Fantasy IDP picks that can propel you to the championship round

By Jim Coventry, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports

With rosters of all shapes and sizes, IDP advice can be a bit tricky, so the purpose of this article is to point out players whose value is elevated for the upcoming week. Some of these players will be superstars while others will be players found on many waiver wires. Whether you’re streaming IDPs or have a stocked roster, this “one size fits all” approach will hopefully help everyone find that weekly edge.

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Linebackers

Preston Smith, Mason Foster and Zach Brown, Redskins

After getting destroyed by the Titans last week, the Jaguars should be able to play with a lead at home against a Washington offense that will start a street free agent at quarterback. In addition, Leonard Fournette will certainly be chomping at the bit to redeem himself after a poor Week 14 performance. That should ensure that the Washington linebackers will be chasing down the Jacksonville rushing attack for four quarters.

Lavonte David, Adarius Taylor and Devante Bond, Buccaneers

The Ravens have done a great job of taking the air out of the football over the last month, allowing their rushing attack and defense to win games. They’ve climbed back into the playoff picture as a result. On their home field and in a very winnable game, look for them to play old-school smash-mouth football. Since the Bucs are unlikely to give them much resistance, they should be able to keep the chains moving. Don’t be surprised to see them run the ball 40 times, which makes the Bucs LBs look great this week.

Tahir Whitehead, Marquel Lee and Nicholas Morrow, Raiders

As much as they’ve wanted to get their rushing attack going this season, the Bengals’ inability to keep out of negative game script has kept them from doing so with any consistency. Even though the Raiders have been competitive lately, Oakland will be making a long trip east after a huge upset win. The Bengals should be able to lean on Joe Mixon, which should ensure a busy day for the Raiders LBs.

B.J Goodson, Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin, Giants

With the Titans having had success running the ball, they’ll continue their journey toward the playoffs by using their ground-and-pound attack to beat down an inferior opponent. There aren’t many scenarios in which the Titans should need to abandon the run, so the New York LBs should spend much of the day chasing around Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis.

Defensive Backs

Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, P.J. Williams and Marcus Williams, Panthers

Overall, the Panthers have been a solid unit against the run. The Saints, on the other hand, haven’t had nearly the success on the ground for which they had hoped. In this divisional contest, they’ll likely attack the Panthers where they’re most vulnerable: through the air. Look for Drew Brees to spread the defense out, which should result to elevated tackle totals for the Carolina DBs.

Chidobe Awuzie, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown and Xavier Woods, Cowboys

It’s very unlikely that the Colts will have much success running on the Dallas front-seven, even with Indy playing on their home field. So, look for Andrew Luck to have the offense put on his back. 40 pass attempts is a reasonable floor to expect in this must-win contest, which means that this is a great week to fire up the Dallas defensive backs.

Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Eric Weddle, Ravens

As mentioned earlier, on the other side of the ball, the Ravens will be running all day on offense. The only way the Bucs will be able to counter is through the air. With a rushing attack that struggles to move the chains, Jameis Winston will be counted on to keep the offense moving. However, when they become one-dimensional, the pass rush should get pressure on Winston. Consequently, the DBs not only should be able to amass solid tackle totals, but they could be in line to pick off a pass or two.

Jason McCourty, Stephon Gilmore, Jonathan Jones and Devin McCourty, Patriots

Whether James Conner misses this game or plays at less than full strength, it’s hard to think that the Steelers will be able to have consistent success moving the ball on the ground. Look for them to play to their strength, which is the passing game, as they try to break their losing streak in what has become a must-win game. Although they could have success moving the ball through the air, this should be a very busy game for the Pats’ corners and safeties, making it a good week to count on them in fantasy lineups.

Defensive Linemen

J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney, Texans

Not only do the Jets have a weak rushing attack, but they’ll be up against one of the best run defenses in the league. Expect New York to find itself in plenty of obvious passing situations, which plays directly into the hands of the Texans’ pass rush. This is the type of game that each of the Houston pass rushers could come up big.

Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson, Vikings

Somehow, the Dolphins have put together an effective rushing attack this season, even though Frank Gore has been the leader of the backfield. That said, running against the Vikings, especially in Minnesota, is little more than an exercise in futility. This is the type of game in which the Vikings could get a lead. They should also have plenty of situations in which the Dolphins have to throw the football. It’s unlikely the Miami OL will be able to slow down this lethal pass rush.

Vic Beasley, Takkarist McKinley, Grady Jarrett and De’Vondre Campbell, Falcons

After a couple weeks in which the Arizona offense looked functional under new OC Byron Leftwich, they’ve regressed into a severely flawed unit over their last couple games. Even though the Falcons’ season is all but over, they should put up a strong effort on their home field, and that should help them play this contest with a lead. In turn, their pass rush can have one of their better games of the season, especially with Josh Rosen often holding the football longer than he should.

Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson and Telvin Smith, Jaguars

Take a fourth-string QB, who was on the street just over a week ago, mix that with an offensive line that has been playing with backups at three positions, send them on the road against a team with a few elite pass rushers, and what do you get? You guessed it — a great opportunity for the Jaguars pass rush to remind us why they were called “Sacksonville” last year.

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