The League Winners are getting defensive. In addition to our Weekly Start or Sit column found here, we are now offering a weekly IDP Sit or Start column for all you IDP fans out there. So without further delay, let’s take a look at IDP Sit or Start Week 5.
IDP Start or Sit Week 5 – Start
Defensive Linemen
Andrew Van Ginkel– Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants
For as long as Jaelon Phillips is out, Van Ginkel should be considered a must-start. With a starting opportunity in Week 4, he recorded Miami’s only two sacks – and half of their tackles. He was all over the field and is well on his way to being a full-time player permanently.
Jonathan Greenard– Houston Texans vs. Atlanta Falcons
In Week 4, Greenard recorded 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, and 3 tackles for loss on his way to a massive game. The Falcons are a run-heavy team that should provide him with ample opportunity to build on his tackle totals. Desmond Ridder is also bad at feeling pressure and should make for an easy target to sack on multiple occasions.
Dayo Odeyingbo– Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
Odeyingbo saw a season-high usage in the absence of Kwity Paye and was able to parlay that into 7 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass defended. With Paye once again set to miss this game he will look to once again expand his playing time, giving him a chance to put on a career performance.
Defensive Backs
Camryn Bynum– Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Bynum has been an absolute monster through the first month of the season. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in three of four games with his season-high being 15. In Week 4 he also managed to add in a forced fumble. He is off to the best start of his career and will look to build on that start in Week 5 against the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs.
Julian Blackmon– Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
After a slow start in Week 1, that saw Blackmon total only 5 tackles, he has since responded with tackle totals of 9 or more in the past three games. He had a career-high 50 tackles last season and is already well on his way to surpass that high through four games. It’s going to be a breakout season for him in 2022. Fire him up this week against the run-heavy Titans.
Brian Branch – Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers
Branch exploded onto the scene for the Detroit Lions in Week 3 after getting a chance to play. He turned that into 11 tackles and was all over the field. In Week 4, he saw a slight decrease in production as he battled an ankle injury. Coach Dan Campbell said that he avoided any serious injury and should be a full-go in Week 5. If healthy, Branch will be all over the field and will continue to pile up fantasy points.
Linebackers
Leighton Vander Esch– Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
Vander Esch has been an essential cog in the Cowboy’s defensive wheel, barely leaving the field. It hasn’t always turned into fantasy points for him but his usage is elite. In Week 4 against the Patriots, he led the Cowboys with 7 tackles.
Perhaps the highlight of his season has been his recovered fumble in that Week 4 contest which he returned for a touchdown. The Cowboys are one of the top two defenses in the league and Vander Esch will continue to produce reliably for the remainder of the season.
Nate Landman– Atlanta Falcons vs. Houston Texans
In the London game, Landman played 82% of snaps after the Falcons lost Troy Andersen to a season-ending injury. He turned this increase in playing time into 10 tackles in the international dual with the Jaguars. Landman is not a multi-dimensional IDP asset, but if your league values tackle, he will be a valuable linebacker for the remainder of the season.
David Long– Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants
In Week 4, Long saw a 93% snap share. He turned that share into 10 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. We have yet another Dolphins defender who is an absolute must-start for as long as Jaelon Phillips is out of the lineup.
Long will look to have another monster week as he hopes to secure a long-term role in this defense before Phillips returns from injury. Start him with confidence this week and pad your tackle numbers.
IDP Start or Sit Week 5 – Sit
Defensive Linemen
Matthew Judon– New England Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints
Judon has struggled to start the season. This struggle has not been entirely fault as he has been playing through injury, most recently a pectoral issue that is of unknown severity at this time. If Judon is able to avoid absence and is on the field in Week 5 he is a must-sit as he is too risky to trust. Hold him if you roster him, but wait for better days ahead to put him in your starting lineup.
Harrison Phillips– Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Phillips had an impressive 13-tackle performance in Week 2 but has been largely average in his other three contests. In two of his other three games, he totaled three or fewer tackles. He has recorded only 0.5 tackles so far this season and has been a disappointment on a Minnesota defense that can’t seem to stop anyone. Avoid him in Week 5 until the Vikings turn things around if they turn things around.
Bradley Chubb– Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants
Chubb has had five or fewer tackles in three out of his four starts this year and has a season-high of seven. The Miami defense is similar to that of Minnesota in the sense that they can’t seem to stop anyone either. In week 5, the Dolphins get a juicy matchup with the Giants but the Dolphins have far too many other defenders who have hogged all the fantasy production.
Sit Chubb in this matchup and wait until he regains his previous form. Right now the Dolphins aren’t getting many stops and his production has been limited.
Defensive Backs
Darius Slay– Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams
Slay is coming off his best gaming of the season after kicking off the campaign with three lackluster performances, unfortunately for him, that production came in an overtime affair against a bad Washington squad. Slay is always a threat for a long interception return touchdown but recently he has been overly dependent on the home run play over consistency.
Deonte Banks– New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins
Banks is yet to record more than five tackles in a game this season and has been disappointing. He has also seen his snap share fall below 50% in two of his four games. Banks has functioned largely as a part-time player and his fantasy production has suffered as a result. In Week 5 he faces off with a high-flying Dolphins offence that should give him plenty of chances to produce, but will he see enough playing time to be relevant?
Rasul Douglas– Green Bay Packers vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Douglas got off to a fast start in Week 1 with 8 tackles but has seen his production waver over the past three weeks. He continues to see a solid share of the team’s snaps but has been inconsistent in producing actual fantasy points. He has one interception on the season and has also recovered one fumble. In Week 5 he faces a Las Vegas team that doesn’t figure to be on the field very often his opportunities to produce could be few and far between.
Linebackers
Josh Allen– Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills
Allen racked up 10 tackles in Week 1 on his way to a solid start to the season but has since been hampered by a lingering shoulder injury. In the three games since, he has not totaled more than three tackles in any single game. He has managed to record six sacks on the season but his production has not been what managers expected when they drafted him.
Shaquille Leonard– Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
Leonard missed significant periods of time in 2022 as he battled back and neck injuries and that battle seems to have carried over into 2023. Through four games, he has been played on limited snaps and has performed nowhere near his full potential. He’s currently operating as a part-time player and has recorded single-digit tackles in each game this season. Leave him on your bench until he gets healthy.
Haason Reddick– Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams
Reddick had surgery during the preseason on a ligament in his thumb and he doesn’t look to be up to full speed through four weeks. He is currently playing roughly 40-45% of the team’s defensive snaps and has had little to no production so far this season. Reddick too is a must-sit until he finds his way back to good health.
The League Winners have partnered with the number one fantasy football app in the world, Sleeper App. Using the promo code – FFLW – Sleeper will match new users on their first deposit, up to $100! Click the link, and start playing today!
