With Week 9 behind us, it’s time to look ahead for our fantasy football leagues. This coming week marks the halfway point of the regular season!
The IDP report will provide an early look at several waiver wire priorities of varying league sizes, along with preliminary Week 10 IDP rankings. Since all leagues are different sizes and have differing IDP requirements, the weekly rankings might be more beneficial than the waiver list.
As usual, the rankings are a reflection of IDP Flex rankings for tackle-heavy formats.
Josh Sweat, DE, Philadelphia Eagles
We might finally have seen the end of the rotation of all four defensive ends for the Eagles and, with it, the rise of Josh Sweat for IDP purposes. He’s been solid, sitting at an 18% pass-rush win rate, good for 11th-best among all edge rushers. With Bryce Huff dropping to just 11% snap share, Sweat jumped to a season-high 78% snap rate in Week 9.
Wanna see Josh Sweat fold an offensive tackle? pic.twitter.com/yrPBhxphnX
— eagles 6-2 (@HurtsDotCity) November 5, 2024
The stats followed too, as Sweat posted his best game of the year. He tallied five combined tackles and two sacks in the game. That is five sacks in his last five games after none in the first three. Sweat has the underlying metrics, and now, the production. Don’t hesitate to add and fire him up this week or any week going forward.
Jahlani Tavai, LB, New England Patriots
Just when it appeared Christian Elliss was taking over, back comes Jahlani Tavai. The other LB spot is a big rotation, but Tavai’s job seems safe. The LB has played 70% or more snaps in every Patriots game this season.
Early in the season, Tavai looked like he could make a leap without Ja’Whaun Bentley, but three four-tackle games made some people bail. He’s been at five or more tackles in every game since Week 5, though, and he hit a new season-high 11 in Week 9. He’s a playable option for anyone struggling with injuries or byes.
Mohamoud Diabate, LB, Cleveland Browns
Depending upon your league size, Mohamoud Diabate may not be available. With Jordan Hicks stuggling to stay on the field, Diabate was already playing a lot of snaps. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah went onto IR over the weekend after a scary neck injury, leaving the door open for solid continued playing time for Diabate.
He’s been quite up and down for fantasy purposes so far, but Week 9 was his only down performance when playing over 70% of snaps. In those three games, his tackle totals are 7, 9, and 4. Don’t worry when the results are down for a week — trust the process. He is a good add. The Browns are on bye this week, so this is more for long-term needs.
Demani Richardson, S, Carolina Panthers
Talk about out-of-nowhere performances. Prior to Week 8, Demani Richardson had not played a single defensive snap. Now, the last two weeks have seen the 2024 UDFA play 100% of snaps, with both Nick Scott and Jordan Fuller missing games.
With Richardson posting 11 and 12 tackles over that two-game stretch, I’m not sure why Carolina would go back to the veterans, both of whom signed just one-year deals in the offseason. The role of about 60% snaps deep isn’t necessarily ideal for these high tackle performances, but this game is about stats, and Richardson has been racking them up.
Week 10 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings
1) Foyesade Oluokun, LB | JAX (vs. MIN)
2) Roquan Smith, LB | BAL (vs. CIN)
3) Fred Warner, LB | SF (at TB)
4) Bobby Wagner, LB | WAS (vs. PIT)
5) Daiyan Henley, LB | LAC (vs. TEN)
6) Ivan Pace Jr., LB | MIN (at JAX)
7) Logan Wilson, LB | CIN (at BAL)
8) Terrel Bernard, LB | BUF (at IND)
9) T.J. Edwards, LB | CHI (vs. NE)
10) Brian Branch, S | DET (at HOU)
11) Quincy Williams, LB | NYJ (at ARI)
12) Derwin James Jr., S | LAC (vs. TEN)
13) Joshua Metellus, S | MIN (at JAX)
14) Kaden Elliss, LB | ATL (at NO)
15) Kyzir White, LB | ARI (vs. NYJ)
16) Azeez Al-Shaair, LB | HOU (vs. DET)
17) Jaquan Brisker, S | CHI (vs. NE)
18) T.J. Watt, LB | PIT (at WAS)
19) E.J. Speed, LB | IND (vs. BUF)
20) Budda Baker, S | ARI (vs. NYJ)
21) Antoine Winfield Jr., S | TB (vs. SF)
22) Dorian Williams, LB | BUF (at IND)
23) Zaire Franklin, LB | IND (vs. BUF)
24) Tyler Nubin, S | NYG (at CAR)
25) Jamien Sherwood, LB | NYJ (at ARI)
26) Germaine Pratt, LB | CIN (at BAL)
27) DeMarvion Overshown, LB | DAL (vs. PHI)
28) Nick Bolton, LB | KC (vs. DEN)
29) Zack Baun, LB | PHI (at DAL)
30) Kyle Hamilton, S | BAL (vs. CIN)
31) Nick Cross, S | IND (vs. BUF)
32) Trenton Simpson, LB | BAL (vs. CIN)
33) Jalen Thompson, S | ARI (vs. NYJ)
34) Kyle Dugger, S | NE (at CHI)
35) Jalen Pitre, S | HOU (vs. DET)
36) Nakobe Dean, LB | PHI (at DAL)
37) Kenneth Murray Jr., LB | TEN (at LAC)
38) Lavonte David, LB | TB (vs. SF)
39) Jessie Bates III, S | ATL (at NO)
40) Frankie Luvu, LB | WAS (vs. PIT)
41) DeShon Elliott, S | PIT (at WAS)
42) Josey Jewell, LB | CAR (vs. NYG)
43) Minkah Fitzpatrick, S | PIT (at WAS)
44) Jack Campbell, LB | DET (at HOU)
45) Bobby Okereke, LB | NYG (at CAR)
46) Kam Curl, S | LAR (vs. MIA)
47) Jeremy Chinn, S | WAS (vs. PIT)
48) Patrick Queen, LB | PIT (at WAS)
49) Tremaine Edmunds, LB | CHI (vs. NE)
50) Cody Barton, LB | DEN (at KC)
51) Brandon Jones, S | DEN (at KC)
52) Nick Bosa, DE | SF (at TB)
53) Tyrann Mathieu, S | NO (vs. ATL)
54) Jevon Holland, S | MIA (at LAR)
55) Taron Johnson, CB | BUF (at IND)
56) Camryn Bynum, S | MIN (at JAX)
57) Nate Landman, LB | ATL (at NO)
58) Jordyn Brooks, LB | MIA (at LAR)
59) Reed Blankenship, S | PHI (at DAL)
60) Justin Reid, S | KC (vs. DEN)
Top IDP Players To Start in Week 10
Kaden Elliss, LB, Atlanta Falcons
LBs can have some up-and-down weeks, but one player who’s been playing up for a few weeks now is Falcons MLB Kaden Elliss. He’s the leader of that defense and is really taking his play to a new level in 2024.
Over the last three weeks, Elliss has posted 34 combined tackles, exceeding 10 in each game. That level of consistency is fantastic for IDP gamers. He picked up his first sack last week as the Falcons try to generate more pressure. He’s actually gotten five QB hits in that three-week span, too. Fire him up against the Saints and their lack of pass-catching options.
DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ season has gone off the rails. The team approach aside, one bright spot this year for Dallas is their emerging star LB, DeMarvion Overshown. His highlights show fantastic instincts for a player who missed all last year (his rookie year).
If anything can come from the ashes of the Cowboys 2024 season, it’s that DeMarvion Overshown is starting to find his groove at LB.#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/KNCIku0wOv
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) November 4, 2024
Overshown has shown game-wrecking instincts through the early part of the year, and despite a struggling IDL, he continues to make plays. He’s hit seven or more tackles in four of his last five games, and last week set a new career-high three TFLs. He should see plenty of opportunity for tackles against Saquon Barkley and the Eagles in Week 10.