John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry. Every week during the 2024 season here at Footballguys, The Guru and The Godfather will come together to offer guidance for the week to come.

The 2024 season is flying by—we've already hit Week 10. The stretch run for the IDP playoffs is almost here, and for many fantasy managers the margin for error is razor-thin. Do much more losing, and the playoffs won't be a concern anymore.

The Guru and The Godfather know the feeling—all too well. Both have their thinking caps on to help IDP managers make a late push into the postseason.

Buy Low/Sell High

It's Week 10, and the trade deadline looms in a lot of IDP leagues.

If there was one IDP you could acquire at a reasonable price, who would it be? Is there an IDP managers should be looking to sell heading into the stretch run?

Guru: I hesitate to talk about Germaine Pratt here because Cincinnati will have played by the time anyone reads this. However, this question is not specific to this week's games and if you asked the same question on Tuesday, Pratt would still be my answer. He is coming off back to back games with less than stellar tackle totals, including a one stop game versus the Raiders in week nine. That will have his current managers frustrated and more likely to move him. On the other hand, Pratt has at least nine fantasy points in eight of nine games and has matchups with the Chargers, Steelers, and Cowboys leading up to the fantasy playoffs. While those are mediocre matchups, in weeks 15 and 16, Cincinnati has the Titans and Browns—the two best IDP matchups for linebackers this year.

There are a lot of managers out there who love Ivan Pace Jr.. of the Vikings. When he is in the lead role, I'm one of them. Pace put up double-digit points in three consecutive games before slipping a little last week, including almost 27 versus the Lions in week seven. He even has a great matchup in week eleven with the Titans. Throw out those selling points but don't mention that Blake Cashman is nearing a return or that there are no matchups between weeks 11 and 18 that are in the top half of the league in points allowed to linebackers.

Godfather: Good calls both. Pratt's not exactly a huge name, either.

Since the Guru hit linebackers, I'll mention a couple defensive linemen—no one trades for defensive backs. Danielle Hunter of the Texans has spent most of his first season in Houston being outshined in just about every way but salary—Hunter ranks outside the top-30 defensive linemen in fantasy points. Hunter is a proven producer who can rack up sacks in bunches who had 16.5 last year in Minnesota. He's due to get hot. Buy before he does.

Speaking of Minnesota, I love edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. Love that he fell over backward into the role last year in Miami. Love that he plays like his flowing hair is on fire. But Van Ginkel isn't going to stay the highest-scoring defensive lineman in fantasy football. And his last two games have been his worst and third-worst statistical efforts of the season. Try to sell what he already did before he hits a slump.

Week 10 on the DL

Okay, it's on to Week 10. Name one defensive lineman who is about to exceed expectations this week, and another who will leave IDP managers holding the bag?

Guru: The Cowboys were a slightly above average matchup for edge defenders when Dak Prescott was healthy. That was largely because Prescott is mobile and does a good job getting out of trouble. The offensive line is struggling, they can't run to take the pressure off of Cooper Rush and are likely to be playing from behind most of the game. Meanwhile, the Eagles seem to have found the power button and have been getting after the passer recently. All of this bodes well for Josh Sweat, who is heating up. With a pair of sacks against Jacksonville last week, Sweat now has five in the last five games. I like his chances of adding at least one more to his total this week.

I will never tell anyone to bench T.J. Watt as long as both of his legs are still attached. That said, he is not immune to bad games. Watt had 2 points against the Colts in week four and 2.5 versus the Jets in week seven. Both of those teams were better matchups on paper than the Commanders. Washington does not throw excessively so there will not be an abundance of pass rush opportunities and Jayden Daniels is one of the few quarterbacks fast and athletic enough to run away from Watt. There is also the consideration that Washington is allowing the fifth fewest points to the edge position. Call it a gut feeling, but I see this being a down week for Watt. 

Godfather: Whoa. T.J. Watt. Now that's an assertive call.

My "sit" recommendation isn't quite that bold, but it does involve a top-12 fantasy option in points. Will McDonald IV of the Jets has been one of this year's biggest surprises on the edge, racking up eight sacks for the season. But McDonald's tackle numbers are essentially non-existent, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has been dropped just 14 times in nine games.

At the other end of the spectrum lies the New England Patriots, who are tied for the second-most sacks allowed with 31. Montez Sweat's first full year with the Chicago Bears has been a mess—he has missed time and has just 3.5 sacks after logging 12.5 in 2023. Sweat is back to practicing in full and expected to play against the Patriots—and if he does, he's getting to Drake Maye at least once.

LB Breakdown

In most IDP leagues, linebackers will make or break your defensive scoring. They are the foundation for success. Which linebacker will be bedrock in Week 10, and which could leave teams in a fantasy sinkhole?

Guru: Last week I called out Daiyan Henley of the Chargers due to his matchup with a Browns team that has given up the most fantasy points to linebackers. That turned out well when he racked up 14 combined stops. When I looked at this week's matchups and saw Tennessee was coming to town, I had to go back to the well for one more time. Cleveland allows (in FBG default scoring) 33.3 points per game to linebackers on average. The Titans are second at 32.7. Start him again.

Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs burned a lot of managers when he went 1-2 on Monday night. Yes, it was a fluke and a repeat is unlikely. On the other hand, Bolton has been somewhat of a disappointment all season. We are halfway through the NFL regular season and Bolton has not reached 13 points in a game yet. Now factor in the Denver is allowing the sixth fewest points to linebackers, which is even lower than the Buccaneers who he did nothing against last week. I'm not expecting another three tackle game but will be surprised if he has more than five or six.

Godfather: Couldn't let me have Henley, eh? Well, it's too late, jerkface! He was my IDP Stud of the Week for Week 10.

Just behind the Browns and Titans (Garbage offenses both—go figure.) in fantasy points per game allowed to linebackers in the Godfather's Default IDP Scoring is the Minnesota Vikings, and recommending Foyesade Oluokun is a bit like saying beer is good—duh. Then comes the New Orleans Saints, who will lean heavily on running back Alvin Kamara given their injuries at wide receiver.

That should mean good things for Atlanta's Kaden Elliss in Week 10.

Given the presence of Jonathan Taylor, one might think the Indianapolis Colts would be a good IDP matchup for linebackers. They are not—only two teams are allowing fewer fantasy points per game to the position, and no team is allowing fewer tackle opportunities per game. That doesn't bode well for Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams of the Buffalo Bills.

Cinnamon or Snot?

Defensive backs are like a bag of those gag jellybeans with "cinnamon roll" and "poop" in the same handful—you never know what you're going to get. Which defensive back will be "Key Lime Pie," and who will be "Snot?"

Guru: This week's "maple sugar" is Tykee Smith. The rookie has excelled on the field as the Buccaneers third safety/slot defender and has given us some big games on the stat sheet as well. Over his last three games (he missed weeks 7 and 8), Smith is 20-5 in the tackle columns with 3 forced fumbles, a recovery and 4 passes defended. His lowest point total of those games was 17 versus the Chiefs last week. This time around he squares off with the 49ers, who are the top matchup in IDP for safeties.

The way he's been producing, it's hard to make this call, but your "troll bogeys" (for all those Harry Potter fans out there) of the week is Nick Cross. There have been a few safeties with decent tackle numbers against Buffalo, but Josh Allen takes good care of the ball so splash plays are rare. At 17.2 points per game, only the Chargers are giving up fewer points to the position.

Godfather: Can't argue with the wisdom of either call, even if I'm a muggle who has no idea what a "troll bogey" is. Fun fact—I haven't seen any of the Harry Potter movies from start to finish. Bits and pieces, but never the whole thing.

There was a several-year stretch where Jordan Poyer was one of the most valuable defensive backs in fantasy football. But that was when the veteran was in Buffalo—his statistical production so far in Miami hasn't been especially impressive. That could change Monday night at SoFi Stadium, at least for a week—the Rams have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points per game to safeties in 2024.

It's not exactly a huge shock that the Tennessee Titans are a bottom-five fantasy matchup for safeties—the combination of crud that is Mason Mayonnaise at quarterback in Nashville has left the offense with about as many teeth as a whale shark. Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. has already come up short of expectations this season—23rd in fantasy points per game among safeties.

His odds of breaking out of that funk in Week 10 aren't great.

French Lesson

OK, it's "Dormeur" time (That's French for "Sleeper", because culture.). Give IDP managers one lower-end defensive lineman, linebacker and defensive back who will rise up and give teams the numbers it takes for a badly-needed victory.

Guru: It was around this time last year when Chargers edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu came on. He finished the season strong and had a lot of us excited about his long term potential. He was quiet on the stat sheet until a couple of weeks ago when the light seemed to come on.Tuipulotu has 3.5 sacks over the last two games, including a career best game in week nine at 5-1-2.5.

Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are both playing but neither is fully healthy. Bosa was limited to 39 snaps over the last two games and Mack played sparingly last week after seeming to aggravate a groin. Combine that with a matchup against Tennessee (who has given up the sixth most points to the edge position), and you get the formula for a strong sleeper.

Christian Rozeboom is not a great NFL linebacker, but he is a steady veteran contributor who finds himself in the lead role for the Rams. With the loss of Troy Reeder to IR, Rozeboom inherited the every-down role. Last week he was 8-3 with 2 tackles for loss, against the team that has allowed the third fewest points to linebackers. This week he gets a Miami team that's allowed the fourth most. The sheer volume of opportunities should make Rozeboom a solid start in this one.

I'll go deep into the bag of tricks and pull out Malik Mustapha of the 49ers for my DB sleeper this week. He had a strong outing against the Chiefs in week seven, going 6-6 in a game that saw him make a lot of tackles against Travis Kelce. With their top three receivers on the shelf, who has been the Buccaneers leading receiver over the last couple of games? That is correct, tight end Cade Otton. Mustapha drew a lot of coverage versus Kelce and will likely see plenty of Otton this week.

Godfather: Gotta admit—really like all three of those calls. Rozeboom is on far too many waiver wires.

The New York Giants were last good at pass protection in 1977—or at least that's how it feels. After allowing 85 sacks last year, the G-Men at least cut that number—but the 26 the team has surrendered is still sixth-most in the NFL.

Charles Harris is a former first-round pick turned journeyman who signed on with the Panthers at the beginning of the season. He's hardly an elite talent—but he logged a sack and six stops last week and gets the Giants Sunday in Munich.

Giants vs. Panthers. You're welcome, Germany.

IDP pundits have been waiting for Jack Campbell of the Detroit Lions to earn a three-down role in Motown from the time he was drafted. It may finally be happening—the second-year pro from Iowa has topped a 90 percent snap share in back-to-back games and faces a Texans team Sunday night allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to linebackers.

We'll go with a cornerback this week, just to offer up an option to IDP managers in leagues that require them. Deommodore Lenoir of the 49ers has quietly been a top-10 option at his position in points per game this season, but he's far enough down the list among defensive backs overall that he's available in many fantasy leagues. With a plus matchup on tap coming out of the bye, his quietly solid season will continue.

John Norton (The Guru) and Gary Davenport (The Godfather of IDP) have over 45 combined years of IDP experience. Follow John on Twitter (still not calling it X, so there) at @JohnPNorton and Gary at @IDPSharks.