In these early weeks of the season, it's easy to make rash decisions. The problem is that sometimes the fantasy gods reward rash decisions and punish the good. Not to get all Book of Job in this IDP waiver wire report, but over the long haul, let's try to make good decisions and I'll try to help how to identify a good or bad decision.
Here's an example of a bad decision: How many of you dropped a significant chunk of your FAAB budget on Steelers DE Alex Highsmith after his monster three-sack Week 1 game? Sure, it could still pan out since his teammate T.J. Watt will be out for another month or more. But you can't feel those cherished IDP warm and fuzzies after Highsmith tallied a meager three solos and one TFL in Week 2. Thems the breaks.
Another unfortunate example comes from an IDP dynasty league, and it's only fair of me to add this league is pretty casual, where someone dropped Commanders LB Cole Holcomb for Bills LB Matt Milano about a half hour before games kicked off on Sunday. Dropping Holcomb, a top-10 IDP last year with 142 total tackles, after one so-so game? That can't happen to an every-down linebacker. Look, almost nobody is bulletproof in IDP. Just ask the guys who are still clutching onto former Giant and current free agent LB Blake Martinez. He was locked-in as a LB1 for most everyone. So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay. But this is a league with seven starting IDP spots. A move like this can't happen.
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Before I offer up my latest recommendations, please do go back and check the names on the Week 2 IDP waiver wire list from last week. I'll try to avoid repeating names but there's plenty of guys that I'll need to double-down on.
The wide variety of IDP leagues makes it difficult to pinpoint roster percentages, so not every recommendation may be a good fit for your league. Generally, if you play in a shallow format with only a total of 36 or fewer IDP starters across the league (three per team), these recommendations are at least a layer too deep for you. For specifics, it's always best to consume a lot of IDP content to get a feel for the landscape from multiple points of view.
Note: For each player, I provide a positional rank and list their percentage of defensive snaps played in their most recent game. For example, Derwin James would be a DB1+, meaning a defensive back ranked 1 to 12 (DB1) and the plus sign meaning on the high-end (1 to 4). DL3- would be a defensive lineman ranked 25 to 36 (DL3) and the minus means on the low-end, specifically 33 to 36. You can always contact me on Twitter (@mattkdelima) with specific questions about your IDP league.
IDP Waiver Wire Pickups
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Defensive Linemen
DE Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers
Smith and Rashan Gary form one of the more underrated pass-rushing duos in the league. Gary gets a little more love from the IDP community since he posted a solid season last year while Smith has been an up-and-down player over his eight-year career. In Week 2, he put it all together with four solos, three assists, two sacks and a half tackle for loss. Smith has had at least eight sacks four times in his career, but he's only dabbled in fantasy IDP relevancy as a fringe starter at his prime. I wouldn't spend any FAAB on him, but if I need a change on a short DE bench, he's definitely worth an add. 90% snaps played in Week 2.
DE3+ / LB5
DT Da'Ron Payne, Washington Commanders
I'm assuming if you're playing in a DT-starter league, Payne is already rostered. So this write-up is more directed at DL leagues where Payne may be worth borderline consideration. That said, I don't believe he'll maintain this pace of earning a sack each game. If your league's scoring has big points for sacks, I can only tentatively recommend him as I can't ignore that he's productive, but I always prefer tackle-heavy scorers. 87% snaps played in Week 2.
DT1- / DL3-
More Defensive Linemen
• DE Aidan Hutchinson, DET, DE2- / LB5+, 81%
• DE Uchenna Nwosu, SEA, DE3+ / LB5, 72%
• DE Matt Judon, NE, DE3 / LB5-, 81%
• DE Alex Highsmith, PIT, DE3- / LB6+, 84%
• DE Khalil Mack, LAC, DE4+ / LB6, 91%
• DE Kwity Paye, IND, DE4 / LB6-, 72%
• DT Dre'Mont Jones, DEN, DT1- / DL3, 84%
• DT Shy Tuttle, NO, DT2+ / DL5, 61%
• DT Grover Stewart, IND, DT2+ / DL5-, 68%
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Linebackers
Mykal Walker, Atlanta Falcons
Now in his third year, it's really all starting to gel for Walker, who posted five solos, two assists, one INT and one PD in Week 2. He contributed in many ways in Week 1 (forced fumble and a sack) and is likely a low LB1 scorer through two games in your league. I'd like to see him be more productive as a tackler and less reliant on big-play stats, but beggars can't be choosers. 98% snaps played in Week 2.
LB2+
Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys
We shouldn't be surprised, right? In Week 2, LVE was all over the field against the Bengals, notching four tackles, three assists, one TFL, one sack and one PD. We'll probably never see him on the field 100% without an injury to Micah Parsons or Anthony Barr. Although it'll end up being bad luck to even say the word "injury" in relation to LVE since he missed so much time across 2019 and ’20. 90% snaps played in Week 2.
LB2
Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers
After toiling away as a rotational player for most of his five-year career, the former 2018 UDFA out of Washington State is finally getting his chance to shine. Luvu had a few more snaps than IDP stalwart Shaq Thompson; outside of Jeremy Chinn and Brian Burns, Luvu may be the third-best IDP option in Carolina. With 10 solos, four TFLs and one PD in Week 2 against the Giants, Luvu has put himself on the map and looks like a stash even in shallow formats. I'm not ready to crown him just yet as a weekly play but he's a must-add in medium to deep leagues. 96% snaps played in Week 2.
LB3+
Divine Deablo, Las Vegas Raiders
Let's go Hokies! The converted safety is now terrorizing defenses in Vegas out of the Will position. Deablo was a force against the Cardinals in Week 2 with 17 combined tackles (six solos, nine assists). With the injury to Denzel Perryman not likely to keep him out for an extended period, there probably isn't much shelf life to this addition. That said, Perryman has missed more than his fair share of games nearly every season in his eight-year career. With a plus-performance under Deablo's belt, I bet his playing time will continue to tick upward, especially when you consider that the Raiders opted to only give 77% snaps to Jayon Brown in this game compared to Deablo's 100% snaps played.
LB3
More Linebackers
• Devin Lloyd, JAC, LB2+, 100%
• Pete Werner, NO, LB2, 81%
• Cody Barton, SEA, LB2, 96%
• Zaire Franklin, IND, LB2-, 100%
• Ernest Jones, LAR, LB3+, 79%
• Drue Tranquill, LAC, LB3, 84%
• Nicholas Morrow, CHI, LB3, 100%
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Defensive Backs
S Julian Love, New York Giants
After a mediocre Week 1, Love came to play against the Panthers in Week 2 with eight solos, two TFLs and a sack. Love should be a familiar name to us IDP heads as he began to come into his own in the second half of the 2021 season. I expect him to continue to contribute in a multitude of ways as he plays closer to the line. 100% snaps played in Week 2.
DB3+
S Donovan Wilson, Dallas Cowboys
With consecutive productive games under his belt, Wilson is cleaning up the open field for Dallas. He added six solos, two assists and one TFL in Week 2 against the Bengals. Dallas keeps Wilson closer to the line and with Micah Parsons flying over the defensive front, they need their safeties to pick up the slack if Parsons overextends. The Cowboys hit that sweet spot of not being very good on defense and just good enough on offense to keep games close with decent point totals. I expect their IDPs to see plenty of snaps all year long. 100% snaps played in Week 2.
DB3
S Grant Delpit, Cleveland Browns
After a decent 2021 season, Delpit still has a lot to prove to shore up the Browns secondary, let alone maintain a spot on our IDP rosters. While it's great that he had a Week 1 INT against the Carolina Panthers and Baker Mayfield, I'm more encouraged by his role and tackle production against the Jets in Week 2. He tallied seven solos and an assist. We need to see him repeat those tackle numbers consistently to stay off the waiver wire. 100% snaps played in Week 2.
DB3-
More Defensive Backs
• S Talanoa Hufanga, SF, DB2, 100%
• S Marcus Williams, BAL, DB2, 100%
• S Jonathan Owens, HOU, DB3+, 100%
• S Jaquan Brisker, CHI, DB3-, 100%
• S Darrick Forrest, WAS, DB3, 100% (until Kamren Curl returns)
• S Andre Cisco, JAC, DB4+, 100%
• CB Nate Hobbs, LV, CB1- / DB3-, 100%
• CB Carlton Davis, TB, CB2 / DB4-, 100%
• CB Michael Jackson, SEA, CB2 / DB5+, 96%
More IDP Thoughts
I'm already worried about Dolphins S Brandon Jones. Eric Rowe was a borderline IDP for years and he's still on the roster and Jones was getting blown up versus the Ravens. I'm not cutting him loose yet but we absolutely need to be on notice. DB3+
Bears S Eddie Jackson is flirting with relevance again but I just can't live with him and his inconsistency. He's got eight solos, five assists, one TFL, one INT and a PD through two games. Jackson is a S2 thus far but that's his upper limit potential. DB4+
I don't know what the Giants were doing with Blake Martinez. LB Tae Crowder just isn't very good and Crowder only played in 83% of snaps. I want to rank him higher, but his play doesn't warrant it at all. LB4-
Chargers LB Drue Tranquill is solid and scrappy. There are worse options but he's elevating himself into LB3/flex consideration in deeper formats. LB3
Texans edge Jerry Hughes came back to Earth in Week 2 after a nice opening performance. Get out now if you got in. Pass
After breaking my heart with a torrent of fantasy points in Week 1's MNF game, Broncos DE/LB Bradley Chubb got zero points in Week 2. Really disappointing. After posting 12 sacks as a rookie back in 2018, injuries and inconsistency have been the theme for Chubb. DE3- / LB6+
Did I miss any notable IDP updates or injuries? Let me know on Twitter @mattkdelima
