IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Week 9
Welcome to our Week 9 IDP Waiver Wire article this season!
As the calendar turns to November and Week 9 is on the horizon, there is no better time to show our thanks. Here are just a couple IDP worthy items that I want to give “thanks” for…
- 3-Down Linebackers
- Box Snaps for Safeties
- Matt Pryor
- Our IDP community
After giving “Thanks,” it’s time to say “Sorry” for this week’s long list of BYE week teams.
Cleveland: Deion Jones, JOK, Myles Garrett, JJIII
Dallas: Lawrence, Parsons, LVE, Kearse, Wilson
Broncos: Chubb, Jewell, Simmons
Giants: Thibodeau, Lawrence, Williams, McKinney, Love
Steelers: Highsmith, Heyward, Jack, Fitzpatrick
49ers: Bosa, Warner, Greenlaw, Hufanga
Now, as I say every week, while the true roster % of IDP leagues is difficult to tabulate, I will do my best to ensure we are ahead of the curve. So without further aideu, let’s get down to our IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Week 9!
Defensive Line/Edge Rusher
Javon Hargrave (Philadelphia Eagles)
The easy part is suggesting a waiver claim for one of the Eagles’ defensive linemen. The difficult part is choosing which dominant force! This week tho, it does seem to be a little easier. Javon Hargrave, coming off his most dominant game of the season, will be licking his chops with hopes of a repeat performance. The Eagles will square off with the Houston Texans and, notably, LG Kenyon Green. Kenyon Green hasn’t been consistent over the past four games. Fortunately, he allowed 20 pressures during that span, resulting in only one sack. Hargrave is starting to show dominance, as he has recorded 11 pressures over his past two games (16% pressure rate) to go along with a win rate above 18% in each of those games. With the amount of quality defensive linemen on a BYE this week, Hargrave could provide that solid upside in their absence.
Javon Hargrave with a sack to end the first half! pic.twitter.com/FiLF5sgpTN
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) October 30, 2022
Jaelan Phillips (Miami Dolphins)
Another week, another impressive game from Jaelan Phillips. Keep in mind this was against one of the better tackle duos in the NFL. Phillips is having a really good season. pic.twitter.com/pPW4AqSmFC
— Finscentral (@finscentral) November 1, 2022
The hype around Phillips has been warranted when you see him on the field. His relentless motor and blend of size and speed is quite the skill set. Fortunately for us, his slow start has kept him available in one too many leagues. In addition to the slow start, the pass-rush metrics haven’t exactly translated into fantasy production yet. The key word is “yet” because it goes without saying that if you are an edge rusher with the 8th most pressures in the league and a 15% pressure rate, the fantasy production should follow.
If the pass-rush prowess wasn’t enough, Phillips has also demonstrated an ability to slow the run game down. On the season, Phillips’ 9 run stops are the Top 10 for his position. Combine these two attributes and a positive game script in Week 9, and you have the makings of a big week for Phillips. The Dolphins will travel to Chicago to play a Bears team that has allowed a league-high 31 sacks.
EDIT: The Dolphins acquire (DE) Bradley Chubb from the Broncos. Adding Chubb should only help Phillips, as Chubb has been very good at pass-rush attempts that lead to teammate sacks.
Honorable Mention or Previously Mentioned:
Deatrich Wise (New England Patriots)- Eight pressures in Wk 8. The Patriots get the Colts in Week 9, who have been awful at protecting the QB.
Tyquan Lewis (Indianapolis Colts)- Lewis had six pressures in Wk 8 and gets the Patriots in Wk 9. RT has been a problem for New England.
Za’Darius Smith (Minnesota Vikings)-I love his matchup against the Commanders if available.
Carl Nassib (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)- With Shaq Barrett on the IL, Nassib is the next man up. Next up for the Bucs are the Rams, who have allowed the 2nd most sacks in the NFL.
Linebackers
Nicholas Morrow (Chicago Bears)
I will admit that I was higher than most on Nicholas Morrow during the draft season. The opportunity and coaching scheme led me to believe Morrow could be a Top 24 LB in 2022. While that may not have happened as of yet, the recent trade of Roquan Smith leaves a lot of tackles available for Morrow. I am not going to assume that Morrow will be Roquan, I believe he could see a sizable bump for a couple of reasons. For starters, the opportunities alone should be enough to see a jump. In addition, as the defense weakens without Smith, the number of plays on defense should increase, thus leading to a potential for more.
The Bears will host the Dolphins in Week 9, who have allowed the 7th most points to linebackers. With the impatience of IDP managers, there is a good chance that Morrow could be sitting on waivers just waiting to deliver the Top 24 performance that I so desperately was hoping for!
Divine Deablo (Las Vegas Raiders)
Divine Deablo was the center of many discussions on Twitter this past Sunday, but the majority of them centered around his position eligibility changing and eliminating his DB stamp. While I don’t blame the platforms for changing his designation, since he is the every-down LB for the Raiders, it’s nice to have some Konami code players in IDP.
While the talk about the eligibility may have been negative, his play on the field has been anything but! Deablo’s 14-tackle performance in Week 8 extended his double-digit tackle streak to three games. The Raiders will get the Jaguars in Week 9, who have allowed athletic LB like Deablo to have solid games. Looking past Week 9, the Raiders will have multiple games against some of the most generous offenses to LB in the Colts and the Seahawks.
Honorable Mentions or Previously Mentioned
Damone Clark (Dallas Cowboys)– Got his first snaps of the season after coming back from off-season neck surgery. With Anthony Barr set to miss some time, Clark could be in line for a healthy dose of snaps. The Cowboys are on a BYE, so he could come really cheap.
”He also put his speed on full display when he was clocked in the third quarter at a top speed of 22.19 mph by Next Gen Stats in hunting down Justin Fields at full stride to prevent a potential touchdown after Fields broke loose down the right sideline.”
Malcolm Rodriguez (Detroit Lions)- HBO’s Hard Knocks star, Rodriguez hasn’t skipped a beat with the consistent 50+ snap average. He even picked up his first sack of the season!
Dre Greenlaw (San Francisco 49ers)- With the 49ers entering their BYE week, look for Greenlaw to potentially be a waiver casualty. He is due to return in Week 10 when the 49ers face the Chargers.
Defensive Back
Geno Stone (Baltimore Ravens)
He followed up his wonderful Week 7 with another memorable performance in Week 8. Stone made some plays this week that won’t appear on the box score but should be mentioned because he is constantly in the right place at the right time. For the third straight game, Stone has 6+ tackles and is seeing usage all over the field.
While Stone may only be relevant until Marcus Williams returns, he provides weekly DB1/DB2 play. In Week 9, Stone and the Ravens will do their best to slow Alvin Kamara.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles)
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has 4 picks in the last 3 games 🔥
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) October 30, 2022
He had 5 INTs in 3 years with the Saints.#Eaglespic.twitter.com/QPvXjAJDFx
Now is absolutely the right time to ride the hot hand, and CGJ has as hot of hands as any DB in the league. Over the past three games, he is averaging 14+ fantasy points per game! In the league, if you were to list all players with 4+ interceptions and 1+ sack, the list would begin and end with Gardner-Johnson! Despite the four interceptions, teams still seem intent on targeting him, as he is 5th among safeties with 28 targets.
Honorable Mention or Previously Mentioned:
Ryan Neal (Seattle Seahawks)– Despite leaving the game early with cramping, Neal has just been rock solid and needs to be rostered.
Richie Grant (Atlanta Falcons)– Top 12 in tackles among DB. The defense is just bad, thus leaving him on the field a lot.
Adrian Phillips (New England Patriots)– Keep an eye on Kyle Dugger’s status. Even if healthy, I expect a heavy workload for Phillips. The Patriots will get the Colts in Week 9. The Colts have allowed the most fantasy points to the S position.