Welcome to our 2025 IDP Plays & Fades for Week 9!
And now we are off, running down to the Ript-IDP! Let’s uncap our pens and discuss the fades and plays for Week 9! Week 8 has us just about halfway through as we continue our ascent up fantasy mountain, and we will try to lead you to the top of Mount Olympus!
In this series, I will help highlight some players who could surpass expectations or fall short of them. We will hit three plays and three fades at each position (DL, LB, DB) from varying positions in weekly rankings. While they will not be forced, I will also try to add in a DT and a CB from their respective position groups. The goal for each group will be to have at least one high-level name and a lower-ranked player, ones who could rise tiers based on matchups or falter a bit due to “empty” statistics. Now it is time to saddle your mount (horse, pegasus, dragon, etc) and ride into the fires (seas?) of IDP week 9!
*Rankings and Fantasy point scoring will be based on FantasyPros IDP scoring, which can be found here.*
**Base metrics are provided by FantasyData, and advanced metrics such as Pass Rush Productivity (PRP), Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR), and Average Depth of Tackle (AVDT) will be referenced via Pro Football Focus.**
Defensive Lineman:
Play: David Onyemata, DT, Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots
- Even with Drake Maye playing like an MVP, the Patriots have been allowing ample points to DTs. They have allowed a top-5 total throughout the season, while being the best matchup over the last 3 weeks. New England’s interior OL has struggled to hold the line, allowing multiple sacks and even more TFLs to DTs this season.
- Onyemata himself has had another strong year. He has been a DT2 most of the season, with four tackles per game while making multiple stops behind the line. His snaps have been growing over the past month, increasing for 3 consecutive weeks. Onyemata’s above-average play against both the run and pass gives him the upside of a DT1 this week while not having a sack-dependent floor.
- Last Week: Even though Ojomo did suit up, Davis had a DT1 week. In fact, he was one of 3 Philly DTs to finish in the top-10!
Play: Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers @ Tennessee Titans
- We are going back to the Titans-well, despite a massive dud last week. Tuipulotu should remain as the Chargers’ EDGE1 even with Khalil Mack back due to his stellar play this season. He has been a top-8 EDGE in terms of total pressures and PRP, giving him a massive upside each week.
- The Titans remain an offensive line (see what I did there?), allowing four sacks per game. They have been better as of late, but have still allowed a top-10 total to EDGE players over the past few weeks. The Chargers should force the Titans into a pass-heavy script, which would similarly enable Tuipulotu to tee off to Ward’s rookie classmate Jaxson Dart. Tuipulotu probably will not be overall EDGE1 again, but has top-12 upside.
- Last week: Latu started strong with a half sack in the first few drives, but fizzled after that. The Titans’ line had its best game of the year, allowing minuscule point totals to all Colts’ EDGE players.
Play: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys vs Arizona Cardinals (MNF)
- After being a correct fade last week, Ezeiruaku looks to have a breakout performance on prime-time. He has been great lately, grading as a top-20 overall EDGE since week 5 (in terms of PRP, hurries, and overall PFF pash-rush grade). Ezeiruaku has played more snaps than any other Cowboy EDGE over the last five games, cementing himself as EDGE1.
- Arizona should have Kyler Murray back this week, but they remain a great matchup for EDGE players. They have allowed at least one sack to EDGE players in each game, including an individual multi-sack performance in 3 of the last four games. Ezeiruaku has a great ceiling this week and should have a solid floor, as he has averaged three tackles over the previous five games.
- Last Week: Ossai was not able to sneak into EDGE2 range as he did not make it to Justin Fields. The Jets’ QB had a much better game, not taking a single sack.
Fade: Gervon Dexter Sr., DT, Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Dexter has been phenomenal as of late, scoring as a top-5 DT over the last 3 weeks. In that stretch, he has totalled 13 tackles (2 for loss) and 2.5 sacks. The metrics have not quite agreed with those numbers, however. His PRP and PRWR are outside the top 15 amongst DTs and are above average, but tend to lead to streakier totals.
- The Bengals have surprisingly been quite a bad matchup for DTs this season. Since Joe Flacco took over, only four teams have allowed less points to the position. They have allowed double-digit performances only twice while holding some stars (Quinnen Williams, Cam Heyward, & Zach Allen to DT2 performances at best). Dexter may be a true breakout, but like Bresee last week, this is not the matchup to expect another DT1 performance.
- Last Week: Bresee did not continue his hot streak as he tallied just one assisted tackle against the Buccs.
Fade: Chase Young, EDGE, New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams
- Young has had a spectacular start to his season, with seven tackles and 2.0 sacks in his first two full games. The metrics do match up, albeit in a sample size of less than 120 snaps.
- The great start may take a step back in LA, however. The Rams have been the worst matchup for EDGE players over the past few weeks, allowing just one sack in their last three games. With Tyler Shough making his first start, the Rams should be in a positive game script, which would neutralize Young’s pass-rush ability. Young is an exciting add for the rest of the season, but this is a matchup to avoid.
- Last Week: The Steelers focused their attention on Micah Parsons, which allowed Rashaan Gary to have a great game. He added two sacks to his total, finishing as a top-6 EDGE on the week.
Fade: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots
- This fade is a lot of vibes against overcorrection. Myles Garrett had one of the most dominant games we have seen against the Patriots last week, with five sacks. The knee-jerk reaction would be to play whoever is going against that tackle duo, but that should be avoided. The Patriots’ tackles did not play poorly, but rather faced an Adonis at his peak.
- Pearce has been solid for a rookie, but is nowhere near the talent or player that Garrett is. His rush metrics have been middling at best, and he does not have the natural power, speed, & technicality that Garrett does to expose and break young linemen. Add in atrocious run-defense, and we do not have a floor with Pearce. He may add a sack (or two) against an OL that has struggled, but we cannot go into this matchup expecting close to what Garrett did last week.
- Last week, Ezeiruaku has been playing well lately; however, a matchup with Denver did not translate to the box score, where he was all but shut out.
Linebackers:
Play: Dre Greenlaw, Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans
- Greenlaw is back from his post-injury suspension and looks to step into the LB2 (maybe 1) role in Denver. In his one game this season, Greenlaw tallied six tackles on 21 snaps. He looked great in that limited work and is expected to take on a high-snap role early.
- Houston is a great matchup for Greenlaw, having allowed more PPG to LBs than anyone else over the past month. Houston allowed two top-24 LBs last week after allowing multiple top-12 performances in each of their previous two matchups. There is a risk that Greenlaw does not see a full workload, but the Bronco LBs have struggled on-field, so this may be a jolt they need now that they will be missing Patrick Surtain II. Greenlaw is an upside shot for LB2 production this week.
- Last Week: Bobby Wagner finished in the top-5 LBs after totalling 10 tackles and adding an INT.
Play: Shaq Thompson, Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs
- The Bills’ LB room has been quite injured (again) this season. Veteran Shaq Thompson has been their top LB for most of the past month, where he has been a backend LB2 with six tackles/game and a few big plays. Even if Terrel Bernard plays this week, he would expect to be limited and play behind the long-time LB.
- Kansas City has been a fruitful matchup for linebackers, allowing the second most points to the position over the past four weeks. In that stretch, 9 LBs have had a top-24 week, with 4 of that group landing in the top-10. Thompson is not an LB1 sort of play, as Bernard and Milano are approaching a return, but he is a safe bet to land in the LB2/3 range and be a strong bye-week/injury fill-in!
- Last week: The entirety of the Texans LB room busted again. Al-Shaair finished with only four total tackles despite a great matchup.
Play: Drake Thomas, Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Commanders (SNF)
- Thomas completely took over Seattle’s LB2 role going into their bye. He out-snapped Tyrice Knight 138-2 in the last two games before the bye, showing that the role is unequivocally his. Thomas has been a top-10 LB since starting to take over the role in week 4. In that stretch, he has totalled 25 tackles, two sacks, and 5 PBUs in 4 games.
- Washington has been a good matchup for LBs, with either Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota under center. In the last month, they have been a top-5 matchup, including a MNF performance where they allowed 4 top-40 LBs (KC’s backups got a good amount of run). They have allowed a double-digit scorer every week, while allowing a second LB to have 7.5+ in all matchups after week 1. Thomas should be able to sneak into LB2 range yet again, if not higher.
- Last Week: Bethune had another good week against Houston with 14 total tackles. Ten of those were assists, which did lower his totals, but still had him as an LB2.
Fade: Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers vs Indianapolis Colts
- The Colts have been LB weekly fades for the past few weeks, with mixed results. Cedric Gray was held significantly lower than his season averages last week (dropped him from LB13 to LB20 on the season), while all Charger LBs were nearly shut out two weeks ago. Even with a run-and-short-pass-heavy game plan, the Colts have shut down LBs all season, which is not a good outlook for Queen.
- Queen himself has also been struggling mightily. He has recorded seven total tackles in the last two games and has not had multiple solo tackles since week 4. Between weeks 1 & 4, Queen was LB9 overall. Since then, he has been LB71. This matchup is not the one to expect Queen to get back on the right track, barring an unexpected turnover or two!
- Last Week: Gray ended up with a fine day, with four solo tackles (1 for loss) and an assist. The numbers were not gaudy as expected, keeping him outside of the top-24 LBs, though he did not sink your chances!
Fade: Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans vs Denver Broncos
- After last week’s atrocious performance, it is time to put Al-Shaair completely to the wayside. Since week 4, Al-Shaair has 17 total tackles (4.25/game) and is outside of the top-60 LBs. His overall metrics have been fine as the defense has played well, but he has been unable to tally LB1 totals that he should have as the team’s top LB.
- Now we add in an awful matchup with the Broncos, and we have no reason to trust Al-Shaair to be an LB2 or better. They have been a bottom-5 matchup all season, and that has turned up even more over the last two weeks. Until Al-Shaair can put together a strong week or two, he will be an IDP fade.
- Last Week: A rare sack (even though we discussed sub-5% usage as a rusher…) saved what was an otherwise pedestrian day for Okereke. That sack took him from the expected borderline LB2 finish to a borderline LB1 day, unfortunately!
Fade: Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams
- Welcome to our weekly “Fade but don’t bench” pick of the week! Davis has been a stalwart for IDP for over a decade, including a high-end LB2 status this season. He has added three fumble plays to 9 tackles/game, though he has yet to face a bottom-10 matchup this season.
- The Rams are the first tough matchup for Davis this season, which raises some concern about his ceiling. They have allowed a bottom-5 point total to LBs, while not allowing many individual blowup performances. Even if they take an early lead against rookie Tyler Shough, the Rams still will pass often, getting their stars involved often. Davis still could be an LB2 this week, but LB1 feels highly optimistic.
- Last Week: Singleton was merely fine in the Broncos’ blowout win. He finished with 11 tackles, but 9 were assists. This kept him outside of the top-15 LBs as we expected. A forced fumble prevented him from falling even farther.
Defensive Backs:
Play: Roger McCreary, CB, Los Angeles Rams vs New Orleans Saints
- HYPE ALERT! My guy, Roger McCreary, was dealt from the Titans to the Rams this week. He may not have a high slot rate in LA with Quentin Lake manning that role; however, he may still have some fantasy usage. McCreary is fearless against the run, which can lead to high tackle totals, whether he is in the slot or on the outside.
- The matchup is spectacular for McCreary, as New Orleans has allowed the most points to CBs this season. With that being the case, the Saints are now turning the keys to the offense over to rookie Tyler Shough. Shough has looked overwhelmed in brief action thus far, which will give McCreary ample INT options while also allowing them to make plays in the run game if they decide to lean that way.
- Last Week: Ramsey was solid with four total tackles. However, he did not live up to CB1 status, as he was unable to make any big plays while Jordan Love and the Packers were on an absolute heater.
Play: Jeremy Chinn, S, Las Vegas Raiders vs Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chinn has been on fire, being the overall S3 over the last 4 weeks. He has had 9 tackles/game over that span, bringing his weekly average up to nearly 7. Chinn has been playing roughly 40% of snaps deep, but has been making the most of his box snaps.
- Jacksonville has been an excellent matchup for safeties, allowing more points to them over the past month than any other team. They have allowed high-tackle and INT opportunities, giving them the best of both ceiling and floor. Chinn has a spectacular floor in this matchup and has top-5 overall potential if he can haul in an INT.
- Last Week: The Falcons have been involved in maybe the three most shocking results of the season, including being blown out by the Dolphins this week. With the blowout, Bates was unable to make a big play to go with a solid six total tackles.
Play: Josh Metellus, S, Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
- Metellus started the season with a poor usage rate, but that has been resolved recently. He again is the primary box safety, raising his floor nearly to the level of his LB days. This has raised his tackle average to 7 over the Vikings’ last four games, helping to make him a top-10 safety over that span.
- The Lions and their run-and-slot-heavy approach make them a beautiful safety matchup. They are a top-8 matchup season-long, which has improved over the past month with a couple of massive games against them. Tykee Smith and Chamarri Conner were the overall S1s in their respective matchups with Detroit, which gives great hope that Metellus can at least be an S1.
- Last Week: Brisker was unable to outperform the borderline S2/3 he had been throughout the season, finishing directly in that range again. With 5 total tackles, he could not break the streak as the Tyler Huntley-led Ravens dominated the Bears.
Fade: Kenny Moore, CB, Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- This feels sacrilegious, but it is yet another entry into the “Fade but don’t Bench”! Moore is my favorite player on my favorite team, but this is not the greatest time to expect another elite performance. Since week 3, the best performances by a slot CB against the Steelers have been Javon Bullard with six total tackles last week and Byron Murphy with five total in week 4. Not a great matchup!
- Now we have to add an injury. Moore left last week’s game early and expects to be limited in practice this week. If Moore is limited this week, we cannot expect him to deliver great value. If he misses the game, well then, you get no points. If Moore plays, you cannot bench him on the back of a half-decade of elite play, but it would be surprising to see him produce CB1 numbers.
- Last Week: The tackles did not really come for Campbell, as expected. He finished with 2 solo tackles (and 3 assists) while failing to force a turnover, which did not boost his status.
Fade: Derwin James, S, Los Angeles Chargers @ Tennessee Titans
- Firstly, James is currently struggling with an injury. Even if this were a great matchup, James would be in the fade range due to the injury, as he would be limited if he were to suit up. He has also struggled over the last month, with only five tackles/game and finishing outside of the top-60 over that stretch.
- James would be a fade in a good matchup with the injury, but even more so with this atrocious one. The Titans do not allow many points to the safety position (see Nick Cross last week), which hurts his floor and ceiling. James is hard to bench if he is active, but this may be the perfect storm of events to do so.
- Last Week: Cross struggled massively against the Titans and had his worst IDP outing of the year. Three total tackles were lower than expected, even with a fade billing, but it was the right call in the end.
Fade: Andrew Wingard, S, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders
- Another pick that feels like a betrayal… as we have a very not “Go Pokes” fade here. Wingard has been good for the Jaguars this season, with 5.5 tackles/game, landing him just outside of the top-30 safeties.
- Vegas has not done much great on offense this season, but avoiding IDP points to safeties is one of those things. Over the past month, they have been the worst matchup for Safeties, allowing none to have more than three solo tackles in the span. Wingard faces an uphill climb to break through the borderline S2/3 that he has been this season.
- Last Week: Cisco had a game that added injury to insult. Three total tackles made the fade billing accurate, but then he suffered an injury that may keep him out for the remainder of the season.
