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.
DeForest Buckner (Ind, 30%) — After starting the season with back-to-back weeks of 6 tackles, Buckner had a slow Week Three (3 tackles). But that’s the kind of “slow” game we want out of a DL1: still on the field and productive enough to give us a floor. Buckner now gets to chew on Miami and Houston’s O-lines over the next three 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.
Sam Hubbard (Cin, 16%) — Hubbard is back in the driver’s seat in Cincinnati, playing near 80% and posting tackle numbers that look like they belong to your LB2. Over the past two weeks, Hubbard has 14 tackles (10 solo) and 2 sacks. He sure looks like the tackle-heavy DL1 he was two years ago.
Javon Hargrave (Phi, 9%) — Myles Garrett? Nick Bosa? Aaron Donald? No, it’s actually Hargrave who sits atop the DL leaderboard through three games. With 4 sacks so far and tackle outputs of 5, 7, and 6, Hargrave has been dominating both tackles and big plays next to Fletcher Cox. Philadelphia’s defense has logged a ton of defensive snaps so far and with KC, Car, TB, and LV coming up, they are likely to continue playing high snaps. That’s good news for Hargrave’s substantial tackle floor.
Leonard Williams (NYG, 8%) — It bears repeating from last week: I’m not sure why Williams — who finished as the #7 DL last season — is so poorly rostered. He posted another 5 tackles last week, giving him 13 on the year. I also mentioned last week that his sacks were coming and sure enough, he posted his first sack last week.
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.
Austin Johnson (NYG, 0%) — Johnson has quietly posted DL1 numbers as a rotational DT for the Giants. He’s playing about 50-60% of the time and has 14 tackles (8 solo) and 2 sacks in three games. His usage will make it hard to sustain his 5 tackles and almost 1 sack per game rate, but for someone who is unrostered, his production can’t be ignored.
Zach Sieler (Mia, 1%) — After Raekwon Davis went down in Week One, Sieler’s role was elevated. Now playing over 50%, Sieler has been soaking up tackles in the middle of the D-line. In the past two games, Sieler racked up 15 tackles (8 solo). I’m not sure 7-8 tackles per game is sustainable, but it’s also hard to ignore on a defense set up to stop the run up front.
Steven Means (Atl, 0%) — Means continues to produce at a DL3/DL4 clip while being unrostered. He’s playing 80% and has at least 3 tackles in all three games so far. He won’t blow up your stat sheet, but his volume alone will provide a healthy tackle floor.
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.
Eric Kendricks (Min, 59%) — No, for real, you have to go pick up Kendricks. His 37 tackles trail only Bobby Wagner’s 44 through the first three games. Kendricks has at least 11 tackles in each game. He’ll finish as a Top-5 LB if he stays healthy but is unrostered in too many shallow leagues.
Top Targets
In leagues with 2-3 IDPs per position, these could be league-winners. We’re going decent floor, but mostly upside here.
Logan Wilson (Cin, 11%) — Wilson was finally picked up in some leagues, which is a step in the right direction. The sophomore LB is averaging 10 tackles a game and already has 3 INTs, including a pick-six. He’s been everything the Bengals have wanted in a 3-down LB, and everything his fantasy managers have wanted out of their LB1.
De’Vondre Campbell (GB, 21%) — It’s clear that Green Bay and Campbell are clicking. Campbell looks faster and more confident in this scheme than his previous stop in Arizona. In 3 games, he’s already amassed a third of the production he mustered as a Cardinal. He has 31 tackles (21 solo), an INT, and a fumble recovery as the every-down LB in Green Bay. Campbell is currently a top-5 LB for fantasy.
Kenny Young (LAR, 7%) — Young’s 10-tackle (8 solo) Week Three would likely have been his third double-digit tackle game in a row had he not been ejected midway through Week Two’s game. Fellow LB Troy Reeder (22%) isn’t creating any tackle competition for Young, so expect him to continue as a weekly double-digit tackle threat going forward. He’s currently the #7 fantasy LB.
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.
Bobby Okereke (Ind, 2%) — Okereke came through for us in a good Week Three matchup: 8 tackles (6 solo) and a sack against Derrick Henry and the Titans. But even in average matchups, Okereke is a weekly 5-8 tackle guy. He plays every down and is a consistent LB3 at a time when 100% LBs are few and far between.
Damien Wilson (Jax, 2%) — Wilson isn’t an every-down player in Jax. But that doesn’t mean he’s worthless for fantasy. Through three games, Wilson has 22 tackles, which would be solid LB3 numbers if he had ANY big plays so far. The big plays will come and in the meantime, you can enjoy his slow-but-steady consistency at the back end of your LB roster. Wilson has at least 6 tackles in each game.
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.
Harrison Smith (Min, 24%) — Smith’s fantasy value took a hit when Anthony Harris started playing next to him a few years ago. Now that Harris is an Eagle, Smith is back to being a DB1 candidate. His 23 tackles (19 solo), 1 sack, and 1 PD make him the #2 overall fantasy DB.
Johnathan Abram (LV, 18%) — Abram continues to produce in the Gus Bradley strong safety role. 163 of Abram’s defensive snaps have come on or near the line of scrimmage, which helps him maintain a high tackle floor. He had 7 tackles (3 solo) in Week Three, giving him 25 tackles 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.
Daniel Sorensen (KC, 8%) — Evergreen tweet: Sorensen continues to be ignored as top-20 DB. He posted another 7 tackles (5 solo) in Week Three, and is the #15 DB through three weeks. 136 of his 190 snaps have been within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. That’s what you want out of your fantasy DB: a ton of opportunities to be near the action. Sorensen hasn’t disappointed with those opportunities, totaling 21 tackles and a sack.
Marcus Maye (NYJ, 6%) — The Maye train is finally leaving the station. After years of frustrating usage under the old regime, new HC Robert Saleh is getting the best out of a player largely regarded as an elite safety. Maye’s production is finally matching that hype: 23 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 PD. He’s the #6 safety so far and should remain a 6-9 tackle guy going forward.
Eddie Jackson (Chi, 4%) — DBs are notoriously inconsistent and that inconsistency is exaggerated as you move farther away from the elite fantasy DBs. Jackson is the exception. I call him “Steady Eddie” because he somehow posts 5 tackles (mostly solo) almost every game. Never 10. But never 2. His tackles by game in 2021 so far: 5, 4, 6.
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.
Anthony Harris (Phi, 1%) — There was an adjustment in the Philly secondary after Week One. In the season opener, Harris played 60% of his snaps at deep safety. He totaled 3 tackles in that game. However, the next two games saw Harris flip that ratio and be more of a 60% box/DL/slot player. In those two games, Harris racked up 24 tackles. He scored the 15th-most FP over those two games. Will that ratio remain going forward? We’re not sure. Are there many potential top-15 DBs so poorly rostered? That answer is easier: no. His DB1/DB2 upside is worth the risk for your DB3/DB4 slot.
Darious Williams (LAR, 2%) — Williams has at least 6 tackles in each game this season as the CB an offense would rather throw at instead of Jalen Ramsey. His 20 tackles (17 solo) and 2 PD make him a CB1/DB2 so far. As the Rams prove their offense is dangerous, Williams should continue to see tons of passes come his way.
