The League Winners are getting defensive. In addition to our weekly fantasy football 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 Fantasy Football: IDP Sit or Start – Week 9.
Fantasy Football IDP Start or Sit Week 9 – Start
Linebackers
Zach Cunningham- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
Cunningham has 44 tackles and one fumble recovery this season. In Week 9 he faces off against a Cowboys team allowing 25.7% over league average to linebackers. He had five tackles last week and should see ample opportunity to produce in this divisional showdown and is a must-start.
Damone Clark- Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Clark has 43 tackles through the first eight weeks and has become a critical piece in the Cowboy’s defence. This week he faces an Eagles squad that is allowing 21.8% over the league average to linebackers. He had six tackles in Week 8 and much like Cunningham, is a must-start in what figures to be a grueling battle between division rivals.
Jordan Hicks- Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons
Hicks has 69 tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception on the year and is about to take the step to superstardom. He has racked up eight or more tackles in six of the last seven games and has been on fire. In Week 9 he faces a Falcons team that is allowing 20.2% over the league average to linebackers. He is a must-start at this point and needs to be rostered and started in all IDP formats.
Defensive Linemen
Carl Granderson- New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears
Granderson has 35 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the year. He has six tackles in three consecutive games and is ramping up his play as the Saints defence round into form. In Week 9 he gets a matchup with the Bears who are allowing a whopping 46.9% above the league average to defensive linemen. Granderson should have a monster game this week against Chicago.
Zaven Collins – Arizona Cardinals vs. Cleveland Browns
Collins has 17 tackles, 3,5 sacks and a fumble recovery in the 2023 season. In Week 9 he faces off against the Browns who are allowing 33.9% above the league average to defensive linemen. He is yet to rack up a truly elite week of production but is well on his way to a breakout game.
Maxx Crosby- Las Vegas Raiders vs. New York Giants
Crosby has 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the year and is a force to be reckoned with in the Raiders defence. This week he plays the New York Giants who are allowing 30.8% above the league average to opposing defensive linemen. He had eight tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in Week 8 against Detroit and was a notable presence on the field.
Defensive Backs
Budda Baker- Arizona Cardinals vs. Cleveland Browns
Baker has 17 tackles on the season and is off the IDP radar due to missing five games with a hamstring injury. In the three games he did appear in, he managed to record five or more tackles in each. He faces the Browns this week who are allowing 18.5% above the league average to defensive backs and is a sneaky play this week after missing much of the year.
Kamren Curl- Washington Commanders vs. New England Patriots
Curl has 65 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble this season. He has only one game this season with less than six tackles and has proven to be a reliable player in IDP lineups. This week he faces the Patriots who are allowing 17.1% above the league average to defensive backs and that matchup should allow him to rack up another sizable fantasy output.
Tre’Von Moehring- Las Vegas Raiders vs. New York Giants
Moehring has 46 tackles, one sack and two interceptions this season and has come on as of late, recording seven or more tackles in back-to-back games. This week he gets a matchup with the Giants who are allowing 16.7% above the league average to defensive backs. He needs to find his way into your lineup in all IDP formats.
IDP Start or Sit Week 8 – Sit
Linebackers
Quincy Williams- New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Williams and the Jets have been an excellent defensive unit this season. He has 71 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the season. This week, however, he squares off with the Los Angeles Chargers offence limiting opposing linebackers to 34.4% below the league average. He’s going to have to rack up another double-digit tackle effort this week to overcome the matchup.
Terrel Bernard- Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Bernard has 76 tackles, two sacks, three fumbles recovered and two interceptions, so sitting him won’t be an easy task. The matchup is simply a brutal one a should limit his upside. He faces a Bengals team holding linebackers to 30.3% below the league average. This game could be a shootout and it could be a difficult go for IDP starters in the matchup.
Joey Bosa- Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets
Bosa has 13 tackles and four sacks on the season and has been massively disappointing. It’s amazing how many of my league mates have him in a starting position on their squad based solely on name recognition. In Week 9 he faces a Jets offence that is limiting opposing linebackers to 28.1% below the league average. At this point, I’m not sure why anyone continues to start Bosa. Sit him.
Defensive Linemen
Bradley Chubb – Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs
Chubb has 37 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles this season. In Week 9 he faces off with a Chiefs team that is limiting defensive linemen by 35.2% from the league average. Chubb has alternated games of solid production with total bust weeks and is a risky player in your IDP lineup.
Aaron Donald- Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers
Donald has 33 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles on the season but has lost a step from the fearsome defender of years past. This week he faces a Packers squad that is limiting opposing defensive linemen to 26.0% below the league average. He has been swapping good fantasy days with bad fantasy days on a regular basis and this week has the makings of a bad one. Sit the once dominant star.
Chris Jones- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins
Jones has 16 tackles and 5.5 sacks and looks to be showing signs of rust from his contact holdout during training camp. He has yet to record a single game with more than five tackles and has been living solely on sacks to keep him relevant for fantasy. This week he faces Tua Tagovailoa who is one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the league and a Dolphins team limiting defensive linemen to 25.7% below the league average. Avoid Jones until he regains his pre-holdout form.
Defensive Backs
Antoine Winfield- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans
Winfield had 46 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and has slowed significantly in his production since the team’s bye week. He faces off with the Texans in Week 9 who are limiting opposing defensive backs by 21.0% from the league average.
Derwin James- Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets
James is a weekly must-star and has 37 tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception on the season. The problem this week is the matchup against a Jets squad limiting defensive backs to 14.9% below the league average. He isn’t a must-sit this week, he is more of a case of lowering expectations in a tough matchup.
Minkah Fitzpatrick- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans
Fitzpatrick has 54 tackles on the season but has yet to contribute in any other defensive stat category. In Week 9 he faces a Titans team that is holding opposing defensive backs to 12.1% below league average. Fitzpatrick and this Steelers defence have been boom-or-bust all season and are far too risky to play if you have any other options.
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