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. The players listed are in waiver wire order based on balanced scoring.
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.
Josh Allen (Jax, 27%) — Allen continues to dominate the way the Jags had hoped he eventually would. It took him longer than expected, but he’s not the first pass rusher to need a few years to get it going. Since Week Five, his 18.9 FPG leads all DLs, and it’s not even close. He added another 8 solos and a sack last week and is past his bye.
Cameron Jordan (NO, 20%) — Jordan enjoyed his 3rd straight week with a sack. His big plays are finally coming, but his high tackle floor hasn’t wavered. He has at least 4 tackles in five of his last seven games, and never fewer than 2 tackles in that stretch. He also has 5 TFL and 2 PD and is past his bye.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Quinnen Williams (NYJ, 9%) — After adding 8 tackles (7 solo) in Week Nine, Williams has moved into the DL #15 spot. He checks all the boxes for a DL2: solid tackle floor, consistent Backfield Impact, and high snap counts. Oh, and a 1st round pedigree. Williams has 9 QB hits and 5 TFL to go along with his 32 tackles.
Linval Joseph (LAC, 5%) — Joseph just won’t stop tackling people. Even in brutal matchups, he's getting it done. His 41 tackles are 5th-most for DLs and his 8.6 FPG put him in the top 20. He’s better in tackle-heavy scoring, but we’ll take him in any league.
Grady Jarrett (Atl, 2%) — Jarrett added another 5 solos, a PD, and a QB hit in Week 10, giving him his fifth game of at least 5 tackles in his last seven games. He’s been unlucky with sacks (just 1 despite 7 QB hits) so he should have positive big-play regression coming his way.
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 most give you a 1A option.
Marcus Davenport (NO, 1%) — Davenport saw a bump in usage and production last week. He parlayed his second official start and his 73% usage into 6 tackles (3 solo) and a sack. Assuming he can keep this up, Davenport has DL2+ upside.
Daron Payne (Was, 2%) — Payne plays 75% and has one of the steadier tackle floors in the league. He’s never posted fewer than 2 tackles and usually posts at least 2 solos. I love him as my DL3 when so few options at that level provide stability. Like Linval Joseph, he’s best used in tackle-heavy leagues. He also just completed his bye week.
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.
C.J. Mosley (NYJ, 34%) — Since Week Two, Mosley has at least 10 tackles in every game but one. And that one game, he had 8. That kind of high tackle floor is the stuff of dreams. And the stuff of LB1s. Remove his Week One game where he was eased in after not playing for two years, and Mosley is LB #9 in FPG.
Micah Parsons (Dal, 33%) — The P train is leaving the station. Parsons now has back-to-back weeks of 10 tackles since coming off his bye week. This is what we were all waiting for; to earn an every-down-role where he can load up on tackles and flash big-play upside. And not just your average LB big-lay upside. I’m talking EDGE big-play upside. Parsons has 5 sacks, 10 TFL, 14 QB hits, and 2 PD on the season.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Anthony Walker, Jr. (Cle, 16%) — Walker racked up 14 tackles (12 solo) and a sack last week, giving him at least 8 tackles in every full game. He’s also hit the double-digit tackle mark in two of his last three games. He’s currently LB #11 in FPG and doesn’t have his bye until Week 13.
T.J. Edwards (Phi, 4%) — Edwards saw his usage skyrocket in Week 10, hitting 97%. He’s moved from a 20-40% player earlier this season, to 66% in Week Nine, and virtually every down in Week 10. He posted 13 and 12 tackles respectively in his last two games since earning the starting gig over the recently benched Alex Singleton.
Shaq Thompson (Car, 11%) — Thompson now has 10 tackles in both games since his return from injury. The only reason he’s not higher on this list is his 69% snap share. If you pick him up as your LB2, you’ll be happy with his 7-8 tackle games and ecstatic over his occasional 10-tackle games.
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.
Davion Taylor (Phi, 1%) — Taylor has earned his way into a solid LB2 role in Philly. Although his rise hasn’t been as meteoric as fellow Philly LB T.J. Edwards, Taylor has steadily climbed in usage from 13% in Week One to 71% in Week 10. His snaps have never trended downward. He’s moved from #4 to #2 on the depth chart and posted 8 tackles (6 solo) and a TFL in his new role last week.
Baron Browning (Den, 1%) — Browning has been a welcome surprise, stepping in after several LBs went down for the season. Since moving into a starting role, Browning has 8 tackles and 6 tackles. Newly-signed Kenny Young (66% - 3 tackles) has yet to threaten Browning’s role or production.
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.
Johnathan Abram (LV, 22%) — Abram had 8 tackles in Week 10, marking the 5th time he’s hit at least 8 tackles this season. He’s never had fewer than 6. Beyond his cushy tackle floor, Abram brings some big-play pop to your lineup as well. He has 3 PD, 1 INT, 2 TFL, and a fumble recovery so far this season. That high consistency and upside are why he’s the #7 overall DB.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Xavier Woods (Min, 10%) — Woods enjoyed a DB1 week with Harrison Smith out: 9 tackles (8 solo). But that’s not all on Smith. Woods has been posting DB1 numbers for a while. In fact, Woods is DB #3 since Week Four, right behind Smith. He has at least 8 tackles in four of his last five games, and also has 2 INTs, 5 PD, and 2 forced fumbles.
Kareem Jackson (Den,11%) — This is one of those cases where the defense is set up for the safeties to clean up most of the tackles on the second and third levels. We know Justin Simmons is useful for fantasy in this secondary, but Jackson has actually been out-producing him. Since Week Three, Jackson has between 6 and 9 tackles in every game but the one where he racked up 11. This includes last week’s 9-tackle (7 solo), 1-TFL effort. He’s been DB #15 since Week Three.
Landon Collins (Was, 6%) — Ever heard of a band that was SO overrated, that they eventually became kinda underrated? That’s Collins. We were off Collins this Summer as the top-5 DB most thought he would be. But that doesn’t mean he’s not usable. A lot has been made of Collins and his switch to playing more LB and no longer being an every-down player. But he’s still logged at least 75% in all but two games. He’s quietly DB #22, with at least 6 tackles in every game but Week One. Take away that dud, and Collins is DB #9.
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.
Ashtyn Davis (NYJ, 1%) — With the loss of Marcus Maye to IR, Davis has stepped up as the playmaking safety in Robert Saleh’s defense. When the Jets came out of their Week Six bye, Davis was promoted from a 40% player to an every-down fixture. Since then, he’s had an 11-tackle and 10-tackle game with a 3-tackle dud sandwiched in between. He’s also created two forced fumbles (remember that “playmaking safety” part?) and has a clear path to keep his every-down role going forward.
Tracy Walker (Det, 2%) — Here we go again. Walker’s production is too good to leave on the waiver wire but too inconsistent to trust in our DB1 or DB2 slots. Virtually unowned, Walker should be your DB3 with tons of DB1 upside. It should also be noted that Walker’s dip in snaps to the 60% range only lasted two weeks (Weeks Three and Four). Other than those two games, he’s been between 84% and 100%, and usually closer to the 100% side. His 7 tackles in Week 10 give him at least 7 in three of his last four games. His tackle range is between 2 and 10, and usually closer to the 10 side.
