Week 18 IDP Fantasy Football Top Performers: Oren Burks, Jeremy Chinn, Payton Wilson, Nik Bonitto, Ivan Pace and More

The final week of the NFL regular season is an absolute nightmare for those of you still playing in standard (offense-only) fantasy leagues. It also was tough for those in IDP leagues, with a number of stars out and teams resting regulars.

Let’s go over some of the top performances from the week.

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Top Tacklers

Philadelphia’s Oren Burks led the league with 17 total tackles. He had eight tackles in week 17, but has just 41 total tackles on the season. Burks is unlikely to be a postseason fantasy or DFS option, but might have earned himself a bigger role with a team going into 2025 after finishing this season strong.

Las Vegas’ Robert Spillane had 16 total tackles on Sunday. He was a great IDP option all season, and had at least seven tackles in all but two games this season. 

Chicago’s Kevin Byard III had 14 total tackles, including a sack and forced fumble, in week 18. He had a strong season, with 130 total tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, the forced fumble and an interception.

Washington’s Jeremy Chinn and New England’s Christian Elliss each had 13 total tackles. 

Chinn also posted a sack. He had a good regular season, with 117 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pick. He’ll remain a good option in the postseason for as long as Washington is alive.

Elliss had his best tackle showing of the season in the finale. He finished the season with 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a fumble forced and recovered and a pick. 

Cincinnati’s Akeem Davis-Gaither and Kansas City’s Cam Jones had 12 tackles each.

Davis-Gaither had at least six tackles in the team’s final six games after not having over four tackles before that. His strong finish to the season should give him some free agent appeal in the offseason.

Jones got extra playing time with the Chiefs sitting a number of regulars, and Jones took advantage. He has 19 total tackles on the season, so don’t expect too much from him during the team’s postseason run.

Tampa Bay’s Josh Hayes, Pittsburgh’s Cory Trice Jr., New York Giants’ Dyontae Johnson and Philadelphia’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. all finished with 11 tackles.

Hayes had his best showing of the season, but it took a pair of secondary players sitting out to get that bigger showing. If Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield miss the team’s first postseason game, Hayes could be a sneaky good option.

Trice played in just his sixth game of the season and had a tackle more than he had combined all season. He’s played at least 76% of the team’s defensive snaps over the past three weeks, and after a big tackle showing in week 18, he’s another sneaky good option for the postseason.

Johnson played in just his second game of the season, and his career, and had a career high. At the very least, he made a statement for needing more playing time in the seasons to come.

Trotter had just 14 tackles coming into week 18, so his 11-tackle showing was a breakout game. Again though, it came with the Eagles’ regular starters out, so don’t expect this kind of production in the postseason.

Pittsburgh’s Payton Wilson, Washington’s Mike Sainristil, Jacksonville’s Andrew Wingard, Arizona’s Kyzir White and Jalen Thompson, Carolina’s Demani Richardson, Minnesota’s Ivan Pace Jr., Las Vegas’ Decamerion Richardson, Seattle’s Tyrice Knight, Atlanta’s Kaden Elliss, Baltimore’s Roquan Smith and Buffalo’s Joe Andreessen all tallied 10 tackles.

Wilson also forced a fumble in week 18. He showed flashes of greatness, but wasn’t very consistent as a tackler. We’ll see if he gets more consistent in 2025, but for this postseason, he’s a solid, but risky, IDP option.

Sainristil had three passes defensed along with his 10 tackles. It was the most tackles he’s had in a game this season, but with 93 tackles overall, he’s a pretty good IDP option at cornerback. That should remain the case in the postseason too.

Wingaard had a pass defensed to complement his 10 tackles. He finishes the season with 15 tackles, but could be a decent IDP option if given a larger role next season.

White ended his season with at least eight tackles in five straight games. He had 137 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a couple other splash plays, making him a top-30 fantasy IDP this season.

Thompson had six or more tackles in the final five games. He had 98 total tackles on the season, but with no other splash plays, was a pretty average IDP option.

Demani Richardson had some big games this season when given a big role. If his role expands in 2025, keep him on your IDP radar.

Pace posted his third double-digit tackle outing on the season, and also picked off a pass. He’s not the most consistent IDP option out there, but he’s got some upside and could make some noise this postseason.

Decamerion Richardson played just about every snap across the team’s final 10 games. After being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Richardson could be in store for a long and fruitful career, especially as an IDP option.

Knight had a half-sack among his 10 tackles on Sunday. He had a pretty solid season and could be a building block for the Seahawks’ defense going forward.

Elliss finished the season with his 10th double-digit tackle performance. He also had five sacks and a few other splash plays, making him a top-five fantasy IDP finisher.

Smith ended his regular season with his ninth double-digit tackle game. He was a top-20 fantasy IDP finisher and will be one of the better options for the postseason.

Andreessen posted his first double-digit tackle performance in week 18. He also had eight tackles in week 17. With just 26 tackles for the season though, Andreessen isn’t likely to be a big fantasy option for the playoffs.

Other Top Performances

Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks among his five total tackles. He finished the season with 17.5 sacks among his 46 tackles, which makes him one of the top pass rushers in the game. It’s a shame we won’t get to watch him in the postseason - and that the Bengals’ defense was still as bad as it was with Hendrickson playing as well as he did.

Dallas’ Micah Parsons had 2.5 sacks among his four tackles this week. He had 12 sacks among his 43 total tackles in just 13 games played. Expect him to continue being one of the league’s better pass rushers.

Seattle’s Leonard Williams and Denver’s Nik Bonitto had two sacks each.

Williams finished with five tackles and capped his season off in a strong manner. He’s a pretty good IDP on the defensive line going into 2025 despite being 30 years old now.

Bonitto had three total tackles this week. He had 48 tackles and 13.5 sacks during the regular season, and will be a decent option for the postseason.

New York Jets’ Ashtyn Davis picked off two passes and had nine total tackles on Sunday. Davis hasn’t done a ton this season, but capped his season with a big showing. He’s a free agent this offseason, and should at least be a depth option for a team in 2025.

Jets’ Quincy Williams had nine tackles and a forced fumble and fumble recovery on Sunday. He had a good fantasy season and should remain a good option going into 2025.