This article is part of our IDP Analysis series.
The regular season is coming to a close, but that continues to offer plenty of opportunity in the IDP landscape. Contending teams are searching for solutions to make a final push into the postseason, while eliminated teams are willing to give players with a potential future on their roster some additional run. With that in mind, let's jump into our risers and fallers for the week.
Risers
Jones has gotten a shot to start in Miami's' defense in the last few weeks due to injuries to both DeShon Elliott (concussion) and Jevon Holland (knee). Both could return in Week 16 against the Cowboys, but Jones has taken advantage of his opportunity in the meantime. He's played 100 percent of defensive snaps in the last three weeks, combining to record 17 total tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions (both of which came in Week 15). Jones' role for the rest of the current campaign will likely depend on the health of both Holland and Elliott, but the latter is set to hit free agency this offseason. Jones has made the case to let Elliott walk and step into a starting role himself.
Malcolm Koonce, DE 
Koonce looked destined to be a bust after being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and went on to play only 110 defensive snaps combined between his first two seasons. That's changed this season, as he's recorded a respectable 360 defensive snaps considering his position along
The regular season is coming to a close, but that continues to offer plenty of opportunity in the IDP landscape. Contending teams are searching for solutions to make a final push into the postseason, while eliminated teams are willing to give players with a potential future on their roster some additional run. With that in mind, let's jump into our risers and fallers for the week.
Risers
Jones has gotten a shot to start in Miami's' defense in the last few weeks due to injuries to both DeShon Elliott (concussion) and Jevon Holland (knee). Both could return in Week 16 against the Cowboys, but Jones has taken advantage of his opportunity in the meantime. He's played 100 percent of defensive snaps in the last three weeks, combining to record 17 total tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions (both of which came in Week 15). Jones' role for the rest of the current campaign will likely depend on the health of both Holland and Elliott, but the latter is set to hit free agency this offseason. Jones has made the case to let Elliott walk and step into a starting role himself.
Malcolm Koonce, DE
Koonce looked destined to be a bust after being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and went on to play only 110 defensive snaps combined between his first two seasons. That's changed this season, as he's recorded a respectable 360 defensive snaps considering his position along the defensive line. Not much came of those snaps in the season's first half, as he tallied only nine hurries (per PFF) in his first seven games. In seven games since, that number has jumped to 16. All four of his sacks have come in the latter portion of that span. Koonce could be a late-blooming option and a breakout player in 2024.
Bryan Bresee, DT 
The Saints racked up seven total sacks in their dismantling of the Giants. Tanoh Kpassagnon deserves a nod here, as he tallied three sacks while filling in for a very limited Cameron Jordan (ankle). However, at this point in Kpassagnon's career, we have a strong idea of what type of production we can expect. That's not the case for Bresee, who played a career-high 61 percent of defensive snaps and tallied two sacks in Sunday's win. The 2023 first-round pick has had an inconsistent rookie season, but he earned his draft capital based on his extreme athletic gifts, and performances like he just put together are a good reminder of his potential.
Khaleke Hudson, LB 
The loss of Jamin Davis (shoulder) only added to the Commanders' defensive woes, but Hudson emerged as an obvious winner. With Davis fully healthy, Hudson never saw more than 25 defensive snaps. In Week 15, that number immediately jumped to 63 snaps and 86 percent of defensive snaps. That translated to 14 tackles, and there's no reason to believe Hudson won't stick in the same role until season's end. That may not result in the same production every week, but Hudson is a key pickup in leagues where tackles are rewarded.
The Lions are searching for answers in their secondary, which has resulted in the team shifting playing time around. For the time being, Melifonwu has come out on top, as Tracy Walker has been benched for the last two weeks while Melifonwu has tallied 100 and 98 percent of snaps in those two contests. He's managed 13 tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble combined in that span. The potential return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson (pectoral) from injured reserve could turn this quickly, but Melifonwu is worth adding for now.
Fallers
Devin White, LB 
White is in a bizarre situation, the exact nature of which is still unclear. He was inactive for a third consecutive game with a foot injury despite practicing in full twice during the week. Conflicting reports then emerged, first that his absence wasn't related to the injury and that the Bucs had demoted him from a starting spot – a move that he refused. The team tried to walk that back by saying the absence was related to injury, though that looks to be more of an effort to save face publicly more than anything else. Not only is this fiasco likely to dent his fantasy value for the rest of this year, but White is also set to hit free agency and could see his market shrinking with this sequence of events.
