IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 16 (2021)

December 22, 2021 Nate Marcum

Each week at Fantasy In Frames, we get you ready as we give you our weekly recap of our hits and misses from the week. Let's get you ready for this week by listing the IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 16 of the 2021 fantasy football season!

Please keep all hands inside the car until the ride comes to a complete stop. If you weren't prepared to hear those words after the roller coaster of Week 15, then you must have been one of the lucky ones. Just as we had settled into what appeared to be normalcy, COVID comes back in a disastrous fashion. According to Tom Peliserro of the NFL Network, since the beginning of last week, 213 players have tested positive for COVID, and there are reports still piling in! Keep in mind, 213 players accounts for roughly 10% of the league.

As we enter Week 16, or what most would consider, the Semi-Finals, we have to stay diligent and roll with the punches. We here at Fantasy In Frames will do our part to keep you updated with current events, and what it means for our fantasy lineups! I also have the unenviable task of keeping tabs on IDP-relevant news, since most sites do not put the defensive players on the forefront!

So as I paint the doom and gloom picture for you, let me carry this positive momentum into recapping last weeks' IDP Waiver Wire article. Let's take a look and see how the recommendations fared in....

HITS AND MISSES

John Franklin-Myers-Despite playing plentiful snaps, he only registered 2 pressures. The pressures didn't lead to sacks and he was schemed away from in the running game. Now has COVID. MISS

Randy Gregory-The entire Dallas defense let us down. Would still recommend going forward, but as for Week 15. MISS

Jadaveon Clowney-Missed the game with COVID.

Josh Woods-Only played 2 snaps and left with an injury.

Neville Hewitt-Played 100% of the snaps. Turned those snaps into 9 tackles. 13 points Because of the snaps and potential going forward...HIT

Jaylinn Hawkins-Was correct in the usage but didn't translate to fantasy points. MISS

Week 16 (Semi-Finals)

Charles Harris-Detroit Lions

While Harris has been mentioned in this article over the course of the season, the fact remains that he is still available in too many leagues. Over the past 3 weeks only Nick Bosa, Aaron Donald, and TJ Watt have more QB pressures than Harris. Add in the fact that only Maxx Crosby has more solo tackles than Harris (among Edge Rushers), and you have a legit DL1 on your hands.

Harris and Lions get the Falcons in Week 16, who just allowed 33 pressures to the 49ers in Week 15. With the Lions' offense clicking at the time being, this could be another big week for Harris! Considering Harris only had 6.5 sacks over his 4-year career in the NFL, the Lions have seemingly struck gold!

David Onyemata-New Orleans Saints

A lot of attention has been paid to the Edge Rushers for the New Orleans Saints, but David Onyemata deserves some of the praise entering Week 16. Yes, it is rare for a Defensive Tackle to get a lot of IDP Waiver Wire talk, but he absolutely deserves it after his 7 performance in Week 15.

If you had Tom Brady or any Buccanneers players in Week 15, you are most likely out of the playoffs, and even more likely to not want to see Onyemata's name mentioned again. Brady was under constant pressure, but it was Onyemata's 7 pressures that led the way for the Saints.

Onyemata and the Saints will look to exploit the Dolphins' offensive line in Week 16. Let me be clear, I would still recommend Marcus Davenport, but if you have to start a DT, I love this matchup.

Kevin Minter-Tampa Bay Buccanneers

Yes, this is where we are at in the season! It's the time of year when a player like Kevin Minter may be a savior to your IDP roster in the playoffs. While I hope this is strictly a contingency plan, the fact of the matter is that LaVonte David is out for the remainder of the regular season, and Minter is next in line in TB.

Here is the deal! Kevin Minter isn't likely to get you double-digit tackles with Devin White eating them up like a hungry hungry hippo, but they do like to blitz Minter when he has seen significant snaps. On the season, he has blitzed on 17% of the passing-down snaps that he has played. Considering the Panthers have allowed the 9th most sacks on the season, I like the odds for Minter to get to Cam.

Zach Cunningham-Tennessee Titans

Here we go again! If you are here because you typed in Zach Cunningham's name, welcome! Let me warn you tho, I have written him off at least 4 times this year. Cunningham feels exactly like the type of fantasy player that is going to put up a 30 spot in Week 16 and be the person who led us to the fantasy championship....only to get benched and cost us the Championship. While not a glowing endorsement, the fact of the matter is that he has a new home in Tennessee, and he already was getting the snaps over Jayon Brown. In Week 15, Cunningham played 67% of the snaps and turned those into 6 tackles.

We all know that Cunningham is a high tackle volume type of LB, and his Week 16 matchup is one that could lead to a heavy volume type of day. The Titans will face the 49ers in what should be a heavy dose of run plays and short to intermediate routes, just paving the way to a double-digit tackle type of day.

As of Tuesday, David Long has yet to practice. Vrabel is deeply rooted in the Belichek-ian style of not keeping us in the injury loop, but it's worth noting that a DNP on Tuesday doesn't bode well for a Thursday night game.

With Week 16 nearing, and the COVID reports seemingly endless, stay tuned as we help guide you through this fantasy wasteland! This wraps up the Week 16 IDP Waiver Wire Targets, but as always, follow along with me @natemarcum as I try to stay on top of the chaos! Good Luck in Week 16!!!

About Nate Marcum 139 Articles
Director of IDP Content. 2021 Top 5 IDP Ranker per FantasyPros ECR. 20+ year Fantasy Baseball/Football addict. Addiction manifested into obsession, which drove me to writing/podcasting. Obsession is still present, but now it’s directed at helping others around me get better!
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