IDP Recap: Week 15
With Week 15 complete, let's get you up to speed with a recap of the biggest IDP headlines from each game.
It’s fantasy playoff time, folks! That time when all your hard work bears fruit or comes to nothing — there’s no middle ground. It’s when we can see breakout performances from electric rookies, like Calen Bullock and our week’s poster boy, Edgerrin Cooper. But, we can also see some old dogs relearn old tricks and wind back the clock, like Lavonte David, Cameron Jordan, and Demario Davis.
So come with me as we take our weekly frolic through the IDP fields.
Rams 12, 49ers 6
“If you’re stubborn like me and still haven’t been able to sit Fred Warner down even with his fractured ankle because he’s Fred Warner and you don’t want to miss the ceiling game, take this as your official permission. I’m going to do it in the leagues I have him in.” At this point, I’m starting to become more impressed with myself than mad. Like clockwork, I gave up on Warner last week and he bounced right back. Warner led all 49ers IDPs in scoring with 19.25 points and had 15 total tackles in the game (23.4% rate). Next up is a banged-up Miami team, so trust your gut.
The Rams defensive line was putting constant pressure on Brock Purdy all game, especially from the inside with Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner combining for 11 pressures. Turner was the highest fantasy scorer in this game on either offense or defense with his 2 sacks highlighting his 26-point performance.
Ahkello Witherspoon attacked Brock Purdy’s passing lanes on Thursday night, picking himself up 3 PDs to go with his 5 tackles (9.3% rate). Thanks to these 3 PDs, Witherspoon had his best fantasy performance since Week 1 of 2022, so he’s a risky start moving forward.
Christian Rozeboom is an unsexy name who’s been great down the stretch, capped off by a 20.85-point game this week. His 9 tackles (19.1% rate) led all Rams defenders, and he was their only sack-getter outside of Kobie Turner.
Dre Greenlaw was active for the first time this season but didn’t play most of the second half due to Achilles and knee tightness. De’Vondre Campbell was asked to go in by coach Kyle Shanahan and he refused, storming off to the locker room in an assumed sulk due to losing his starting role. Now, The 49ers are expected to suspend Campbell without pay for the final three games of the regular season as GM John Lynch said they don’t want to release Campbell and have him join another team as a “reward” for his actions.
Cowboys 30, Panthers 14
With DeMarvion Overshown hitting IR this past week, Marist Liufau got a decent snap share boost to 87% this week, increasing from the 20-35% range he’d been in since Week 8. His scoring was nothing spectacular with just 11.75 points, but his 1.5 sacks last week did show he’s got the potential for ceiling games.
Micah Parsons is continuing his blazing hot streak since returning from injury. Since his return in Week 10, Parsons has 7.5 sacks and has put up over 22 PPG (per Big 3 Scoring) in 4 of 6 matchups.
Jaycee Horn is making waves in the IDP pool even as an outside corner. He’s currently CB10 on the season, and since Carolina’s Week 11 bye, Horn has averaged 15.05 PPG and has put up over 17 PPG in 3 out of his last 4 games thanks to 3 PDs and 2 sacks across that span.
It was a rough game for Bryce Young as the Dallas D-line got to him 6 times and forced two fumbles from him on 19 of their 20 total pressures. Osa Odighizuwa, Carl Lawson, and Chauncey Golston all had decent fantasy days as they each registered sacks.
Chiefs 21, Browns 7
Man, Jameis is IDP’s Santa Claus: he gives out fantasy points to all. Eight Chiefs players scored at least 14 PPG thanks to his extensive range of sacks taken and turnovers provided, with another 3 Chiefs players getting into double-digits, giving them 11 usable IDP assets in this game.
George Karlaftis has had a frustrating season for IDP managers in 2024 to put it lightly. But in a cakewalk matchup, he came through for those with the stones to play him with 2 sacks and 25 fantasy points. Kansas City gets another pass-rusher-friendly matchup in Houston next week, so no one will blame you if you decide to ride the wave.
Jordan Hicks was back to his boring ways of 11-14 fantasy points in the continued absence of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. I know it sounds like I’m talking down on the performance, but there’s a lot to be said for sticking a guy into your lineup and knowing he’s not going to kill you with a goose egg, especially in the playoffs.
Rookie Jaden Hicks has been increasing his playtime for the past 3 weeks, going from 35% of snaps in Week 13, to 43% in Week 14, and now 66% in Week 15. Hicks also saw the best performance of his young career (21.45 points) as he was the beneficiary of one of those wayward Winston gifts I wrote about earlier. Justin Reid is a UDFA at the end of the season, so KC might be grooming the 22-year-old as the next man up.
Dolphins 12, Texans 20
Speaking of wayward gifts from quarterbacks, Houston’s Derek Stingley and Calen Bullock pilfered three of Tua’s passes in Sunday’s game, one of which was the game-sealer by Stingley to end Miami’s comeback hopes. Both players set career highs in fantasy points — 26.8 for Bullock and 32.25 for Stingley — as they were part of a dominant defensive effort from Houston that saw 4 Houston defenders put up 20 or more fantasy points.
Chop Robinson had been quiet the past two weeks as he managed just 5.25 cumulative points. However, he burst back onto the scene with another 1.5 sacks to give him 5 on the year, and his 4th game of at least 6 pressures in the past 6 weeks, after not having one 6-pressure game in the first 9 weeks of the season.
That’s now 4 of 5 weeks Zach Sieler has grabbed at least one sack and scored 17 PPG or more, and 5 of 6 weeks that he’s put up 13.5 PPG or more. Siler has been a wrecking ball in the middle for Miami since returning from injury in Week 10, and with San Franciso giving up huge pressure up the middle this past week to the Rams, looks set to be a pivotal player in your semifinal week.
Christian Harris got his first run of the season in Week 15, and he played 82% of the snaps, while Henry To’oTo’o moved into the midfield general role, playing 100% with Al-Shaair suspended until Week 18. Harris did have 8 tackles (14.3% rate) though he did only put up 14 points, compared to 16.8 from To’oTo’o thanks to 11 tackles (14.7% rate), half a sack, and a forced fumble.
Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter came back off the bye with a vengeance as they combined for 2.5 sacks and 40+ fantasy points. They now have 22.5 sacks combined, and in his first season in Houston, Hunter is just half a sack behind Trey Hendrickson for the NFL lead.
Jets 23, Jaguars 25
Quincy Williams posted another sub-10 PPG game this week, adding to his tumultuous 2024. It was always going to be a nigh-impossible task to match his miracle 2023 season, and most analysts agreed that regression was coming for Williams this season though I don’t think anyone predicted it would be this bad. In 2024, Williams has dropped below even where he was in 2021 and 2022 in terms of PPG, creating uncomfortable start/sit decisions for managers everywhere.
2021: 12.37 PPG
2022: 12.37 PPG
2023: 16.11 PPG
2024: 11.96 PPG
Devin Lloyd is another linebacker who’s gone backward in terms of IDP scoring this season and burned you these playoffs. Lloyd posted just 2.75 points in Week 15 and is on pace for the worst IDP finish of his young career, averaging just 10.69 PPG thanks to a reduction in his snap share (79% down from 97%). The Jags have a difficult decision to make on the former first-rounder as they’ll need to decide whether or not to pick up his 5th-year option this off-season.
Continuing our theme as we progress through these two miserable teams, Josh Hines-Allen killed you this week if you trusted him in your playoffs, putting up just 2 fantasy points, while Travon Walker and his 5 points weren’t much better. Both guys were hit-and-miss all season long, but if you had trusted them in this supposedly good matchup, your season might be over.
Who else disappointed us? Will McDonald only managed 2 assisted tackles for a paltry 1.5 points in this game. McDonald hit you with the Pelaton award last week too, as he was only doing cardio on his way to a goose egg. McDonald had only picked up 2 sacks since Week 7 and they both came in Week 13, so managers might have already moved to better options, but if not, he crushed you too.
Quinnen Williams left the game early with a hamstring injury and did not return. It’s been a decidedly average season for Williams with peaks and valleys, leaving us unsure when to start him. Should this injury warrant missed time, I’ll try to look on the bright side of no longer figuring out when to start him or not.
Commanders 20, Saints 19
Jeremy Chinn's productive 21-point outing was cut short as he suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the game after a colliding with teammate Dyami Brown, putting his availability for the upcoming Week 16 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in question. Chinn had been quiet the past 2 weeks after catching fire for a 3-week run between Weeks 9-11.
At 35 years of age, this could be Demario Davis’ last season in the NFL and after originally looking like he might just limp into the long night of retirement, he now could be going out with a BANG. Davis has put up 50 points in his past 2 games combined with 22 tackles (14.1% rate), 1 sack, and 1 INT in that stretch.
Another 35-year-old ballin’ when the chips are down? Cameron Jordan! The IDP legend who tripled his season sack total for 2024 with 2 on Sunday afternoon and posted his best IDP score of the season. Outside of best ball, I can’t imagine anyone started him, but if you did, congratulations.
We mentioned his monstrous pressure numbers last week, and this week Chase Young capitalized on it, with 2 sacks on Jayden Daniels to take him to 5.5 on the season. Young is now just 2 sacks shy of his career best of 7.5 in a single year, and as a guy who cannot quit him… sheesh, I hope he does it.
Oh Frankie Luvu, this was not the week to go without a tackle or a sack. Luvu played 100% of Washington’s snaps and was only able to record 2 QB hits and 1 pass defended. This meant his 8 points aren’t the end of the world but after being positively scintillating in the 4 weeks leading into Washington’s Week 14 bye, this would have come as a disappointment.
Ravens 35, Giants 14
Dane Belton got the start as budding rookie star Tyler Nubin was placed on IR this past week with an ankle injury that coach Brian Daboll said will "probably" require surgery to address. And he absolutely made the most of his opportunity. With Okereke still out too, Belton led the team in tackles with 14 (23.7% rate) and was in on a sack of Lamar Jackson to place him just shy of what would have been the first 30-point IDP game of his career.
Both of Baltimore’s stud IDPs, Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton, had mediocre games in the first week of IDP playoffs partly due to Baltimore removing their high-profile starters early in the 4th quarter. While neither’s performance was detrimental to you starting them, combining for just 19.75 points together in the first round of fantasy playoffs would be seen as underwhelming from two guys taken at the top 3 of their positions.
Their positional counterparts, Ar'Darius Washington and Malik Harrison, were much more impactful with their snaps with Washington playing the whole game and attacking the passing game with a PD and an INT to go with 5 tackles (7.4% rate), while Harrison supplemented his 6 tackles (11.1% rate) with a sack and a TFL.
Brian Burns is stringing together back-to-back sack outings for the first time since Week 8 at just the right time. His edge partner Kayvon Thibodeaux had the opportunity to do the same but couldn’t attach anything more than a single tackle assist to his name. It’s been an up-and-down season for both, with Thibodeaux’s mainly lost to injury, but Burns does have the chance to post 10 sacks on the season for the first time since 2022 with 3 games remaining.
Bengals 37, Titans 27
Luke Gifford was right in the midst of another strong IDP performance when he was forced from the game with a concussion. Gifford had 8 tackles and 1 interception on just 29 snaps and was well on his way to a monster stat line. With both Gifford and Kenneth Murray banged up, this feels like the perfect time to plug Mike Woellert’s weekly linebacker article to help you find a replacement for your Week 16 matchup.
Will Levis and Mason Rudolph combined for 4 INTs on Sunday afternoon. This meant that Josh Newton, Cam-Tylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, and Geno Stone, who grabbed one apiece, all had fantasy games of over 20 PPG. Hilton, Newton, and Stone were all over 24 PPG, thanks to multiple PDs, TFLs, and a pick 6 from Stone.
Jeffery Simmons only has 4 sacks on the season, but he’s been so dominant in run and pass games recently that the in past 2 outings even as he’s failed to register a sack, he’s averaged 14.5 PPG. That may not sound like much, but being able to rely on that type of scoring without needing a sack is a huge boon, especially if you’ve got him in a DT-specific slot, where it’s mostly sack or bust for 80% of the position.
Neither of them had massive fantasy days, but here’s a quick shoutout to T’Vondre Sweat and Sam Hubbard, who both made an impact with the ball in hand. Sweat had a marvelous run topped off by a huge don’t-argue stiff arm as he rumbled up the field returning a fumble, and Hubbard looked like old-school J.J. Watt wearing 94 lined up at tight end catching a goal-line touchdown. Unfortunately for Hubbard, his season is also over as he suffered a PCL injury to his knee in Sunday's win.
Colts 13, Broncos 31
Nik Bonitto, man… wow. Ignoring their Week 14 bye week, that’s now defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games for the young 3rd-year player out of Oklahoma and another half sack to add to his total of 11.5 on the season. How high up the dynasty edge rankings does he go? Do you put him ahead of young injured guys like Aidan Hutchinson or Jaelan Phillips, or old guys pushing 30 like T.J. Watt or Myles Garrett?
Thanks to a huge 28-point game, from Weeks 11-15, Brandon Jones is the S1 at 19.8 PPG, putting him a whole 3 PPG ahead of the S2 in that timespan, Derwin James. Granted, Jones has only played 3 games in that sample, and in 2, he’s scored over 23 PPG. However, if you push it out to total points scored and not just PPG, he’s still the S9 in that same period even though he missed Week 11 with an injury and had a bye week in Week 14.
Zaire Franklin is cooking at the perfect time, with another 26-point game this week, he now leads all linebackers in points scored since Week 11 with 90.05, even though the Colts had a bye in Week 14. His 22.5 PPG in that same sample size trails only Edgerrin Cooper, who’s only played 2 games in that 5-week sample.
Nick Cross and E.J. Speed are still on pace to eclipse 150 tackles when the season is over. This would be quite notable to see from a linebacker/safety duo anyway, as 150 tackles for a safety is a hell of an achievement. What makes this even more incredible: Zaire Franklin is on pace for 175 tackles at that same time. I cannot remember the last time I saw 150+ tackles for three teammates.
Bills 48, Lions 42
This game had 90 points and 1,000 yards of total offense so you’d assume based on how the Bills/Rams game last week went, we’d have very few IDP notables right? Wrong! Unlike last week’s game which only had 4 players in double digits for IDP for the whole game, this game had 8 players reach double digits and even had 4 players reach 19 points or more.
Ed Oliver finally remembered how to dominate a football game, and he wasn’t alone. Oliver and Greg Rousseau turned Detroit’s vaunted offensive line into playthings as they collected 18 pressures and 2 sacks between them, combining for just short of 40 total fantasy points.
Detroit lost 3 defensive starters in this game: Alim McNeill, Carlton Davis, and Khalil Dorsey all suffered season-ending injuries on Sunday, which as Ari Meriov pointed out, gives the Lions a starting old-school 4-4 defense on IR.
DE Aidan Hutchinson
DT Alim McNeill
DT John Cominsky
DE Marcus Davenport
LB Derrick Barnes
LB Alex Anzalone
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
CB Carlton Davis III
CB Ennis Rakestraw
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
Whether it’s because of all the injuries I can’t say, but Brian Branch led the team in tackles on Sunday and was back to his All-Star form right when managers needed it most. Before this 25-point showing, Branch hadn’t exceeded 10 PPG since Week 10 and had only done it once since Week 8. So, welcome back Brian Branch, we missed you.
Buffalo wasn’t without its own injury woes. Matt Milano left the game in the 4th with a groin injury and was replaced by Baylon Spector. Dorian Williams sustained an elbow injury in the first half, though was able to return to the game in the second half. Cole Bishop also got the start with Damar Hamlin missing with a back injury, though Bishop did have to leave the game early in the fourth quarter with cramping in his lower leg and was carted to the locker room for treatment and did not return. So, the Buffalo weekly practice report will be one we’re watching closely for sure this week.
Buccaneers 40, Chargers 17
I wrote earlier about two NFC South old men getting it done when it mattered most, and here’s another one: soon-to-be 35-year-old Lavonte David had his second-best game of the year in Week 15 putting up over 30 points on 12 tackles (23.5% rate) and 1.5 sacks.
Troy Dye was the linebacker from Los Angeles making a splash thanks to 9 tackles (22.5% rate) and the Chargers only sack of Baker Mayfield to give him the best fantasy performance of his career since being drafted back in 2020 on just 58% of snaps. Daiyan Henley is still the full-time guy there, and he was right in line with previous showings with 9 tackles (13% rate) and just over 12 PPG keeping him within that 12-25 PPG threshold for 8 straight weeks now.
Tarheeb Still is making headlines again. He posted just over 18 points this week as he grabbed the 4th interception of his rookie season, after posting 39 points two weeks ago when he ball-hawked two other passes. He’s now second in interceptions for all rookie defenders on the season, behind just Houston’s Calen Bullock who has 5.
If you trusted Tykee Smith or Christian Izien with Antoine Winfield Jr. out, you paid the price, as both put up identical stat lines of just 1 assisted tackle on 43 snaps.
Additionally, if you played any of the big 5 named pass rushers in this game, you were left with a sour taste in your mouth. Tuli Tuipulotu played 65% of snaps and scored you a massive 0 points, while Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Calijah Kancey, and Yaya Diaby all played at least 50% of snaps and combined for 14 points total, with 6.5 of them coming from Bosa alone.
Steelers 13, Eagles 27
T.J. Watt had 2 sacks and a forced fumble, giving you a huge 30-pointer in your playoffs on Sunday, but it may have come with a cost as he rolled his ankle late in the game. Luckily, Watt is believed to have suffered a low ankle sprain, rather than a high ankle sprain, so Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he's “optimistic” T.J. Watt will play in Week 16 against the Ravens.
Nolan Smith is continuing to get extended playing time with Brandon Graham on IR, playing over 90% of snaps this past week and he continued the “week on, week off” situation he has when it comes to getting sacks. Smith has 1 sack in every other game the past 6 weeks and now is up to 5.5 on the season. I say this only half-jokingly: sit him down for the Washington matchup this week, as it will be his off week according to the pattern.
Zack Baun picked a doozy of a time to go quiet, after back-to-back games of over 25 points the past 2 weeks, and going over 20 points in 5 of his last 6, Baun had 5 tackles (11.6% rate) for just 6.25 points in the game — not what you were needing from your LB1. Partially to blame was Pittsburgh’s inability to get their defense off the field as their offense didn’t touch the ball once in the last 11 minutes of the game, and Philly’s defense only played 43 total snaps.
I spent the early part of the season being critical of Patrick Queen and his lack of fantasy points, so it’s only fair I mention that Queen has been a solid if not flashy play since Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye. With another 13-point game this past week, that’s now over 12 points scored in 5 out of his last 6 games with 14.25 PPG being averaged in that span.
Patriots 17, Cardinals 30
Baron Browning broke the curse this past week getting his first sack of 2024, and it came on his highest snap share of the season with either Arizona or Denver. Browning had 4 pressures on just 19 pass-rush snaps, and posted a PFF pass-rush grade of 88.3 against New England, following on from his 90.5 grade last week. Unfortunately, his dismal run defense also continued with his grade of 28.6 and tackle grade of 27.7 being just as bad as last week’s 32.2 and 25.2 grades.
Marcus Jones played 1 offensive snap curiously on Sunday and was targeted for an 18-yard reception on that snap. Whether or not this is the start of something bigger I have no idea, but the Patriots’ offensive woes have been well-documented. Either way, it was a welcome addition as that 2.8-point play made up 27% of his total output.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Christian Gonzalez is 7th in the league in “lowest catch rates allowed” (min 50 targets) at just 53.2% completion percentage while being tied for 5th in terms of the most targeted corners in football. His disruptiveness was in full force on Sunday as he picked up 3 PDs in the afternoon to take his season total to 11 through 14 games.
Kyzir White and Budda Baker continued doing what they’ve been doing all season long as they led the Cardinals in tackles once again with 12 ( 23.5% rate) and 10 (19.6% rate) respectively. Baker is still just 2 tackles behind Zaire Franklin for the NFL lead, and with the Cardinals 1 game back on the Rams for the division title and an upcoming matchup in Week 17, both will continue to receive 100% of snaps barring injury.
Packers 30, Seahawks 13
Edgerrin Cooper! Welcome to the very rare, very elite club of a 40 burger in your rookie season. Cooper joins Kamren Kinchens, Devon Witherspoon, Jalen Pitre, Marcus Jones, and Kayvon Thibodeaux as players to do it since 2022. Cooper was a big play machine with 2 PDs, 2 TFLs, 2 QB hits, 1 sack, and 1 INT in his first game back from injury since Week 11. Per Daire Carragher on X, Cooper’s 93.8 overall PFF grade is the highest single-game grade of any Packers player in the past 2 seasons (min. 10 snaps).
Quay Walker injured his ankle in the first half and did not return to the game, playing just 22 snaps before departing. He’s now due to undergo further testing this week to determine the severity, but if he has to miss time, this could be the boost we need for more Edgerrin Cooper, who only played in 58% of snaps even with the Walker injury.
It was a rough night for anyone relying on Seahawks IDPs as Coby Bryant led the way with just 9.5 points on 8 tackles (12.5% rate). It was painful for those relying on Cody Barton, Tyrice Knight, Leonard Williams, or Julian Love.
Kingsley Enagbare played just 13 pass-rush snaps on the night, but he made the absolute most of them. The Packers’ 3rd-year edge rusher finished with 3 total pressures, 2 sacks, and 3 TFLs to hit 30 points on the night as he terrorized the Seahawks offense.
Bears 12, Vikings 30
Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a drill: we have a Dallas Turner sighting! The Rrookie first-round pick of the Vikings in 2024 got to Caleb Williams on Monday night to give him his first sack since Week 1.
Jonathan Greenard is in the top 5 for sacks in the NFL after last night’s game, notching his 11th on the year, which ties him with Myles Garrett for 5th in total sacks in the league and just 1.5 behind his career best of 12.5 set last year.
T.J. Edwards was a standout for Chicago once again, leading the team in both tackles and fantasy points scored, with 22.3 points from 8 tackles and 1 sack. That puts him over 50 points for Weeks 14 and 15 combined with a matchup against Detroit looming for Week 16. Edwards will be looking to improve on the 7.5 points he put up in their Week 13 matchup.
If you trusted Montez Sweat in the playoffs after the season he’s had, he rewarded you accordingly by doing mostly what he’s done all season and putting up less than 6 fantasy points. Mind you, if you were starting Montez Sweat all season, you probably weren’t in the playoffs.
Falcons 15, Raiders 9
Maxx Crosby hit IR earlier in the week and will require ankle surgery, ending his season. This week we got to see more of Tyree Wilson and he got after Kirk Cousins, giving him his 3rd sack in his last 5 games. Wilson was always going to be a project coming out of Texas A&M, so it’s encouraging to see more and more flashes as we come to the end of his second season.
Kaden Elliss is right up there with Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin in terms of PPG over the past 5 weeks. Since Week 11, he’s scored 84.7 total points at 21.18 PPG and has ramped up his scoring every week culminating in a 24.25 explosion on Monday Night against the Raiders.
The Falcons have found a pass rush recently. Too bad it’s guys nobody is starting. DeAngelo Malone had been a special-teams-only player before this week, but when given the opportunity, he racked up 2 sacks. Zach Harrison also got to Desmond Ridder for his first sack of the season.
Adam Butler notched his 3rd straight game with a sack and made it 4 out of his last 5 games with at least half a sack. Since Vegas’ Week 10 bye, Butler has averaged 14.98 PPG at the DT position, making him one of the most reliable plays at the position.
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