DL Streaming 101: Week 4
DL Streaming 101: Week 4
Professor IDP looks at the best DE and DT streaming options in your IDP fantasy football leagues for Week 4.
Welcome to the Week 4 edition of DL Streaming 101! As the season wears on and we face more injuries, sometimes DL streaming is necessary and not a choice. With that in mind, let’s look back at last week’s picks, season-long results, and overall model performance before hopping into this week’s preferred streaming options.
We finally had a big week with an overall average above 10 points per game thanks, in large part, to Derick Hall’s overall DE2 performance. Alongside Hall, four other picks from last week broke the always important 10-point mark, only 3 finished below 5 points, and we did not take a single 0. We will not always have weeks like this but hopefully, some of these guys were able to help you to a victory in your league(s).
For the season, the Ideal tier is sparsely populated but leading the pack in terms of average performance while the Solid (Deeper) tier outperforms Solid thanks to Derick Hall (the average drops below 7 without his monster game in Week 3). I would still play top-tier guys over the next two groups (and luckily we have not had to dip into Tier 4 - Dart Throw territory yet) but if you see a guy you like or prefer the logic for a Tier 3 player over Tier 2, that is justifiable.
While I am picking a dozen players per week to highlight, I am still running models on the entire population of DL in order to find the best predictors of future performance. I am happy with the current state of things (season-long average snaps remain the strongest predictor) but I am working on a few other ideas for the future and will report back if there are any changes. For now, we will keep focusing on snaps, player grades, and fantasy-friendly matchups as we look forward to Week 4.
DL Available in 75% of IDP Leagues
Nick Herbig, PIT, DE (🎓🎓🎓🎓)
I will join the chorus of IDP folks telling you to add Nick Herbig to your roster this week. With Alex Highsmith out, I would not necessarily pencil him in for north of 80% of snaps this week but if I even put him in at 65% he is an Ideal Tier play for me in Week 4. Everyone is rightfully raving about his Week 3 performance on limited snaps and usually I would suggest caution but given the strength of his underlying metrics (91.2 PFF Pass Rush Grade), there is reason for optimism. The only concern is a matchup this week against a Colts team that has been the 2nd toughest for fantasy DEs allowing only one 10+ point performance in 2024 despite playing against names like Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, and Montez Sweat.
Gervon Dexter Sr, CHI, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
After a one-week hiatus from the article, Gervon Dexter is back as a great streaming option for Week 4. Like Herbig, he is an ‘add him while you still can’ kind of player since he is currently DT6 for the season after three solid performances. Dexter’s snap counts are ideal for any position and relatively unheard of for a DT at 88% in Week 3. His matchup in Week 4 is against a Rams team whose starting guards are ranked 45th and 60th at their positions and a center rated as the 28th best this season. While the Rams have not given up many points to opposing DTs so far this season, last week saw both starting DTs for the 49ers break the 10-point mark and Dexter looks to do the same this week.
Jarran Reed, SEA, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
The Seahawks arguably have the best interior D-Line depth in the NFL and they are going to need it this week with both Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy exiting last week’s game early resulting in Reed playing 80% of snaps last week. While that number might not be sustainable, Reed was playing between 54-62% of snaps when everyone was healthy so he has a nice snap floor and an amazing ceiling. Reed is a solid DT with PFF grades in the low 60s across the board and faces a Lions team that has their worst showing against DTs of the young season in Week 3 allowing 58.4 fantasy points across six Cardinals players. The Seahawks will likely not have six healthy DTs on Monday night and so there should be plenty of opportunities for Reed and whoever else suits up (Dre’Mont Jones is a viable option as well).
Osa Odighizuwa, DAL, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
One big game and Odighizuwa will likely cross the threshold that makes him ineligible for this article moving forward so we are going to ride him as long as we can. He has played 80% or more of the Cowboys snaps in two of three weeks thus far and while his run defense grade is abysmal (34) he has the pass rush skill (64) and a likely positive game script this week against the Giants to generate more pressures (he has seven on the season) and hopefully get home for a sack.
Nik Bonitto, DEN, DE (🎓🎓)
Nik Bonitto is another player who remains in the streaming conversation for Week 4 after a solid Week 3 performance. Rookie Jonah Elliss is waiting in the wings and has been slowly but steadily increasing his snap share but, for now, Jonathon Cooper and Bonitto remain the primary edges. The Jets are only a slightly plus matchup for opposing DEs in 2024 but Bonitto has the skillset with run and pass rush grades both above 66 to contribute against the run and pass giving him a nice floor.
Tyquan Lewis, IND, DE (🎓🎓)
As of this writing, Kwity Paye has not returned to practice but I suspect this will alter rookie Laiatu Latu’s snaps more than Lewis or Dayo Odeyingbo. I lean Lewis here since his snaps have been more consistent so far in 2024 ranging from 63-72% with four healthy edges. If that number becomes three due to Paye’s injury all three remaining players should have a great fantasy opportunity against a Steelers team whose weakness is tackle Broderick Jones whose 44.2 PFF grade ranks him 72 out of 74 graded tackles. Through three weeks, the Steelers have allowed two DEs to record 20 or more points with eight others scoring 10-19. I like the Colts' DEs to continue this trend with Lewis as one of the beneficiaries.
DL Available in 90% of IDP Leagues
DeMarcus Walker, CHI, DE (🎓🎓🎓)
Walker is coming off a solid three-tackle, four-assist game in Week 3 which saw him play a season-high 91% of snaps. Walker has quietly out-snapped Montez Sweat in every game this season and has generated a respectable seven pressures with zero sack conversions. As previously mentioned, the Rams offensive line play has been pretty offensive this season outside of Rob Havenstein (71.4 PFF grade) who will likely be lined up against Sweat meaning Walker should get to work on Alaric Jackson (46.9 PFF grade). I’m hopeful this will be the week Walker gets his first sack but he has shown a nice tackle floor which makes him a solid streaming play.
Tershawn Wharton, KC, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
While teammate Chris Jones (rightly) gets all of the attention for the interior Chiefs D-Line, Tershawn Wharton is quietly having a nice start to the season with a 65.9 pass rush grade while playing 69-79% of snaps. This combination of play and opportunity has led to a season average of 11 fantasy points per game with no week dropping below 8.75. The Chiefs face the Chargers this week in a matchup that points in the right direction for multiple reasons. First, the status of Justin Herbert is very much up in the air, and backup QBs often make for good IDP fantasy performances. Second, the Chargers interior offensive linemen have pass block grades of 49, 37.3, and 14.7 this season. Finally, only three teams have given up more fantasy points to opposing DT in 2024 with the Chargers allowing 40 points total in each of the first three weeks. Jones will likely feast this week but there should be more than enough on the table for Wharton to have a meal as well!
Maliek Collins, SF, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
Each of my next two picks are players who need to step up due to injuries on their teams. Javon Hargrave tore his triceps on Sunday making Maliek Collins the focal point of the 49ers interior. I mentioned above that only three teams had given up more fantasy points to opposing DTs in 2024 and the Patriots are on that short list. Collins will likely play upwards of 70% of snaps and has always been a tackle producer with sack upside making him a viable Week 4 streaming option.
Levi Onwuzurike, DET, DT (🎓🎓🎓)
Alim McNeil is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury and while many of his potentially vacated snaps will go to Mekhi Wingo, his injury should help to keep Onwuzurike on the field for 60-70% of snaps. While this is not quite ideal, Onwuzurike has been productive with these snaps in 2024 averaging nearly 10 fantasy points per game.
Derick Hall, SEA, DE (🎓🎓)
Hall might not be as available after waivers run in your league, but if he is out there, he is worth a play again this week. His 70.6 PFF pass rush grade on the season suggests his success last week might not have been a fluke. When Uchenna Nwosu returns, it will be more of a three-man rotation with Hall and Boye Mafe but as long as he is out (and even his first game or two back), Hall remains a strong play. Expectations should be tempered somewhat though as the Lions have one of the best offensive tackle combinations in the NFL. While I love Hall for managed best ball formats, he loses a little luster for leagues where you must set a starting lineup as there are some likely safer options available.
Arden Key, TEN, DE (🎓🎓)
Our final DL streaming option this week is Arden Key of the Tennessee Titans. This is likely the riskiest play of the week (hence it is last) because Key’s snap share dropped 13% last week. This could very well be due to the game getting out of hand or it could be that the struggling Titans want to see what they have in some of their young edge rushers. If Key returns to his 70-80% share, he has a great matchup this week against a Dolphins team that allowed two Seattle DEs to go over 20 points last week making this a nice matchup for Harold Landry and (hopefully) Key.
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!