In week 2 of the NFL, we continue to see some promising performances for some IDP players. It also has some where we might need to start to worry if things do not change around. Nonetheless, it is early for the season. We are starting to see who is rising to the occasion and who is failing with opportunity provided. For accountability let’s take a look at how we did in week 2 of the NFL!
*Side note- a sit to me is somebody that will get 10 or less fantasy points for you.*
Week 2 Starts (3 Pass, 2 Fail)
Derrick Brown– 11 pts – Pass; Will Anderson– 6 pts – Fail; Germaine Pratt – 16 pts – Pass; Jessie Bates – 6 pts – Fail; Trevon Diggs – 13 pts – Pass
Week 2 Sits (4 pass, 1 push)
Drake Jackson – 5 pts – Pass; Michael Danna – 4 pts – Pass; Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – 10 pts – Push; Christian Rozeboom – 6 pts- Pass; J.C. Jackson – 7 pts – Pass
Now that we see that let’s get into my week 3 Starts & Sits for the IDP!
START
DL- George Karlaftis (KC) vs. Chicago Bears (START)
Chris Jones coming back may have helped Karlaftis. He did see 3 less tackles than he saw in week one. However, he did gain 1.5 sacks! It is possible the addition of Jones opens up the left side for Karlaftis a bit more. This may allow him to see more sack opportunities. This week he faces the Chicago Bears. A team that has an offensive line that has looked horrendous for the most part. The Bears have allowed 10 sacks this season on Justin Fields. 10! That is at least 5 a game so far. Add that bad offensive line with the fact that Karlaftis is leading the defensive line with 81.7% of snaps. Start’em up!
DL- Matthew Judon (NE) @ New York Jets (START)
Judon lives off the sacks! He has gotten to the quarterback once each game this season already. Plus, he has 4 hurries and 2 QB hits. He brings the pressure! I expect nothing less this week. The Jets have the second worst pass blocking offense. Zach Wilson has already been sacked five times this season. For those reasons, I see Judon continuing to add pressure off the edge. He will likely see his sack streak continue this week too!
LB- Ivan Pace Jr. (MIN) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (START)
I can cry for this one. One of my undrafted gems this off season makes my start list! Pace saw an increase in snap percentage from week one (67.6%) to week two (79.2%). Right now he is effective on every aspect of the game. His pass coverage skills could add some work. His tackling, however, has been nothing short of SUPERB! Pace now has 16 total tackles on the season, 8 in each game. He now faces a Chargers team that has not been as efficient as I thought to start the season. The rookie gem will look to continue his reign in week 3. I’m starting him moving forward until he gives me a reason not to.
DB- Kendall Fuller (WAS) vs. Buffalo Bills (START)
This one might be a little surprising considering he is going up against one of the league’s best in Stefon Diggs. Fuller has good coverage skills with a 74.0 on PFF. He has yet to allow one touchdown on 7 targets. This may be a feed Diggs type of game. This means there could be plenty of opportunity for Fuller to capitalize on the ball being thrown towards him. Fun fact, Fuller’s single game career high in tackles came in 2021 at Buffalo. He recorded 10 tackles that game.
S- Jevon Holland (MIA) vs. Denver Broncos (START)
Holland will look to be a menace to the Broncos this week. A team that has yet to establish a true run game. Add that with the Dolphins offense almost forcing opponents to play from behind with their ability to score rapidly. That gives you the recipe for success for Holland. He currently leads the team in tackles with 25. He lines up all over the field. They trust him to make plays. So do I. He is a start against a meh Wide Receiver room in Denver.
*Side note- Somebody to watch DB- M.J. Stewart (HOU) if Jalen Pitre cannot go he is a must start too. Stewart went from 54.6% of snaps to 100% of snaps in week 2. Monitor if Pitre is Out or not before starting him.
SIT
DL- Yannick Ngakoue (CHI) @ Kansas City Chiefs (SIT)
I’m really just off on the bears as whole. Despite seeing 70.9% of snaps, Ngakoue has been meh. His week 1 performance was saved by a sack. In week two he only had 2 tackles. He currently has an overall grade of 42.6 (Second lowest on the team) and a miss tackle rate of 44.4%. The Chiefs have allowed one sack this season. I don’t expect Ngakoue to have another sack save the day, at least not this week. He is riding my bench.
EDGE- Haason Reddick (PHI) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (SIT)
He is seeing 70.2% of snaps. He was one of my fades this off season. Last season he was super-efficient with low snap percentage. I did not expect that to roll over into this season with the young talent the defense has. One of the lower overall grades on the team through two weeks with a score of 59.2 on PFF. He only saw one tackle through two weeks. His snaps went down by almost 20 (19 to be exact) from week 1 to week 2. I’m avoiding him where I can.
LB- Dennis Gardeck (AZ) vs. Dallas Cowboys (SIT)
Gardeck could be considered a rising 2023 IDP star. He currently leads the Cardinals in sacks with 3. The Cowboys come into town only allowing one sack on the season. Gardeck’s money maker has been his ability to get to the Quarterback. Right now, he is averaging 4 tackles per game. I do not think he will get as lucky getting to the Quarterback this week. He might get 4-5 tackles, but that is not enough for me to start him.
CB- Patrick Surtain (DEN) @ Miami Dolphins (SIT)
During the preseason Surtain missed some practices with an undisclosed injury. Coach Sean Payton said the injury is not serious to be lingering. However, Surtain’s inefficiency says otherwise. Despite being on the field for every snap Surtain only has 5 tackles on the season. He does have 7 targets towards him with 3 PBU. Maybe he is now viewed as a shutdown corner, so quarterbacks avoid him. Now he goes against two of the top Wide Receivers in the game. Two Wide Receivers that can take the top off any defense. I do not think this is the bounce back type of week for Surtain.
S- Jason Pinnock (NYG) @ San Francisco 49ers (SIT)
Pinnock had himself a day last week versus Arizona. He had 13 total tackles. The 49ers are a run first offense. This means the battle may be at the line scrimmage. Pinnock does at times play up front. 26.4% of his snaps are within the box. To me that says Pinnock may struggle to repeat what he did last week. The 49ers will likely use Christian McCaffrey heavily against a bottom 5 rush defense according to PFF. Pinnock is making it work with his opportunity. I think he comes back down to earth this week. Based on the match up he is riding my bench.
That is my week 3 start/sits for the IDP positions.
Thank you for reading. Follow me on X at @ThePPRShow for more! Peace & Love!
For additional IDP lineup advice, check out our Start/Sit Tool and our Week 3 IDP Rankings.