Fantasy Football Week 10 IDP Streamers: Players from the Bills, Rams, and More

More than halfway through the season, we are still left with a shifting landscape. The trade deadline just took place, moving some major players to playoff contenders, and injuries keep accumulating.

In fantasy football, we're left to evaluate every week in a different context, and that's even more true in IDP leagues, where defensive player stats are less consistent than on offense. That makes finding the top performers more difficult, leaving matchups even more important.

Let's look at fantasy players on two teams at each level of the defense who have good matchups in Week 10. We'll focus on the guys who are widely available in fantasy leagues and can be picked up and inserted into your lineup. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's strength of schedule to find the teams and players with the best matchups over the rest of the season!

Defensive Linemen

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets

Justin Fields missed one game, he left another injured, and he was benched halfway through a third contest; he has still been sacked the fifth most (25 times), and the Jets even just had their bye.

Everyone near Fields in the sack rankings has thrown the ball well over 200 times, while Fields has just 167 attempts. The closest player with fewer pass attempts is tied for 13th in sacks (Lamar Jackson, 118 attempts, 17 sacks). Fields is going down about as often as any player in the league.

He has a habit of holding the ball too long, but New York also ranks 31st in pass blocking (according to ESPN). Cleveland ranks first in both pass rush win rate and run stop win rate, dominating on the defensive line. That is a major reason why the Browns have such good defensive numbers.

Myles Garrett is surely owned in your fantasy league, but the other guys rushing most from the edge are Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, with Cameron Thomas getting a few backup snaps. Wright is the best option of the group, as he has three sacks, McGuire has one, and Thomas has 0.5. This whole group is uninspiring behind Garrett.

On the interior, Mason Graham and Maliek Collins are playing the most, and Shelby Harris is playing in a reserve role. Collins has 3.5 sacks and Graham 0.5, though Graham has also knocked down two passes. Harris isn't on the fantasy radar.

Assuming you can't grab Garrett, Wright is your best bet on the edge, but I don't love his outlook. I'm more intrigued by Collins and Graham on the inside (in that order). If you're desperate, you could look at McGuire on the outside, but you can probably find a better player elsewhere.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots

Drake Maye has been sacked 34 times, the second most in the league. Other than Cameron Ward ahead of him (38 sacks), the next closest player is Justin Herbert, who has gone down 28 times. Ward and Herbert have thrown 40 and 70 more pass attempts, respectively, than Maye.

New England's offensive line has started looking a little better, now ranking 22nd in pass block win rate, but inexperience and ineffective play up front have been major issues. There's also plenty that rests on Maye's shoulders, as he is a fantastic playmaker, but that leads to him holding the ball too long trying to make plays, both inside and outside the pocket.

Tampa Bay is the group that gets to take advantage this week. The Bucs rank fourth in pass rush win rate, so New England's O-line is likely to be put to the test early and often.

The players on the edge who play the most are Yaya Diaby and Haason Reddick, with rotational roles filled by Elijah Roberts and Anthony Nelson. Diaby leads the team with four sacks, and Nelson has three and an interception returned for a touchdown. Reddick has only gotten home for 1.5 sacks, he missed Week 8 before the team's Week 9 bye, and he is questionable for this one.

On the inside, Vita Vea plays the most snaps, followed by Logan Hall then Greg Gaines. Vea has 2.5 sacks, while Gaines has one and Hall 0.5. The latter two are only rotational players; Vea is the guy you want (and even he doesn't get to the quarterback often).

Diaby and Vea are the top guys to grab from the Bucs if you can get them. If healthy, Reddick is a decent pickup even given his lesser stats, and if Reddick misses the game, then Nelson has been a more productive player and has some low-level intrigue.

Linebackers

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco has run the third-most offensive plays per game this season. With IDP linebackers, I'm often looking for the guys who will be on the field most and get chances to rack up tackles (along with other stats), and that comes against teams that run a lot of plays on a regular basis. The 49ers have fit that description for multiple years.

Nate Landman plays most of the defensive snaps for the Rams, and Omar Speights is involved at a lesser degree. LA operates with three safeties on the field more than two or three linebackers, leaving less opportunity at this position.

Landman is the guy you want (72 tackles), but he is owned in more fantasy leagues and not as readily available as most guys we talk about here. If you're not able to get Landman, Speights is a low-level Plan B who will at least get chances at stats this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are second in offensive plays per game, just one-tenth of a play ahead of the 49ers and about one play behind the Jaguars for the top spot. Despite injuries piling up on the offensive line, Los Angeles keeps finding success, and they offer what we are looking for in Week 10.

For the Steelers, Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are the guys getting on the field most. Despite Queen being the bigger name, Wilson has been more productive, leading the team with 71 tackles and even picking off a pass. Queen is second in tackles (56) and has deflected four passes and forced a fumble.

Both guys are lightly owned in fantasy leagues, so only one might be available for you. If you have the choice, I would prefer Wilson, but Queen is a fine backup plan if you can't get him.

Defensive Backs

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa continues his run tied for the most interceptions in the league, now sitting at 11. He has a dearth of pass catchers thanks to roster construction and injuries, and Tua's offensive line ranks below average in both pass blocking and run blocking; there's not a lot going right in Miami.

Buffalo has four interceptions, more than just six other teams. They are below average by pass rush win rate, but they are tied for eighth in sacks; the Bills probably sit somewhere closer to the middle defensively. They have picked off a pass in each of their past two games.

Christian Benford has played the most snaps at cornerback, with the guys behind him a little inconsistent in their time on the field recently. Tre'Davious White was playing a lot but has seen less time the last two games, and Taron Johnson has otherwise played most often, but he missed Week 9 and is again questionable.

Cam Lewis filled in for Johnson in the slot last week, but rookie Maxwell Hairston might be the most intriguing name other than Benford. Hairston, a first-round pick, missed the first six games, and he played about half the snaps in his two games so far, picking off a pass last week. He's more of a name to watch than a guy to grab.

At safety, Cole Bishop is the top guy who has played most of the snaps. He was joined by Taylor Rapp, but Rapp is now on IR, so veteran Jordan Poyer has been on the field more the past two weeks.

Benford and Bishop are the guys you really want here, and both are widely available in fantasy leagues. If you need to go with one of the other options, I prefer Johnson if healthy and Lewis if Johnson is out. Poyer probably isn't a fantasy-level player, though he's an OK low-level streamer if you're desperate.

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

This is about the Saints. Rookie Tyler Shough made his first start last week, and while he wasn't as bad as he could have been, it is going to be tough for Shough to find any sustained success given his own limitations, a lack of playmakers, and a poor offensive line.

New Orleans ranks 32nd in pass block win rate and 31st by run block win rate. Those aren't the only offensive line metrics that matter, but by those numbers, there's not a worse offensive line in football. The eye test mostly matches what the stats say.

Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have played pretty much every snap at cornerback, and Chau Smith-Wade has been the third man. Horn has three interceptions, and he's the guy you want, with Jackson a good second option (he has one pick).

At safety, Nick Scott and Tre'von Moehrig are the two guys who handle most of the snaps. Moehrig is the more productive player, but he is also more owned in fantasy leagues, so you might not be able to grab him. If not, Scott is a fine Plan B.

Grab Horn and Moehrig if you can, as both are strong streamers this week. Jackson and Scott are both decent players to grab if the others aren't available, though I'm skipping Smith-Wade in all scenarios.