IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Week 16
Welcome to our Week 16 IDP Waiver Wire article this season!
The months of preparation, the hours of drafting, and the seemingly endless time spent on waivers are finally about to be tested! The fantasy Playoffs are here!
For most of you, heartfelt congratulations are in order for surviving the first round of playoffs! For those of you who are staying competitive despite not having a run at a championship, I say Thank You. It is an honor to have you read this, and it is admired that you still want to put the best team forward, week in and week out!
Last week we had some IDP casualties and some disappointing weeks. On the flip side, there were some huge performances that, hopefully, you were able to capitalize upon. We also saw a few games on Saturday, and this week will be no different. With decisions that need to be finalized by game time, follow along as we will have you covered across all content!
Let’s get down to business and discuss some IDP Waiver Wire Adds for Week 16!
Defensive Line/Edge Rusher
Randy Gregory (Denver Broncos)
The return of Randy Gregory in Week 15 very easily could have gone unnoticed in respective leagues. While his stats may not have jumped off the sheet, it was a good sign to see him log 34% of the snaps and record his first pressure. Before his injury, Gregory had recorded 19 pressures across four games, including two sacks and two forced fumbles.
This week, I believe that we will get back to the production that we had come to expect over the first month of the season. Gregory and the Broncos will get to travel to LA and line up across their shaky offensive line. According to PFF, the Rams’ 80.9 efficiency rating is 32nd in the NFL, defined by their 158 pressures allowed, resulting in a 32% pressure rate.
The hope is that the Broncos give Gregory the pre-injury workload, and in turn we get a solid DL2/DL3 return.
Welcome back, @RandyGregory_4! pic.twitter.com/4jXmFNkCUd
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 18, 2022
J.J. Watt (Arizona Cardinals)
Father Time may always come knocking, but it appears that he has skipped J.J. Watt’s door for most of 2022. While it may seem like low-hanging fruit after Watt’s three-sack performance against the Broncos, recent performance is driving this suggestion.
Over the past seven games, Watt has had 5+ pressures in five of those games. He has turned those pressures into seven sacks, and will set his sights on Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers look to be without RT Triston Wirfs and will rely on Josh Wells to keep Watt in check; a task that is easier said than done.
It’s a Watt thing 💪@JJWatt x @_TJWatt pic.twitter.com/DyzOTtHMj1
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 18, 2022
Honorable Mention or Previously Mentioned:
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Houston Texans)- Led the Texans in pressures for the 2nd consecutive week and will get the Titans in Week 16. The Titans are currently 31st in pass block efficiency per PFF.
Baron Browning (Denver Broncos)-As mentioned last week, Browning is in line for a great matchup against the Rams. I really like the odds that both Browning and Gregory have solid days. Browning is more likely to see the majority of snaps if you must make a decision between Gregory and Browning.
Sam Williams (Dallas Cowboys)– With Dorance Armstrong set to miss Week 16 and potentially beyond; Sam Williams is in line for increased snaps. Williams is currently 6th in pressures among rookie linemen with 18. The Cowboys will have their hands full with the Eagles’ O-line, but if Armstrong misses multiple weeks, there is an upside! The Cowboys will face the Titans and their 31st-ranked O-line for Championship Week!
Linebackers
Damone Clark
The Cowboys are definitely entering the final stretch of 2022 with the injury bug nipping at its heels. Leighton Vander Esch joins the aforementioned Dorance Armstrong as Week 15 casualty, with what would appear to be a neck injury. Fortunately, this is unrelated to the neck injury that required surgery! Likely to miss at least a week or two, it would be Damone Clark, who I think steps right in and contributes.
Clark has demonstrated that he can return solid IDP value with decent snaps. Just this past week, in only 75% of the snaps, he led the Cowboys with nine tackles. On the season, Clark has a 13% tackle rate and a minuscule 3% missed-tackle rate. This type of production sets the bar high for Clark entering Week 16 vs. the division rival Eagles.
The Eagles will look to establish a solid run game with the news that MVP candidate, Jalen Hurts, could miss Week 16 due to a shoulder injury suffered in Week 15. This increased rushing attack should lead to a solid tackle floor for Clark, who has demonstrated excellent run-play recognition and tackling!
Damone Clark scrapping pic.twitter.com/Lxn50LKn84
— Burgers and Blitzes (@NotToBeTrite) December 11, 2022
Robert Spillane (Pittsburgh Steelers)
If Week 15 was any indicator, it would appear that Robert Spillane is in line for a heavy workload again in Week 16. Spillane played 100% of the snaps and wore the green dot for the Steelers in Wk 15. While his play on the field may not have been symbiotic of “The Steel Curtain”, it was enough to finish in the LB3 conversation.
Spillane and the Steelers will look ahead to the Raiders in Week 16. Look for the Raiders to exploit Spillane’s poor coverage skills, which could result in a lot of coverage tackles for the linebacker. It’s not the good coverage linebackers that can exploit their shortcomings with an increase in tackles!
(Bonus). Mark Robinson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
This is only a tidbit of information to monitor for Week 16. Mark Robinson is a player to watch if you have a really deep league. The Steelers fanbase is clamoring for this guy to get a chance, and based on what he has shown on tape…I’m intrigued! Watch Below!
Haven’t seen someone shoot the run fills and still lay out someone in coverage all year. Why he’s in a track suit every week is beyond me. Let the dawgs out pic.twitter.com/FSqBwmN1Rc
— steelers_convo (@steelers_convo) December 17, 2022
Honorable Mention or Previously Mentioned:
Troy Anderson (Atlanta Falcons)– Mykal Walker has seen a decrease in snaps over the past couple of weeks, with Anderson filling the gaps. The Falcons travel to Baltimore, who have given up double-digit points to multiple linebackers on the same team in multiple weeks. Rashaan Evans is the guy to roster, but Anderson could be a deep league add.
Zach Cunningham (Tennessee Titans)– Dylan Cole suffered an injury in Week 15 just in time for Cunningham’s return. He may be eased back in, but there is a good chance he goes right back to the full-time role.
Nicholas Morrow (Chicago Bears)– With Jack Sanborn going down with injury, there is a huge void to fill. Morrow is set to face the Bills in Week 16, who have been one of the leagues more generous to opposing LBs.
Defensive Back
Alohi Gilman (Los Angeles Chargers)
Gilman has been amazing for the Chargers without Derwin James. His energy and playmaking have turned enough heads that even when James returns, there are talks to keep him in the lineup as a nickel corner.
With the Chargers in the Wild Card hunt, it will be interesting to see if they hold James out for the remainder of the regular season. Their upcoming schedule consists of games against the Colts, Rams, and Broncos; all three games I consider “easy.”
When given a full complement of snaps, Gilman has turned in solid replacement-level performances. His four games with 50+ snaps have led to weekly finishes of DB19, DB24, DB44, and DB57. Week 16 will bring the Indianapolis Colts, who have been a top 5 team for DB scoring. Follow the practice reports in Los Angeles; if Derwin is out, Alohi is a solid DB3 play.
NFL Hawaii Tracker, Week 14: With La’ie’s Alohi Gilman and Kalihi’s Breiden Fehoko on defense, #Chargers make it tough on Tua Tagovailoa in LA’s SNF victory https://t.co/GVR03KNLVg #NFLHawaii 🗒️ @c_shimabuku pic.twitter.com/NmimjwVqwp
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) December 12, 2022
Marcus Epps (Philadelphia Eagles)
Love the matchup against the Cowboys in Week 16. Box safeties have been excellent against Dallas on the season, and this has the makings of another one of those opportunities. We saw the upside in production against the Cowboys when Rayshawn Jenkins had a game for the ages. If we go back to the beginning of the season, the Cowboys have only played two games in which they didn’t allow double-digit scoring to at least one of the opposing safeties, if not both!
Epps can provide a solid DB3 floor if you are in a pinch but has the upside of DB2 if he can chip in a TFL or a deflected pass. Currently the DB48 on the season, Epps won’t wow us with a huge week, but pairing the consistency with the matchup intrigued me.
Watch Marcus Epps come downfield. Wow. pic.twitter.com/vQre8FZjaY
— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) December 11, 2022
Honorable Mention and Previously Mentioned:
Daxton Hill (Cincinnati Bengals)– Watch the health of Mike Hilton. Hill stepped in and played admirably as the slot corner. With a matchup against the Patriots, I am less intrigued, but he did lead the Bengals in run-play tackles, which the Patriots will do a lot of.
Rayshawn Jenkins (Jacksonville Jaguars)- If you read my articles or follow our podcast, you would know I love Rayshawn Jenkins. I am so happy with the game he had in Week 15, and while I can’t see an encore, I could see a pathway to another solid game against the Jets.