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.
J.J. Watt (Hou, 24%) — Shallow IDP leagues present tough decisions regarding dropping IDPs during their bye week. That creates opportunities to upgrade, such as this gem of a DL. Watt’s 2-week lull came at the end of the Bill O’Brien era, and since then Watt has 11 tackles, 1 sack, 4 TFL, 2 PD, and 1 FF. He was a top-5 DL before his Week 8 bye. This week, he gets to introduce rookie backup QB Jake Luton to the NFL.
Emmanuel Ogbah (Mia, 13%) — Ogbah added another sack, FF, and PD in a tough Week 8 matchup. He’s been the #2 DL over his last four games, with 15 tackles (8 solo), 5 sacks, 6 TFL, 2 FF, and 2 PD. He also has a sweet spot in his schedule that could help you make the playoffs. Weeks 11-13 feature great matchups with Denver, NYJ, and Cincinnati.
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, 6%) — In Week 8, Williams was able to produce in one of his toughest matchups of the year: 4 tackles and a sack. He’s been on a tear this season, and has one of the best upcoming schedules of any DL: Was, Phi, BYE, Cin, Sea. All four of those teams are in the top-10 for FPA to DLs.
Stephon Tuitt (Pit, 6%) — Tuitt has been an underrated fantasy player that we’ve profiled here before. His production has been increasing, and if Cameron Heyward misses any time with the quad injury he suffered on Sunday, it will bump up Tuitt’s value even more. He has at least 4 tackles in four of his last five games, including a monster 9 tackles (8 solo) and 2 sacks in Week 9. Tuitt’s 19 tackles, 4 sacks, and 6 TFL over the last 4 weeks makes him a top-3 DL.
Jeffery Simmons (Ten, 4%) — Simmons has been a solid tackle-heavy DL2 for much of the season. His 4 tackles (3 solo) in Week 8 give him at least 4 tackles in four of his six games, and he’s never had fewer than 3 tackles. In his six games (he’s had his bye and missed a game due to being placed on the COVID list), he’s DL #15. He also gets Chicago this week and Baltimore in Week 11, both top-10 options for DL FPG.
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 looks fully healthy now, and his production reflects that. He had 4 tackles (2 solo) and 0.5 sacks in Week 9 on 67%, after posting 2 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 1 sack in Week 8 on 50%. Davenport will provide a huge lift to your backend DL slot, and he’s already past his bye.
Romeo Okwara (Det, 3%) — Okwara has been coming on strong for Detroit, with another 6 tackles (5 solo) in Week 8. He has 14 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 TFL, and 1 FF/FR combo in his last four games. That’s top-3 DL production. The addition of Everson Griffen helps his cause, as Griffen will be subbing for the injured Trey Flowers and will take attention away from him.
Kenny Clark (GB, 4%) — Clark showed us why he’s been a DT2/DL3 throughout his career, with 4 solos in Week 8. He’s excellent against the run (too bad no one else on his team was last week) and can get after the QB at times. He’s a strong DT-required option, particularly in tackle-heavy formats.
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.
Zach Cunningham (Hou, 53%) – Similar to J.J. Watt, this monster got dropped in shallow leagues. He’s a top-5 LB. In fact, he’s currently in the top 10 even with playing one fewer game than most of his peers. He has double-digit tackles in five of his seven games, and his lowest output this season has been 7 tackles. He also has 2 sacks and 3 TFL. Look up “LB1” in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of Cunningham.
De’Vondre Campbell (Ari, 16%) — Campbell is now past his bye and can be rostered as a high-end LB2. He’s been a nice surprise for Arizona (and for our squads), posting between 7 and 9 tackles in every game but one (he had 6 tackles in that game). His 57 tackles (40 solo) and 2 sacks have him as the #12 LB over his seven games.
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, 13%) — Johnson added another 10 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PD in Week 8, maintaining his LB1-/LB2+ status. That gives him 27 tackles in the three games since his bye and at least 8 tackles in five of his seven games.
Neville Hewitt (NYJ, 12%) — The trade of Avery Williamson to Pittsburgh gives Hewitt’s tackle floor a boost, but it really didn’t need much boosting. His 8 tackles in Week 8 give him at least 7 tackles in five straight games (including two double-digit tackle efforts), and he’s never had fewer than 6 tackles all season. His bye is Week 10, so managers beware, but it’s hard to find a steadier LB2 than Hewitt.
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.
T.J. Edwards (Phi, 1%) — The Eagles may have found their guy. Edwards was climbing the depth and snap ladder through the first four weeks before his injury. He got healthy just in time for Nathan Gerry to hit IR, and just in time to ball out in his first game action. Edwards posted 13 tackles (6 solo), a sack, and a FF on 78%. Edwards will get his shot to run this defense after Gerry proved to be nothing more than adequate. Edwards is worth the stash in case he keeps the gig and produces 8-10 tackles a game going forward, just know that this job is far from locked in.
Dre Greenlaw (SF, 2%) — Since taking over for the injured Kwon Alexander, Greenlaw has notched between 6 and 8 tackles in each game. The 49ers obviously liked what they saw, as they traded Alexander to the Steelers, so we can expect more 6-8 tackle games coming. Greenlaw’s bye is Week 11.
Blake Cashman (NYJ, 0%) — Cashman spent the summer working as the starting ILB for the Jets, but then succumbed to a groin injury and has been working his way back to a full-time role over the last few weeks. Apparently, the Jets feel he’s ready to reclaim his starting gig, as the team traded Avery Williamson to Pittsburgh. Cashman’s expected range is anywhere from 4-6 tackles to 9-12 tackles, depending on whether he plays every down and whether he can be as effective as Williamson.
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.
Jamal Adams (Sea, 39%) — Adams could very well be on a snap count in his first game back, but Pete Carroll made it clear that Adams will be blitzing heavily going forward, so this will be your last chance to snag a dominant player with massive big-play upside like Adams. In his first two games before his injury, Adams had 21 tackles and 2 sacks. That kind of production - even on a part-time basis in Week 9 - doesn’t exist on waiver wires.
Jeremy Chinn (Car, 34%) — Why is Chinn’s availability not 0%? Chinn has at least 8 tackles in six of his eight games, including two double-digit tackle games. He’s posted no fewer than 5 tackles in a game. Yes, you’re in the right section: this is a DB putting up LB numbers (because, well, he’s basically playing LB). Only Jordan Poyer (69) has more tackles than Chinn (67). He’s the #3 DB for fantasy, but is rostered like he’s a DB2.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Josh Jones (Jax, 8%) — Jones is coming off his bye, and with a backup QB (Jake Luton), this Jags D could see even more time on the field. Removing his ejection game, Jones has 8, 11, 10, and 8 tackles in his last four games. His lowest output of the season is 5 tackles. He’s a DB1 with incredibly high availability. Even with his bye week and his 2-tackle ejection game, he’s the 14th DB. In his 6 full games, he’s the 3rd overall DB.
Daniel Sorensen (KC, 9%) — Sorensen had another 9 tackles (8 solo) in Week 8, giving him back-to-back 9-tackle games. He’s had at least 8 tackles in three of his last four games and hasn’t had fewer than 4 tackles in a game this season. He’s also had some monster big plays, with 2 INTs, 2 TFL, 2 PD, and a forced fumble. He’s a DB1 on the backs of those big plays, but going forward he’s a solid DB2.
Eddie Jackson (Chi, 6%) — Jackson has a rock-solid tackle floor (at least 5 tackles in six of his eight games), and has been flashing his big-play upside as well. His 49 tackles (38 solo), 2 TFL, 1 PD, 2 FF, and a fumble recovery returned for a TD has Jackson at DB #7.
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.
Jabrill Peppers (NYG, 4%) — Peppers has clearly found his rhythm since returning from injury. After a slow start to the season, Peppers now has 22 tackles (17 solo), 1 sack, and 2 PD in his last three games (DB1 production). He’s also returning kicks, so that’s an extra boost in return-yardage leagues.
Rayshawn Jenkins (LAC, 2%) — We were waiting for Jenkins to blossom in the Derwin James role, and he’s recently done exactly that. So much so that the team traded Desmond King because Jenkins had the job on lockdown. He has at least 6 tackles in four of his last five games, including two 9-tackle games. Since the light turned on in Week 3, Jenkins is DB #16. He’s also past his bye.
Eric Rowe (Mia, 2%) — Rowe has been a steady 5-8 tackle player this season, but with Byron Jones now back, Rowe has been more comfortable being aggressive and active. Having Jones and Xavien Howard lock up man-to-man so well allows Rowe to roam and do things like nab 16 tackles, 6 PD, and an INT in the two games since Jones has been back. He’s a DB2 with massive upside.
