Week 12 is upon us. Here is hoping everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. Turkey Day was kind to IDP managers. Tyrell Adams exploded with 14 solos and three assists. Kamren Curl was strong again. Chase Young got back on the sack sheet. Randy Gregory recorded two sacks of his own. Jaylon Smith had a pick six on top of five solos, and Donovan Wilson made good on his IDP upside with nine solos. Let’s hope the rest of Week 12 goes as smoothly.
In deeper IDP leagues that do not treat the position as purely a novelty, deciding who to sit and who to start often becomes a challenge. With that in mind, we will take a look at a few players we should both be started and sat in IDP leagues. We will try to avoid the obvious such as starting Devin White or Budda Baker and instead focus on players who will actually be debated for this weekend’s contests.
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Start em
David Onyemata (DT – NO)
If you do not play in a league where DT is a startable position (you should be), you may not be aware that is a fourth IDP relevant defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints. His name is David Onyemata and he has been on an absolute tear over the last few weeks. THE DL5 and DT1 since Week 8, Onyemata was strong again in Week 11, racking up three solo tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two QB hits. He is now up to three sacks, five tackles for loss, nine QB hits, and one interception over his last four contests. He is a must-start as long as he is playing at this high of a level. He can be counted as a DL2 with DL1 upside as long as he is on fire.
Alex Singleton (LB – PHI)
Alex Singleton was excellent again in Week 11, racking up eight solo tackles, four assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and one QB hit. Singleton has played 100 percent of the snaps over the last two weeks. Locked in as a starter due to his incredible play, Singleton needs to be in starting lineups for Week 12. There is no telling how long Singleton can continue playing at this high of a level, but the Eagles will certainly afford him positive gamescripts to take advantage of. Singleton is an elite LB2 option with LB1 upside until further notice. He can be counted as just that for a tremendous Week 12 matchup against a Seattle Seahawks offense surrendering the 10th most fantasy points to the linebacker position.
Isaiah Simmons (LB – ARI)
After impressing for three straight weeks on limited snaps, the Arizona Cardinals went ahead and handed Isaiah Simmons 68 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 11. The eighth overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft responded by recording nine solos, one assist, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one QB hit. WIth De’Vondre Campbell injured, Simmons soaked up snaps at middle linebacker, playing the majority of his snaps there for the first time all season.
There could be some concern that he would go back to a sporadic role when Campbell is over his calf injury, but even more encouraging is defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s recent comments stating that Simmons was not drafted to play middle linebacker only as head coach Kliff Kingsbury stated earlier this season. Joseph said: “He was drafted to be a Swiss Army knife for us, and he’s becoming that,” Joseph said. “It just took a little longer.” You never know with this coaching staff, but it seems like Simmons may have finally turned the corner in the coaching staff’s eyes, and that they may be prepared to fully unleash him. Start Simmons with confidence for a plus Week 12 matchup against a New England Patriots team relinquishing the 13th most fantasy points to the linebacker position.
Harvey Langi (LB – NYJ)
Langi is back to starters snaps for the Jets and now has a massively impressive 17 solo tackles in his last two contests. He had at least eight solos in each contest and saw over 90 percent of the snaps in both. His final Week 11 stat line saw him record nine solos, one assist, and one QB hit. There is no telling if the special teams stalwart will stick as a starter, but the one thing that is for sure is that he needs to be plugged into lineups as long as he is seeing such a high snap share and producing like he is. He is a sell in dynasty but is a strong Week 12 play against a Miami Dolphins team allowing the 18th most fantasy points to the linebacker position.
Troy Reeder (LB – LAR)
With Micah Kiser placed on short-term injured reserve, Troy Reeder is set to explode for the Rams. He is the favorite to soak up the majority, if not all of Kiser’s snaps, a role he parlayed into eight solos, three assists, three sacks, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits in Week 5 when Kiser was on the shelf. While no one is expecting him to go bonkers at that level again, his stat line serves to accentuate his massive IDP upside (he is a liability in coverage). The Rams may look to pull him on some obvious passing downs, he played 89 percent of the snaps in Week 5, but his proven pass-rush juice will ensure that he is not used as a strict two-down thumper. Reeder is going to be a hot commodity after this weekend, so if you have not already added and started him, at the very least stash him ahead of Week 13. He can be counted as an LB2 option for Week 12.
Sit em
Sione Takitaki (LB – CLE)
Takitaki had himself a game in Week 11 recording three solos, one tackle for loss, one interception, one pass defended, and one touchdown. He played just 31 percent of the snaps so he was going to appear in this column anyway, but he landed on the reserve/COVID list this week. If you picked him up in the hopes of playing him this weekend, you now have two reasons to keep him glued to benches. Takitaki was going to be hard to trust when playing such a small role on defense, but he will not be eligible to play against the Jaguars in Week 12, and really should not have been in your plans anyway. Cut bait and move on in all but ocean deep leagues.
Nicholas Morrow (LB – LV)
Morrow was excellent when Corey Littleton was on the reserve/COVID list but is likely to go back to a part-time role with Littleton likely to play in Week 12. Littleton was a near every snap player when healthy, with Morrow hovering around the 45 percent mark. Morrow showed enough to have carved out a larger role on defense, but it is going to be hard to see many more snaps when Littleton and Nick Kwiatkowski are healthy. If you have the bench space to keep him stashed for another week or two (or even indefinitely) do it, but if you are in need of someone who can fill in and produce at a moment’s notice, Morrow is safe to part with. For those keeping him stashed, be sure to keep him benched for Week 12.
Jordan Fuller (S – LAR)
Jordan Fuller had himself a career game in Week 11, racking up four solos, two interceptions, and two passes defended. Fuller started the season hot but has otherwise been pedestrian when healthy. He is a bit of a letdown from Taylor Rapp from an IDP perspective but has proven to be the superior system fit where it matters, on the field for the Rams. However, on a non-bye week, there are sure to be better options available. Keep him rostered, but leave Fuller benched until he shows more consistency.
Terrell Edmunds (S – PIT)
Edmunds had an excellent Week 11 to follow up a strong Week 10 but is still a suggested sit this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Edmunds has been inconsistent outside of this two game stretch and would have had a dud if not for his work in pass coverage. In Week 11, Edmunds recorded two solos, two assists, two interceptions, and two passes defended. The line without the picks is about what we expected when we suggested him as a sit in this space last week. He comes in as a sit again for this weekend, or whenever the Steelers and Ravens actually square off. Robert Griffin III being under center increases his upside, but Edmunds is still hard to trust due to recording five or more solos just three times all year, and four or more just four times. There is no reason for Edmunds to be among the 25 most rostered safeties except for his brand name. You can do better for Week 12.
DeShawn Williams (DT – DEN)
Williams picked up two sacks in Week 11 and found himself added in quite a few leagues because of it. However, the sacks were Williams’ first two of the season and the first full sacks of his career. Williams is a practice squad type who has been getting snaps for the Broncos who can safely be ignored for fantasy unless he starts to show some consistency. The New Orleans Saints were already a bad matchup for defensive tackles (they have allowed the second fewest fantasy points to the position) but some IDP managers may have started to view the Saints as a plus matchup due to Taysom Hill being under center.
It is true that Hill being under center should afford more tackle opportunities for the defensive line, but Williams has been playing a part-time role, to begin with, so counting on him to be on the field when those opportunities arise is a gamble. He has seen more than 50 percent of the snaps just three times all season and needs to prove that he earned a larger role before we can go plugging him when many fantasy teams are in the thick of a playoff race. Keep Williams benched for Week 12.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.
