Week 9 fantasy IDP options with favorable matchups

By Jim Coventry, RotoWire Football Writer
Special to Yahoo Sports

Here’s a look at IDPs who have favorable Week 9 matchups. IDP formats can be quite different, so we’ll list players of varying levels. Some will be players found on the waiver wire while in other leagues players will be automatic starters.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Jadeveon Clowney, (Texans vs. Colts) – Since J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus were lost to injury, Clowney failed to record a sack in the two games before getting back on track in Week 8. He’ll get to take aim at arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL in a home game against the Colts. He’ll likely benefit from a game script that should see the Texans playing with the lead and, as a result, he should find plenty of opportunities in which Indy will have to abandon the run, so it wouldn’t be a bit of a surprise if he collected multiple sacks this week.

Yannick Ngakoue, (Jaguars vs. Bengals) – With multiple sacks in three games this season, Ngakoue has become the definition of a boom-or-bust IDP option. Even though he faces the Bengals, who are middle of the pack in terms of sacks allowed, this has the feel of another blow-up spot for him. The Bengals’ offensive line, which has plenty of issues of its own, will have too many excellent pass rushers to deal with, and Ngakoue is unlikely to be double-teamed. On his home field, he’ll find himself in position to chase down Andy Dalton on multiple occasions.

Aaron Donald, (Rams at Giants) – As he returns from the bye week, Donald will look to extend a two-game sack streak after getting to the quarterback just once over his first four games of the season. Although the Giants prefer to have Eli Manning get the ball out of his hands quickly to avoid sacks, the fact that he has a terrible group of wide receivers could force him to hold the ball longer then he’d prefer. When that happens, Donald should have no problem collapsing the interior of New York’s offensive line, which should lead to a productive afternoon.

Jurrell Casey, (Titans vs. Ravens) – It appeared as if Casey was starting a hot streak when he collected sacks against the Texans and Dolphins in Weeks 4 and 5. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue his success despite excellent matchups against the Colts and Browns. Coming out of the bye week, he should be rested and ready to rock against a Baltimore offense that should find itself in plenty of obvious passing situations. With the Ravens having a below-average offensive line, he should break through the interior enough to get back on track with a strong showing.

LINEBACKER

Benardrick McKinney, (Texans vs. Colts) – In 2016, McKinney was a fantasy force to be reckoned with, as he consistently piled up huge tackle numbers. He faces an Indianapolis offense that will try to run the ball early, but once they likely fall behind, the Colts should be forced to throw plenty of short passes. That’s just the type of game script that could help him earn his first double-digit tackle total of the season.

Myles Jack, (Jaguars vs. Bengals) – Although he hasn’t come close to reaching the 14-tackle effort that he recorded in Week 1, Jack has posted at least eight tackles in three of six games since that time. He faces a Cincinnati offense that should try to start the game with a run-heavy approach, which should help him establish a solid base of tackles. However, even when the Bengals are forced to throw the ball, the Jaguars pass rush should force Andy Dalton to get rid of the ball quickly on short passes, and Jack should also continue to pile up the stops.

B.J. Goodson, (Giants vs. Rams) – To start the season, Goodson piled up 32 tackles in his first three games but has only recorded 10 in his two games since. He’ll have a great chance to get back on track in a home game against the Rams, who will use Todd Gurley as frequently as possible. Against this type of conservative gameplan, Goodson should be in position to return to double-digits in tackles for the first time since the season opener.

Sean Lee, (Cowboys vs. Chiefs) – Since Week 4, Lee has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Even though he returned in Week 7, he appeared to be at less than full strength. Another week removed from the injury along with nine tackles last week against Washington, he should be ready to be the playmaker fantasy owners have come to expect. In the first three weeks of the season, he notched at least eight tackles in each game, and this week he’ll face a Kansas City offense that will run the ball with high frequency. Look for Lee to have one of his best outings of the season in this home contest.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Chris Conte, (Buccaneers at Saints) – Over the first three weeks of the season, Conte averaged seven tackles, but in the three weeks to follow, his average fell to four. This week, he’ll be on the road to face a Saints offense that will throw more than their share of short passes. That should allow the Buccaneers safety to not only help in run support, but he also should tack on a number of stops against New Orleans receivers.

Kenny Vaccaro, (Saints vs. Buccaneers) – Fantasy owners can always count on a decent floor from Vaccaro, as he’s never had fewer than four tackles in a game this year. In addition, he’s established outstanding upside by intercepting three passes over his last five games, and he’s already established a career high for interceptions. This week, he’ll be at home to face Jameis Winston, who’s a bit of a gunslinger and throws more than his fair share of picks. If there is a good week to gamble on a big play being made by the Saints safety, this certainly would qualify.

Lamarcus Joyner, (Rams at Giants) – Joyner has played in just four games this season, as he missed three contests due to injury. When on the field, he was extremely productive in each of the full games he’s played. In one contest, he piled up nine stops while intercepting passes in the other two matchups. He has an excellent situation this week against a Giants offense that will struggle to contain the Los Angeles pass rush. That should lead to Eli Manning hurrying more passes than he’d like, and that could result in the Rams safety having another excellent performance.

Kam Chancellor, (Seahawks vs. Redskins) – Despite being an outstanding defender, Chancellor has just a single game with more than six tackles while not making a single big fantasy play this season. He’ll have a chance to change that trend on his home field against a Washington offense that’s extremely pass heavy. This appears to be just the type of matchup that the Seahawks safety can find himself in position to not only make a solid number of tackles, but he could break his drought by adding a takeaway as well.