IDP Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 4

Another week is in the bag, and several more noteworthy injuries hit us. While we are keeping an eye on Joey Bosa’s injury and the fallout of Myles Garrett's car crash, it is simply too early to know the impact of either. What we can say is the injuries to Trent Williams and Rashawn Slater appear clear and significant, as Williams has a high ankle sprain that typically lasts for several weeks, and Slater is out for the year with a torn bicep. Both injuries are disappointing but offer new opportunities for fantasy edge rushers this season.

The injury to Williams is of the short-term variety. While he played through a similar ankle issue in last season’s playoffs, Williams later admitted he was limited by the injury and shouldn’t have played with it. This time the Oklahoma alum is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, which will exacerbate the leaks that were always hiding along that 49ers line. Denver was the first real test for San Fran’s front in 2022, and the Broncos got pressure even before Williams went down. Elevate all Rams pass rushers in Week 4.

The injury to Slater is a longer-term concern, however. The Northwestern product has been one of the best blindside protectors since he was drafted last year, and Justin Herbert’s rib injury makes that role even more important. With Slater out all year, you have to elevate every opposing pass rusher on Los Angeles’ schedule…. And with that, we will get to our rankings. As always, remember these ranks are primarily based on my Casual IDP Scoring system. See last week’s rankings for a specific breakdown.

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Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Gamble(s) of the Week

Emmanuel Ogbah, Miami Dolphins

Joe Burrow continues to run for his life behind a line that was broken long before he came to Cincinnati. The Bengals currently sport the fourth worst Adjusted Sack Rate in the NFL despite spending heavily on their line this offseason, allowing 22 pressures off the edge this year. That spells a positive matchup for Ogbah, a sack-dependent edge who regularly plays more than 70% of Miami's defensive snaps each week.

DL Fold(s) of the Week

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tryon-Shoyinka has just six total tackles in three games, with a single solo in each contest. Despite an advantageous role on a good defense and receiving favorable snap rates, he has just one half-sack on the season. The Washington product is a talented project, but he hasn't produced fantasy-relevant stats yet, and he now gets an offense with the best Adjusted Sack Rate in the NFL through Week 3. We aren’t playing Tryon-Shoyinka if we can avoid it this week.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Gamble(s) of the Week

Zaire Franklin as an LB1 if Darius Leonard is Out

Franklin isn't so much a "gamble" this week as he is a risk to roster in IDP leagues with a shallow bench. If Shaquille Leonard finally plays this week, Franklin has little fantasy value at all. That said, if Leonard is again ruled out, his replacement is a must-start in most fantasy formats. It is simply unclear how many IDP managers can afford to roster a backup LB who could be relegated to a backup role as soon as this coming Sunday.

If Leonard is out this week, we are ranking Franklin as a top-seven fantasy LB against a Titans team that continues to run the ball a lot. This game has the makings of a close contest where both sides try to dominate the line of scrimmage, which translates well for a linebacker who has secured double-digit tackles in each of his past two games. The only question about Franklin is whether you want to dedicate a roster spot to him all week, knowing Leonard could take over.

LB Fold(s) of the Week

Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers

We like Luvu the rest of this season, but we are fading him in a concerning matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona has struggled mightily to establish the run in the few moments they've tried. While there's a chance the Panthers are so woeful on offense that this is the first chance the Cardinals have to commit to the run, Arizona's defense allowed just 23-points to the Raiders and 20 to the Rams, yet the Cardinals still refused to run.

We expect there is some chance Luvu will pay off this week if the Cardinals do control this game and James Conner proves healthier than he looked last week. However, you cannot feel comfortable betting an LB3 spot on that small chance. We have Luvu as an LB4 this week, despite three strong performances to start his season.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Gamble(s) of the Week

Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos

NFL teams draft a player like Surtain to shadow guys such as Davante Adams. While the Broncos' brain trust leaves much to be desired, putting their best defender on an opponent's clear #1 weapon is obvious.

Adams is averaging more than 11-targets per contest in Las Vegas, and we expect Derek Carr won't avoid him even with Surtain in tight coverage. That could lead to enough involvement that Surtain sneaks into the DB2 conversation this week, even in Casual scoring formats. He's a must-start in CB-mandated leagues and our favorite DB lottery ticket widely available in most IDP leagues.

DB Fold(s) of the Week

Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals

Baker Mayfield is attempting 27 passes per game this season and has thrown just one interception across three games. While Mayfield misses a lot, he often misses well short of his receivers, and the ball ends up in the dirt or on the sideline. He also makes less effort than most passers to involve his #1 option, which is something Odell Beckham Jr. could've told you years ago.

With D.J. Moore averaging a meager six targets per game with the Mayfield under center, and no Panthers receiver seeing more than 20.9% of his passes, it's hard to see Murphy being overly involved in this game. Carolina's leading target getter (Robbie Anderson) isn't worthy of a shadow, and Mayfield won’t force passes to Moore if Murphy is blanketing him. Expect the Cardinals’ top corner to see a maximum of seven or eight fantasy opportunities this week.

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