of Washington's snaps when he hovered around 60% before Holcomb's exit.

The Kentucky product has notched 9+ tackles in three of his past four games, and the Giants offer a solid matchup that netted Davis 10 takedowns two weeks ago. Consider Davis a viable streamer in deeper leagues.

Stream: Patrick Surtain II, DB, Denver Broncos

As you'll notice, players like Surtain are not weekly plug-and-play fantasy options. Their opponent has a lot to do with whether you stream or sit them. This week Surtain gets a Cardinals offense that is seventh in the NFL in pass rate and has two double-digit target threats. Without Kyler Murray, Arizona's pass rate actually goes up, too. Finally, Colt McCoy was visibly rattled and forcing the matter on Monday. Expect that to continue against Denver's solid front.

Fade: Tariq Woolen, DB, Seattle Seahawks

At this point, you have to keep Woolen on the radar, especially in Premium Scoring IDP leagues. His potential for a turnover is too high, especially against Mr. Irrelevant, who has thrown at least three turnover-worthy balls in each of his NFL appearances.

That said, the 49ers are without Deebo Samuel and should continue to rely on the run. When they throw, the presence of Woolen could inspire them to target Christian McCaffery and George Kittle even more while avoiding Brandon Aiyuk. Kyle Shanahan knows how to plan around an opposing defense's best weapons, and Woolen has become that for Seattle. There is some boom upside here, but the volume and game plan make Woolen risky.

Defensive Tackles to Consider for This Week

Morgan Fox, DT, Los Angeles Chargers

Fox has been playing over 60% of the Chargers' defensive snaps over the past five weeks. He also sits 16^th amongst all interior defenders in quarterback pressures this year. Finally, he gets a Titans offense that should run at Fox plenty and offer him several sack opportunities…. And you read that right, this is MORGAN Fox, not Megan.

Quinton Jefferson, Seattle Seahawks

With Al Woods still ailing, Jefferson could again see an inflated role for Seattle against a 49ers team that loves to run it up the middle. Jefferson also sits 20^th among interior defenders in quarterback pressures despite playing just 291 pass-rush snaps this season. The 49ers allow 4.6 quarterback pressures up the middle per game this season, which is above league average. Jefferson is a desperation play but a viable DT lottery ticket in deeper leagues.

Cornerbacks to Consider for This Week

Cameron Dantzler, CB, Minnesota Vikings

After missing four games due to injury, Dantzler returned to a 49% snap share against Detroit. That injury and low usage rate are likely why Dantzler is still available in over 99% of ESPN leagues, but his usage should return to 100% soon, and the Colts offer a plus matchup this week. Indy has the sixth-highest pass ratio in the NFL, and Matt Ryan comfortably leads all starting quarterbacks with a 3.1% interception rate. Dantzler is a fine gamble in deeper leagues.

Trent McDuffie, CB, Kansas City Chiefs

The Texans are averaging 35 pass attempts over their last three games, and that number should be higher without Dameon Pierce in the backfield. Add in the Chiefs' high-octane offense, and Houston will be passing early and often. Davis Mills is second in the NFL in interceptions, and Nico Collins missed practice again on Wednesday. McDuffie and the Chiefs' secondary should have a field day against this offense, making him a solid streamer.

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