Week 16 IDP Fantasy Football Top Performers and Injury Roundup: Cedric Gray, Christian Izien, Andrew Van Ginkel, Kenny Moore, Marte Mapu and More

We’ve already discussed some fantasy football takeaways from the Thursday game, two Saturday clashes and a big Sunday slate of NFL games.

Now it’s time for our weekly IDP roundup. We’ll hit on some of the top performances, while also getting into some notable injuries.

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Top Tacklers

There were several players who finished with 10 or more tackles in week 16, led by Tennessee's Cedric Gray. He had 15 total tackles. Gray only had three total tackles across four games played this season coming into the game. Jerome Baker and Luke Gifford were inactive, allowing Gray to step into a big role. 

As is the case for a bunch of teams in the final few weeks, the inactive list is a big help for IDP fantasy owners. Look for situations where a player or two at the same position are out, and if either, or both, of those players have had big fantasy seasons, there’s a chance the next guy up on the depth chart could post some big IDP numbers for you.

Tampa Bay’s Christian Izien went for 13 total tackles on Sunday. He has three double-digit tackle performances on the season, but only had eight in the previous three games combined. That inconsistency makes Izien a better deep-league IDP option.

Detroit’s Brian Branch, Minnesota’s Blake Cashman, Buffalo’s Terrel Bernard and Philadelphia’s Nakobe Dean all had 12 tackles.

Branch now has 26 tackles over the past two weeks. With so many other members of the Detroit defense out with injuries, Branch is likely to remain a high-end IDP option for at least week 17 (as he could sit in a meaningless week 18 game).

Cashman has at least seven tackles in four straight games, and remains a good weekly IDP option. He mostly just provides tackles for fantasy purposes, but he’s one to keep starting every week.

Bernard had double-digit tackles for a third straight week. He has at least eight tackles in eight straight. Bernard is another good weekly IDP option, even though it’s mostly tackles for his fantasy points.

Dean posted his fourth straight double-digit tackle game, and now has five in the past six. He’s another great weekly IDP option, as long as the Eagles don’t start resting guys down the stretch.

Philadelphia’s Zack Baun, Las Vegas’ Isaiah Pola-Mao, San Francisco’s Fred Warner and New York Giants’ Darius Muasau had 11 tackles each.

Baun also had a forced fumble on Sunday. He’s got eight double-digit tackle outings this season, with four in the past six. Baun is a great weekly IDP option, even with a couple low-tackle performances of late.

Pola-Mao has 76 total tackles on the season now, but this was his first double-digit outing. He has 20 tackles over the past two weeks, and also had two forced fumbles on Sunday. He’s an option for all IDP leagues, and should be starting in most deeper leagues now.

Warner got into double figures for a second straight week, and has 26 tackles over that span. He’s another good/great weekly option, but with the Niners now eliminated from postseason contention, you’ll have to keep an eye on the veterans like Warner to see if they keep suiting up down the stretch.

Muasau has just 39 tackles on the season, but has 25 over the past three weeks. Like Pola-Mao, Muasau is an option for all leagues, but should be starting in a lot of the deeper IDP leagues now.

Houston’s Eric Murray and Henry To'oto'o, Minnesota’s Byron Murphy Jr., Arizona’s Jalen Thompson, San Francisco’s Renardo Green, Indianapolis’ Jaylon Carlies, Dallas’ Nick Vigil and Baltimore’s Roquan Smith all finished with 10 tackles.

Murray posted his first double-digit tackle performance of the season. He has 62 tackles overall, meaning he’s probably just a deep-league IDP option in the final couple weeks.

To’oto’o got into double figures for a second straight week and the third time this season. He has 97 tackles overall, with at least eight in three straight, making him a good option for week 17.

Murphy posted a season-high in tackles on Sunday. He has 71 tackles overall, which is a good number for a cornerback. With six interceptions as well, Murphy is a good IDP option every week.

Thompson got into double figures in tackles for the second time this season. He has at least six tackles in three straight games. Thompson is a better deep-league option because of some inconsistent outings across this season.

Green had his season high in tackles on Sunday. He has 54 tackles on the season. He could be a sneaky good option down the stretch, as the Niners will likely turn to some younger players to see what they have for the future.

Carlies has 31 tackles on the season now, and his 10-tackle outing on Sunday came in his first game since late October. He’s another player who could be a sleeper option across the final couple weeks.

Vigil has just 20 tackles now for the season, so this performance really came out of nowhere. Eric Kendricks missed the game, opening the door for Vigil. If Kendricks remains out in week 17, Vigil will be a very good IDP option.

Smith posted his fourth double-digit tackle performance in the past five weeks. He’s a good weekly option, and needs to keep starting as long as he’s playing.

Other Notable Performances

Minnesota’s Andrew Van Ginkel had two sacks across his five total tackles. He has 11 sacks and 69 tackles on the season, and those along with some other splash plays make Van Ginkel a really good weekly IDP option.

Cincinnati’s Kris Jenkins Jr. had two sacks on Sunday. He has three sacks and 28 tackles on the season, but the big week 16 showing probably means he’s added and played in a lot of deeper IDP leagues going into week 17.

Dallas’ DaRon Bland forced and recovered a fumble and had eight total tackles on Sunday. He was playing in just his fifth game of the season, but has at least five tackles in four of those games. If he’s active for week 17, he’s a sneaky good IDP option.

Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton went for eight tackles and forced a fumble on Saturday. With 102 tackles and a couple other splash plays this season, Hamilton is a very good IDP option every week.

Indianapolis’ Kenny Moore II had two interceptions and three tackles on Sunday. He has 67 tackles and three interceptions now on the season. Moore is a decent IDP option from his cornerback spot.

New England’s Marte Mapu had seven total tackles, a forced fumble and an interception on Sunday. He has 37 tackles, three forced fumbles and the pick across eight games this season. Mapu is another sneaky sleeper option for week 17.

Injury Roundup

Indianapolis’ Jaylon Jones left with a throat injury. He has 59 total tackles on the season and has barely missed any snaps this season, so if he misses week 17, the Colts’ pass defense will take a hit.

Miami’s Kendall Fuller left with a knee injury, while Jordyn Brooks also sustained a knee injury. Fuller has been playing most of the defensive snaps when healthy, so his loss would hurt the Dolphins pass defense. Missing Brooks would be a blow to the entire defense, but most specifically the run defense. Missing either would also open up a ton of snaps for a backup cornerback and linebacker.

Giants’ Micah McFadden (neck) and Jason Pinnock (eye) left with injuries. McFadden and Pinnock had been playing most of the defensive snaps, so missing either would hurt an already weak defense and open a ton of snaps.

Jets’ Sauce Gardner and Tony Adams left with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively. Gardner is one of the top cornerbacks in the game, and in a lost season, it wouldn’t surprise me if he sat. Missing him and Adams (a safety) would make facing the Jets’ defense much easier for week 17.

Philadelphia’s Josh Sweat left with an ankle injury. He’d been playing a healthy amount of snaps, so his absence could weaken the Eagles’ pass rush and run defense, along with giving another player a big opportunity with all the extra snaps available.

San Francisco’s Leonard Floyd (shoulder) and Dre Greenlaw (calf) left with injuries. Missing Floyd would hurt the Niners’ pass rush, while not having Greenlaw would weaken the whole defense and open a big-time opportunity for another linebacker to step up.

Tennessee’s Kenneth Murray left with a wrist injury. His absence paved the way for Gray’s big game. Murray might be shut down for the season after dealing with injuries the past several weeks.

Washington’s Marshon Lattimore left with a hamstring injury. He’s a great cornerback when on the field, but has been dinged up on and off all season. His absence would weaken the Commanders’ pass defense, but they’ve held up without him several times this season.