We’re back with a new slate of start/sit advice for IDP fantasy football leagues for Week 7.
The 2017 NFL season has been a confounding roller caster ride that continued to corkscrew in week 6. The Dolphins beat Atlanta. OK. The Bears beat Baltimore. Sure. The Giants won at Denver. Yep. We all saw those results coming, didn’t we?
Week 6 was a whirlwind for IDP purposes as well, with a season-high 10 defensive touchdowns scored. In the Detroit loss to the Saints, we had the rare occurrence of two defensive linemen intercepting passes and scoring touchdowns.
It’s also nice that one of those players was Cameron Jordan, who made the Start list in last week’s article. That score and the two sacks Jordan produced almost made up for the Noah Spence Start suggestion.
Yes. I’ll also admit when I get things wrong. That was way off.
Speaking of being off, IDP owners will only miss players from two teams being on a bye week. Remember to get players from the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans out of our lineups.
Let’s take a look at the IDP start/sit options for Week 7.
Defensive linemen
Start
Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks (at NY Giants)
The Seahawks defense has rebounded from a shaky start in no small part due to the play of the veteran Bennett. Despite playing with a bothersome foot injury, Bennett has posted a half sack or more in four of his first five games and is playing 83 percent of the defensive snaps. He’s also chipped in 10 solo tackles (15 total) and has been credited with four tackles for a loss. The Giants are struggling to contain defensive linemen having allowed six sacks to the position over the past two weeks and 13 on the season.
Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins (vs. NY Jets)
Another veteran makes an appearance on the start list, as Wake has quietly been putting up productive fantasy production over the last few weeks. Playing in a rotation with William Hayes at left end, Wake has 3.5 sacks in the last four weeks and leads the team in quarterback hurries with 13 on the season along with six hits. Defensive linemen have accounted for seven sacks against the Jets in the last three games and have created a pair of forced fumbles. In the Week 3 matchup between the teams, Wake had four total tackles and a sack.
Sit
Solomon Thomas, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Dallas)
The rookie Thomas had a coming-out party last week, posting nine total tackles and a sack in the 49ers’ loss at Washington. Thomas has totaled 16 total tackles with three sacks over the last three weeks and currently sits just outside the top-25 in defensive line scoring in most balanced scoring formats. The roll ends this week for Thomas as he faces a stout Dallas Cowboys offensive line. Through the first five games Dallas has allowed just two sacks to the defensive line, and not given up a forced fumble or recovery.
Jurrell Casey, Tennessee Titans (at Cleveland)
While it’s a good idea to stream defenses against the turnover-prone Browns it’s unadvisable to start defensive linemen against them. Casey had been coming on in Weeks 4-5 putting up 12 total tackles and 2 sacks before a weak 3/0/3 stat line last week against Indianapolis. This matchup will be a tough as Cleveland offensive tackle Joe Thomas has yet to allow a sack and the team has given up just four to a defensive lineman in six games.
Linebackers
Start
Ray-Ray Armstrong, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Dallas)
Now that NaVorro Bowman is an Oakland Raider, it appears Ray-Ray is here to stay as the man in the middle of the 49ers defense. Playing 80 percent of the defensive snaps, Armstrong has put up solid tackle numbers as well as big plays with 44 total stops along with a sack, forced fumble, and two interceptions. The Cowboys are a nice matchup for linebackers, having given up 103 total tackles, five sacks as well as an interception and forced fumble to the position.
Joe Schobert, Cleveland Browns (vs. Tennessee)
It’s a sound IDP strategy to start productive players on struggling teams, and Schobert fits the bill this week. Over the last three weeks the Titans have allowed an average of 30 total tackles per game and have given up four turnovers to linebackers. Schobert has played every defensive snap for Cleveland this season and has posted 12 or more tackles in two of the past three games. A steady dose of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry will enable Schobert to have another productive fantasy outing.
Sit
Matthew Judon, Baltimore Ravens (at Minnesota)
The second-year outside linebacker was the top-scoring linebacker last week putting up 14 total tackles (12 solo) and a pair of sacks. Those are some impressive numbers for a player out of Division II Grand Valley State university, but let’s slow our roll a bit before chasing those stats. In the previous five games Judon totaled just 11 tackles and did not post a big play. Let’s take a wait-and-see approach against a Vikings offense that’s given up just eight sacks to edge rushers to date.
Blake Martinez, Green Bay Packers (vs. New Orleans)
Martinez has secured an every-down inside linebacker role for the Packers and is coming off back-to-back double-digit-tackle performances. The problem this week is that he has a terrible matchup against the stingiest offense when it comes to giving up fantasy numbers to linebackers. New Orleans has not given up a single big play or more than eight total tackles to a linebacker in 2017.
Defensive backs
Start
Adrian Amos, Chicago Bears (vs. Carolina)
The Bears turned to Amos after injuries ravaged their secondary and the third-year safety has stepped up. Amos has put up top-five fantasy totals over the past three games, posting 21 solo and 24 total tackles while also returning an interception for a touchdown. He’s played all but one snap during that time and has a nice matchup this week. Carolina gives up an average of 18 solo tackles per game and has allowed 12 big plays to defensive backs through six games.
Kenny Vaccaro, New Orleans Saints (at Green Bay)
The Saints briefly benched Vaccaro back in Week 2 and that seemed to light a fire under the strong safety. In his past three games Vaccaro has been a big-play machine, racking up two interceptions and returning a fumble recovery for a score. Vaccaro has played every snap since returning from the benching and has a nice matchup this week. Brett Hundley will be making his first start and is coming off a three-interception performance in relief of the injured Aaron Rodgers last week.
Sit
T.J. Ward, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Buffalo)
The big-name safety has been a big-time bust since joining Tampa Bay. There’s been a combination of factors keeping Ward from producing. A hip injury kept him out of the line up for a few weeks and Ward played just 36 snaps last week in his return. He managed to post three solo tackles and will hopefully see an uptick in snaps moving forward. Until we see that happen it’s advisable to keep Ward benched against a Bills offense allowing the fewest points to defensive backs.
Eric Reid, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Dallas)
Much like the aforementioned Ward, my preseason favorite Reid has not performed as expected partly due to injury. Reid returned to action last week after missing Weeks 3-5 with a knee injury. Truth be told, Reid wasn’t doing much before suffering the injury, as he had 12 total tackles and no big plays in the first two games. It appears that the 49ers are easing Reid back as he played only 10 snaps last week. Regardless of the matchup, there’s no reason to start Reid unless he reassumes a full-time role in the defense.
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