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’s roster % (on Yahoo!) didn’t budge last week, even after finishing as a DL1 for the third time in four weeks. That means a lot of people missed out on his 6-tackle/1-TFL Week 14. Heyward played a 90% snap share, giving him massive volume and a nice tackle floor.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Demarcus Lawrence (Dal, 9%) — Lawrence had 1 sack and 2 TFL (including 2 solos) in his second week back. He played 70%, moving up from his 53% share in his first week back after an extended absence. He’ll play the Giants, Football Team, and Cardinals to close out the fantasy playoffs.
Jeffery Simmons (Ten, 24%) — Even against a Jaguars team that managed just 8 first downs and rushed just 8 times, Simmons had 3 solos, 1 TFL, and 1 PD. In a normal week, Simmons has been a 4-6 tackle guy, playing 85-95%. His matchups with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Miami should provide more opportunities than Jacksonville.
Jaelan Phillips (Mia, 8%) — Phillips will return from his bye this week, hopefully all set to continue his ascension as a pass-rusher. As I mentioned last week, 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.
Dre’Mont Jones (Den, 2%) — Jones started building momentum around Week Eight. His QB hits went from just 2 in his previous seven games, to 1-2 per game. That’s usually a solid indication that a DL is winning his pass-rush reps more often. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen him convert those wins into fantasy production. In his last four games, Jones has 4 sacks, 5 QB hits, and 5 TFL. He has two good matchups coming against Cincinnati and Las Vegas.
Justin Jones (LAC, 1%) — It took a couple of weeks after he returned from IR in Week Eight but since Week 10, Jones has between 3 and 6 tackles in every game. He’s had at least 5 tackles in three of his last six games. He’s also raised his big-play game lately, with 2 sacks, 2 TFL, and a fumble recovery in his last two games.
A’Shawn Robinson (LAR, 1%) — Robinson added 4 tackles (2 solo) in Week 14, continuing his stretch of solid tackle production in DT-required leagues. Since Week Nine, Robinson is DL #15 in tackle-heavy leagues. He has two top-10 matchups for DL ahead when he faces Seattle in Week 15 and Baltimore in Week 17.
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, 39%) — Mosley is the epitome of a high-tackle floor player. Remove his first game in over a year (back in Week One) and he’s had no fewer than 7 tackles in each game. He’s had at least 8 tackles in all those games but one. But enough about his floor. Let’s talk about the 17 tackles (11 solo) he had last week, marking the 7th double-digit tackle game this season. Minus Week One, Mosley is LB #8.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
T.J. Edwards (Phi, 12%) — Edwards was promoted to primary LB in Week Eight (supplanting the inconsistent Alex Singleton) and since then, he’s been LB #3. Of those six games, four have been double-digit tackle efforts, with no fewer than 7 tackles. His roster % plummeted due to his Week 14 bye. Let’s fix that, shall we?
Christian Kirksey (Hou, 6%) — Kirksey regained his every-down role last week after being injured and racked up 10 tackles (5 solo). It’s his third game with 10 tackles, though he usually hovers around 6-8 tackles per game. He may see some extra production over the next week or so, as Kamu Grugier-Hill is not only dealing with a knee injury, he was just placed on the COVID-19 list.
Quincy Williams (NYJ, 10%) — Speaking of high-tackle floor (see: Mosley, C.J.), Williams also inherited a 7-8 tackle floor when he was promoted to secondary LB. Williams has been in that role since Week 10. In those four weeks, his tackle production has been 15, 7, 13, and 8. He’s also added 1 sack, 4 TFL, and 1 PD. On a defense that has played over 70 snaps in each of the last two games, Williams is a comfortable LB2.
Ernest Jones (LAR, 1%) — Jones posted another solid game, with 7 tackles (5 solo) and an INT in Week 14. I mentioned last week that Jones was a solid 6-9 tackle guy, making him a strong LB3 or backend LB2. Not bad for being barely rostered.
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.
Germaine Pratt (Cin, 4%) — Pratt had another 9 tackles in his 2nd game replacing the injured Logan Wilson. Wilson’s shoulder injury could keep him out a few more weeks — though there’s an outside chance he could return as early as this week — meaning Pratt should produce at an LB2 level until Wilson returns.
Kwon Alexander (NO, 2%) — Alexander has had a wide tackle range since returning to the lineup. He plays the secondary LB role in New Orleans, with Pete Werner rotating in as well. Werner missed Week 14, where Alexander played a season-high 92% snap share. But even with no Werner, Alexander had just 4 tackles. He’s posted between 4 and 9 tackles in each of his last five games, but it’s his big-play upside that gives him LB3 value. He has 3 sacks, 7 TFL, 1 INT, and 2 PD in his last eight games. Hence, he’s more valuable in big-play leagues.
Josh Woods (Det, 0%) — With Jalen Reeves-Maybin inactive (shoulder), Woods stepped in as a starter. He racked up 13 tackles (10 solo) on a 94% snap share. Now, with Alex Anzalone dealing with an ankle injury, Woods may be back in the lineup for either of the starting LBs. It’s still early in the week, so we don’t know whether either Anzalone or Reeves-Maybin will play, so this is a bit of a risky waiver move. However, it could pay off if either LB is out for Week 15.
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.
Jeremy Chinn (Car, 36%) — Chinn’s ascension back to DB1 status coincided with the addition of stud CB Stephon Gilmore around Week Eight. In his last five games, Chinn has hit double-digit tackles three times. That stretch has moved Chinn to #4 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, 15%) — Woods recorded another 8 tackles in Week 14, giving him at least 8 tackles in six of his last 10 games. Since Week Four, he only has one game with fewer than 5 tackles. He also has 9 PD, which is substantial for a safety, though Woods has almost no other big plays.
Jordan Fuller (LAR, 19%) — Fuller logged 6 tackles (5 solo) in Week 14, falling just short of his normal 7-9 tackles per game. Remove his one injury-shortened game in Week Eight and Fuller has at least 6 tackles in 11 of his 12 games, hitting the double-digit tackle mark twice. He’s DB #18 on the season, but he’d be higher if he had any big plays. Fuller has 1 TFL, 0 sacks, 0 INTs, and 4 PD. Though that looks bad, it really is a testament to his LB-like tackle production.
Kamren Curl (Was, 9%) — Curl tallied 8 tackles (3 solo) in Week 14 against Dallas, giving him 8 tackles in three of his last five games. It’s the 5th time he’s had at least 8 tackles while posting at least 5 tackles in 9 of his last 11 games. He faces Philadelphia in Weeks 15 and 17, which is a below-average matchup (think 4-6 tackles) but faces Dallas again in Week 16, which is a top-5 matchup.
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.
Jourdan Lewis (Dal, 1%) — OK, let’s say you’re a quarterback. You’re up against a high-powered Dallas offense and you need to throw it a ton. You look left and see Trevon Diggs on your best receiver. Eh, better not go that way. You look right and see Anthony Brown on your 2nd receiver. Eww. Their LBs Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal can cover, too. That leaves slot corner Lewis. Now you see why Lewis receives 5-7 targets per game. Lewis is solid but not great in coverage, but luckily is an above-average tackler as a CB. He’s had between 4 and 7 tackles in six of his last seven games, the outlier being a game where the Falcons mustered just 3 points, providing bottom-5 opportunities for the Dallas IDPs.
Will Harris (Det, 0%) — Harris has been busy lately, posting at least 7 tackles in three of his last four games. He racked up 9 tackles in Week 14 with Tracy Walker (COVID list) out and Alex Anzalone (ankle) knocked out mid-game. If Walker and Anzalone return, I still like Walker as a 5-7 tackle guy going forward. If either Walker or Anzalone miss another game or two, Harris might be more around the 7-9 tackle range.
