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.

It's Thanksgiving Week. And as IDP managers try to navigate their way through a refrigerator full of leftovers they also have to navigate the final few weeks of the fantasy regular season. Some are looking for a first-round playoff bye. Others are scrambling to make the postseason at all.

No matter the situation, every IDP manager wants the same thing in Week 13—a victory.

The Guru and the Godfather are here to help them get one.

The Danger Zone

In Lucky Week 13, plenty of IDP managers are in the Danger Zone. The season has taken them right into the Danger Zone.

Sorry. Couldn't be helped.

With many teams in must-win mode, pick a matchup play at each main spot (DL, LB, DB) outside the top 30 in Footballguys IDP rankings at their position set to smash expectations and help IDP teams get that victory.

GURU: I'm feeling Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye this week. The Patriots are not exactly a stellar matchup for edge defenders, but they are not a bad one either. New England has given up at least one sack to an edge defender in every game since Week 5. Paye, on the other hand, has been hot recently. After missing a couple of games and working through an injury, he is 13-2-4 with a forced fumble over the last four weeks, including a season-high 6-1-2 in week eleven. I like his chances of adding to the sack total in this one.

Blake Cashman of the Vikings is in a tackle slump since returning from injury in Week 10, but he does have a couple of sacks over the last three games. I think he gets back on track this week against the Cardinals. Arizona doesn't give up many big plays to linebackers. On the other hand, the position averages 11 tackles and 9 assists per game against them. Factor in the Ivan Pace Jr. injury, lowering the level of competition for tackles, and Cashman has a golden opportunity to shine.

Christian Izien of the Buccaneers has burned some managers this year. When he has a big role, this guy puts numbers on the stat sheet. The key is making sure he will have a big role. When everyone is healthy, Izien is the Buccaneers' sixth defensive back. Tampa Bay will be without Jordan Whitehead this week, and it's looking like Tyree Smith may not go either. That means Izien will see plenty of action against a Falcons offense that is the fourth-best matchup for corners and ranks fourteenth against safeties. I expect Izien to work over the slot where he was a solid 5-5 last week.

GODFATHER: Dante Fowler Jr. of the Washington Commanders (DL42) hasn't done a lot in the tackle column this season—just 28 total tackles and 17 solos for the season. But Fowler's 8.5 sacks in 2024 are his most in a season since his 11.5 sack campaign with the Rams in 2019, and this week, Washington takes on a Tennessee Titans team that has surrendered 31 sacks this year.

Not that long ago, Denver Broncos linebacker Cody Barton (LB38) looked to be the odd man out at linebacker for the Broncos. Multiple injuries later, Barton is Denver's defensive signal-caller. The sixth-year veteran hasn't done a lot of late, amassing just 10 total tackles over the past two games. But this week the Broncos face a Cleveland Browns team that has given up the most fantasy points per game in the AFC to linebackers in 2024.

Carolina Panthers safety Jordan Fuller (NR) has spent more of the 2024 campaign off the field than on it, but he was back on the field for the Carolina Panthers last week, posting five solos in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This week, the Panthers face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points per game to safeties this season.

Defensive Line Discussion

At this point, I think just about everyone knows the drill from here—it's defensive lineman time. Name a tackle or edge-rusher headed for a massive week—and a big name set for an ill-timed letdown week.

GURU: Nik Bonitto has stolen the show with an impressive season in Denver. I like him this week as well, but it is Jonathon Cooper that I want to call out. Cooper is in a mini-slump, doing next to nothing over the last two games, but he has 46 combined stops and 7 sacks on the season. He is overdue for a big game, and a matchup with the Browns is a prime opportunity to have one. Since week five, Cleveland has allowed an average of 10.6 combined tackles, 2.1 sacks, and half a turnover to the edge position.

It's been a season of peaks and valleys for Myles Garrett. He has ten sacks on the year but eight of them have come in three games. In matchups with the Giants, Commanders, Ravens, and Saints, Garrett combined for one tackle and one assist. He has not recorded sacks in back-to-back games since weeks one and two. Coming off last week's three-sack explosion, he faces a tough matchup with a Denver offense that allows fewer than two sacks per game and has surrendered the third-fewest points to edge defenders on the season.    

GODFATHER: Here we go—the Guru took my guy (Cooper).

C.J. Stroud has been a significant disappointment for fantasy managers this season—in part because he has been sacked 40 times—the fourth-most allowed by a team this season. There hasn't been much to celebrate in Jacksonville this year, but edge-rusher Travon Walker has had his moments—his 7.5 sacks leads the team. The third-year pro will add to that total Sunday.

As I pretend the Guru did not besmirch the good name of Myles Garrett with his foul heresy, I'll point out that the Arizona Cardinals have given up just 20 sacks this season and has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to defensive linemen this season. That doesn't bode well for Andrew Van Ginkel of the Vikings, who leads all defensive linemen in fantasy points for the season.

Linebacker Breakdown

A big stat line from a mid-range linebacker can win you a week. A flop by a higher-end linebacker can cost you one. And at this point in the season, that win (or loss) can make (or break) the entire season. Give our readers what they need—a hero. They're holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night.

Throw in an IDP landmine at the position, too.

GURU: My candidate to be this week's unlikely linebacker hero is Arizona's Kyzir White. He's been a marginal starter at best on most weeks and currently ranks just inside the top 40. However, a matchup with the Vikings could land him in the top 12 at the position this week. With averages of 13 tackles, 8 assists, better than half a sack, and almost half of a turnover per game, Minnesota has been the best matchup for linebackers since week five.

Watch out for the trip wire that's attached to the Jets linebackers this week. It's bad enough that they play the Seahawks, who are dead last in points to opposing linebackers. Adding to the poor matchup is the return of C.J. Mosley, which muddies the waters in terms of roles. My guess is that Mosley will have a lesser role in his first game back, but that's a big risk to take for managers in must-win situations. If you have options, think twice about playing Quincy Williams or Jamien Sherwood.  

GODFATHER: All right, Norton. That will be enough swiping of my recommendations. 100 percent on board with the White call, though.

The Washington Commanders have been a bit up-and-down offensively over the past month or so, but the team still ranks seventh in fantasy points per game allowed to linebackers in 2024. Coming out of his off week, look for veteran Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints to back up his season-high 13 total tackles two weeks ago. Much like White, Davis is a marginal starter who will be much more in Week 13.

The Seattle Seahawks are the worst IDP matchup for linebackers this season, but for much of the year that "honor" belonged to the Atlanta Falcons. Daiyan Henley of the Los Angeles Chargers has been very productive of late, with at least 10 total tackles in five straight games. Making it six in a row isn't going to be easy against Atlanta.

Defensive Back Discussion

Defensive backs are what they are. Chaos. Madness. That Jeff Goldblum spiel from "Jurassic Park."

Give IDP managers one defensive back who will be a T-Rex in Week 13. And another who will be that guy who gets eaten sitting on the toilet.

GURU: I'll throw a turkey leg to our customers in leagues requiring corners. Jamel Dean of the Buccaneers returns from injury this week, just in time to face a Carolina team that is a statistical Christmas present for opposing corners. There is a pinch of concern that Dean may not be in his normal role in the first game back, but I'll be shocked if he comes off the field much. Meanwhile, the Panthers are a strong match-up for the position, largely due to splash plays. The corner position averages 13 combined tackles against them, along with nearly 1.5 turnovers and 2.6 passes defended. The Buccaneers are going to score a lot of points in this one, and Carolina will have to throw often to keep up. I like Dean's chances of turning that formula into a big game.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was touting Kyle Hamilton as a matchup-proof must-start. How quickly things change in the NFL. The match-up with Philadelphia is an ugly one, but there is more to this conversation. Looking at the numbers, we see that the Eagles have not thrown an interception to a safety since Week 3. In fact, the only splash play by a safety against this team since Week 5 is a lone fumble recovery. They have not provided much tackle opportunity either, with the position averaging just shy of 12 combined stops against them since week five. While the matchup is clearly a poor one, just as big a factor is the adjustments Baltimore made to improve their horribly leaky pass defense. Over the last two or three games, Hamilton has been lining up as the deep safety much of the time, taking him away from the party.   

GODFATHER: The Denver Broncos have been better offensively this season than many expected—the fighting Bo Nixes have surrendered the third-most fantasy points per game to safeties this season. Grant Delpit of the Cleveland Browns is coming off his second 10-tackle effort of the season in last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 26-year-old should post another good score in Week 13.

Like the aforementioned Kyle Hamilton, Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III has been rock-solid for fantasy managers this season—he's 10th in points among safeties for the season. However, like Hamilton, Bates also draws a rotten fantasy matchup for his position this week—no team in the league has given up fewer fantasy points per game to the position this season.

Sleeper Time

After a Thanksgiving feast that left the fridge full of leftovers and everyone trying to shake off a tryptophan trip, it's IDP managers who are the sleepers. It's up to you to shake them out of it with a sneaky play at each position who will make Week 13 a successful one.

GURU: How about a bone for the interior line position as well? The Steelers don't give up a ton of sacks to the tackle position, but they provide plenty of tackle opportunity. Since week five, opponents' interior linemen are averaging 14 combined stops and half a sack. That bodes well for B.J. Hill of the Bengals, who will land a sack once in a while but excels at getting off blocks to make tackles. I have him projected for six combined tackles and half a splash play in this one. 

The 2024 season has been a long, strange trip for Jerome Baker of the Titans, and it's not over yet. After bottoming out a couple of weeks ago when he was watching games while picking splinters out of his butt on the bench, the injury to Jack Gibbens not only put Baker back in the starting lineup last week but also landed him 100% participation. He was able to parlay that opportunity into just three solo stops. I have much higher expectations when Baker faced the Commanders this week. Washington is a top-ten matchup for linebackers, with the position averaging 17 tackles and just short of one big play per game.

I'll go back to the Vikings and Cardinals for this week's DB sleeper and call out Arizona's strong safety. Hopefully, that will be Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who has impressed during his short opportunity as a starter. That said, Jalen Thompson returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday and could be available. Both players are capable of leveraging this matchup into a good day on the stat sheet, especially if Minnesota gets tight end T.J. Hockenson going, as I expect they will.     

GODFATHER: One might think that, given a mobile quarterback and an excellent offensive line, the Philadelphia Eagles would be a poor fantasy matchup for edge rushers. But the team has quietly given the seventh-most fantasy points to defensive ends this season, making Baltimore's Odafe Oweh a viable plug-and-play in Sunday's big showdown.

The New Orleans Saints have had their ups and downs offensively this season, but for the season, they have been kind to opposing linebackers—sixth in fantasy points per game surrendered to the position. Christian Rozeboom of the Rams isn't a full-time linebacker, but his per-snap productivity has been mostly solid, and he gets a plus matchup this week in the Big Easy.

No team in the NFL has allowed more fantasy points per game to safeties this season than the San Francisco 49ers, and there's a chance that the Niners will get quarterback Brock Purdy back in Week 13. Buffalo's Taylor Rapp has been a so-so IDP option this year—35th in fantasy points among safeties. He should fare considerably better on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.

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.