Fantasy Football IDP Rankings and Streamers - Week 5

Let’s start Week 5 off with a piece of obvious, but apparently necessary, advice. It is advice that no IDP manager should need, but approximately 8% of IDP managers have to hear. Are you ready for this nugget of wisdom? Wait for it…. Here it comes….

Stop dropping the best defender in fantasy (Darius Leonard)!

This nugget of information seems blatantly obviously, but approximately 6% of fantasy managers have dropped Leonard this week so it has to be said. It is staggering to think that Leonard is currently available in about 8% of IDP leagues (an average of Yahoo and ESPN leagues combined). That’s about 8% too many.

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Week 5 Overview

Before you ask, yes, I am aware that Leonard may miss Week 5 with a groin injury. And before you hit send on the inevitable hate tweet you have ready for me, yes, I am also aware that Leonard hasn't provided you a turnover or sack this season. I know all of this. Still, remind yourself of who we are talking about here. Leonard is a young superstar who, when healthy, has been the highest-scoring fantasy defender over the past two seasons in almost all IDP formats. He is also a player who, even during his “slump” this season, is averaging a solid nine tackles per game in 2020. That is a fantasy floor that many fantasy LBs would call their ceiling.

Further, recall that Leonard started 2019 with a relatively quiet streak that culminated in three missed games due to injury. During those missed games, many fantasy managers dropped Leonard just like they are this season. All Leonard did after that was punish those who dropped him by racking up 103 tackles, four sacks, five interceptions, seven PDs, and two forced fumbles over the season's final 11 games. That streak saw Leonard match top-ten fantasy QB production multiple times, and it serves as a reminder why you should never give up on him in fantasy.

Now, I hear you. You need to fill that valuable RB role after Nick Chubb and Saquon Barkley went down. I get you. D'Ernest Johnson and Justin Jackson can look pretty appetizing to fantasy managers who are hurting. My question is, do you really have to drop Leonard to roster one of those guys? Isn’t there someone else you can drop? And if there isn’t someone else you can drop, is it worth losing a fantasy LB capable of outscoring Tom Brady just to get a few weeks of spot starter work from Johnson or Jackson?

My answer is no, neither Johnson nor Jackson has more fantasy value than Leonard does the rest of this season in most IDP leagues. There are few fantasy assets who are as reliable as a healthy Leonard. Heck, the only things more reliable in this world that come to mind are Patrick Mahomes, airplane glue, Fruit of the Loom underwear, and a tasty chalupa from Taco Bell (sponsorship pending).

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.

*Fantasy Relevant Defenders Not in Our Week 5 Ranks Due to Injury/Bye Include: Jamal Adams, Nick Bosa, Derwin James, Chase Young, Tracy Walker, Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Trey Flowers, and Christian Kirksey.

Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Streamer of the Week: Carl Lawson, Cincinnati Bengals

Lawson is an exciting player who is ascending now that he is healthy, despite having limited snaps so far. He was a promising prospect with first-round talent coming out of Auburn, and when healthy he has been the Bengals' most gifted pass rusher over the past three seasons. While Lawson is often hit-or-miss in fantasy thanks to his rotational role on this defense and his sack dependency, he is a significant enough sack artist to be worth starting in prime situations. While this situation against Baltimore may seem less than ideal, it could turn out to be a prime situation in which you can nab Lawson and start him thanks to others discounting his matchup.

This week Lawson is going against a QB who has been on the injured list all week and may not have his extra gear on Sunday. While Baltimore has a good blocking unit, they aren't quite as good as they were last year and if Lamar Jackson isn't himself, Lawson could get a sack or two in Week 5 as a quality fantasy spot starter. The prospect of Baltimore keeping Lamar in the pocket a bit more, or Lamar being slowed by illness/injury is enough to make Lawson a really interesting streamer, even if on paper he doesn't seem to be.

DL Fade of the Week: Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

The Chiefs have allowed an average of 11 pressures per game so far in 2020, which isn't ideal. Despite that, Mahomes and company have given up only one sack per contest. While this blocking unit is just average in the running game, allowing 18% of their runs to be stuffed at or behind the line, they have surrendered very few big defensive plays despite going against some good defenses (Baltimore and New England, specifically).

KC's ability to avoid significant losses, sacks, and turnovers is a problem for Crosby's fantasy managers. The second-year pass rusher derives almost all of his fantasy value from big plays (sacks and TFLs). He is averaging less than two tackles per game in 2020, getting nearly all of his fantasy production from three sacks and one PD. That means he is a particularly sack dependent fantasy player. Against this KC unit, don't expect him to get one of those. Feel free to leave Crosby on your bench, or waivers in shallow leagues, this week.

Exploding Matchup of the Week: Aaron Donald v. Washington Football Team

Putting Donald in this spot seems like low hanging fruit since we all know just how good he is as a player. That said, Donald should utterly dominate Washington’s offensive line this week.

Washington has allowed 13 sacks this season so far, and the team is now starting Kyle Allen under center. Allen is a veritable statue who took 3.5 sacks per game in Carolina (an 8.6% sack rate), and who fumbled the ball a whopping once per game in 2019. Combine Washington’s offensive line with an 8.1% sack rate, a fumbling QB who takes sacks like gummy vitamins, and put them up against the best defender in football together, and you’ve got a bleak opening to Mr. Allen Goes to Washington.

Top-25 Fantasy Linebackers of the Week 

LB Streamer of the Week: Josey Jewell, Denver Broncos

A member of our IDP Waiver column this week, Jewell is an ascending fantasy prospect with a concrete floor and a decent ceiling. Last week we saw the Broncos use both Jewell and Alexander Johnson more as pass rushers, which was impactful. Expect them to be utilized like that more as the season goes on.

Jewell has a nice matchup against a run-heavy New England team this week, especially if Cam Newton starts at QB. Newton has historically allowed opposing LBs to put up good fantasy weeks against him, thanks to his style of running up the middle and through defenders. An example of this would be in Week 1 when Newton helped Jerome Baker to a big fantasy day. Expect a similar game plan from New England this week if Cam plays, and expect Jewell to put up starter fantasy stats as a result.

LB Fade of the Week: Jayon Brown, Tennessee Titans

Brown is usually a stable and steady fantasy contributor. He suffers this week from two problems, however. One problem is that his game this week, which was already moved to Tuesday, may still be canceled. That makes it hard to play any Titan or Bill this week. The second problem is that we don’t even know how any of these Titans players will perform if the game does go.

Football is genuinely in new territory with this COVID pandemic, especially regarding how these COVID delays will impact NFL players’ readiness. We have already seen how a shortened offseason and a lack of conditioning time has caused more injuries, more lineup rotations, and more unpredictable results than usual in 2020. The question now is how well Titans players, like Brown, will be able to go from their couches to the field with little to no practice time over the past two weeks. Do you want to risk your fantasy week on an LB, or any other player, who hasn't been able to take a snap with his teammates for more than 14 days?

Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Streamer of the Week: James Bradberry, New York Giants

Last week we faded Bradberry because the Rams were a multi-faceted offense that could easily avoid the Giants' top corner, spelling low opportunity rates for Bradberry to score fantasy points. This week Bradberry is an excellent bet to get multiple fantasy opportunities, however, against the high-flying Dallas Cowboys. While some may question whether Dallas may look to finally establish a consistent run game against the woeful Giants this week, it seems safe to assume the Cowboys will throw the ball at least 35 times this game, with many targets coming Bradberry’s way.

Dak Prescott loves to target Amari Cooper, as evidenced by the pick he forced towards Cooper to end the Browns game last week. Bradberry should see plenty of Cooper, and plenty of targets as a result. Expect this corner to return to his pace of three PDs per game, which he maintained through the first three weeks of this season, in Week 5. That is significant in leagues that reward points for deflections.

DB Fade of the Week: Justin Reid, Houston Texans

So far this year, Reid has been a steady but unspectacular fantasy DB. Reid’s fantasy ceiling has been seriously capped so far because he has zero turnovers or sacks. While Reid can make those kinds of plays, fantasy managers shouldn't expect them to come this week.

Reid’s opponent in Week 5, the Jacksonville Jaguars, runs the fifth-fewest plays in the NFL so far this season. That low volume limits all defenders' opportunities for fantasy points. To make matters worse, the Jaguars average just 1.25 turnovers per game, which limits the odds that Reid will pick up his first pick or fumble this week. While Reid should spend more than half his time in coverage against the Jaguars, who run the fourth pass heaviest offense in the NFL, the low volume and low turnover rates of this Jaguars offense seriously limits Reid’s fantasy upside in Week 5.

Red Flag of the Week: Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills

Poyer is valuable enough that you can't just drop him like you can many fantasy defenders, even if he and the Bills may miss Week 5 due to COVID delay. The Bills’ standout safety is a top-three fantasy DB this week if his game goes. The problem is that we won’t likely know if Poyer is going to play in Week 5 until probably Monday or Tuesday morning of next week. Because this game has already been moved to Tuesday, with no indication if it will be played, fantasy managers must decide what to do with their Bills and Titans this week.

Poyer managers have to decide whether to risk playing him with no available backups on Tuesday, or they have to bench him for a lower ceiling player they know will play on Sunday. The only real option, beyond benching Poyer, is adding a player like C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The hyphenated Saints DB plays on Monday, and hopefully you will know whether Poyer’s game will be canceled before Gardner-Johnson takes the field on Monday night.

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