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.
DeForest Buckner (Ind, 20%) — Buckner was already under-rostered, but his Week 7 bye caused his availability to open up even more. None of this changes his DL1 status, as Buckner is still a top-10 DL even having played one fewer game than all of the other 10-top DLs. (That means he’s really a top-5 DL). Buckner has at least 5 tackles in four of his six games and has 2.5 sacks and 5 TFL on the season.
Brandon Graham (Phi, 18%) — Coming into the season, Graham’s narrative was that he was aging out and in a heavy rotation on this Philly D-line. While those truths remain self-evident, Graham’s production hasn’t wavered. In fact, it’s improved. Graham is back to being an elite edge rusher and is currently the #3 DL in fantasy. He’s a one-week rental for now, though, as his bye is Week 9. But oh, what a week it is. Graham faces Dallas, which continues to be a haven for DL production.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Emmanuel Ogbah (Mia, 4%) — Ogbah is coming off his bye as the #8 DL through his first six games. He’s been able to take advantage of fewer double-teams, as the Dolphins D-line is stout up the middle. Ogbah has parlayed that opportunity into 19 tackles, 5 sacks, and 6 TFL.
Quinnen Williams (NYJ, 4%) — Williams has been a steady presence on a defense that has to spend a lot of time on the field (thanks, Jets offense). There are rumors that he might be traded, and that might actually help his value if he lands on a team that will hold a lead from time to time. In that case, Williams could turn his high TFL and pressure numbers into more sacks. His 28 tackles are 6th-most for DLs, and his 7.5 TFL is tied for 5th-most with Joey Bosa and Yannick Ngakoue. If you’re thinking that would make Williams a top-10 DL, you’d be right.
Jeffery Simmons (Ten, 3%) — Simmons provides a solid tackle floor (at least 3 tackles in each game he’s played this season), but it’s his big-play upside we’re excited about. So far in five games (he missed one to COVID and one to his bye), Simmons has 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 2 PD, and a fumble recovery to go along with his 21 tackles. He’s a borderline DL1 in those five games. He’s got two big-play heavy games coming up, as he gets Cincinnati and Chicago. Both are top-10 options for DLs.
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.
Marcus Davenport (NO, 1%) — Davenport played 50% in Week 7, wrapping up 2 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 1 sack. He seems to be getting up to speed after missing the first month of the season. Davenport should see his snaps rise, and could be a deadly DL3/DL4 as we inch toward the playoffs.
Ifeadi Odenigbo (Min, 0%) — When the Vikings traded for Yannick Ngakoue, Odenigbo went to Twitter to voice his belief in himself. Now that Ngakoue is a Raven and Danielle Hunter will miss the season with a neck/back injury, Odenigbo has all the snaps he can handle to show his worth to Minnesota. He’s been playing well across from Ngakoue, posting 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3.5 TFL in his last four games. That’s DL2 production. The concern is that he may need a player like Nagkoue to pull attention away from him, but he’ll certainly keep a solid tackle floor as one of the highest usage players on the Minnesota D-line going forward.
Clelin Ferrell (LV, 1%) — Don’t look now (well, DO look now), but Ferrell has been productive as of late. He has at least 3 solos in three of four games. He’s received praise for Jon Gruden and DC Paul Guenther and if he can build on this, he could be the forgotten man that brings you DL2/DL3 value.
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.
Eric Kendricks (Min, 49%) – Kendricks was leading the NFL in tackles before his bye. Now that he’s played one fewer game than the leaders, his 66 tackles are still good enough for 4th-most. Please go pick up the guy with the best chance to finish with the most tackles in the league.
Devin White (TB, 55%) – I said it last week: I think we can safely put the “What’s wrong with Devin White?” questions behind us. After his Week 6 outing of 10 tackles, 1 sack, and 3 TFL, he added another 11 tackles, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble in Week 7. He should be owned in every league.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Leighton Vander Esch (Dal, 25%) — Welcome back, Mr. Vander Esch. After taking Week 6 to get acclimated to a full workload, LVE reminded us why he was a top-10 LB for us. In Week 7, he racked up 12 tackles (9 solo) on 97% usage. On a defense that will likely spend a ton of time on the field, this will likely be your last chance to scoop him up as an LB2/LB3 that can post weekly LB1 production.
A.J. Johnson (Den, 9%) — I mentioned Johnson last week as an 8-10 tackle guy, and he posted 9 tackles (7 solo) in Week 7. Outside of his Week 3 low output (3 tackles), Johnson has at least 6 tackles in every game and at least 8 tackles in four of five games. He’s also past his bye. He’s the every-down option in Denver and his ownership is far too low, thanks to Week 3.
Avery Williamson (NYJ, 7%) — Williamson has 24 tackles in his last two games and is looking every bit like the LB2+ he was before his ACL injury. Since fully taking over his old job in Week 5, Williamson is the #4 LB, with 32 tackles, 2 PD, and an INT. It doesn’t look like Blake Cashman is a threat to Williamson’s playing time.
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.
Damien Wilson (KC, 2%) — While we’re leery of this LB rotation, one constant seems to be Wilson. He’s been hovering around 70% usage and has been leading this group in tackles (43) since Week 2. He’s been a borderline LB2 in that stretch. As Willie Gay, Jr.’s snaps have been on the rise, it’s mostly been at the expense of either Ben Niemann or Anthony Hitchens, so Wilson looks to continue his steady production here. Wilson has at least 7 tackles in three straight games.
Jordyn Brooks (Sea, 0%) — As Seattle re-tools its defense to find the right combination of bend-don’t-break, we’ve seen Brooks get more involved as a 3rd LB. He posted 7 tackles (3 solo) in Week 7, playing 45%. He just recovered from a knee injury, so this was solid production and usage for his first week back. It’s still too early to tell if he can sustain a 4-6 tackle floor, but he’s worth a flier as your LB4, particularly since he’s past his bye and virtually free.
Kamal Martin (GB, 0%) — The Packers have been waiting for Martin to return to full health and they didn’t hesitate to get him on the field in Week 7. Martin had 6 solos on 43% and showed the juice this LB corps had been missing since Christian Kirksey went down. Kirksey should be back soon, but it’s hard to imagine that the Packers won’t find ways to keep him on the field next to Kirksey.
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.
Keanu Neal (Atl, 30%) — Not counting his bye week or the week he left the game early with an injury, Neal is the #4 DB. He’s been raising his tackle floor over the last few weeks, as well as adding big plays. Neal has 24 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 TFL over his last three games since the bye.
Jeremy Chinn (Car, 19%) — I mentioned last week that Chinn was a top-5 DB. At that point, he was overall #4 but now that he’s added another 8 tackles and a PD, he’s now overall #3. Only Budda Baker (59) and Jordan Poyer (58) have more tackles than Chinn (57).
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Rodney McLeod (Phi, 4%) — McLeod has been a DB1 all season. The Eagles are using him more as a rover than the deep centerfielder he was for years, and that’s paid big dividends for fantasy. McLeod has 45 tackles, 5 PD, 1 sack, 1 FR, and 1 INT.
Adrian Phillips (NE, 6%) — With Kyle Dugger inactive (ankle), Phillips played 83% and posted 7 tackles (6 solo) and 1 TFL. The Patriots LBs were eaten alive, so even with Dugger back soon, Phillips should remain a heavy part of the DB rotation here. Excluding his bye week, Phillips is the 11th-highest DB, with 43 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 PD, and 1 INT.
Logan Ryan (NYG, 19%) — Ryan continues to stay busy, playing a hybrid corner/safety role on a defense that has to play a ton of snaps. Ryan’s 44 tackles, 5 PD, 1 sack, and 1 FF make him a top 10 DB.
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.
Rayshawn Jenkins (LAC, 1%) — After a slow start taking over for Derwin James, Jenkins has been a tackle machine lately. He has at least 8 tackles in three of his last four games. Jenkins is the #9 DB over that stretch, with 29 tackles, 4 TFL, and 1 sack and playing every snap.
Daniel Sorensen (KC, 1%) — Sorensen was a sneaky play in previous seasons as a hybrid S/LB in KC. The addition of Juan Thornhill at FS has taken a little bite out of Sorensen’s value, but the Chiefs are keeping him on the field a ton. Sorensen seems to have found his footing lately, as his tackle floor is rock solid: at least 5 tackles in each of his last five games. His big-play upside? Well, we’ve seen it on display over the last two weeks, as he’s pulled down 2 INTs, including one he took back for a TD. He also has 2 TFL and 2 PD on the season and has been the #5 DB over the last five weeks. If you remove the pick-six, he’s still a DB2+.
Eric Rowe (Mia, 1%) — Before his Week 7 bye, Rowe was a top-25 DB over his last four games. He had a slow start to the season, but now has 24 tackles (19 solo) and 3 PD over the last month. Part of that recent production is due to his secondary getting healthier. Now that Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are healthy, the versatile Rowe can play more safety, and that’s where he’s most productive in our lineups.
