IDP Recap: Week 4
IDP Recap: Week 4
With Week 4 in the books, let's get you up to speed with a recap of the biggest IDP headlines from each game.
If you’re anything like me, injuries have been decimating your fantasy team so far. But never fear, the NFL is here to help you out… with bye weeks! Wait, no, that doesn’t help. What does help? Knowing what happened in Week 4, like injuries to studs like Julian Love, Micah Parsons, and Fred Warner. But it wasn’t all bad: Troy Andersen lived up to his athletic potential, Lavonte David said “Hell no, I ain’t done,” and Kyle Van Noy is second in the league in sacks 1/4 of the way through the season.
Let’s get to the rest of what happened in Week 4.
Giants 15, Cowboys 20
I can’t help but think I jinxed Micah Parsons. After telling y’all to go trade for him, I followed my own advice about 3 hours before kickoff on Thursday. Unfortunately, Parsons has been confirmed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain during Thursday’s win. Typically, such an injury would result in a multi-week absence and the Cowboys have their bye week in Week 7. My fingers are crossed, but we might not see him again until Week 8.
Not only did Dallas lose Parsons, but Demarcus Lawrence is expected to be placed on IR and could miss anything from 4-8 weeks with a foot injury. Luckily the injury did not require surgery, but his expected return is still somewhere between Weeks 8-12.
Rookie safety Tyler Nubin had the first double-digit point game of his young career (13 points by Big 3 Scoring). Nubin was tied for the team lead in tackles with Micah McFadden with 8 (14.3% rate) while also playing all 56 of the defensive snaps for the Giants.
Eric Kendricks had his second straight game with double-digit tackles, leading Dallas once again. Kendricks is posting an elite tackle rate of 17.7% through four weeks and is a must-start in all formats (especially tackle-heavy leagues).
It was a quiet game for Dexter Lawrence against the Cowboys, but don’t be disheartened. According to NFL Next-Gen Stats, “Sexy Dexy” was double-teamed on 80% of his pass rushes last night. This tied for the highest double-team rate in a single game since at least 2018 (min. 25 pass rushes). DT is inconsistent for production so I wouldn’t worry massively about this game for Lawrence.
Rams 18, Bears 24
Jaquan Brisker has been quiet so far this season, even though he’s played 100% of snaps. That changed on Sunday afternoon when he stuffed the stat sheet with 12 tackles, 1 sack, and an interception on his way to 36.90 points by Big 3 Scoring. The sack and interception are not predictive, and his 19.7% tackle rate was a huge step up from his 12.6% season rate. I wouldn’t expect this boom performance as the new norm.
That’s back-to-back weeks with a sack for Montez Sweat as he might be starting to hit his stride. It’s also three weeks since Darrell Taylor erupted for 8 tackles and 2 sacks in Week 1. Since then he’s averaging 1 tackle and no sacks per game on just 39% of snaps. Those games like Week 1 will be few and far between and for me are just not worth the risk.
Quentin Lake had the best fantasy performance of his young career thanks to a sack of Caleb Williams (17.2). Lake has played all 100% of the Rams snaps and has been a tackle monster (37 tackles on a 14.3% rate) due to the reduced talent level at linebacker.
This will more than likely become a weekly check-in on these four guys because I’m very interested in how the Rams have gone about replacing Aaron Donald. Plus there doesn’t appear to be any real rhyme or reason as to which one of Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Braden Fiske, or Jared Verse will get on the sack sheet.
Saints 24, Falcons 26
Troy Andersen finally flashed some of that 10.0 RAS talent we’ve been hoping for against New Orleans, as he took a Matt Judon tip drill to the house for a pick-six on his way to the highest IDP score of the week (41.45 points). He also compiled 16 total tackles on just 75% of snaps — that snap reduction was due to a knee injury that coach Raheem Morris said he’s day-to-day with. The Falcons do have the Thursday night game versus Tampa Bay, and it’s also the first round of bye weeks, so it might pay to grab a replacement on waiver day just to be safe.
Paulson Adebo is a certified baller. Double-digit tackles in back-to-back weeks, and his third straight game over 18 points, thanks to two interceptions in the past 3 games. Alontae Taylor also had his fourth straight game of 13 PPG or more, thanks to his third and fourth PDs of the season. Taylor and Adebo are clear DB1 and DB2 so far this season at 22 PPG and 21.5 PPG points. Next is Xavier McKinney down at 16.25 PPG. They’re dominating.
Tyrann Mathieu left midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Falcons due to a groin injury, but apparently that isn’t his only one. Mathieu is dealing with injuries to his calf and heel, too, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports. This bode’s watching as before Week 4, “Honey Badger” was having a renaissance of sorts, averaging 17.9 PPG through Weeks 1-3.
The Saints linebacking core is a mess right now. Willie Gay left early in the 1st quarter with a hand injury and didn’t return, and Demario Davis missed Week 4 with a hamstring injury. Even then “Stinky Pete” Werner only managed 6 points by Big 3 Scoring even though he played 100% of snaps. Fade the LBs chase the DBs when it comes to the New Orleans defense.
Broncos 10, Jets 9
Folks that only play offensive fantasy football have been moaning about how bad this game was, due to weather and just terrible on-field play. For us IDP managers, though, this game was a gold mine. Twelve (!!) players came through with a double-digit point game, with 7 of those 12 hitting 15 points or more.
We lost our long-haired king Alex Singleton early in the week as it was revealed he played nearly the entirety of Week 3 with a torn ACL. This moved Cody Barton into the full-time role and gave Justin Strnad a 77% snap share. Strnad made the most of it, with 2 TFLs, 4 tackles (7% rate) and a sack on his way to 18.3 points on Sunday afternoon.
Jonathon Cooper was a menace as he recorded a team-leading 7 pressures on Sunday against the Jets, though he was unable to convert. Will McDonald again lead the Jets in pressures with 3, though he was also unsuccessful at adding to his sack total so far and has yet to earn a full-time role either.
C.J. Mosley missed his second straight game with a toe injury, and once again was replaced by Jamien Sherwood. Sherwood was OK, playing 95% of snaps and collecting 11.25 points on 7 tackles (12.1% rate). It will be interesting to see how much playtime Sherwood gets once Mosley returns to the fold.
Riley Moss continues to be a stud at the cornerback position for IDP. He’s got three games of 14 or more points and is benefitting from offenses choosing to avoid Patrick Surtain. Moss has 29 tackles and 2 PDs through 4 weeks, while playing 100% of snaps. If he’s still on your wire, go snap him up.
Jaguars 20, Texans 24
Foye Oluokun was placed on IR midway through last week, and Devin Lloyd was a late scratch on Sunday. It was Chad Muma’s time to shine! And shine he did not. (He didn’t even sparkle.) Muma played 95% of Jacksonville’s 75 snaps and scraped up 7.5 points on 8 tackles with 1 miss. The other starter, Ventrell Miller, scored more fantasy points (15.25) on 10 tackles (15.9% rate) while playing just 84% of snaps, though PFF didn’t rate either performance very highly. Muma: 51.1 overall, 55.2 run defense, 65.3 tackle, 51.9 coverage. Miller: 39.9 overall, 79.7 run defense, 51.0 tackle, 28.4 coverage. Yeesh.
Josh Hines-Allen is in concussion protocol after being forced from the game versus the Texans early on Sunday. This puts his availability for the Colts game on Sunday up in the air as most players in the protocol so far this season have missed at least one game.
It was a quiet game for the other three stud pass-rushers also on Sunday. Not one of Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson, or Travon Walker managed to put up more than 3.5 points in the outing. EDGE is a highly volatile position for scoring, but fantasy managers are expecting more consistency than this, especially from the Texans guys, both of who were top 24 picks in best ball drafts this offseason.
It was an unusually quiet game for Azeez Al-Shaair this week. After posting back-to-back double-digit tackle weeks, he clocked in with just 7 points on 4 tackles (6.9% rate). Al-Shaair sits 28th at the position for tackles so far this season. He’s currently on pace for just 123 after posting a whopping 163 last season with the Titans.
Steelers 24, Colts 27
Across the division, the Colts are having no such tackle problems. E.J. Speed leads all linebackers thus far with 47, and Zaire Franklin isn’t far behind in 8th with 41. That helps when you’re just playing more snaps than anyone else. The Colts played another 70 snaps this weekend, taking Speed and Franklin up to over 300 snaps through 4 games.
Right there at the NFL lead for tackles is Nick Cross, who’s tied with Speed for 47 and has also played over 300 snaps through four games. Both Cross and Blackmon had useful games (13.55 and 13.5 points) and worked well as a tandem as Blackmon recovered a fumble that Cross forced. As mentioned in Week 2’s recap, the answer to Cross versus Blackmon is just either or both, there’s no bad option.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is no longer the elite must-start fantasy option of yesteryear. He hasn’t had a 20+ point game since Week 13 of 2022, nor even a double-digit fantasy game since Week 7 last year. It’s time to move on and see if you can get something based on name value and the fact he’s playing 100% of snaps.
Tyquan Lewis got banged up this week and it meant that Laiatu Latu finally got a meaningful run playing 65% of the Colts snaps in this game. But teammate Dayo Odeyingbo stole the show with 7 pressures and 2 sacks. On the other side, young pass-rush phenom Nick Herbig got the start in place of Alex Highsmith and did absolutely nothing with it. Murphy’s Law right? The one week we actually all start him.
Payton Wilson has overtaken Elandon Roberts as the secondary linebacker in Pittsburgh. Wilson played 56% to Roberts’ 32% and had a solid game from a PFF grading standpoint (74.0 overall, 72.5 run defense, 78.5 tackle, 81.6 pass rush). The fantasy points have yet to materialize, but if you can buy low on Wilson now, that window might not be open forever.
Chris Lammons manned the slot corner position for Indianapolis with Kenny Moore injured, and he popped off: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble forced and 1 fumble recovered for 25.25 points per Big 3 Scoring. He only played 64% of the snaps. I know this is results-over-process, but the Colts get Jacksonville this week, so if Moore misses another game, I’m looking at Lammons as a spot start even with that reduced snap share.
Bengals 34, Panthers 24
Shaq Thompson confirmed a season-ending ACL tear on social media Monday morning, which will cause the 30-year-old to miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Josey Jewell should move into the full-time role in the middle, though he’s also nursing a hamstring injury that caused him to leave Sunday’s game early too.
If Jewell can’t go, rookie Trevin Wallace might be in line for a bigger role. Carolina took Wallace in the 3rd round of this year’s draft out of Kentucky and he’s got athleticism in droves, with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash to go with a 37.5-inch vertical and 127-inch broad jump. If you want to move away from Panthers linebackers altogether and find a replacement, check out Mike Woellert’s Green Dot article, that’ll sort you right out.
Trey Hendrickson had his second quiet game of the season and might be in danger of missing Week 5 versus Baltimore after sustaining a neck stinger from a collision with teammate Sum Hubbard late in the 4th quarter. Should he miss the game, Joseph Ossai is the next man up for the Bengals in their rotation with Myles Murphy and Cam Sample already on IR.
It was a massive game for Xavier Woods with 27.3 points from 10 tackles (14.9% rate) and 1 interception. This was highly unusual for Woods. It’s his first 20+ point game since 2021 and he only had 2 games above 15 points in 2022 and 2023 combined. However, this Carolina defense is completely devoid of playmakers, and it just got even more banged up. If you can grab him for nothing off waivers, it’s not the worst thing in the world.
Vikings 31, Packers 29
Minnesota corners feasted on Jordan Love for fantasy points in this game, with Byron Murphy and Shaq Griffin putting up 25+ points each through 5 passes defended, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble. Murphy is a boom/bust kind of corner, having 4 games over 20 points last year, and an 18-point performance in Week 1. Griffin however had gone over 20 points just one other time, since he did it in back-back weeks in Weeks 3 and 4 of 2020.
Josh and Adam told you to be patient with Keisean Nixon last week, and it paid off. Nixon may have been burned by Justin Jefferson for a hell of a one-hander. But he stuffed the IDP stat sheet, with 7 tackles, 1 TFL, a sack, and a forced fumble. He’s still not getting the return yards in a game where the Vikings racked up the points. If that floor is gone, Nixon is a lot more risky.
Both marquee linebackers had strong performances in Blake Cashman and Quay Walker. For Cashman, it was a bounce back after a subdued 4-point performance the week before vs the Texans. Walker, however, had his best performance of the short season with 8 tackles (11.8% rate) and a sack. Walker has 1.5 sacks already this season after posting just 1.5 in his rookie year, and 2.5 last year.
Through four weeks, the question of which safety to play for the Vikings looks no clearer. Bynum is averaging 12 PPG, and Metellus and Smith are both on 11.5 PPG. There’s no consistency either, Bynum has 2 games over 17 PPG and 2 under 8 PPG, Smith has 2 under 10 PPG, and just one over 15 PPG, and Metellus has one over 20 PPG, 3 under 11 PPG.
Eagles 16, Buccaneers 33
Is it possible that Vic Fangio might just not have it anymore? Through 4 games the Eagles have allowed the 4th most yards, 9th most points, and are bottom 5 in sacks. I also saw a tweet that showed Nolan Smith in man coverage against Chris Godwin too…
I take full responsibility/credit for the Lavonte David explosion. After questioning if the tires were completely bald, David shut me right up with an 8 tackle (14% rate) 2 sack, 1 forced fumble performance to the tune of 35.8 points. So, it is still in there, I hope you didn’t cut bait because of me.
The “buy window” on Yaya Diaby is closing fast. He was nigh unblockable Sunday afternoon. Now, Lane Johnson was out, so the Eagles had a backup tackle in, but the blow-up game is coming, and it’s coming soon.
K.J. Britt reclaimed his role as the 2nd linebacker beside Lavonte David, as he played 51 of 57 snaps and SirVocea Dennis was reduced to just playing 5 snaps. I’m not sure it matters, though. Britt has yet to score over 7 points this season in four games. If you’re relying on K.J. Britt though, I’d be scouring Mike’s article for a replacement.
Reed Blankenship left the game with an illness and didn’t return. It shouldn’t affect him moving forward, but it did mean that for the first time this season, Blankenship was under 12 PPG.
Commanders 42, Cardinals 14
This one got out of hand quickly for the Cardinals. They had no answers for Washington on either defense or offense, while Washington was unstoppable at both ends. Five Washington defenders were over 16 points as they sacked Kyler Murray four times.
Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu had their best games of the season so far. Luvu scored 19.5 points with 7 tackles (11.9% rate), 0.5 sacks, 1 fumble forced, and 1 fumble recovered. Wagner scored 19.65 points with 11 tackles (20% rate) and 0.5 sacks. Wagner is ageless as he is once again a top-10 LB option (16.1 PPG) at 35 years old.
Dorance Armstrong is starting to get going. He’s now got 2 sacks in the past two games after adding 1.5 sacks this week to his 0.5 sacks last week. Currently, he’s on pace to equal his career high of 8.5 in 2022, and his 2024 pressure rate and pass rush win rate are much improved over those 2022 numbers. (2024 pressure rate: 14.5%, 2024 win rate: 15.8%. 2022 pressure rate: 11.4%, 2022 win rate: 8.5%.)
After an injury-plagued 2023, and an OK-ish 2022, Budda Baker is showing that form from 2021 and before that had him as a top 3 dynasty safety for so many years. So far he has 39 tackles, 3 TFLs, and a pass defended through four games and is on pace for a career-best 234 points by Big 3 Scoring.
Patriots 13, 49ers 30
Fred Warner was once again back to his game-winning form, taking a Jacoby Brissett wayward pass 45 yards for a pick-six. He did, however, leave the game and did not return due to an ankle injury. Now the severity of the injury is listed as day-to-day and the fact the game was easily in hand could have contributed to Warner’s extended absence. Either way, we’ll be paying close attention to the practice reports on this one.
Kyle Dugger left the field early in the game with an ankle injury was carted to the locker room and did not return. As of this moment, there’s no update on the results of imaging we’d assume will occur, but Dugger was averaging 14.55 PPG through Weeks 1-3, so he’ll be sorely missed by a lot of lineups.
Talanoa Hufanga didn’t play on Sunday with an ankle injury, leaving Ji’Ayir Brown to be the enforcer on the backend — and enforce he did. Brown ended with 8 tackles and 2 TFLs on his way to the second-best performance of his young career, and the best that didn’t result in him forcing a turnover.
Keion White has dropped off a little in the past two weeks not getting in the sack column after getting 4 sacks in his first two weeks. However, he’s still proved he’s got a high floor as he’s able to disrupt both the pass-and-run game with 9 tackles, 1 TFL, and 4 QB hits in the past two weeks.
Chiefs 17, Chargers 10
We got an extended look at Tuli Tuipulotu this week due to Joey Bosa sitting out with an injury, and he had a strong game. Tuipulotu finished with 11.5 points on 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass defended. He also managed 4 pressures on his 27 pass-rush snaps. The Chargers have a bye in Week 5, so Bosa could be back by Week 6, but at just 22 years old, Tuipulotu is one to watch for the future.
Chris Jones was in peak form on Sunday afternoon, wreaking havoc against the Chargers’ banged-up offensive line. Jones had his first double-digit sack game of the 2024 campaign and showed fantasy managers that even at 30 years old, there are very few, if any, better than him at DT now that Aaron Donald has retired.
Nick Bolton was back to a much healthier snap share this week at 96%, though his 9.3% tackle rate left much to be desired. Drue Tranquill played fewer snaps (88%) but scored more points (16.0 to Bolton’s 5.75), showing once again how unpredictable this duo will be.
Derwin James sat out the game with his 1-week suspension due to “forcible contact to the head,” giving Elijah Molden the start at safety beside Alohi Gilman. If you 1-for-1 swapped Molden and James you weren’t too upset as Molden came through with 8 tackles (13.1% rate) and a fumble recovery on 98% of snaps.
Browns 16, Raiders 20
“Mad” Maxx Crosby missed the first game of his career this past week with a high ankle sprain. That gave 2023 #7 overall pick Tyree Wilson the start off the left edge. Wilson had a rookie year to forget, playing only 43% of the season’s snaps and averaging 4.6 PPG. He’s been quiet again this season so far; however, it’s good to see him getting increased playtime.
The Raiders decided it was time for another change at the other EDGE role with previous starter Janarius Robinson dropping to just a 13% snap share and Charles Snowden getting the start opposite Wilson. Snowdon tied with Wilson for second on the team in pressures with 5, which he turned into 3 QB hits and 1 sack. Snowdon was a UDFA with the Bears in 2021, and a practice squad guy until making the 53 with Las Vegas this year. I’d wait before dumping all my FAAB on him, as it was a perfect storm of Crosby missing the game and the Raiders playing the “lack of O-line” that Cleveland is rolling out at the moment.
Jordan Hicks left the game early after just 5 snaps and did not return on Sunday with an elbow injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Hicks is considered day-to-day after he aggravated the injury that had him on the practice report all last week. Hicks has been solid so far this season, so keep an eye on practice reports for this week, especially with other linebackers out due to byes.
If Hicks does miss extended time, obviously Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains the LB to roster, Hicks injury or not. “JOK” had his 4th straight performance of 11.75 points or better on 98% of snaps. I wouldn’t bother dumpster diving for Devin Bush, who was the direct replacement for the injured Hicks. His 4.5 points from 4 tackles (7.8% rate) left a lot to be desired.
Christian Wilkins recorded another half-sack this past week, taking his season total to 1.0 through 4 games. Known early in his career as a tackle monster and not a sack guy, he broke the mold in his contract year of 2023, putting up 9 sacks from the interior. So far, he’s on pace for just 4.5, and his tackle numbers haven’t bounced back. With DT being so deep, if you’re relying on Wilkins, there could be other options out there for you.
Bills 10, Ravens 35
Aidan Hutchinson leads the league in sacks. After his 4.5-sack game, that’s not surprising. You know who’s second? Kyle Van Noy. After a quiet Week 1, Van Noy has 2 in each of his past 3 games while averaging 29.32 PPG in that stretch. Sheesh! I hope you went and got him after Week 2 if he was available.
Odafe Oweh is 1.5 sacks away from his career high of 5. I refuse to be sucked in, but I’m starting to break, guys…
Baltimore ran the ball 36 times on Sunday night, which meant plenty of work for both Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector. Spector played 96% of snaps to Williams’ 86%, while Williams had 12 tackles (24.5% rate!) and a forced fumble to Spector’s 6 tackles (10.1% rate), 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovered.
Taylor Rapp was knocked out of Sunday’s contest and will enter concussion protocol after trying to stop a full-speed Derrick Henry. Rookie Cole Bishop came in as his replacement and had 6 tackles (14.6% rate) in limited action. We were excited for Bishop during draft season so it’ll be great to see what the young man’s got.
Four weeks is enough time to make a judgment, and that judgment is I’m benching Trenton Simpson until further notice. His 63% snap share isn’t enough to justify rolling him out each week, especially since he’s only averaged 5.67 PPG since his strong performance in Week 1.
Titans 31, Dolphins 12
My heart hit my stomach as Jaelan Phillips limped from the field early in the first half on Monday night with visible frustration. The broadcast said it was a knee injury and he was ruled out fairly quickly. Keep your eyes peeled for further news.
Phillips’ absence did open the doors for Emmanuel Ogbah to have a boom game and he did so without recording a sack. Ogbah had 1 INT, 1 pass defended, 1 TFL, and 1 QB hit, making his presence felt in all aspects of the game. I won’t tell you how to run your leagues, but if you’re not scoring for all these plays, you’re actively choosing to not have as much fun. Don’t have less fun, folks.
David Long missed the game with a hamstring injury, so Jordyn Brooks decided to put up 57% of his entire season’s points so far in one game. Brooks was everywhere with 13 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 pass defended, and 1 QB hit for 32.05 points in vintage 2021 Brooks form.
Jevon Holland has been a letdown so far this season at the safety position. Holland was a key target of teams that went DB late in the offseason best balls due to his decent floor and consistent play. (He’s averaged just shy of 11.0 PPG in 45 career games.) So far through 2024, 75% of Holland’s games have fallen short of even half of that 11 PPG target.
Both Sebastian Joseph-Day and Harold Landry made the most of the Tyler Huntley matchup, picking up a sack each on their way to solid performances. The Titans are on the bye in Week 5, so those with Landry in managed leagues might struggle to replicate his production as he’s got 4 sacks through 4 games while averaging 18.25 PPG.
Seahawks 29, Lions 42
Kerby Joseph is a touchdown bandit. All 3 of his interceptions so far this year have come as contested catches in the endzone. Proceed with caution, though: Joseph is averaging 18.5 PPG in games where he has a pick, and 4.5 PPG in the one game without. However his 9 tackles this past week are massively encouraging.
Julian Love left the game on Monday night with a thigh injury and did not return. Love has been one of the premier scorers at the defensive back position the past year. So any extended loss of time will have an impact on fantasy rosters for sure.
Jerome Baker missed another game, allowing rookie Tyrice Knight to get the start alongside Tyrel Dodson. Knight put up 9 tackles to Dodson’s 10 with Dodson’s TFL being the main difference in their scoring output. (Knight 10.25, Dodson 13.0.)
Carlton Davis was targetted a ton by Geno Smith last night while matched up with D.K. Metcalf. Davis finished with 7 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 1 fumble recovery for 49 yards. I’m not sure if Davis is a good corner, but if QBs are going to hyper-target him, he’ll reward fantasy managers in the score sheet.
Devon Witherspoon has been a disappointment through four weeks, to say the least. Often taken as the CB1 overall and a top 5 DB, Witherspoon has one game over 11 points this season, and 3 at 7.5 or less. Witherspoon’s calling card last year was passes defended and tackles for loss. Through four games so far, he has just one of the former, and none of the latter. Seattle is on bye this week, so you’ve got a week’s reprieve before having to make a tough decision.
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