Welcome to the IDP Waiver Wire article. Each of the three main positions will be broken down by league size. For shallow leagues, visit the Higher-owned Options. For 6-9 IDPs, check out the Top Targets, and for deeper leagues, check out the Going Deeper section. In general, we’re focusing on players who are less than 50% rostered in Yahoo! leagues.
Defensive Linemen
Higher-owned Options
These IDPs have steady, productive roles with high floors. Others may have better weeks but at the end of the season, these are most likely to help you most.
Joey Bosa (LAC, 31%) — Bosa’s slow start is undoubtedly tied to a triceps and knee injury he’s been playing through, so his Week 6 bye came at just the right time. Between his slow start and his bye week, Bosa has been dropped in many leagues. He’s still the elite player he’s been since he got to the NFL, so now’s your chance to scoop him up. He should also be getting his bookend Melvin Ingram back soon, which will help him out tremendously.
Cameron Jordan (NO, 27%) — After preaching patience with one of the best DLs in the game, Jordan began to heat up just before his bye. In his last two games, Jordan posted 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 4 TFL. He’s had at least 4 tackles in each game, which is a rare commodity for a DL. He’s also past his bye and should face some easier O-lines after a brutal start to his schedule.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Leonard Williams (NYG, 5%) — Williams had another 5 tackles (2 solo) and a sack in Week 6, as he’s clearly regained his first-round form on his new team. With 24 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 TFL so far, Williams is a top-15 DL (and top-10 in tackle-heavy leagues.) On a defense that has to play a lot of snaps, Williams has 5 strong games and just 1 dud.
Brandon Graham (Phi, 4%) — Although Graham isn’t playing as many snaps as he used to, it hasn’t seemed to affect his production. There’s a cocktail of usage and rest that keeps a DL fresh but also active. The Eagles might have found that perfect mix with the veteran Graham. His 17 tackles (16 solo), 5 sacks, and 8 TFL make him the #7 DL overall.
Stephon Tuitt (Pit, 3%) — Tuitt continues to put up impressive DL2 numbers on this dominant defense, posting 5 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL, and a FF in Week 6. With so much attention paid to Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Bud Dupree, Tuitt gets a lot of clean looks and is making the most of them.
Going Deeper
In leagues with 11-14 total IDPs, these are high-upside options who could come out of nowhere to be at least a solid 2nd/3rd starter, and at best give you a 1A option.
P.J. Hall (Hou, 1%) — Hall had a monster 7-solo game in Week 6, making it his 2nd game with at least 6 tackles. He’s had no fewer than 3 tackles per game and has been a bright spot on this Houston D-line. One of the advantages of playing next to J.J. Watt is being invisible to O-lines. No DL has taken advantage of this before like Hall. Through 6 Weeks, Hall’s 28 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 TFL are outpacing bigger names like Chris Jones and Cameron Heyward. He’s a backend DL2, and a secret weapon in DT-required tackle-heavy leagues (where he’s the 5th-highest scoring DT).
Jeffery Simmons (Ten, 1%) — Simmons missed a week on the COVID list and a week due to the unexpected early bye. That must explain his 99% availability because his production should demand far more roster spots. Over the four games Simmons has played, his 18 tackles (10 solo), 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 1 PD, and 1 FR make him the #15 DL over that stretch.
Kenny Clark (GB, 2%) — The hope last week was to scoop up Clark before it was too late. Luckily, Clark’s roster % didn’t move too much, as he’s still at 98% availability. Clark posted 4 tackles (2 solo) in his first game back on just 41 snaps (65%). The Packers didn’t give him a full workload as these were his first snaps since going down early in Week 1, and yet he still produced. As mentioned last week, he’s an annual 55-60 tackle, 5-6 sack guy, and he’s already off to another consistent and strong start.
Linebackers
Higher-owned Options
These IDPs have steady, productive roles with high floors. Others may have better weeks but at the end of the season, these are most likely to help you most.
Bobby Wagner (Sea, 60%) – Wow. Wagner’s uncharacteristic slow start and early bye has created an unusually high availability for the future Hall of Famer. Before his bye, Wagner had shaken off his slow start by posting 26 tackles over his last two games. His tackle floor is also ridiculously high. Putting aside his Week 1 “dud” (where he still managed 7 tackles), Wagner has at least 9 tackles in each game. What can hurt Wagner is his home stat crew, as they tend to favor assists to solos. Wagner played 3 of his 5 games at home. Now, he’ll enjoy a stretch of 4 road games out of his next 6, including stops at tackle-friendly Arizona and Buffalo. This is your last chance to grab a perennial top-5 LB.
Devin White (TB, 45%) – I think we can safely put the “What’s wrong with Devin White?” questions behind us. As our guy Tom Simons pointed out, White was a victim of bad game script for two weeks in a row, leading to some poor production. Enter Week 6, where White racked up 10 tackles (9 solo) 1 sack, and 3 TFL. Even with his two slow weeks, White is a top-10 LB through the first 6 games. He has a nice mix of tackles (50 - 31 solo) and big plays (10 - including 6.5 TFL).
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
A.J. Johnson (Den, 8%) — If we remove Johnson’s uncharacteristic 3-tackle game, Johnson has 35 tackles in 4 games, including 9 in Week 6. He’s the #11 LB in those 4 games, and is an 8-10 tackle guy who plays every snap. Use his Week 3 dud as an advantage to pick him up before he solidifies his LB2 value on someone else’s roster.
Micah Kiser (LAR, 12%) — While Kiser’s floor can be uncomfortably low on this defense (he’s had weeks of 4 and 6 tackles), his ceiling is too good to pass up as an LB2/LB3. Kiser posted 13 tackles while getting back to a 100% snap share in Week 6. He also had 16 tackles in Week 2. A highly volatile producer for fantasy, Kiser is still worth rostering for those big games. Plus, it’s likely he’ll settle into a more consistent role going forward, which should help limit those 4-6 tackle games.
Foyesade Oluokun (Atl, 9%) — Hip Hip Foye! Oluokun is the reason the Falcons were fine to let De’Vondre Campbell walk. He’s got a nose for the football and is getting lots of chances to show it on a defense that has struggled to get off the field. Oluokun had 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL, 1 INT, and 1 PD in Week 6, continuing to show his solid tackle floor and big-play upside. His 40 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 PD, 1 INT, and 2 FF are enough to make him an LB2. Remove the game he missed and he’s a top-10 LB.
Going Deeper
In leagues with 11-14 total IDPs, these are high-upside options who could come out of nowhere to be at least a solid 2nd/3rd starter, and at best give you a 1A option.
Avery Williamson (NYJ, 4%) — How many times are we gonna hop on the A train, after his usage has been puzzling? Well, apparently at least twice, as Williamson went right back to being a full participant in Week 6, posting 11 solos and looking every bit like the player he was before his knee injury. If you remove the inexplicable 4th quarter in Week 4 where he was benched for Alec Ogletree (rest? Injury? Gregg Williams?), Williamson has been an LB1. He has 19 tackles (17 solo), 2 PD, and an INT over the last two weeks. The concern is that Blake Cashman is back from injury, and although he wasn’t a factor in Week 6, we’re not counting him out just yet. There aren’t many potential LB1s with 96% availability, so the risk is worth the reward.
Tae Crowder (NYG, 0%) — Crowder has jumped into the LB spot next to Blake Martinez and been a nice surprise. His 15 tackles over the last two weeks as a starter has him on the LB2+ door. That’s not likely where he’ll settle in - he’s more likely an LB3 - but his late inclusion in the starting roster has him available virtually everywhere. He’s dealing with a hamstring issue so far this week, so watch that carefully.
Alex Singleton (Phi, 0%) — The Eagles are desperate for help at LB. Nate Gerry has been serviceable, but next to him has been a bad mix of T.J. Edwards and Duke Riley, who have both suffered from injury and poor play. Enter Singleton, who has been handed an opportunity to carve out meaningful snaps. He posted 9 tackles (4 solo) and a TFL on 90% usage in Week 6, after posting 5 tackles on 37% filling in for the injured Riley. If he can keep this gig, Singleton could emerge as a usable LB3.
Robert Spillane (Pit, 0%) — Spillane took over for Devin Bush, who tore his ACL in Week 6. Spillane has been a special teamer/practice squad player for Tennessee and now Pittsburgh. He played a solid game in relief, but these were the first snaps he’s earned outside of the 8 he played in Week 1, and 1 snap all of 2019. It's hard to imagine this defense relying on Spillane, but unless they sign a free agent or make a move, Spillane is worth rostering in deep leagues in case he keeps the gig and gives us 4-6 tackles a week.
Defensive Backs
Higher-owned Options
These IDPs have steady, productive roles with high floors. Others may have better weeks but at the end of the season, these are most likely to help you most.
Justin Simmons (Den, 23%) — As expected, Simmons indeed rebounded in Week 6 after a poor Week 5 matchup, posting 8 solos and a fumble recovery. Simmons has played every snap this season and has 8 tackles in three of his last four games. His 35 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 PD, 1 INT, and 1 FR make him a top-5 DB in the five games he’s played this season.
Jessie Bates III (Cin, 27%) — Bates added another 5 solos, a PD, and an INT in Week 6, giving him at least 5 solos in four of his six games, and at least 7 total tackles in four of six games. He’s the #5 DB overall, with 44 tackles, 1 TFL, 8 PD, and an INT.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Jeremy Chinn (Car, 19%) — Chinn is a top-5 DB. He plays every snap and plays everywhere that matters for production (LB, S, SCB). His 49 tackles are second only to Jordan Poyer. He also has 3 PD and 1 INT. Go get him now before it’s too late.
Josh Jones (Jax, 12%) — Jones had another strong game, posting 9 tackles (8 solo). He bounced back from his early-game ejection the week before, and is back to being a DB1 on a defense that stays on the field a ton. Jones has 47 tackles, which is 3rd-most. But here’s the thing: that includes his 2-tackle ejection game. He could very well be leading all DBs in DB tackles. And may very well be doing so soon.
Keanu Neal (Atl, 21%) — Is Neal back? I think he’s almost back. As I mentioned on last week’s IDP Corner podcast, he’s been picking up steam but needs some big plays to get back to being a weekly DB1. Neal had 6 tackles (5 solo) and 2 TFL, finally hitting on a few big plays. Neal has at least 6 tackles in every game and at least 5 solos in every game but Week 1. Excluding the game he missed with an injury (Week 4), his 35 tackles are 7th-most for DBs during that span.
Going Deeper
In leagues with 11-14 total IDPs, these are high-upside options who could come out of nowhere to be at least a solid 2nd/3rd starter, and at best give you a 1A option.
Vonn Bell (Cin, 7%) — Bell is on his way back from a bad stretch of assisted tackles. He had a three-game stretch where his 22 tackles produced just 8 solos. But in the last two games, he has 15 tackles and 13 of them are solos. In all, Bell’s 45 tackles are tied with Budda Baker for 5th-most. As long as he can keep his solos up, he’ll move back into DB2+ territory.
Adrian Phillips (NE, 5%) — Phillips came out of the bye with an 80% snap share and 11 tackles (5 solo). He also shook off his 2-tackle (1 solo) Week 4 performance. Removing his Week 4 dud, Phillips is a top-5 DB. His usage and variance are concerning, but as a DB2 or DB3, his upside is juicy. He produces tackles and big plays as a utility defender for Bill Belichick.
Taron Johnson (Buf, 3%) — Johnson has been awfully busy at SCB for the Bills recently. Once Josh Norman returned to play on the outside, Johnson’s production has risen. Over the last four games, Johnson has at least 7 tackles in each game, including 10 in Week 3 and 8 solos in Week 6. His 32 tackles and 2 TFL since then make him a top-10 DB, and top-5 CB.
