DL Streaming 101: Week 14
Professor IDP looks at the best DE and DT streaming options in your IDP fantasy football leagues for Week 14.
Welcome to the Week 14 edition of DL Streaming 101! What a time for byes to hit us with this being one of the final weeks of the regular season. Since this week (and the rest of the season) may be a must-win for you, I am going to stick to the same format as last week with less focus on past results, less deep dives into individual players, but more names for your consideration with the underlying data I used to place them on the list. If you have questions about anyone listed but not written up (or other DL), please feel free to drop them in the comments and I’ll be happy to help!
With the new format last week, and only one player lost to injury, we had 19 preferred streaming options take the field averaging 12.07 NPLB points each. The Ideal Tier only had one player who posted a total of nine points while the Solid and Solid (Deeper) Tiers had a mixture of booms, mehs, and busts (points ranged from 0-30.1). Still, four of the top six performers came from the Solid Tier giving me slightly more confidence in this group. The overall season average stands at 11.3 PPG, staying above that minimum starter cut line of 10 which I strive for in all of my leagues.
Week 14 features a new slate of 20 players all of which I view as above the dreaded Dart Throw Tier although the bottom options are not too far off. Be sure to check for actives/inactives that would either help or hurt an individual player before making your lineup decisions and feel free to use the data I provide to help your decision-making as you know your risk tolerance, league set-up, and needs this week.
Featured DL Streamers
Alim McNeill, DT, DET (🎓🎓🎓)
McNeill had a quiet two-tackle, one-tackle-for-loss game on Thanksgiving but his underlying metrics keep him as a top streaming option for me in Week 14. Last week against the Bears, McNeill posted three QB pressures in his seventh game of the season with three or more. His ratio of 9.75 pressures per sack for the season is among the worst among the top 20 pressure generators at defensive tackle.
Positive regression seems to be coming, but the Packers have allowed the second-fewest sacks in the NFL this season. The tackle floor has also not been there this year but with six teams on bye, it is hard to ignore a talented DT who most recently played 94% of snaps.
Osa Odighizuwa, DT, DAL (🎓🎓🎓)
While McNeill has been struggling from a fantasy perspective as of late, Osa Odighizuwa has been thriving. Since Week 11, Odighizuwa is DT10 and has the fourth-highest floor over that same stretch. The Cowboys face the Bengals in Week 14 and Cincinnati has allowed huge games to an opposing DT in two of their past three games (Madubuike in Week 10 and Heyward last week). Odighizuwa has played 90% of snaps in each of the past two weeks and is a top-20 rated interior pass rusher on the season, per PFF, making him a very attractive streaming option in Week 14.
B.J. Hill, DT, CIN (🎓🎓🎓)
On the other side of the Bengals-Cowboys matchup is B.J. Hill of Cincinnati. Hill was a bright spot in an abysmal Bengals defense in Week 13 finishing as fantasy DT6 for the week after (finally) recording his first sack of the season after 19 pressures. Hill’s tackle floor is well established as he ranks 11th among interior defenders in tackles in spite of missing two games earlier in the season.
The Cowboys also represent a plus matchup for opposing linemen having given up two viable (10-15 pt) and six good (15+ pt) performances over their past four games. When healthy, Hill has played at least 70% of snaps in each game this season and eclipsed 80% for the second time in Week 13 creating the combination of talent, opportunity, and matchup that we like to see in DL streamers.
Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, CLE (🎓🎓🎓)
Tomlinson returned to Earth in Week 13 after a ten-pressure performance in Week 12 adding three more pressures and a QB hit (but no sacks) to his 2024 resume. Despite the decrease in output and the back-to-back weeks of poor fantasy output, my confidence in Tomlinson is growing in Week 14 for two primary reasons.
First, he played a season-high 76% of snaps against the Broncos and seems to be established as a primary piece of the Cleveland front four as he led all DL in snaps last week (yes, ALL Browns DL). Second, while I am primarily metrics-driven, I watched B.J. Hill (and, to a lesser extent, Kris Jenkins) make plays against a very hit-or-miss Steelers interior offensive line which the Browns will hope to exploit in Week 14.
D.J. Wonnum, DE, CAR (🎓🎓🎓)
Wonnum’s fantasy performance declined in Week 13, but I am ‘buying the dip’ if fantasy managers are cutting or overlooking him this week. Wonnum played his worst game of the season (a 43.7 overall PFF grade) but still posted five pressures and three tackles (plus two missed tackles).
He also played his highest number of snaps and snap share of the season in Week 13 and, given how bare the cupboards are in Carolina, he does not appear to be in any danger of losing playing time. He also goes from a difficult fantasy matchup with the Buccaneers last week to the Eagles in Week 14 who have shut down Washington and Baltimore edges but allowed big games to Dallas and Jacksonville in recent memory.
Javon Kinlaw, DT, NYJ (🎓🎓🎓)
Kinlaw was a major fantasy disappointment in Week 13 with 0 points despite leading the Jets DL in snaps at 50 (78%). His performances this season have been varied from both a PFF (three games graded under 40, six over 60) and fantasy perspective (three games under six fantasy points, two over 20) making him a risky play.
The Jets play the Dolphins this week who stiffened up against the Packers last week only allowing 18.15 points across all interior defenders. Still, four of the Dolphins' last six opponents since QB Tua Tagovailoa’s return have posted 39 points or more suggesting there may be an opportunity for Kinlaw to redeem himself in Week 14.
Full Week 14 Streamer List
Good luck and if you have any questions about deep DL plays, my office is always open on Twitter (@ProfessorIDP). While this article is a freebie, please consider supporting me, the show, and the broader IDP community by adding your league(s) to the 2024 State of IDP Survey!
Be sure to subscribe to The IDP Show on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.