IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 15 (2021)

Nate Marcum

Why does it seem that JFM always is the player that is staring you in the eyes when it comes to IDP Waiver Wire rummaging? Well, don't let this rummage sale item go to the lower bidder, scoop him up. JFM gets the Miami Dolphins, and most notably, Jesse Davis. Davis, the Dolphins' RT, leads the NFL in pressures allowed, QB hurries and is 2nd in sacks allowed. Turn back the clock to Week 11 and JFM registered 7 pressures and 6 QB hurries. Look for similar disruption, with the hopeful sack to pad our playoff stats!

Randy Gregory-Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are getting the band back together, and the music they are making has never sounded better. DeMarcus Lawrence was a Waiver Wire Target a few weeks ago and has returned solid value. Randy Gregory, who was an add earlier in the season, is getting his 2nd chance after suffering a calf injury last month. Week 14 was Gregory's 1st start since Week 9, and boy did he make it count. Talk about filling a stat sheet? 1 Solo/1 Sack/2 QB Hits/1 Pass Defended/1 INT/1 Forced Fumble. Add it all up and you get 22 fantasy points!

Gregory and the 'Boys will travel to New York to face the division-rival Giants. Let's travel back to Week 5 when they last played and Gregory had a season-high 9 pressures, but no big plays as a result. I expect similar relentless play in the backfield, with a more rewarding fantasy output!

Jadeveon Clowney-Cleveland Browns

Clowney was supposed to be washed up? Tell that to Clowney yourself! Since joining the Browns, he has 5 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss. Fast forward to Week 15, and we find ourselves in a very precarious situation. The Browns are facing a COVID outbreak, and it would appear that Clowney has found himself on the negative sides of those tests. This is beneficial becasue the snap shares that he is losing to Takk McKinley, who is at risk of missing due to COVID.

If there is a team, or better yet, an offensive line to exploit, the Las Vegas Raiders are high on many pass rushers' list. The Raiders, fresh off of a massacre at the hands of KC, allowed 35 pressures and 7 sacks. Add in the fact that the Browns' offense might not move the ball as efficiently without both starting tackles, Kareem Hunt, among others, and maybe the Browns' defense will stay on the field a few extra snaps to pad the fantasy stats.

Josh Woods-Detroit Lions

Detroit faithful, you can rejoice that Alex Anzalone's poor play can be sidelined for immediate future. Yes, Anzalone was actually decent for IDP, but don't let that mistake you for solid "on-field" play. Now, with an ankle injury expected to keep Anzalone out for a while, it looks like both Derrick Barnes and Josh Woods are in line for more snaps. While I do think Barnes will see an uptick in snaps, I think Woods will see the most beneficial gain, and shoud deliver IDP relevant scoring moving forward.

As with Anzalone, when a defense is on the field for an average of 75 plays over the past 5 games, the fantasy points have a way of showing up. Woods, who saw 94% of the snaps, had an amazing 10 Solo/3 Ast/2 TFL/1 QB hit = 28 fantasy points! Look for Arizona to control the ball and give Woods another shot at LB2 upside in Week 15!

Neville Hewitt-Houston Texans

Injuries and change hit us fast and hard in fantasy football, notably IDP. Just as we were getting comfortable with the idea of Kamu Grugier-Hill being a staple in our fantasy lineups, along comes the injury bug and forces us to trust in someone new.

While I think it is impossible to instill immediate trust into a backup LB in Houston, I do think there is an opportunity. Once KGH went down, it was Hewitt who filled in and manned the middle. If we want to remain positive, it's not even a year since Hewitt tallied 131 tackles. If we want to go even shorter term, we can just look back to Week 9 when Hewitt filled in for Kirksey and led the team in tackles.

The Texans will get the Jaguars in Week 15, which has the making for a solid day for both sets of linebackers.

Jaylinn Hawkins-Atlanta Falcons

Let's start with the bad news: The Atlanta Falcons have another injury to their defense, this time in the way of Erik Harris. Harris will miss the remainder of the season with a torn pec. Now, the good news: The Atlanta Falcons fans will get their fair share of Jaylinn Hawkins for the rest of the season.

If you peruse Atlanta Falcons Fans' Twitter accounts, you will see it littered with "Start Hawkins" threads. Now it appears to be the time for them to see if they got what they bargained for?

What should we expect out of Hawkins? I anticipate a heavy dose of Hawkins in the box, looking to run downhill and share a little black paint with his opponent. On the season, Hawkins has played nearly 30% of his snaps in the box and will get a heavy dose of the SF rushing game.

That will do it for my IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 15. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at: