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.
Cameron Heyward (Pit, 32%) — Heyward continues to be under-rostered in shallow leagues while posting DL1 production. Week 13 was no different, as he had 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 sack, and 2 TFL on a 78% snap share. While his tackle floor is solid, his tackle ceiling is glorious. He’s had at least 7 tackles four times this season. Heyward also has 4 sacks in his last four games.
Brian Burns (Car, 24%) — Burns is coming off his bye, so his rostership is lower than usual. He’s had a solid tackle floor, posting between 2 and 6 tackles in every game but one, and posting 4 or more tackles in six games. But it’s his big-play upside that makes him a DL1. Burns has 8 sacks, 12 TFL, 4 PD, and 2 FF.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Jeffery Simmons (Ten, 14%) — Simmons got banged up in Week Seven (65%) and clearly wasn’t himself in Week Eight. Other than those two games, Simmons has been nails. He’s DL #3 if you remove those two games. In his last four games, Simmons has 21 tackles (no fewer than 4 per game), 5 sacks, 6 TFL, and 2 PD.
Demarcus Lawrence (Dal, 9%) — D-Law played 37 snaps (53%) in his return to the field. He posted 2 tackles, 1 QB hit, and 2 PD — missing a strip-sack by fractions of a second — in his part-time assignment. Now that he’s got a game under his belt, he’s likely to play closer to the 70-90% mark going forward. He’s got DL1 upside going forward.
Jaelan Phillips (Mia, 11%) — If you have room on your bench, Phillips is a worthy stash. His bye is this week (hence the need for a bench spot), but we’ve been watching him blossom over the last few weeks. It's a combination of his growth as a player, and his secondary giving him so much time to get to the QB you can track it with a sundial. He’s had at least a half-sack in five straight games, including 6 in his last three games. He also has at least 3 tackles in each of his last four games, which I consider the minimum floor for a balanced-scoring DL2. But in big-play leagues, Phillips may be pushing for DL1 status if he keeps this up.
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.
A’Shawn Robinson (LAR, 1%) — Robinson continued his potent tackle production in Week 13, adding another 5 tackles to his 10th-best 48 tackles this season. He’s really turned it on the last few games, racking up between 5 and 8 tackles in each of his last four games.
Grady Jarrett (Atl, 2%) — Carolina just fired their OC because they want to run it more. So what are the odds the Panthers will get back to their run-heavy offense this week? If they do, it was an offense that also happened to be a boon for DL production. Jarrett is far too talented to be off the fantasy radar, though his lack of sacks is disappointing. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a DL with more upside for the back end of your DL roster than Jarrett, and his matchup this week should get him off to a fast start for you.
Zach Allen (Ari, 1%) — Ever since J.J. Watt went down, Allen has been a consistent tackle producer. He’s had at least 5 tackles in four of those six games, adding 3 PD as well. One of those PD turned into an INT, which sounds more like something Watt would do.
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.
Jordan Hicks (Ari, 34%) — The 13 tackles Hicks racked up in Week 13 marked the third double-digit tackle game in his last five outings. The other two of those games were 8-tackle affairs, so Hicks has put his mid-season lull behind him. The Cardinals have used him more as a blitzer this season, which has created 5 sacks, 6 TFL, and 2 fumble recoveries. He’s LB #9 on the season, even with that mid-season dip.
Kyzir White (LAC, 30%) — It’s not enough. White’s rostership doubled last week after weeks of backend LB1 production. But it’s just not high enough considering his production compared to bigger names. Since his every-down promotion in Week Six, White has between 8 and 12 tackles in every game. He’s hit the double-digit tackle mark in four of his last six games and has 5 TFL, 2 INTs, and 3 PD during that span as well. That’s enough for LB #8 since then.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Germaine Pratt (Cin, 2%) — With Logan Wilson going down, Pratt should be in line to step up with more snaps and more production. Pratt played virtually every down with Wilson leaving early last week, racking up 9 tackles. Wilson is expected to miss a few weeks, so Pratt’s LB2 production could buoy you through the playoffs.
Kamu Grugier-Hill (Hou, 8%) — 20 tackles?! Grugier-Hill had himself a career game last week, right when primary LB Christian Kirksey came back on the field. 20 tackles aren’t sustainable of course, but KGH has picked up his production recently. Normally a 6-8 tackle guy, Grugier-Hill now has two double-digit tackle games in his last three weeks. I’d still bank on the 6-8 tackle guy, as there was nothing that jumped out about his usage or play to give us hope that his 20 tackles were anything other than luck. But if you’re hurting at LB2, his double-digit tackle upside shouldn’t be ignored.
Ernest Jones (LAR, 1%) — Jones hit 9 tackles on a 95% snap share last week, re-cementing himself as the primary LB in L.A. It’s the second 9-tackle game since he took over for Kenny Young. Fantasy managers got nervous when Jones had just 4 tackles on 62% in his second game, but he was battling an illness all week. He’s more of a 6-9 tackle guy despite his role, but he’s an under-rostered LB3.
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.
Baron Browning (Den, 1%) — Since taking over as a starter in Week Eight, Browning has had between 6 and 8 tackles in every full game (he was injured in Week 10 and played just 16 snaps). He’s a solid LB3, but almost completely off most fantasy radars.
Kwon Alexander (NO, 1%) — Week 13 marked the second time in three games that Alexander logged over an 80% snap share. It also marked the second time in three games he’s had at least 7 tackles. If you’re looking for upside at the backend of your LB roster, Kwon’s rising usage and production might fit your needs.
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.
Antoine Winfield, Jr. (TB, 34%) — Winfield’s production has been up-and-down this season, but he’s hit a nice stride as of late. Between varied production and varied usage, the standout sophomore has been tough to trust. But his last four games have produced 32 tackles (including two double-digit tackle games) and every-down usage. He also has an INT, 3 PD, 3 TFL, and 2 fumble recoveries during that span.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Jordan Fuller (LAR, 19%) — Fuller posted another 8 tackles (5 solo) in Week 13, giving him 7 or more tackles in six straight healthy games (he was injured in Week Eight). He’s a high-end DB2 who is creeping toward DB1 status if he can keep this up.
Tracy Walker (Det, 7%) — Walker posted 11 tackles while playing every snap last week. It’s the third week in a row that Walker has played every down. He’s also had at least 7 tackles in five of his last six games. Although we can never truly trust that he won’t get demoted again — he lost snaps multiple times last season and had a few dips this season as well — his high tackle floor when he’s “on” is too good to pass up.
Jayron Kearse (Dal, 10%) — Kearse may have finally appeared on more radars after his highlight-reel INT last week. It was his 2nd INT in three weeks. He’s been playing at a high level all season and has never had fewer than 5 tackles in a game this year. He has 20 tackles in his last two games, so his tackle upside is just as intriguing as that comfy tackle floor. He’s a great DB2 with that tackle floor but tons of big-play upside.
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.
Tevaughn Campbell (LAC, 0%) — Never mind that 61-yard scoop-and-score from last week. I’m much more interested in his high targets since he moved into the starting role a few weeks ago. Campbell has between 4 and 6 tackles in each of his last four games. He’s been more of an every-down CB lately that teams like to pick on. That’s how you make a CB2.
