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.
Demarcus Lawrence (Dal, 26%) — Last week, I wrote that Lawrence was playing like a DL1, so you should use him as one. This week, D-Law delivered like Santa with a pick-six to go along with 2 solos and a sack. Lawrence was pulled from the game early due to the insurmountable lead Dallas had already built by halftime. He has 2 sacks, 4 TFL, 6 QB hits, and 5 PD in the last four weeks.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Cameron Jordan (NO, 18%) — Jordan racked up his 7th and 8th sack last week, giving him 4 in his last two games. His 6 tackles give him at least 4 tackles in eight games. He continues to play in the 80% range, making him awfully reliable.
Daron Payne (Was, 5%) — Payne added 5 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFL, and 1 sack in Week 16. Payne lives in the 3-5 tackle range but has never had fewer than 2 in a game this season. He’s been getting in the backfield more lately. After just 2 sacks and 2 TFL through the first 10 weeks, Payne has 2 sacks and 4 TFL in his last four games.
Carlos Dunlap (Sea, 5%) — Dunlap has been heating up over the last month. After being off the fantasy radar through much of the season, Dunlap has looked like the stud pass-rusher he was back in Cincinnati. In his last four games, Dunlap has 6 sacks, 5 TFL, 7 QB hits, 2 PD, and 1 FF. He’s also lifted his tackle floor as well, posting 12 tackles in his last four 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 most give you a 1A option.
Marcus Davenport (NO, 4%) — Davenport has a hard time staying healthy, as evidenced by his 20 total games played over his last two seasons. But when he’s healthy, he’s a force to be reckoned with. In his nine healthy games this season, Davenport has 7.5 sacks and 35 tackles, which extrapolates to the double-digit sack/50+ tackle production we look for in our DL1s. He has 8 tackles and 2 sacks in his last two games and considering a healthy DL is hard to come by these days, Davenport is worth a grab.
Zach Sieler (Mia, 1%) — Sieler has seen his snaps rise lately, anchoring next to Christian Wilkins on this dominant D-line. He played 79% in Week 16 and took down his second sack in as many games. His 6 tackles last week marked the third time this season that he’s had at least 6 tackles. His Week 17 matchup is against Tennessee, the #1 opponent for DLs.
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.
Kyzir White (LAC, 39%) — White has been a top-10 LB this season, and really more of a top-5 LB since he took over the every-down role in Week 7. He added 11 tackles (6 solo) in Week 16 but remains poorly rostered.
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, 25%) — Edwards added 16 tackles (6 solo) in Week 16, giving him double-digit tackles in five of his last eight games. Since Week Eight, Edwards is 6th in FPG. While all the attention was being paid to Alex Singleton earlier in the season, the Eagles have been steadfast in Edwards being the starting primary LB. That doesn’t appear to be changing despite Singleton’s volatile week-to-week snaps.
Anthony Walker, Jr. (Cle, 12%) — Remove Walker’s outlier 3-tackle game in Week 15 and Walker has at least 8 tackles in since Week Six when he fully returned to his starting job after an injury. Walker posted 9 tackles (3 solo) in Week 16.
Joe Schobert (Pit, 17%) — Schobert has two good matchups to close out the season when he faces Cleveland and Baltimore. The Browns create the 7th-most FPG to LBs while the Ravens create the 4th-most (for those playing in Week 18). After the frustrating start to his tenure in Pittsburgh where he posted between 2 and 10 tackles most weeks (but usually more like 5 tackles), Schobert has settled into a 7-10 tackle option since Week 12.
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, 6%) — Browning has 19 tackles in his last two games. He now has at least 7 tackles in four of his last five games. He had at least 6 tackles in six of his last eight games when he became the new starting LB. He does have two dud games mixed in, but one of them was cut short by injury.
Troy Reeder (LAR, 3%) — Losing Ernest Jones for likely the last two games of the season should put Reeder in the driver’s seat. Reeder had 6 solos and a PD in relief of Jones in Week 16. Reeder has LB2 upside going forward. If you need a deep sleeper, you can also grab Travin Howard in case he also becomes fantasy relevant as the secondary LB.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Det, 0%) — Reeves-Maybin came through in Week 16 with 8 tackles (4 solo). He’s the new every-down LB in Detroit now that Alex Anzalone is out for the season. This primary LB spot has been fairly “meh” for fantasy, but these days that 4-6 tackle range is valuable if you just need a warm body who is not on the COVID list.
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.
Logan Ryan (NYG, 33%) — Ryan’s 105 tackles rank 4th for DBs. And that’s even with missing two games. His 6-tackle (5 solo) Week 16 was actually one of his low points on the season. Ryan has 9 or more tackles in all but four of his games. On top of his tackle prowess, Ryan has PD upside similar to a CB (though he plays mostly safety). He had 7 PD, 2 FF, and a fumble recovery so far. This week, he faces a Bears team that owns the 8th-highest FPG to DBs this 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.
Kamren Curl (Was, 6%) —Curl now has back-to-back games of 8 tackles, giving him 8 tackles in four of his last six games. He had a slow start to the season as the team figured out how to work in Ryan, Landon Collins, and Bobby McCain. But since Collins has been moved to the dime LB role, Curl’s production has steadied to the 5-8 tackle range.
M.J. Stewart (Cle, 0%) — Stewart is listed as a CB in most leagues, but has recently been moved to starting safety next to John Johnson. In those two games, Stewart has 21 tackles, 2 TFL, and a PD. He was just supposed to be a one-week fill-in, but it looks like he’s now their new starter. This is a massive advantage in CB-required leagues.
Ryan Neal (Sea, 7%) — Neal took over the starting safety when Jamal Adams was lost for the season. In those three games, Neal has between 6 and 8 tackles. The Seattle defense stays on the field more than any defense in the league, so Neal has a comfortably high tackle floor, but he’s not the big-play threat that Adams was.
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.
Eddie Jackson (Chi, 3%) — “Steady Eddie” is back. Jackson is normally good for 4-6 tackles, but he hit a slow stretch, then missed some time, tanking his roster %. His last three games have produced 5, 9, and 6 tackles while playing every snap. He’s the king of the steady tackle floor.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (NO, 0%) — Gardner’s box role has been elevated as of late, most likely due to so many LBs on the COVID list. He has 7 tackles in each of his last two games. Even in normal settings, he can get your 5 tackles, but if either Demario Davis or Kwon Alexander don’t return in time for Week 17, fire up CJGJ.
