If you’re reading this article, then a couple of things are in order.
The first is congratulations. Kudos. A pat on the old back. Odds are, if you are perusing this (And aren’t a complete IDP degenerate, which is also fine.), you are one of the final four teams left in your fantasy league. At this point, just two wins stand between you and IDP glory.
Exciting, ain’t it?
The second is condolences. Because even the most diehard IDP managers don’t peruse waiver wire articles without a reason. Maybe it’s a player who got hurt—there were no shortage of those last week, including possibly the No. 1 IDP overall in Pittsburgh Steelers edge-rusher T.J. Watt. Maybe there’s a player who just hasn’t been cutting it in recent weeks. Or maybe there’s a guy whose matchup gives you so much pause in a must-win week that you are considering a switch.
Whatever the reason, while attaboys and sympathies are nice and all, that’s not why you’re here. You want player recommendations. Want to know which IDPs can help propel you to championship week.
So, let’s get to it.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
EDGE Rashan Gary, Green Bay: Gary got off to a miserable start to the season, but things picked up about the season’s midway point—5.5 of his 6.5 sacks for the season have come since Week 7. The New Orleans Saints haven’t been an especially good matchup for pass-rushers, but that was four score and seven quarterbacks ago—the likelihood of rookie Spencer Rattled (couldn’t be helped) rather changes the dynamic there.
EDGE George Karlaftis, Kansas City: Karlaftis made the most of a plus matchup last week with the Cleveland Browns, logging a pair of sacks to bring him to seven for the season. He’ll need to average one over the last three games to hit double digits for a second consecutive season, and the Texans have been surprisingly generous in that regard this year, allowing 46 sacks—third-most in the league.
EDGE Za’Darius Smith, Detroit: Smith hasn’t quite had the impact that the Lions had hoped when they acquired him from the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline, although he has tallied three sacks in five games. He’ll get at least one more this weekend in Chicago—no quarterback in the NFL has spent more time on his backside than rookie Caleb Williams, who has been sacked a whopping 58 times.
LINEBACKERS
LB Christian Harris, Houston: After spending most of the season on injured reserve, Harris made his 2024 debut last week against the Miami Dolphins, logging eight total tackles. Perhaps most important to IDP managers ahead of this week’s matchup with the one-loss Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans inserted Harris into a three-down role—he played 82 percent of the snaps in Week 15.
LB James Williams, Tennessee: Jerome Baker wound up a healthy scratch in Week 15, and after Luke Gifford left with a concussion Williams entered Tennessee’s loss to Cincinnati. The seventh-round rookie finished the game with eight total tackles, including six solos. It’s unclear if Baker’s “time-out” was a one-week thing or we’re seeing yet another veteran flameout at the position, but as things stand now Williams is the proverbial last man standing.
LB Eric Wilson, Green Bay: When Quay Walker left last week’s win over the Seahawks with an ankle injury, veteran Eric Wilson took over green dot duties for the Packers the rest of the game. Wilson had just two tackles in the game, but the 30-year-old has demonstrated the ability to be a productive fantasy asset when the snaps were there in the past, and given how quickly Walker was ruled out he appears the wrong side of questionable for this week’s matchup with the Saints at Lambeau Field.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
S Dane Belton, New York Giants: With Tyler Nubin’s impressive rookie season cut short by a season-ending ankle injury, Belton stepped into the starting lineup for the Giants last week and blew up, leading the team with 15 total tackles and adding a sack. It can be dangerous to chase last week’s stats. The Atlanta offense looked pretty bad in Week 15, but still, 15 stops is 15 stops.
S Geno Stone, Cincinnati: Stone has quietly been a top-five defensive back since Week 11 (with a bye thrown in, no less) after last week’s pick-six against Tennessee. That was Stone’s second straight game with a pick, he led the AFC with seven interceptions in 2023 and this week the Bengals face a Cleveland Browns team that (wait for it) leads the NFL in interceptions thrown with 18. Counting on big plays is risky, but these circumstances are difficult to ignore.
S Ar’Darius Washington, Baltimore: Washington has been ping-ponging on and off waiver wires the past few weeks due to his Week 14 bye. But the young safety has been productive for fantasy managers in three of his past four games, including five total tackles and an interception in last week’s blowout win over the New York Giants. His Week 16 matchup isn’t great, but if your waiver wire is picked over pretty well, he could be a decent DB2 play.
For more of our IDP Waiver Wire content throughout the season, click here!
Gary Davenport (“The Godfather of IDP”) is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can’t make him call it X) at @IDPSharks
