Joshua Abbe | November 20th, 2019
Playoffs continue to inch closer and closer. I know my leagues are coming down the to the wire, so I’m sure you’re going through the same thing. If not, consider yourself one of the lucky ones and keep up the hard work! Glory doesn’t come to those who don’t put in the work. If you’re out of the playoff hunt, I hope you haven’t stopped playing wanting to play spoiler to league mates and screwing them over. That’s also a fun alternative while preparing for next season. Nonetheless, I do hope y’all are staying competitive throughout the rest of the season to nab some bragging rights of sorts.
A look into last week, Clelin Ferrell had a very disappointing game with a single tackle in which was a good matchup for him. Even though he is a rookie, he should continue to grow into the hard-working player he is. Nick Kwiatkoski had himself a quiet game Sunday night, he only made four tackles which is a poor performance considering his monster game from week 10. Rodney McLeod ended up having similar fate with coming up with only three tackles and a pass defended facing the Patriots defense, though maybe himself and the other Eagles were having fun during the game. Who is to know for sure?
In his first game of the season with his new team, D.J. Swearinger put up a nice performance of seven tackles to knock off the rust of being off for six games. It will be interesting if he is what the Raiders needed to get that defensive spark to continue and push themselves further.
Let’s get into this week’s players I’m liking for a splash of points to help get to or over that playoff bubble. It’s time now to see which IDP players on your rosters are going to help carry the load of your offensive slots or help keep racking up the points on both ends of the spectrum with roster management.
Defensive Line
Javon Hargrave, Pittsburgh Steelers
Well with the season-ending injury to Stephon Tuitt, the increasing snap count just leaned towards Hargrave alongside veteran teammate Cameron Heyward. He draws a great matchup against a beaten-up offensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. They just allowed the Raiders’ defensive linemen to get five sacks last week and on the season, giving up 23.5 sacks, ranking the fourth worst in sacks given up per game, Hargrave seems like a nice plugin play this week. Since a starting after the bye week for Pittsburgh at week eight, he’s produced 20 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Hargrave looks to continue this momentum.
Linebacker
Nathan Gerry, Philadelphia Eagles
Gerry has been putting away a rather nice but quiet season for the 2019 campaign. He just came off a monster game against the Patriots, managing 10 total tackles and a sack. He is playing 99 percent of the snaps in his last four games and putting up a monster number of 31 tackles, two of those for loss, and two sacks. He now gets a run-heavy Seattle team that averages 30 rushing attempts a game. With that kind of consistency from them, the tackle volume is at a premium.
Defensive Back
Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears
Going into the season, Jackson was one of the focal points the Bears’ defense shined upon going into the 2019 season. He’s had a nice season up to this point and continues to keep the momentum going. In his last three games, he has 19 total tackles with 16 of them being solo, two tackles for loss, one pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Now he gets a matchup against the New York Giants, who in their last three games have given up an average of 27.5 tackles a game to the defensive back position. Fire up Jackson this week if you need a streamer or points on the board.
Sleeper
Brennan Scarlett, LB, Houston Texans (Thursday night)
When J.J. Watt went down, Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel needed someone to try and fill that void. Enter Scarlett, who in his last four games has put up 22 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. His snap count has gone up over the past four games and if Crennel is continuing to trust him, he may have the tools to finish out the year strong. He gets an Indianapolis Colts team that likes to establish the run early and rush the ball a nice 30 attempts a game. Scarlett could have a nice night on Thursday.
Continue to reach out to me for all your IDP questions anytime! Keep making a push for those playoffs or setting yourself up for the championship run. Good luck and go get ‘em!
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