2019 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 6
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Hello and welcome back to the IDPGuru.com’s most popular in-season article, IDP Waiver Wire Pickups, which will be releasing every Tuesday of the regular season.
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Let’s start things off by going through some IDP news, notes, and commentary from Week 5 of the NFL season.
Injuries
Defensive tackle Chris Jones strained his groin in the Chiefs’ Week 5 loss against the Colts. He underwent an MRI on Monday and is considered “week-to-week,” meaning he will miss this week’s game against the Texans and possibly next week’s game against the Broncos.
After returning from a knee injury, Akiem Hicks exited the Bears game early on with a elbow injury and did not return. The Bears have a bye week coming up which will give him an extra week to get healthy.
Clay Matthews broke his jaw (ouch) and will miss the next four to six weeks.
Although tests confirmed he suffered no structural damage to his ankle, Packers rookie Darnell Savage was seen a in a walking boot after the game and is confirmed to have a high ankle sprain, so he’s likely to miss at least the next four weeks.
Veteran Tony Jefferson tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
General Player Notes
Rookie linebacker Devin White was finally active after missing the last few weeks due to injury. However, it was Kevin Minter who started and received the snaps at inside linebacker next to Lavonte David. The team stated after the game that White failed to receive any playing time as they didn’t want to rush him back. This said, I would expect him to be back in the starting lineup this coming week, but there’s no guarantee he won’t concede some snaps to Minter as the team eases him back into a regular role.
For the second straight week, Thomas Davis saw his snap percentage decrease as the Chargers continue to employ a heavy rotation among their linebacking unit. He hasn’t been playing well this year, so it’s not a complete shock he’s losing responsibility. He’s still likely going to have value at various points throughout the season, but he’s hard to trust as anything other than a boom/bust LB3 at this juncture due to the unpredictable nature of his playing time moving forward.
Quincy Williams played well in training camp and there was a fair amount of hype surrounding him heading into Week 1. He’s been an every down player for most of the season and had put up respectable tackle numbers through the first four games of the season. However, he has struggled to perform up to expectations in “real life” and he whiffed on several tackles against Christian McCaffrey last week and was ultimately benched. I think that was a temporary move by the Jaguars though and believe Williams will continue to be an every down linebacker moving forward.
For more updates on playing time splits across the linebacker position, check out the latest update of my every-down linebackers column.
Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 6!
Defensive Linemen
(Previously recommended DLs: Sam Hubbard, Nick Bosa, Quinton Jefferson, Denico Autry, Chase Winovich, Robert Quinn, Brian Burns, Stephon Tuitt, Josh Allen, Robert Quinn, Ezekiel Ansah, Vic Beasley, Takkarist McKinley)
DE Nick Bosa (SF) – Although he may not be available in a ton of leagues, I’m including Bosa in this list as I know I will inevitably get a ton of questions concerning him after his big Monday Night performance. Is he the “real deal”? I believe so, yes. Even before his two sack explosion last night, he was in the upper tier of the league in terms of pass pressure and now that he looks healthy, he should only improve as the season wears on. He should be a top 10-15 DL for the rest of the year.
DE Robert Quinn (DAL) – Quinn has already been mentioned a few times in this column, but I would be remiss if I didn’t call him out again this week as he squares off against the Jets and their porous offensive line. “Gang Green” has allowed a league-leading 23 sacks so far to go along with 40 QB hits and gave up a ridiculous 8 sacks to defensive ends just last week! Suffice it to say, I like Quinn for a sack or two this week. Start him with confidence (and Demarcus Lawrence if you own him).
DE Matt Ioannidis (WAS) – Ioannidis is one of those players that flies under the radar in most leagues; however, he had 7.5 sacks last year and has been solid in four of five weeks so far this season. He one of the better high floor tackle options at the position and is squaring off against a lowly Dolphins team that is near the very top of the league in sacks and QB hits per game allowed. Consider Ioannidis a dependable DL3 option in Week 6.
DE Mario Addison (CAR) – Addison has 6.5 sacks on the season and has registered at least 0.5 sack or more in four straight contests. He has a favorable matchup against the Bucs this week and consequently has a good shot at continuing this streak. He contributes next to nothing in the tackle department though, so this is more of a recommendation for those in big play scoring formats.
DT Jarran Reed (SEA) – This is a reminder that Jarran Reed comes off of suspension after this week and makes for a sneaky pickup for those in leagues with a relatively deep bench where you can stash the former second round selection. Reed finished with 10.5 sacks and was a top 20 DL in most scoring systems just a year ago and has DT-eligibility to boot.
Linebackers
(Previously recommended LBs: Jordan Hicks, Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Kyzir White, Blake Cashman, Zach Cunningham, Quincy Williams, Mark Barron, Kevin Minter, Anthony Walker, Bobby Okereke, Shaq Barrett, Mack Wilson, Ryan Connelly, Todd Davis, Devondre Campbell, Nicholas Morrow, Nick Kwiatkoski)
LB Vince Williams (PIT) – Despite being fairly fantasy relevant over the last few seasons, many have likely forgotten about Williams as he’s missed a few games due to injury and most of the focus has been on the Steelers’ 2019 first round pick Devin Bush. However, Mark Barron had to leave Pittsburgh’s game early last week with a strained hamstring. This allowed Williams to see plenty of game action and to post a 4-5-1 stat line. Barron’s hamstring was still sore Monday morning and he’s getting an MRI today to determine the severity. If Barron misses time, Williams will likely be in an every down/near every down role and should make for a nice short-term, LB3+ plug-in option.
ILB A.J. Johnson (DEN) – Johnson started at inside linebacker in replace of the injured Josey Jewell and had a terrific game in which he intercepted a pass in the end zone and made a key goal line stop against the Chargers. He also had 9 total tackles (6 solos) and 2 passes defensed. If Jewell is unable to suit up again, Johnson becomes a decent LB3- streaming option for those in moderately deep leagues despite the poor matchup against the Titans.
LB Ben Niemann (KC) – After Anthony Hitchens went down with a hamstring injury, Niemann entered the game and played every snap for the Chiefs and posted a strong tackle line of 6-4. Although the matchup next week isn’t great, Niemann should still be in consideration as a LB3-/LB4+ if Hitchens is out as Kansas City has little tackle competition within their front seven.
ILB Troy Reeder (LAR) – With Bryce Hager inactive with a shoulder injury, the Rams had to turn to undrafted free agent Troy Reeder at linebacker next to Cory Littleton in the team’s Thursday night showdown against the Seahawks. Not only did the Delaware alum play 70%+ of the snaps, but he also led the team with a whopping 13 total tackles. Granted a lot of this was game script driven, but for those desperate for help at the linebacker position, Reeder is a solid LB4+ option if Hager is once again inactive.
Defensive Backs
(Previously recommended DBs: Juan Thornhill, Jordan Whitehead, Xavier Woods, Ronnie Harrison, Terrell Edmunds, Tracy Walker, Darnell Savage, Kemal Ishmael, Roderick Teamer, Tre Flowers, Reshad Jones, Khari Willis, Dre Kirkpatrick)
S Eric Weddle (LAR) – Weddle was once one of the league’s premier tackle threats at the safety position; however, his production in that area drastically declined once he arrived in Baltimore (a team known for limiting tackle production from their secondary). Although he’s 34 years old, Weddle is seeing a bit of a resurgence in this department now that he’s with the Rams. He’s averaging over 8 total tackles per game through the season’s first five weeks and has a stellar matchup in Week 6 against the 49ers who are giving up the second most points to opposing safeties. Consider him a solid DB3+ play for the week.
CB Isaiah Oliver (ATL) – As discussed previously in this article series, the Cardinals have been a fantasy goldmine in terms of allowing high tackle numbers to opposing cornerbacks and are currently allowing the second most points to that position. Oliver has three games (out of five) this season with 6 or more tackles and I’m projecting him for a 6-1 or 7-1 tackle line with a 20% chance at an INT.
S Eric Reid (CAR) – I normally avoid recommending Carolina safeties as they can struggle to consistently produce in the tackle department playing behind tackle hog Luke Kuechly (and Shaq Thompson this year). However, Reid has been fairly solid in that area this year and is contributing in the big play columns as well with two forced fumbles, a sack, and 3 pass defenses so far this season. The matchup against the Bucs this week isn’t great, but he’s done enough to warrant low-end DB3/high-end DB4 status in most leagues.
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Last Updated: October 8, 2019