Week 15 IDP Free Agent Focus

By Matt Schauf 9:25pm EST 12/12/21

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Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, DEs, Cowboys

Dallas’ starting edge duo should have both been off waiver wires in appropriate places heading into Sunday’s matchup with Washington. (Both checked in among the top 22 in our Week 14 DL rankings.) Each delivered a sack among 2 QB hits in the win. Gregory added his 1st career INT on an impressive play. Now both get another solid matchup in the Giants. Then comes a rematch with Washington. Both players look startable over at least the next 2 weeks.

Dre’Mont Jones, DE Broncos

Jones might well have been picked up already in your league. He entered Sunday with sacks in 3 of his past 5 games. He has now delivered sacks in consecutive games for the 1st time all season. Jones also produced his 1st 2-sack game of the season and his 2nd straight outing with 2 QB hits. Week 15 brings a Cincinnati team that has allowed 11 sacks over just the past 2 games.

Sheldon Richarson, DT, Vikings

Richardson saw his 3rd straight game of starting DE duty in Thursday night’s victory over the Steelers. The game produced his 1st sack since Week 9, but Richardson has tallied 3+ total pressures in 4 consecutive contests. A Week 15 trip to Chicago carries more sack upside. Matchups with the Rams and Packers the next 2 weeks look less enticing.

Dawuane Smoot, DE, Jaguars

Smoot followed a solid Week 13 – 5 tackles, a half-sack and a pass deflection – with a full sack among 3 QB hits in Sunday’s loss to the Titans. Those 2 games followed a quiet 3-game stretch, which keeps Smoot from being a sure thing. But he looks like a solid DL2 option against Houston in Week 15 and at the Jets in Week 16.

Germaine Pratt, LB, Bengals

In the 1st game after LB Logan Wilson’s shoulder injury, Pratt tied for 2nd on the team with 9 tackles in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers. Just 4 of those were solos, but Pratt also added a pass breakup. He’ll face a better matchup for tackle opportunities at Denver in Week 15 and shold remain Cincinnati’s playing-time leader at LB.

Josh Woods, LB, Lions

Woods materialized in Week 13, collecting 8 tackles (6 solo) and a QB hit while playing 57% of the snaps in the absence of Jalen Reeves-Maybin. He got his 1st start of the season in Sunday's loss to the Broncos -- with Reeves-Maybin still out -- and claimed 94% snap share in a game that saw Alex Anzalone (ankle) leave early. Woods racked up a game-high 13 tackles, including 10 solos and 2 tackles for loss, and added another QB hit. Between the injury situations with Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin -- who didn't practice at all last week -- Woods appears likely to remain in the lineup for a Week 15 clash with Arizona.

Mike Hughes, CB, Chiefs

Hughes jumped into the lineup to fill in for L’Jarius Sneed in Sunday’s blowout win over the Raiders. Sneed was in Louisiana with family following the death of his older brother. Hughes capitalized on the opportunity by leading the team in total (9) and solo tackles (8). He also forced a pair of fumbles and returned 1 for a 23-yard TD in the 1st quarter. If Sneed remains away from the team in Week 15, then Hughes would be startable against the pass-leaning Chargers. The quick turnaround to play Thursday night might increase the chance that Sneed doesn’t play.