IDP The Guru and The Godfather: Week 15

John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry.

It's Week 15, and IDP managers reading this week's column have likely advanced to their league's playoffs—much to the chagrin of Jim Mora.

Some clips never get old.

Of course, the postseason means there's little to no margin for error. The opponents are tougher outs. The lineup decisions become both harder and more important—every point can be the difference between making the semifinals and making Christmas cookies because the fantasy season is over.

The Guru and the Godfather are here to make sure IDP managers survive and advance—although they also wouldn't mind a few cookies.

Snickerdoodles would be best.

Great Expectations

In most IDP leagues, the regular season has come to an end. Which IDP most exceeded your expectations during that regular season? Who stands out as the biggest fantasy disappointment?

Guru: As a Bengals homer, I'll stop short of saying that I'm a fan of Myles Garrett of the Browns, but I've always had a lot of respect for his game. His numbers have always been good at the end of the year, and there have always been a handful of standout games along the way. There have also been gaps in the past. Sometimes, due to nagging injuries that he played through or really tough matchups, but it seemed there were always a handful of games in which fantasy managers were left hanging, particularly late in the season at crunch time. Not only has there been none of that, but the guy is on the verge of setting a new career best in tackles and is likely to have the NFL's all-time single-season sack record when this one is in the books. Maybe the most outstanding point from a fantasy perspective is his consistency. Garrett has had at least one sack in every game since week six. It just doesn't get any better than that.  

The biggest disappointment for me has been linebacker Logan Wilson, for whom this season has been one ugly ride. I'm still puzzling about how much of the situation is on him versus the symphony of stupidity and bad decisions that he's had no control over. From the firing of one of the leagues' best defensive coordinators before the season, to being passed over and sent packing in favor of a rookie who was probably not ready for a starting job in Cincinnati, to landing in Dallas where everyone rants about how good he is but a coaching staff that won't keep him on the field, it has just been disgusting.  

Godfather: There is a long list of defensive players who have gone from late-round picks or even waiver plays to high-end fantasy starters, and the biggest value at linebacker has probably been Devin White of the Las Vegas Raiders. But The Guru has dapped White up more than once this season, so I'll go with the LB5 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring—Cedric Gray of the Tennessee Titans.

It's not that IDP managers weren't hopeful that Gray could take a step forward in his second season. But he wasn't even anointed a starter until just before the season, and no one expected that Gray would be exponentially more productive than Titans green dot linebacker Cody Barton. But Gray is fifth in the league with 128 total tackles, and he has logged double-digit stops seven times in 13 games.

Last year, Minnesota Vikings edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard posted a dozen sacks for the second consecutive season and was fourth among all edge-rushers in fantasy points. Fast-forward to 2025, and Greenard has just two sacks, has missed a pair of games, and has been out-snapped by Dallas Turner 74-44 the past two weeks on the way to DE52 fantasy numbers. No bueno.

Trench Warfare

Time to help IDP managers get a win in Week 15. Which defensive lineman stands out to you as the biggest smash start this week? Which big name on the defensive line gives you the most pause?

Guru: I keep coming back to that golden matchup of edge defenders versus the tattered and battered offensive line of the Raiders, so give me Jaelan Phillips or Jalyx Hunt of the Eagles, whichever one might be on the roster. Las Vegas has allowed an average of 5.8 sacks per game over their last five outings, including nearly 3 per game to the edge position. Even if either of these guys fails to get home, Las Vegas is giving up nearly 11 tackles per, to the position, along with more than half a turnover. So, not only is the upside through the roof, but the floor is very high/safe as well.   

It crossed my mind to avoid the low-hanging fruit here, but in the end, I wanted to make sure that one of us gives the warning. Remember last week when I said to keep Josh Sweat of the Cardinals on your bench against the Rams? It was his first zero of the season. That is Detroit Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson's matchup this week. Over the last five weeks, the averages for the edge position versus Los Angeles are 2.4 tackles, 3 assists, and .2 sacks. That's for the entire position, not per player. He's a great player, but don't take that risk in a playoff game.

Godfather: The Raiders do indeed lead the NFL with 50 sacks allowed this season, but the New York Jets aren't that far behind at 47. New York is also starting undrafted rookie Brady Cook at quarterback this week when they travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.

With sacks in each of his last four games, Jaguars edge-rusher Josh Hines-Allen is a no-brainer start in Week 15. But this matchup also presents fourth-year pro Travon Walker with an opportunity to salvage something from what has been a wildly disappointing 2025 campaign.

Micah Parsons has been as advertised in his first season with the Green Bay Packers—his 12.5 sacks are tied for third-most in the NFL with Denver's Nik Bonitto, and he's ninth in fantasy points among edge-rushers. But Parsons had just a single assist in last week's win over the Chicago Bears, and this week he faces a Denver Broncos team that has given up an NFL-low 17 sacks and the fewest fantasy points in the AFC to edge-rushers.

Second-Level Stars