You can find the Microsoft Excel tool HERE

What this file is

The whole point of this file is to show you which defenses are set up to score IDP points in a given week and which ones aren't. Every number comes out of the official NFL gamebooks. I enter the stats each week, and the sheet automatically summarizes them into an easy-to-read format.

One thing to know going in: there are no players in this file. It won't tell you to start Fred Warner, but it will tell you whether the offense he's facing has been giving up tackle chances more often than any other team in the league. The rest is up to you. I'm trying to give you all the matchup information you need to inform your IDP lineup decisions each week.

SCHEDULE

On the Schedule tab, each row is a defense and the offense it's facing this week. The left side provides rankings, where 1 is considered the best matchup for overall, DL, LB, and DB, then tackle opportunities, sacks, PD, and INTs. The middle section is the same thing but in projected fantasy points. The two columns on the right are the expected run/pass split, which is usually what tells you whether the matchup is more favorable to linebackers or defensive backs, for example.

RANKINGS

On the Rankings tab, you will see one row per offense, sorted by the total IDP points they have allowed per game. They are broken up into tackle points, sack points, and takeaway points so you can see where the damage is coming from. An offense can be generous because it runs the ball constantly and keeps drives alive OR because its quarterback is constantly under attack and gives up sacks and turnovers in bunches. Those are two very different matchups, and now you can more easily tell them apart. Note that RK always ranks on TOTAL points no matter which column you've sorted by. The tier is just shorthand to evaluate the matchups quickly: ATTACK is roughly the top quarter, then LEAN, NEUTRAL, and AVOID.

There's a SEASON / LAST 4 toggle. The dropdown at the top of the Rankings section can flip the whole board between season-to-date and just the last four games. Recency starts to matter once injuries or scheme/coaching changes start to pile up later in the year. The window also skips byes, so it will report based on the last four games a team actually played rather than just the last four weeks on the calendar. That ensures a consistent sample size is used across all teams.

The rankings board and all three Ops tabs have filter arrows on the header row that can be used to easily sort however you prefer. Sort by sacks if you need a pass-rusher, by tackle opportunities if you want a high floor, etc.

There are working links to each stat/section on the Contents tab. Every abbreviation is defined there, and each provides a link that takes you straight to the section referenced. Helpful if you are looking for a specific stat and don't want to scroll through hundreds of rows across multiple sheets to find it.

How I'd use it each week

1. Open the Schedule tab and find the matchups for the week. The overall rank gives you the shape of the week in one number. Top eight is a green light. 24 and higher, and you may want to start looking elsewhere for better options.
2. Check the position column you actually care about. This is a step many managers skip but could provide you with an added edge. A defense may rank 15th overall but still rank 4th for defensive linemen. That's great for an edge rusher but maybe useless for a safety.
3. Look at the run/pass mix. Anything over 55% run will favor players who primarily line up inside the box (inside linebackers, strong safeties, defensive tackles). 48% or lower run should mean favoring DBs and pass rushers more.
4. Use the Rankings tab to help break a tie. If your IDPs look even, consider starting the one facing an offense in the ATTACK tier. Flip the toggle to LAST 4 to see whether that tier is recent or perhaps leftover from earlier in the season.
5. If you still want to dig deeper, you can scroll through the Ops tabs to see how teams are doing and where they rank in relation to the rest of the league on a large number of metrics.

WEEK 10: MATCHUP REVIEW

Four teams (CHI, DEN, PHI, TB) are on bye this week, so we have 14 matchups to consider.

Quick Summary

HOUSTON at Cleveland is the best spot at 98.0 projected points, driven by a 4.0 sack projection that is the single largest category outlier of the season thus far. Dallas against San Francisco is the worst at 80.6, last in sacks and last in defensive line points. The surprise is how little separates everything in between, with the best matchup only 1.2 times the worst, so outside the top four and the bottom four, there is very little to choose from.

Best matchups by position group

Callouts:

• WASHINGTON looks strong everywhere this week. Ranks second in tackle opportunities and fourth in sacks, which almost never happens in the same matchup. Every group is in play for that defense this week.
• HOUSTON's pass rush should feast this week. A 4.0 sack projection against a 2.35 league mean is a huge outlier. The Texans average 3.6 sacks per game and are coming off an 8-sack showing, while the Browns give up 4.2 sacks per game and have allowed 8 sacks twice this year. The projection may be too conservative.
• CAROLINA and NEW ORLEANS are rare examples where both defenses rank high. Carolina has the volume while New Orleans has the pressure, so the defenses are good for opposite reasons.

Matchups to be wary of