Week 6 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to begin this week by returning to a favorite topic of mine: Arthur Smith. The former Titans’ coordinator has been a whipping post of mine for some time, but he’s earned praise from some analysts as a “gamer” who wins despite his offense (his specialty) struggling to score touchdowns. He is widely considered to have job security because his team wins low-scoring close games against bad teams, despite a waste of top-end offensive talent.

I’ll remind you that Smith is an offensive coach whose offense ranks 20^th in yards and 27^th in points per game. His Atlanta offenses have never ranked higher than 24^th in yards per game nor higher than 15^th in points. He has three top-ten draft picks at skill positions and three first-round picks on the offensive line, and he chose to go into this season with Desmond Ridder at quarterback. With that talent, his team struggles for points against Houston and Carolina.

I mention these things because Smith continues underutilizing Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and even Bijan Robinson. He gets away with it because his defense holds opponents to 19.2 points per game. So, IDP factors like Jessie Bates III and A.J. Terrell are saving Smith’s job, while his struggling offense gets headlines for incremental improvements. It’s another example of the media and fans undervaluing defense. A trend IDP managers are all too familiar with.

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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:

Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles

Carter has slowly risen in our ranks, previously appearing in our streamers article as a DL3 option. Despite limited snaps and playing from the interior, he rises into the mid-tier DL2 ranks this week.

Carter’s efficiency is tremendous, ranking eighth in the NFL in quarterback pressures and seventh in hurries. He now goes against a Jets team that allows 14 quarterback pressures per game and just lost Alijah Vera-Tucker. With Carter often shading the inside tackle and occasionally lining up at end, he should be able to abuse a banged-up Jets offensive line.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants

As with any of our defensive disappointment calls, Thibodeaux is a talented player who has earned some semblance of fantasy trust. He wouldn't be worth mentioning in this space if he hadn't. So, he could very well produce fantasy points in a bad fantasy matchup. There are reasons to doubt Thibs in this one though.

One reason to be low on the Oregon product is that his advanced metrics could be better. PFF grades him as a below-average pass rusher, and his pass-rush win rate of 4.9% is the fifth lowest amongst all defenders with at least 100 pass-rush snaps. Aggravating matters is the fact Josh Allen is averaging just 1.8 sacks per game, and his blockers have allowed just seven total quarterback hits.

The matchup in this one is bad for Thibodeaux. His advanced metrics have been disappointing, too. While he deserves to be in the DL2 mix based on talent and sack production alone, we are fading expectations this week.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week:

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns

Owusu-Koramoah saw a season-high 79% of Cleveland's snaps before the bye. Now, his team faces a 49er team that uses plenty of motions, screens, and zone runs. San Francisco’s scheme fits Owusu-Koramoah’s skillset well.

The Browns would be wise to use their most athletic linebacker more than usual against the 49ers. He collected eight tackles against the Ravens in Week 4, and similar production is a strong possibility this week if Cleveland properly uses the Notre Dame product. He’s an LB3 option against Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints

Davis has historically been a jack-of-all-trades sort of fantasy linebacker. Some weeks, he could carry you with a turnover or a sack. Others, Davis could sustain your team with tackle production alone. Lately, he hasn't done either. Across his past three games, Davis has collected zero turnovers, zero sacks, and just 14 combined tackles. While he's due for a rebound soon, he must have tackle volume if he’s going to do it against Houston.

C.J. Stroud is averaging a healthy 11 targets per game to tight ends and running backs, which is good for Davis’ volume. However, Stroud has yet to throw an interception this year. Houston’s offense is also middle of the pack in run rate, has turned the ball over just twice, and they haven’t surrendered a sack in three straight games. All of those factors are bad for Davis’ upside. He will likely be a volume-dependent play this week.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week:

Marco Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

Wilson is the fourth most targeted cornerback in the NFL this season. He allows an abysmal 79.5% completion rate but turns many of those into tackles. While a lot of Wilson's production came against Ja'Marr Chase in his transcendent showing last weekend, there's reason to believe he will see significant volume against the Rams, too.

Last weekend, Cooper Kupp lined up wide more often than in the slot. Meanwhile, Puka Nakua has lined up wide nearly twice as often as he has inside. Wilson exclusively plays outside, so he should see plenty of the Rams' two star receivers. Given that Los Angeles is tied for most pass attempts per game this season, the volume should be strong for Wilson and Arizona's secondary this week.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

Nate Hobbs, Las Vegas Raiders

It is unclear whether Hobbs will be healthy enough to play this week, so you should have alternatives in mind already. If he does play, the Patriots are not an ideal matchup.

While New England is one of the more pass-oriented offenses this season, that is largely due to the 96 pass attempts Mac Jones attempted in their first two games. Since then, New England has attempted the eighth fewest pass attempts in the NFL. That is particularly concerning, considering they've lost by a combined score of 72-3 the past two weeks. Translation: the Pats can't sustain drives even when they must throw.

If the Patriots cannot sustain drives, they won’t offer the volume that opposing defenders need for fantasy production. Their inability to sustain drives will likely continue this week, as the confidence of their quarterback is in question after he was benched in two straight games. Given questions about volume, injury concerns, and a lack of a WR1 for Hobbs to shadow, consider him a turnover-dependent risk this week.

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