Welcome Week 16 IDP Nerds! It’s time to put up or shut up, as they say. The Dynasty fantasy football Semifinals are here, and a spot in the championship game is so close that we can almost taste it. This season has been a blast connecting with all of you and providing all the IDP data to help you dominate the regular season. Now that the biggest round of the playoffs is here, we are extra locked in to ensure we get that one more win so we can at least take home some money or bragging rights at the end of the season.
Note: The tackle statistics referenced in this article are thanks to Jon Macri of Pro Football Focus.
Win Your Week 16 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CHEATCHART | FULL SLATE
START | WEEK 16 IDP Start/Sit
DL | START | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Travon Walker | DL | Jacksonville Jaguars
The former 1st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft is just 1.5 sacks shy of posting back-to-back 50-tackle and 10-sack seasons. Walker has been an inconsistent performer for IDP managers this season, posting double-digit fantasy points in 42.8% of his starts (Sleeper). In the 6 games he posted double-digit fantasy points, 3 of those performances eclipsed the 20-point mark, which are matchup-swinging performances.
Travon Walker has an excellent matchup ahead of him in Week 16 with the Las Vegas Raiders, who allow the 4th-most sacks per game this season. The Raiders are also a favorable matchup for opposing defensive linemen this season, surrendering 15.8 tackles per game. Week 16 IDP managers can start Travon Walker with confidence and get a boost to swing their semifinal matchup in their favor.
LB | START | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Lavonte David | LB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When our season is on the line, we turn to one of the most trusted linebackers to produce for us, Lavonte David. The veteran Buccaneers LB has 200 fantasy points or more for his 13th-consecutive season since being drafted in 2012. Here are the goods; dating back to the 2015 season, David has eclipsed double-digit fantasy points in every game from Weeks 15-17 over the past 9 seasons (Sleeper). That’s the guaranteed production that IDP managers are looking for.
Lavonte David has been spectacular over the past 2 games with 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Even in his 13th season, he’s still putting up huge numbers. I love his chances to continue production this week against the Dallas Cowboys, who allow the 4th-most tackles to linebackers this season at 17.9 per game. The Cowboys are one of 7 teams this season who have allowed 250 tackles to LBs. This should be another excellent week for the future Hall-of-Fame linebacker.
DB | START | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Talanoa Hufanga | DB | San Francisco 49ers
Talanoa Hufanga has had a disappointing season riddled with injuries. After only playing 10 games last season, the former USC Trojan had a breakout season in 2022 but has struggled to return to form. Hufanga has been limited to just four games this season, and he’s one of many San Francisco players to spend time on injured reserve this season.
The 49ers defense has gotten a boost with the return of Dre Greenlaw and now Talanoa Hufanga. A matchup with the Miami Dolphins will benefit Hufanga and the San Francisco secondary. Miami has allowed the 2nd-most tackles to safeties this season. Hufanga has recorded at least 7 tackles in both games in which he’s played over 40 snaps this season. I love his chances of having a big game against the high-powered Dolphins offense.
DT | START | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Jalen Carter | DT | Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Carter is the Week 16 IDP start of the week in your DT-premium leagues. The former Georgia interior defender is the DT17 in fantasy points per game (FPPG) this season. Carter has already set a career high in tackles this season with 39 and is on pace to set a new high in sacks.
I love Jalen Carter’s chances to have a big week against the Washington Commanders, who allowed 8 sacks in Week 15. In their previous matchup, Carter had a huge game against the Commanders with 7 tackles. This should be another big week for one of the NFL’s best young DTs.
Streaming Options | Week 16 IDP START/sit
Looking for streaming options in the fantasy football playoffs is always one of the worst nightmares for IDP managers. Don’t worry, there’s a matchup that can help you win this week. Tim Settle Jr. has a good matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, who allow the 4th-most tackles per game to defensive linemen this season.
D.J. Reader is more of a deeper league play. The Lions DT has played over 50% of the snaps in his last 5 starts. Reader had a massive game two-sack game against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving.
CB | START | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
D.J. Reed | CB | New York Jets
We could quickly turn to the New Orleans Saints cornerbacks again in a primetime matchup. IDP Nerds darling Ugo Amadi is still available in leagues; I picked him up this week and plan to start him in the Semifinals. However, we can pivot for those in leagues where he’s not available.
D.J. Reed is a solid option this week, and the Jets CB has been a solid tackler this season, averaging 4.5 tackles per game. He should have a busy day trying to contain the combination of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. The Los Angeles Rams rank this season as the 4th-most favorable matchup for the CB position. IDP managers can start D.J. Reed with confidence.
Check out Data Nerd Brad Custer‘s (@MonCalFF) CheatChart for more streaming options.
SIT | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
DL | SIT | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Zaven Collins | DL | Arizona Cardinals
Zaven Collins has had a bounce-back season for IDP managers, posting the highest sack total (4) of his young career. He’s been an extremely dependable option for fantasy football managers, with just one missed game over his first four seasons. Collins suffered a neck injury that forced him out of action in Week 15, but he completed limited practice this week, so all signs point to him being active for Week 16.
The University of Tulsa product has been a hybrid player since coming into the NFL, spending time as a standup linebacker before eventually playing as an EDGE defender over the past 2 seasons. Collins has been more sack-dependent this season, and that scares me into a “win or go home” scenario this week. Collins has 2 double-digit fantasy performances this season where he didn’t record a sack. The Carolina Panthers have allowed the 6th-fewest tackles per game to defensive linemen this season. Carolina also allows just 1.7 sacks per game at home this season (TeamRanking). I would look for a more favorable matchup at DL in Week 16.
LB | SIT | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Jack Campbell | LB | Detroit Lions
Jack Campbell has been given an excellent opportunity to step up and lead the Detroit defense with Alex Anzalone out. The former Iowa Hawkeye has been solid for IDP managers, with 18 tackles in his past 2 games.
We should temper expectations for the young LB this week because of a bad matchup. The Chicago Bears have allowed the 8th-fewest tackles per game to the position this season. They have also allowed just 11.7 tackles per game over their last 3 games, which is the lowest for any team. Campbell registered just 3 tackles in his Week 13 matchup with the Chicago offense. It was his first game under 10 fantasy points since Week 6. IDP managers can find a matchup with more upside for their Semifinals.
DB | SIT | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
Kam Curl | DB | Los Angeles Rams
A case can be made that Kam Curl shouldn’t even be considered for a starting spot after the past month of the season. The Los Angeles Rams’ prized free agent signing has been very ineffective since Week 8 this season, only eclipsing double-digit fantasy points twice.
If that wasn’t bad enough for IDP managers, the Rams secondary has the worst tackle-per-game matchup this week against the New York Jets. The Jets allow the fewest tackles per game to safeties this year, making them the only offense in the NFL not to allow 150 tackles total. Kam Curl has failed to record 10 fantasy points or more in 3 consecutive games, and I don’t see that changing for Week 16 IDP managers.
Six Pack of Facts | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
- The Texans EDGE rushers have delivered this season. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson have accounted for 23 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this season.
- Jamien Sherwood takes home the IDP waiver wire add of the season. Sherwood has 130 tackles, the 4th-most in the NFL.
- Budda Baker’s magical season continues. He’s 2nd in the NFL in tackles and on pace to record his first-ever 150-tackle season.
- Big salute to the veterans! Cam Heyward records 8 sacks at age 35, Lavonte David (34), Bobby Wagner (34), and Eric Kendricks (32),all have 100 tackles on the season.
- Chop Robinson has found his groove. The Rookie EDGE rusher has 5 sacks in his last 7 games.
- Micah Parsons is just 1.5 sacks shy of recording his 4th-consecutive double-digit sack season despite only playing in 10 games. He’s tied for 9th-most sacks in the NFL.
Roster Management | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
This week’s roster management tip focuses on teams not playing in the postseason. Whether your season heartbreakingly ended last week or you’ve been a rebuilding team, your focus needs to be on improving your roster. At this time of the year, it becomes challenging to make moves, but you can strategize on what to do when moves can be made again.
We can evaluate the picks we have, see what NFL mock drafts look like, and decide how to implement them for defensive players. Always remember that acquiring defensive players in off-season trades is much easier than their offensive counterparts. We must assess the landscape of our leagues and how other teams perform, and take advantage of opportunities when offering trades. Remember, there is no offseason in dynasty fantasy football. We build our teams all year long.
Final Thoughts | Week 16 IDP Start/Sit
That will wrap up our semifinal playoff version of The Blindside. This time of year will have you repeatedly questioning your lineup decisions. If you’re still here, you’ve followed the process. It’s important to remember that it’s not about being correct on every lineup decision; it’s just about getting more right than your opponent. While no recommendation is foolproof, a well-researched and thoughtful approach gives you the best chance to succeed. As always, please contact me on Twitter (X) @Glosser13. I look forward to being available for any IDP advice you may need. Good luck Week 16 IDP Nerds!
Win Your Week 16 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CHEATCHART | FULL SLATE
The Dynasty off-season is just about here. Make sure to get familiar with the next wave of IDP rookies. Check out the Nerds IDP only Rookie Mock Draft released earlier this season:
