The plot thickens in IDP leagues, intrepid reader. The Final Girl just ran past the running car to hide in a spooky covered bridge as the lawnmower-wielding (What? It could happen.) serial-killer advances. Will she get away? Will her pager tip him off because the movie was made in 1993? Why am I beating a sad Halloween metaphor to death for no good reason?

All valid questions.

But scary movies and pumpkin-spice everything imaginable means that the fantasy football regular season is just about halfway over. And unfortunately, for quite a few IDP managers, that means the margin for error is Freddy Krueger razor-fingers thin. From 2-4 to 3-4 is climbing back into it like a zombie from a freshly dug grave (Too much yet?). From 2-4 to 2-5 is…any time characters have sex in a slasher flick.

OK, it's out of my system now.

If you're a 5-1 IDP manager with no holes in your starting lineup due to injuries or a two-team bye week (No Chicago Bears or Dallas Cowboys in Week 7) who is reading this just for kicks or bad seasonal gags? Fistbump.

But if you're up against it and need a spot starter, then let's take a chainsaw to Week 7.

It was almost out of my system.

EDGE Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati (at Cleveland)

After looking awful defensively early in the season, the Bengals played what was easily their best defensive effort of the season last week—largely because the defensive front is healthier than it has been all year. That includes edge-rusher Sam Hubbard, who told reporters that his progress from a severe hamstring strain in camp has been better than expected.

"It was pretty tough," Hubbard said. "Unfortunate to happen early in training camp. I didn't want to talk about it. We were down a lot of D-linemen at the time, and I was just playing through it. Grade 3 hamstrings can linger for a whole season, but with Nick Cosgray, our physical therapist who's a legend, he's getting me through. I am feeling better and stronger each week. I think my play reflects it, the film reflects it, so it's good to have that coming along."

Hubbard's numbers weren't especially impressive a week ago—four tackles against the New York Giants. But that followed a nine-tackle effort with a sack against the rival Ravens that included a safety. Now he gets a Cleveland Browns team pacing the league in sacks allowed by a wide margin. Hubbard gets home this week and permanently reclaims his status as a high-floor IDP DL2.

EDGE Byron Young, LA Rams (vs. Las Vegas)

After tallying more total tackles and sacks than 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. of Houston Texans last year, Young's 2024 start (like the Rams as a team) has been disappointing—17 total tackles and a pair of sacks. But Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula told reporters that in his mind, Young has earned his role as a full-time starter opposite breakout rookie Jared Verse.

"We really see him as an every-down player," Shula said. "Byron's done a great job as far as just walking into the nuances, getting off the ball, hitting blocks, being able to play good run defense, and then when it switches into pass-first mode, he's been able to make some big plays for us. He's got a great motor, he's so strong at the point of attack, he's just physically got a really impressive stature. You give him some things to improve on and he really puts it to light."

Young has been something of a sack-dependent IDP option in 2024, although to his credit, Young has at least one tackle for loss in four of five games this season. But this week he faces a positively reeling Raiders team on quarterback No. 2 of the season who may be auditioning wide receivers in the parking lot before the game.

On the road.

LB Neville Hewitt, Houston (at Green Bay)

In what's a blast from the IDP past for some, Hewitt was pressed back into action last week for the Texans by injuries to Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To'oto'o (concussion). Hewitt acquitted himself relatively well against the New England Patriots, logging nine total tackles after taking over as Houston's No. 1 linebacker.

If it's a role he carries into Week 7's trip to face the Green Bay Packers, it won't be Hewitt's first rodeo—he has over 40 professional starts on his NFL resume, including a 2020 campaign with the New York Jets in which Hewitt logged 134 total tackles. That year, he was 14th among linebackers in points in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring.

Is Hewitt still that player? No—that player was an average NFL linebacker, and Hewitt has hung around as long as he has mostly because he's a maniac on special teams. But Hewitt has shown that from time to time, he can step up and fill up a stat sheet—say in a top-five fantasy matchup this year for linebackers with the Packers.

LB Micah McFadden, NY Giants (vs. Philadelphia)

The futility of New York football teams at their stadium in New Jersey is as Halloween as it gets—the records of the Jets and Giants at Met Life Stadium is—bad. Luckily when the Eagles come calling this week it will be at 1:00 PM, and linebacker Micah McFadden told reporters that he's hoping to have a taste of an atmosphere that has been missing from the stadium in recent seasons.

"There's a different vibe. Within here especially, just knowing the opportunities guys had outside the building," he told The Post. "You'd see a bunch of former Giants come back, just excited about the team. And there was an excitement that ran through the building, and I think it ran through the fan base as well, at games especially late in the season (in 2022) when things were getting close and we thought we might have a chance to go. It's definitely an exciting place to win, tough place to lose, but obviously you want to be on the winning side of it."

There may not be a ton of celebrating going on Sunday against the rival Eagles, and McFadden's production in the past two contests has been rather blah. But McFadden was banged up in one of those games, he should be good for a 75 percent snap share Sunday and McFadden has been one of the NFL's best linebackers at generating negative run plays this year.

S Rodney McLeod Jr., Cleveland (vs. Cincinnati)

Fun fact—after wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded to Buffalo, McLeod's special-teams score gave him as many touchdowns as anyone on the team not named DeSuck Watson (Please, God, as a Browns fan for 40 years, let that nickname stick.). For his part, while Cleveland burns around him, McLeod has remained what he always has been—a pro's pro.

"At this point, whatever you hear, whatever whispers are going on, people are going to try to leech onto that and make a bigger deal of it all," McLeod told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. We're at a point where everything is going to be scrutinized and magnified."

With Grant Delpit in concussion protocol last week, McLeod also played full-time defensively, logging eight total tackles for the second straight week and chipping in a pass defensed. The Bengals offense is rounding into form. The Browns are sucking three more years from my life in four months. And an aging safety will have double-digit stops in Week 7.

Maybe I can get Jason Voorhees to watch the game with me.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao, Las Vegas (at LA Rams)

There are a lot of players starting for the 2024 Raiders who weren't expected to, Pola-Mao most assuredly included—a third-year undrafted free agent who had never started a game before this season. However, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters that Vegas never lacked confidence in Pola-Mao's ability to step in for Marcus Epps.

"We feel very confident, to be honest with Isaiah," he said. "Thought he was ready to take the next step this year anyway, but we really felt good with Marcus Epps and Tre'von [Moehrig] that 'ok, we've got two solid starters there now' and obviously with the injury to Marcus, next man up mentality, but obviously it's no flinch no blinking and really confident in what Isaiah can do."

Pola-Mao's six-tackle, one-sack effort against the Cleveland Browns a few weeks ago got some IDP motors revved up, but he's been all but invisible since. The youngster's going to get his Sunday against a Rams defense that has been kind to safeties from a fantasy perspective—third in fantasy points per game surrendered to the position.

Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.