Week 3 IDP Rankings, Streamers, and Fades

Well… this past week was something, wasn't it? As you obviously know, a series of unfortunate events befell pretty much all of us at once! I mean first, Best Buy ran out of pre-orders for the Playstation 5, and then Andre Braugher lost at the Emmys! It’s practically all the fantasy football community can talk about, even now! Oh, and there were a ton of NFL injuries, too… if you care about that sort of stuff.

While a majority of the media and fantasy football community’s attention is currently focused on the injuries of Saquon Barkley, Courtland Sutton, Drew Lock, and Raheem Mostert, the defensive side of the fantasy football field was hit just as hard by the injury to Nick Bosa. The younger Bosa brother was a top-five staple at a shallow DL position, and his loss thins the position to nearly intolerable levels. Losing Bosa will require a strong pivot for many IDP players, as could injuries to Malik Hooker, Chidobe Awuzie, Trae Young, and Byron Jones in deep IDP leagues. Do not expect to find a ready-made Pro Bowl pass rusher like Bosa on waivers, but do know there are players out there who can still help you if you play the game right. Hopefully, the following rankings will help you find those players so that you can repair and rebound in Week 3 and beyond.

Note: As always, our rankings will be split into Rotoballer’s three primary IDP positions (DL, LB, and DB), and they will typically come with some flyer/fade notes for each position as well. Also, as per usual, we will include edge rushers in both our DL and LB ranks since they have different eligibility depending on the fantasy site you are using.

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Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Linemen for Week 3

DL Streamer of Week 3: Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers

There is a good argument for you to bench Armstead this week and for the rest of the year. Offenses will likely key on him like they never have before with Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and Solomon Thomas out. That said, there is also a good argument for Armstead to start this week. That argument is the New York Giants’ offensive line.

The Giants’ offensive line has surrendered the most sacks in the NFL through two games this season, and it has the highest Adjusted Sack Rate according to Football Outsiders. This unit, minus Andrew Thomas, was also one of the worst in both of those categories in 2019. Adding literal injury to that insulting offensive line are the injuries to Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepherd. With a bad line and limited playmakers suiting up for New York, it shouldn’t shock anyone if this depleted 49ers Defense can keep the Giants in check. While the towering Armstead will be the focus of blockers this week, the talent of D.J. Jones and Javon Kinlaw should keep him clean enough to collect a sack, a PD, and two TFLs.

DL Fade of Week 3: Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints

This week Cameron Jordan is going against an offensive line that has allowed just one sack in two weeks. The Packers’ blocking unit currently sports the lowest Adjusted Sack Rate in the NFL through two weeks, and their talent suggests this rate is sustainable. While All-Pro Left Tackle David Bakhtiari is the most famous name on this unit, several other terrific pass blockers line up next to him on that line. Rick Wagner, Elgton Jenkins, and Corey Linsley are each capable pass blockers in their own rights. Those three have combined to allow only two total pressures and zero sacks through two games this season. While that elite efficiency may be unsustainable against defenses that are better than Minnesota and Detroit, the 2019 pass-blocking success of Wagner, Jenkins, and Bakhtiari suggest they will continue to keep the already mobile Aaron Rodgers clean.

Although Jordan is a good enough player to snag a big play or two against even these Packers, you should lower expectations overall and consider starting someone else in his place if you play in standard 12-team IDP leagues.

Underrated DL Matchup of Week 3: Leonard Williams vs. San Francisco 49ers Offensive Line

Leonard Williams may never live up to the career expectations of being the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He may never even live up to the moderate expectations people had of him when Dave Gettleman gave him franchise tag money. Williams should exceed the expectations people have for him going into Week 3, however.

San Francisco is surprisingly thin up the middle of its offensive line. They are currently starting their third-string Center, who is a journeyman recently signed off their practice squad. They are also starting an AFL transplant at Right Guard, a natural tackle learning to play the interior on the fly.  Quinnen Williams secured two sacks and seven combined tackles against this interior last week, and that was when the 49ers had no one to block except for Williams. To make matters worse for the 49ers, they are starting Nick Mullens in Week 3. While Mullens is a serviceable backup, he suffered a 15.4% sack rate against those lowly Jets in just one half of play last week.

Despite all of the problems listed above, and a variety of other injuries not addressed, the 49ers should still be considered slight favorites in New York this week. That doesn’t mean Leonard Williams won’t make several big plays against them, though. He is a sneaky play for those in deeper leagues and those in need of a spot starter at DL or DT.

Top-25 Fantasy Linebackers for Week 3

LB Streamer of Week 3: Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens

Queen has been a pleasant surprise for IDP managers so far, totaling 17 tackles and a turnover while playing over 70% of his defense’s snaps in his first two games. Queen should stay on the field even longer this week, as his skillset is a terrific match against the Chiefs. Queen has the coverage skills to matchup with Travis Kelce on most routes, spelling an opportunity for tackles and PDs. Queen has also shown himself to be a plus pass rusher, which is great for fantasy owners since he is going against a Chiefs offensive line that may be even more leaky than the one that that led the NFL in sacks allowed in 2019.

LB Fade of Week 3: Joe Schobert, Jacksonville Jaguars

While Schobert is worthy of starting in most IDP leagues almost every week, his matchup with the Dolphins is concerning. Schobert is not a strong player in coverage, typically making his hay at the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have shown little commitment to the run this season and last, throwing on nearly 63% of their plays. Expect the Dolphins to continue to throw the ball a lot, with Myles Gaskin serving as their uninspiring lead runner. A heavy passing docket favors Myles Jack's skillset more than Schobert's, meaning Jack is likely the better fantasy play in Week 3. Anticipate less than eight tackles and no big plays for Schobert against Miami.

Biggest IDP Riser of Week 3: Micah Kiser, Los Angeles Rams

Kiser made an appearance on my pre-season sleepers list this offseason, and I was the only Rotoballer ranker to have him in my top-100 defenders for 2020. And yet with all of the love I gave him this offseason, I may have underestimated him as a fantasy asset. He is currently on a tear for the Rams, and it may be no coincidence that Kiser is thriving playing behind Aaron Donald while Cory Littleton struggles without him. While Kiser may not be a favorite of analytics websites (Pro Football Focus for one), his raw stats are a thing of beauty in fantasy football. It matters not how Kiser collected his 22 tackles and three PDs in the first two weeks of the season. What matters is that he is playing on 100% of the Rams’ defensive snaps, and he should continue collecting fantasy points while doing so. He should be rostered and started in all IDP formats.

Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Backs for Week 3

DB Streamer of Week 3: Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

Johnson is a long and talented corner who has collected eight solo tackles and five PDs in two games as a rookie. While he is talented, he will continue to be picked on by opposing offenses since he is a raw rookie who tends to get handsy in coverage. Because Johnson is much rawer than Kyle Fuller is, and because Johnson will draw some flags with his aggressive play, look for Matt Ryan to target the rookie often this week. Johnson could see 15-20 targets come his way against an Atlanta offense that is second in the NFL in passing attempts with 90, which translates into ample fantasy opportunities for the Utah product. It won’t matter who Johnson is covering either, since Atlanta features both Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones heavily. Look for Johnson to put up starter fantasy stats this week in leagues that require you to play a CB or two DBs per team.

DB Fade of Week 3: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers

While Fitzpatrick is a talented defender in real football, he is somewhat big-play dependent as a fantasy asset. He doesn't blitz the quarterback because Pittsburgh doesn't need him to, which means he doesn’t get you sacks. He is a good tackler, but he is not so prolific that you can count on him having a high fantasy floor. That lack of sacks and tackles means you need the former Alabama product to get a turnover or a couple of PDs to make him fantasy relevant most weeks. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick picking up a big play or several PDs seems less likely than usual against what has become a dink-and-dunk Houston passing attack.

Deshaun Watson has been throwing short out of necessity the past two weeks, attempting only ten passes of 20 or more yards. In fact, Watson has only attempted 25 total passes of 10 or more yards all season. Expect Watson to become even more conservative this week, as T.J. Watt and company continuously drive him out of the pocket and put him on the run. If Watson keeps throwing short and running the ball on most of his drop backs, that will limit Fitzpatrick’s opportunities for fantasy points. Remember that Fitzpatrick has lined up as a deep safety on 73% of his snaps as a Steeler, which should take him out of a majority of plays if Houston continues its conservative ways.

The IDP Lead Balloon of Week 3: Taylor Rapp, Los Angeles Rams

This one is a conundrum. In 2019, Rapp was a fantasy stud who totaled an impressive 100 tackles, three turnovers, and eight PDs in just 15 games (10 starts). That production had him pegged as one of the hottest IDP sleepers of the summer in many IDP circles, despite the fact most of Rapp's stats came after John Johnson III got hurt.

However, the tarnish started coming off of Rapp's star this offseason when he missed camp time with a knee injury. This missed camp time was something many IDP rankers, including myself, should have taken more seriously when ranking Rapp so highly, but his talent convinced us otherwise. Ultimately that knee injury hurt Rapp in two ways. First, it kept him from learning new Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley's defensive scheme. Second, it allowed sixth-round pick Jordan Fuller to impress the coaching staff and steal Rapp’s starting role on this defense. As a result, Rapp saw the field on only 21% of his snaps in Week 1 and only 24% in Week 2.

Given Coach McVay's strong vocal support for Fuller the past two weeks, it appears Rapp isn't going to get his job back any time soon. As long as Rapp is on the outside looking in with the Rams, IDP managers playing in shallow leagues can feel comfortable releasing him completely. However, if you play in a dynasty league with a long bench, he is still worth stashing. Either way, you should no longer consider starting him after two straight weeks in which he saw the field on less than a ¼ of his team’s snaps.

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