IDP Notes and Rankings Week 16

I picked an awful week to not listen to my own advice. My league has 3 IDP spots, and they can be any combination of linebacker (LB), lineman (DL), and defensive back (DB). The smart thing to do in a league that awards a point for every tackle is to start three LBs. I usually do this, but I was tempted by the match up of Nate Clements on Chad Johnson…

This should have been a fun match up to watch and it should have awarded me with plenty of fantasy points, as Clements had been a steady IDP contributer this season. So, I picked him up and plugged him in for MLB David Harris (he was facing air-it-out New England so I didn’t expect the usual 8+ tackles). The outcome of my planned strategy? Clements covered Johnson well and Palmer couldn’t get on the same page. Three total points from Clements was the result… Harris would have given me eight (and I lost my match up by one point). Thankfully, I’m in a league where we don’t have playoffs – we just play out the year and the winners have the best overall records. Point is, don’t get cute. Play who got you this far. IDP strategy is the same as your offensive strategy. Sure you consider matchups, but you always play your regulars. Simple advice, though it is not always so easy to follow. Just ask me!

In the interest of time, here are some quick notes and then on to the rankings!

LB notes: DeMeco Ryans and Antonio Pierce have been slowed by lingering injuries, but they should both play this week. I’m not high on Pierce, but you don’t sit Ryans.

DL notes: In my last column, I mentioned Mario Williams playing up to expectations, and he had a great week 15. Play him this week as well.

DB notes: Roy Williams is sitting out this week for his not-so-subtle horse-collar tackle on Donovan McNabb. Antoine Winfield is injured again and I don’t expect him to play.

 

Rank	LB	DL	DB
1	Patrick Willis	Patrick Kerney	Sean Jones
2	London Fletcher	Mario Williams	Sammy Knight
3	Nck Barnett	Aaron Kampman	Jermaine Phillips
4	Karlos Dansby	Trent Cole	Antonio Cromartie
5	Jon Beason	Jared Allen	Atari Bigby
6	David Harris	Osi Umenyiora	Marcus Trufant
7	Ernie Sims	Jason Taylor	Bob Sanders
8	DJ Williams	Justin Tuck	Chris Harris
9	DeMeco Ryans	Terrell Suggs	Kerry Rhodes
10	Kirk Morrison	Michael Strahan	Nate Clements
11	Brian Urlacher	Andre Carter	Darrelle Revis
12	Ray Lewis	Kyle Vanden Bosch	Donte Whitner
13	EJ Henderson	Adewale Ogunleye	Oshiomogho Atogwe
14	Lofa Tatupu	Marques Douglas	LaRon Landry
15	Gary Brackett	Justin Smith	Madieu Williams
16	Morlon Greenwood	Gaines Adams	Marlin Jackson
17	Demarcus Ware	Aaron Schobel	Rodney Harrison
18	Angelo Crowell	Greg Ellis	Lawyer Milloy
19	AJ Hawk	Bryant Young	Brandon McGowan
20	Paris Lenon	Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila	Von Hutchins
21	Barrett Ruud	Pat Williams	Leigh Bodden
22	Derrick Brooks	Kenechi Udeze	Kenoy Kennedy
23	Matt Wilhelm	Jovan Haye	Michael Huff
24	Lance Briggs	Kenyon Coleman	Champ Bailey
25	Michael Boley	Julius Peppers	Terrence McGee

 
Alison, a cafe regular and writer, was raised in the Northeast and now resides in the Southwest. While playing fantasy football and baseball over the past 5 years, she found herself hooked. In her spare time, she especially loves plucking from the waiver wire and finding IDP steals.
 

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