Week 17 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2024) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

This past weekend, we saw a rare vulnerability from an NFL player. On a deep pass, Tank Dell brought in a touchdown in the back of the endzone. As he went down, a teammate fresh off the practice squad collided with Dell's knee. The impact was instantaneous. Without dropping the pass, Dell went down and immediately grabbed for his knee before being carted off.

The response to this collision was significant. His quarterback and self-professed best friend, C.J. Stroud, was nearly inconsolable. The reigning Rookie of the Year was noticeably bereaved, repeatedly breaking into tears and requiring consolation from teammates. It was a true show of emotion and love for a teammate, yet some on the internet panned Stroud for his emotions.

In a world where players are increasingly phoning in performances, refusing to go into games, and accepting no accountability, it's refreshing to see Stroud care so much for his teammate. It's a reaction he should be commended for, loving his teammates and being invested in them, rather than mocked for it. We want players, and humans in general, to care more, not less.

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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:

Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, Seattle Seahawks

Hall and Mafe have almost identical pressure rates, pass rush grades, and pass rush opportunities. They also rotate regularly, playing equal numbers on the left and right edges of the defense. Finally, both saw an uptick in production with a positive matchup against the Vikings last weekend.

Considering that, the Seahawks' edge rushers are solid streaming options in Week 17. As we wind up the season, the Riser of the Week is less about players with "season-long value" and more about streaming potential, given how few weeks are left. Both Mafe and Hall have a positive streaming potential for those in need of a boom performance.

While PFF and other sites grade Chicago's pass blockers surprisingly well, and Chicago's sack numbers have improved recently, the team just lost its starting left tackle. Replacing Braxton Jones is Larry Borom. Borom grades poorly as a pass blocker, surrendering six sacks and 16 pressures in just 157 pass sets.

Borom's pressure and sack rates are among the worst in the NFL. That means Mafe and Hall are both good bets for a sack and possibly more.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings’ edge rusher duo is currently tied for sixth in the NFL in sacks this season. The two free-agency additions are both top nine DLs in terms of fantasy points per game, too. In short, it is next to impossible to bench either player with the seasons they are having.

GIIIIIIIINK!@AndrewVanGinkel #ProBowlVote

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/NvxtqQBJgp

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 23, 2024

Unfortunately, Minnesota has an incredibly tough matchup for pass rushers during our fantasy championships. Green Bay's pass blockers have ranked top two in pass-blocking grade and pressure rate allowed in each of the past two seasons. Worse, they've allowed just four total sacks and 45 quarterback pressures off the edge this year.

Green Bay’s edge blockers stifled the Vikings' edges in their first contest this year. Van Ginkel and Greenard combined for zero sacks and 7.5 total fantasy points in that game. Nothing about Green Bay's pass-blocking film or metrics suggests those numbers are likely to improve upon repeat viewing this week.

With all of that said, this week is a tough one for many of fantasy’s top DLs. With Maxx Crosby and others already out with injury and edges like Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. facing their own rough matchups, we cannot fade Van Ginkel and Greenard too much. We simply must warn they are riskier DL1 options than usual.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Dee Winters, San Francisco 49ers

For all the hype and hoopla surrounding the return of Dre Greenlaw, his impact was short-lived. With the 49ers now eliminated from playoff contention, their starters are dropping like flies. Trent Williams is done for the year, as are Aaron Banks, Jaylon Moore, and Christian McCaffrey.

Joining that list is Greenlaw, who is now expected to sit out the rest of the year to rest his calf. Many of these designations seem cautionary but also mean other less-known players must step up. Winters is the guy filling the role vacated by Greenlaw's injury and De'Vondre Campbell's… sabbatical.

Huge block from @AI_XLV out of the gun on 49ers LB Dee Winters pic.twitter.com/ZGOvb1UUDZ

— Fullback Watch (@FullbackWatch) December 22, 2024

Despite playing with a nagging injury and Greenlaw seeing significant snaps in his limited return, Winters has played over 50% of San Fran’s defensive snaps in three of their past four games. He's seen over 70% in two of those contests. Last week, that led to eight tackles, and a matchup with the run-heavy Lions could lead to even more.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Robert Spillane, Las Vegas Raiders

Whether you consider Spillane a potential disappointment depends greatly on what you need from your fantasy linebacker(s) this week. In most leagues, this week’s contest is for all the marbles. Only two teams are left competing, so your needs and options vary more widely than most weeks.

With that in mind, what does your fantasy team need? Are you favored to lose? Are you facing the most loaded roster in your league? If so, fantasy’s fifth-most rostered and started linebacker (Spillane) may not be for you.

Spillane has just two forced turnovers on the season. He hasn't registered a double-digit tackle performance in six weeks, either. What's worse, he has just one sack on the season, which came back in Week 3. His floor is relatively high, though. Meaning, Spillane is a fine LB2 if you just need a safety net… but his ceiling is low if you need more.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts

Moore was once a staple in most analysts’ top DB tier, but this year has been inconsistent for the Colts’ slot maven. Despite a two-interception showing last weekend, he still sits as DB39 in fantasy points per game, which is a far cry from where he used to be. He has a positive matchup this week, though.

Surprisingly, the Giants rank second in pass attempts per game over the past three weeks. Despite a carousel of vomit-inducing quarterback options for Big Blue, they are still averaging 44 pass attempts since Week 13. They also send double-digit throws to slot weapon Wan'Dale Robinson while rotating Malik Nabers inside 10% of the time.

Considering how this New York offense is running lately, Moore should see enough of the Giant’s top two targets to merit DB2 consideration.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

Jessie Bates III, Atlanta Falcons

We are nitpicking this week since the championship games have thinned competition, and waivers are less active. As we are down to one magical game to decide the entire season, in most leagues, you can afford to be picky in most shallow IDP leagues.

With that in mind, Bates is a top-ten DB for us… but he is a risky play that fantasy managers who are favored to win may want to avoid. Bates is historically a turnover-dependent fantasy asset. That means you want to play him against high-volume passing attacks that take risks, but shallow league managers may sit him in low-volume games.

Jessie Bates pick six!#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/TG1iamDjdG

— Rise Up Penix (@RiseUpReader) December 22, 2024

Unfortunately, Jayden Daniels is a precise thrower who takes few risks. The rookie has the second-lowest turnover-worthy throw rate in the NFL. Washington is also attempting the seventh-fewest pass attempts in the league. While Daniels' turnovers are up recently, he's still thrown the sixth-fewest INTs amongst NFL passers with 11+ starts.

If you need a boom from a lottery ticket DB, Bates is hard to beat. If you need more safety or security from your defense, he's a risky play.

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