2020 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 8
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Let’s start things off by going through some IDP news, notes, and commentary from Week 7 of the NFL season.
Injuries
Landon Collins tore his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season. Rookie Kamren Curl will take over the strong safety spot for the WFT.
Yannick Ngakoue was traded last week from the Vikings to the Ravens where he will be reunited with former teammate and pass-rushing bookend, Calais Campbell. Baltimore hasn’t historically produced many viable fantasy DLs, but I don’t see a significant drop off in performance for Ngakoue as he will see more isolated opportunities given the strength of the team’s pass rush.
Randy Gregory only played 6 snaps after a long absence away from football. We should see the team ramp up his reps in the coming weeks as they desperately need a spark in the pass-rushing department.
Sticking with Cowboys news, the team traded veteran pass-rusher Everson Griffen to the Detroit Lions for a conditional 6th round 2021 pick. He won’t debut until Week 9 due to COVID protocols, but figures to be a rotation piece among the Detroit defensive line and won’t likely be more than a bye week/injury for us moving forward.
Demario Davis put up a major stinker (2 solos) last week against one of IDP’s best matchups for linebackers, the Carolina Panthers. However, don’t be overly concerned – Carolina only ran the ball 14 times and the Saints offense controlled the time of possession which greatly limited Davis’ opportunity.
Markus Golden was traded back to his old team in the Arizona Cardinals who desperately need pass-rush help after losing Chandler Jones for the year. I expect Golden to see a bump in production. Going back to a contender should help re-motivate him as he looked a bit disinterested in New York.
For more detailed playing time notes for linebackers specifically, check out my Every Down Linebackers article.
Defensive Linemen
DE Melvin Ingram (LAC) – I mentioned Ingram in this article last week, but he deserves mention again as I suspect he may be dropped/avoided in many leagues due to the goose egg he laid last week in his first game back from injury. But there’s reason for optimism if you look closer. He played 69% of the snaps which is respectable given he was out multiple weeks – I’d expect that to increase up to his normal 80-90% range next week. Most importantly, he had two quarterback hits in the game last week and was pretty active in terms of bringing disruptive pass-rush pressure. The relatively high amount of playing time, consistent pressure, and playing opposite Joey Bosa should ensure Ingram is a valuable DL2-DL2+ for us down the stretch.
DE Derek Barnett (PHI) – Barnett’s had some success since entering the league in 2017 (17.5 sacks); however, he’s largely failed to live up to expectations when the Eagles took him 14th overall. This said, he does have 3.5 sacks on the year and squares off against a ridiculously depleted Cowboys offensive line and potentially a third-string QB. This will likely be his best shot all year to register a multiple sack game (he did have 2 sacks in Week 3 against a favorable Bengals matchup). I’d consider him a top 25 DL play this week.
DE Romeo Okwara (DET) – Okwara has now had four straight solid games and I’m sure he will be one of the more talked about pickups this week. However, I’ve personally tempered expectations. He’s only played 59% of the snaps and that figure will likely decrease with the recent acquisition of Everson Griffen. Additionally, his next two matchups are against the Colts and Vikings who ranked 26th and 32nd in points allowed to defensive ends. He’s not a player I would completely ignore, but he’s more of a DL4+ for me moving forward.
Linebackers
ILB Kamal Martin (GB) – With Krys Barnes re-injuring his shoulder and Ty Summers getting benched due to a blown coverage, Martin took over as the Packers main linebacker in one LB sets. The 5th round rookie racked up 6 solo tackles on limited snaps and figures to be a strong LB2-LB2+ play if Barnes and Christian Kirksey are out next week.
ILB Vince Williams (PIT) – Williams saw a slight uptick in snaps this week and had his best performance of the year with a 9-1-1 stat line. Is it a coincidence that he had a breakout game in the first full contest without Devin Bush? Perhaps, but I think it’s reasonable to expect more plays to funnel Williams’ way the rest of the season with him now playing next to a combination of UDFA Robert Spillane and former 6th rounder Ulysees Gilbert.
OLB Haason Reddick (ARZ) – Reddick is on bye this week so this is more of a long-term suggestion or pickup/stash recommendation in deep, big play IDP leagues. Reddick, a former 13th overall selection three years ago, had failed to establish himself as a starting caliber presence in his first three seasons. But the injury to Chandler Jones has opened the door for Reddick to assume a significant role on this defense. He’s had back-to-back monster games with stat lines of 4-1-2, 2 TFLs, 1 PD and 5-6-1, 3 TFLs. And after his big Week 6 performance, he saw his snap count percentage increase from 61% to a whopping 94% which should provide managers with a decent floor if he maintains that playing time.
(Previously recommended DBs: Marcus Maye, Jeremy Chinn, Adrian Phillips, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Josh Jones, Brandon Jones, Logan Ryan, Kenny Vaccaro, Troy Hill, Holton Hill, Logan Ryan, Julian Love, Taylor Rapp, Mike Hilton, Donovan Wilson, James Bradberry, Kareem Jackson, Kenny Moore, Kareem Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, Pierre Desir, Taylor Rapp, Deshazor Everett, Terrence Mitchell)
CB Malcolm Butler (TEN) – Butler has sneakily been one of fantasy’s top tackling cornerbacks through the season’s first seven weeks. Across six games, he’s registered 7 or more solo tackles 4 times. To top things off, he faces off against the Bengals this week who have allowed the most points to opposing cornerbacks so far this season (and in a multitude of ways). He’s a top 15 DB play this week, so he makes for a great waiver wire pickup if he’s still available in your league.
S Ronnie Harrison (CLE) – We’ve been waiting for Harrison’s playing time to ramp up since he was traded to Cleveland in the beginning of the season. Well, that finally happened last week as he saw 84% of the defensive snaps on his way to 9 total tackles (6 solos), a sack, 1 PD, and 1 FR. There’s a chance he could see a dramatic dip in playing time if the team opts to start Karl Joseph again (he played 16% of the snaps last week as he worked his way back from an injury) but Harrison is worth a speculative add in deeper leagues if you can afford to stash him on the bench for this week to see how the playing time situation sorts out.
S Micah Hyde (BUF) – This is a recommendation for those in deep leagues looking for a one-week matchup play at the DB position. Hyde faces off against the Patriots who are allowing the most tackles to safeties (by a fairly wide margin) and will get the 3rd most favorable stat crew in terms of issuing tackles. Although his tackle numbers have dipped over the last three weeks, Hyde did have a 3-game stretch earlier in the season where he racked up tackle lines of 6-3, 7-2, and 5-1, so he has the ability/potential for a 8-10 total tackle game. Additionally, the Patriots have thrown an above average amount of interceptions to safeties this year, so that’s definitely other avenue Hyde can generate points from given he’s typically good for 2-3 INTs a year and has failed to register one yet this year.
Last Updated: October 27, 2020