It's that time of year again.
No, not Christmas—although that will be here soon. Spending it with my whole family in Arizona. Rather looking forward to it.
It's the Final Four.
No, not that Final Four—that's in March, I think. I don't know that much about shootyhoops.
The important Final Four—the one in fantasy football.
In the vast majority of leagues, it's Semifinals Week. Just four teams remain standing. Fantasy managers are one win from the championship game and two victories from cutting down the nets.
Not a huge basketball fan—but that is a cool tradition.
If you're reading this, then odds are you are one of those Fantastic Four teams left (not the stretchy guy, though—he's lame). That's the good news. The bad news is that from here out, it's battling the likes of Dr. Doom and Galactus. Powerful villains who want to crush your championship hopes and devour your dreams of glory.
There are no easy matchups. Only dogfights. Matchups where every point is absolutely critical. Games where every lineup choice can be the difference between dancing to Championship Week and the end of the season.
IDP Studs and Duds here at Footballguys is here to make sure that your IDP squad gets its chance at One Shining Moment and not incinerated by a laser blast.
Each week during the 2025 season, I'll point out some Individual Defensive Players who could be set to exceed expectations this week (Studs), as well as some that, for whatever reason, are riskier plays than normal (Duds).
This isn't necessarily to say that every "Stud" is a must-start (it depends on your other options) or that every "Dud" should be glued to your bench (just that the odds of a letdown week are greater than usual).
Numbers in parentheses denote ranking in fantasy points allowed to that position in 2025 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring.
IDP STUD OF THE WEEK
EDGE James Pearce Jr., Atlanta (at Arizona) (3)
Pearce was the second of two first-round picks the Falcons made on the edge this season—a pick that cost the team its first selection in next year's draft. As Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris told reporters, the team knew the Tennessee product was going to be worth it from the jump.
"It's hard to get two first-round picks, and then when you do, sometimes you've got to give them something that you necessarily don't want to," Morris said. "But if you see real good value in it and something that's going to change you moving forward, I think you take an opportunity, and we did it."
Pearce started slow, but he has played a major role in a revamped Atlanta pass rush that leads the NFC in sacks—he has gotten to the quarterback at least once in six straight games, including two sacks last week. Now he faces a Cardinals team that has given up 47 sacks—tied for the most in the NFC.
IDP DUD OF THE WEEK
EDGE Josh Hines-Allen, Jacksonville (at Denver) (31)
The Jaguars are on a roll, winners of six of seven games since their bye week. Veteran edge-rusher Josh Hines-Allen has played a big role in that winning streak—6.5 of his seven sacks for the season have come since November 1. He told reporters that he believes these Jaguars have what it takes for a deep playoff run.
"I think we're getting better each and every week. I think, you know, Coach Coen teaches connection, and I think every day we just connect more and more to everybody. You know, D-Line, O-Line, wide receivers, DBs, everybody is just connecting on a different level this year," Hines-Allen said. "So, if we continue to do that, continue to play for each other, continue to get to know each other on a deeper level then playing, it just means a little bit more for us I feel so, yeah, it does feel a little different."
The Jaguars will have an opportunity to show the world just how good they really are this week on the road against a Broncos team that possesses the NFL's best record. Unfortunately for Hines-Allen, the Broncos are also dead last in the league in sacks allowed—just 17 in 14 games.
WEEK 16 IDP STUDS
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