Do you have a player on a bye this week? Is one of your defensive backs injured? Wondering who to start and sit in Week 5 of your IDP league? Look no further.
It’s been a wild IDP season so far. Rookies are second and third in the league in tackles. Four defensive tackles have three or more sacks. Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald have yet to record a sack. In fact, they have only one tackle combined.
Here are the players you should start or sit in your IDP fantasy football league in Week 5
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IDP Players to Start in Week 5
Abdul Carter, Giants DL
The Giants are dead last in the NFL in sacks, with just three on the season. They play the Commanders on Sunday, which is not necessarily a great matchup to kick-start their pass rush. Washington has allowed just five sacks this season, which is tied for the second-fewest. That all being said, Carter is more than just due. He’s on the precipice of breaking out in a major way.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft has just one sack so far this season, but the underlying metrics are excellent. According to ESPN Analytics, Carter’s 14 pass-rush wins last week against the Cardinals are the most by a player in a game this season. You would think that it would be more difficult for him to get after the passer with Brian Burns lost for the season, but that was not the case in Week 4. Carter generated nine pressures, and eight of them came in less than 2.5 seconds. His 90.3 pass-rush grade on Pro Football Focus was the best in the league.
Carter is a start for me in IDP in Week 5.
Zaire Franklin, Packers LB
The nine-year veteran out of Syracuse has made a career out of bringing down ball carriers. Franklin led the NFL in combined tackles (173) in 2024 as a member of the Colts. He has recorded 125 or more tackles in four straight seasons. This week, in particular, should bring an uptick in takedowns. The Packers host a Bears team that leads the NFL in rush attempts per game by a wide margin. In fact, they average eight more carries per game than the second-highest run-happy team in the league.
Not only is Franklin primed to make a ton of tackles on Sunday, but he’ll also be carrying a bigger load for Green Bay’s defense. The Packers’ star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper tore his Achilles in Week 4 and is out for the season.
Start Franklin in Week 5 and watch the tackles tick up.
Christian Izien, Lions DB
The fourth-year pro out of Rutgers is owned in only 1.7% of ESPN leagues, but he’s coming off back-to-back weeks with 11 tackles. The Lions’ secondary has been decimated with injuries, but Izien has stepped up to fill the void. In just three games played, he has already equaled his tackle total from a year ago (25) when he played in 14 games for the Bucs.
Izien has a great matchup this week against a Cardinals team that likes to throw the ball. Arizona is eighth in the league in attempts and fifth in completions. The Lions throw the ball a ton, too (third in completions), so this could be a shootout.
Brian Branch is reportedly close to returning for the Lions, but Detroit may ease him back into the lineup coming off a torn Achilles. Plus, they have a bye in Week 6, so it would be a surprise if he were a full go against Arizona this week.
Izien is a start for me and a good bet to outscore his projection.
Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings
IDP players to sit in Week 5
Elijah Ponder, Patriots DL
The second-year pass rusher leads New England with 2.5 sacks on the season, but I don’t like his matchup in Week 5. Ponder and the Pats will be up against the stout offensive line of the Las Vegas Raiders. Kirk Cousins has been sacked only five times this season. Only Brock Purdy of the 49ers has been dropped fewer times.
Ponder is not a force against the run, either. He may get a tackle here and there, but his real value is in sacking the quarterback. He’ll face an uphill test this week.
Sit Ponder in IDP this week if you can.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, Colts LB
Davis-Gaither is tied for sixth in the NFL in tackles (37) through four weeks. He is the heart and soul of a Colts defense that has been carved up all season. Indianapolis gives up 392 yards per game, which is 31st in the league.
Opposing offenses have gashed the Colts in the run game to the tune of 131 yards per game. That number should come down this week against the 22nd-ranked rushing attack of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is not your grandfather’s Steelers team. Hell, it’s not your father’s Steelers, either. Pittsburgh is just 29th in rush attempts per game so far under Mike McCarthy.
Fewer rush attempts means fewer tackling opportunities for Davis-Gaither. He’s a fade for me this week and a sit if you have a comparable linebacker.
Jeremy Reaves, Commanders S
Reaves was the 12th-ranked DB on ESPN last week, which tracks because he’s eighth among defensive backs in tackles with 29 on the season. In IDP, you follow the tackles. Tackles are the safest bet for points. And a DB who tackles well provides a solid floor for weekly production.
Reaves and the Commanders face a Giants team that has struggled offensively since Jaxson Dart went out. The New York offense has produced only 246 yards per game since Week 2. That is 15 yards worse per game than the worst offense in the league this year (Titans).
The opportunities for Reaves to make plays will be few and far between against an offense that is just 29th in completions.
Sit Reaves this week and then play him in Week 7 against the 49ers.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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