Photo: USA Today Sports

Every year, Week 1 of the fantasy football season teaches IDP managers a pair of valuable lessons—even if it's one we then ignore the following summer.

We don't know half of what we think we do—and the only thing IDP managers absolutely should expect, it's the unexpected.

This isn't to say that some things don't go according to script. Edge-rushers T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns both logged sacks. T.J. Edwards of the Chicago Bears and Terrel Bernard of the Buffalo Bills were top-10 linebackers. Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love finished atop his position in fantasy points.

But there were surprises as well. Jack Campbell breakout season? Not looking good—the Detroit Lions linebacker had a snap percentage under 60. Meanwhile, Zack Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, played every defensive snap and went ballistic. The highest-scoring defensive linemen were edge-rushers Gregory Rousseau of the Buffalo Bills and Andrew Van Ginkel of the Minnesota Vikings. And the defensive backs?

Don't even get me started on the defensive backs.

Now, some of those surprises (for better or worse) are just one-week deals. Flukes. Slumps. Things will normalize as we move through the season. But there are players who we underestimated. Those we overestimated. And as we move through September, we'll all find out just how much we don't know. Learn new things.

And those things can help us set better lineups for the week to come. So, let's get down to it—with the Week 2 edition of IDP Studs and Duds at Footballguys.

Each week during the 2024 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 2023 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring. 

IDP Stud of the Week: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland (at Jacksonville) (6)

No linebacker in Cleveland has been on the roster longer than Owusu-Koramoah, who inked a three-year, $39 million extension earlier in the offseason. In his fourth year, Owusu-Koromoah has become a leader for the Cleveland defense and an every-down player, and he told Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon-Journal that he's more than up to the challenge.

"We still got J-Hicks (free-agent signee Jordan Hicks), so, hey, I ain't too old yet," Owusu-Koramoah said. "But, I mean, it's good to, again, there's always an evolution with the systems that you build. So I think the evolution for me is starting to step into more of a veteran role, more tutoring and, 'Hey, look, I think that you could do this better,' guys looking up to you saying, 'Hey, look, what can I do with my technique here for me to be better at this?' Right? Every student has to become a master someday. Every master has to start off as a student. So, continuing to progress there."

Owusu-Koramoah didn't leave the field during Cleveland's Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, playing all 63 snaps and finishing with nine tackles. The breakout season we have been waiting for from Owusu-Koramoah may finally be here, and he has a favorable fantasy matchup for his position this week in Jacksonville.

IDP Dud of the Week: EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Buffalo (at Miami) (31)

Rousseau wasn't in many IDP starting lineups in Week 1, but if he was, he likely won those fortunate managers their weekly matchup—six total tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble. The performance played a big part in Buffalo's comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, but head coach Sean McDermott acknowledged to reporters that not every week is going to be a sack-fest for the fourth-year veteran.

“Look, the game's going to come to him at times like it did the other day, and then sometimes you're going to go up against some really good competition, and they're going to win some,” McDermott said. “I think he's mature like that, and he understands that, and he knows he's always trying to grow each and every week and improve.”

IDP managers would be well-served to heed what McDermott said. Rousseau was no doubt a popular waiver add in Week 2, but Thursday night he faces a Miami Dolphins team that allowed fewer than two sacks per game a season ago and gave up the fewest fantasy points in the AFC to edge-rushers.

Week 2 IDP Studs

DT Jonathan Allen, Washington (vs. NY Giants) (2): Allen had just two solos in Washington's Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but this week he gets a woeful Giants team that surrendered a whopping 85 sacks a year ago.

EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux. NY Giants (at Washington) (2): New York's starting edge-rushers might well be the strongest position group on the team, and the Commanders led the NFC in fantasy points allowed to edge-rushers last season.

DT Quinnen Williams, NY Jets (at Tennessee) (10): We'll stick with the big man theme for Week 2. Williams should be able to apply consistent pressure up the middle on Will Levis Sunday—the Titans gave up 64 sacks in 2023.

LB De'Vondre Campbell, San Francisco (at Minnesota) (2): Campbell's numbers in Week 1 weren't great, but he was on the field for all 51 defensive snaps and gets a much better IDP matchup for linebackers this week in Minnesota.

LB Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville (vs. Cleveland) (3): The snap counts for both Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun in Week 1 were potentially alarming. But that shouldn't matter this week against a Browns team that has long been kind to opposing linebackers.

LB Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh (at Denver) (1): Queen's Steelers debut was a clunker, but that had as much to do with the Falcons offense as Queen himself. Look for the 25-year-old to rebound this week at Mile High in an excellent IDP matchup.

S Antonio Johnson, Jacksonville (vs. Cleveland) (1): Johnson was a pleasant surprise in Week 1, racking up nine tackles and a tackle for loss against the Dolphins. No team surrendered more fantasy points to safeties last year than the Browns.

S Jordan Poyer, Miami (vs. Buffalo) (8): Come on, who doesn't love a good old-fashioned revenge game? Poyer's six tackles last week were a so-so Dolphins debut, but he has excellent odds of doing better against his old team on Thursday night.

S Jordan Whitehead, Tampa Bay (at Detroit) (3): With Antoine Winfield Jr. sidelined, Whitehead will have to step up his game for the Buccaneers—starting with a Detroit Lions team that gave up the third-most fantasy points to safeties in 2023.

Week 2 IDP Duds

EDGE Carl Granderson, New Orleans (at Dallas) (27): Granderson could not take advantage of a favorable IDP matchup last week against the Panthers, though he did at least log three solos. This week's tilt with the Cowboys isn't nearly as inviting.

EDGE Jaelan Phillips, Miami (vs. Buffalo) (30): Phillips played a surprisingly high snap count (64 percent) in his 2024 debut after tearing his Achilles a year ago. But no quarterback in the NFL was sacked less a year ago than Josh Allen.

EDGE Montez Sweat, Chicago (at Houston) (25): Sweat disappointed in Week 1 against the Titans, logging a pair of tackles in a plus matchup. Now he has to take on a stout Texans offensive line that gave up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to edge-rushers in 2023.

LB Ja'Whaun Bentley, New England (vs. Seattle) (32): Bentley had a solid season opener, amassing a dozen total stops against the Cincinnati Bengals. But no team was a worse fantasy matchup for linebackers last season than the Seahawks.

LB Nick Bolton, Kansas City (vs. Cincinnati) (30): Bolton's seven tackles and three solos in Week 1 weren't the best of fantasy starts. Don't be surprised when his Week 2 numbers against a struggling Bengals offense aren't any better.

LB E.J. Speed, Indianapolis (at Green Bay) (31): With 10 total tackles last week against the Texans, Speed got the 2024 season started on the right foot. But this week, he gets a bad fantasy matchup with a Packers team that lost its starting quarterback last week in Brazil.

S Tony Adams, NY Jets (at Tennessee) (32): Another of this week's top waiver adds after a big Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Adams draws a much tougher fantasy matchup in Week 2 against a struggling Tennessee Titans offense,

S Brian Branch, Detroit (vs. Tampa Bay) (30): Branch's seven total tackles in Week 1 wasn't a bad start to the 2024 season, but only two teams in the league gave up fewer fantasy points to safeties last season than Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers.

S Grant Delpit, Cleveland (at Jacksonville) (27): Delpit's season opener against the Cowboys wasn't great—four solos against the Dallas Cowboys. Sunday's matchup with the Jaguars doesn't bode especially well for a bounceback in Week 2.

Gary Davenport (“The Godfather of IDP”) is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.