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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 10

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Tue, 07 Nov 2023 . 10:34 AM EST

Maybe Just All Cowboys This Week?

This list of IDP waiver wire pickups is sorted by position, and then by priorty.

Of course, IDP leagues vary widely by depth, scoring rules, and lineup settings. So to get the best measure of who to pick up in your league, check your Free Agent Finder.

It's the best fantasy football waiver wire assistant you'll find.

Cameron Heyward, DL, Pittsburgh Steelers

I left Heyward out of last week's article because I wasn't sure how much he'd play or how effective he'd be fresh off a six-game IR stint for a groin/core injury.

Verdict: Not bad.

Heyward played 55% of snaps against Tennessee. That's short of his norm but a strong first step. And he tallied an impressive 6 tackles (4 solo, 1 tackle for loss) for that level of playing time.

Expect Heyward to increase his playing time going forward and likely add back in some pass-rushing production. That could start this week against Green Bay, which allowed 4 sacks each of the past two weeks.

Demarcus Lawrence, Edge, Dallas Cowboys

Boy, Lawrence sure has stunk so far this year, huh? After eight games, he's sitting on just 2 sacks and 20 total tackles.

The 31-year-old certainly isn't a floor play for your IDP lineup. But he hasn't played nearly as poorly as the numbers suggest. A quarter of his total tackles have gone for losses, which would be Lawrence's highest rate since his nine-game 2016.

More importantly, Lawrence's 14.4% pressure rate (total pressures divided by pass-rush snaps) is the second-highest of his career.

Does that mean he's a lock for more sacks the rest of the way? No. But it does make Lawrence a higher-upside option for Week 10 against the Giants that you'd probably think.

That's actually the first of three straight high-upside sack matchups for the vet pass rusher. (Carolina and Washington follow.)

Ja’Whaun Bentley, LB, New England Patriots

Bentley looks like a no-brainer pickup after a huge Week 9 fantasy score (13 tackles, 2 sacks), but this isn’t really about that. Chasing last week’s fantasy points doesn’t win us next week.

Bentley capitalized on a high-upside Washington matchup. Just as importantly, he showed us the hamstring that rendered him questionable for the game shouldn’t be an issue going forward.

Bentley gets a Week 10 matchup with Indy that looks negative by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. But the Colts have allowed at least one opponent LB to reach 10 tackles in seven of nine games this season, with nine such players in all.

Bentley and the Pats get a Week 11 bye after that, but try to hold him for a high-ceiling Week 12 visit to the Giants.

Damone Clark, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Clark has now had three full games since the Cowboys lost LB Leighton Vander Esch. Week 8 saw him and many other starters exit early in a blowout victory. The other two have each seen Clark tally at least 7 solo tackles and 8+ total tackles.

Week 10 holds a Giants team that stands as the best scoring matchup for LBs. Being down to Tommy DeVito at QB further shortens the average play and figures to motivate the Giants to run the ball even more.

The only think working against Clark this week might be the chances he leaves early again amid another blowout. That’s a chance worth taking.

Two more strongly positive LB matchups await beyond Week 10. We’ll see about LVE’s status.

Kwon Alexander, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Cole Holcomb’s Thursday night knee injury removed the Steelers’ lead off-ball LB for the rest of the season. But as we pointed out in our Week 9 IDP Hits, it might also have opened a door to improved fantasy production.

Alexander has played second-most among non-edge Pittsburgh LBs. He has also produced solo tackles and tackles for loss at rates higher than Holcomb. 

Alexander has graded lowest among the group in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus, but best among the trio in coverage and pass rushing. That has likely been the key to his playing time over Roberts so far and makes Alexander the best bet for lead snaps at the position going forward.

If he can keep the higher tackle efficiency going and tap into his history of greater big-play upside – including 13.5 career sacks and 9 INTs – Alexander could score as a LB2 the rest of the way.

Tyrel Dodson, LB, Buffalo Bills

Lead Bills LB Terrel Bernard suffered a concussion in Sunday night’s loss at Cincinnati. That will almost certainly keep him out through the next game against Denver.

Dodson filled the void against Cincinnati, logging a 96% snap share and collecting 9 tackles. That included 7 solos and 2 tackles for loss, plus a QB hit.

A Week 10 start would mean full playing time for Dodson against a Broncos offense that has been ninth-most favorable to LB scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Elandon Roberts, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Alexander looks like the best bet to lead LB playing time in the wake of the Holcomb injury. But Roberts should also see a significant boost.

He has played about 40% of Pittsburgh defensive snaps to date, compared with Alexander’s 60%. Yet Roberts has 7 more tackles (48-41) than Alexander, 1.5 sacks to Alexander’s 1, and 4 QB hits to Alexander’s 2.

Roberts has been the most efficient producer of the three so far. If that continues, he can still be helpful for deeper leagues even at Alexander’s current level of playing time.

Shaquill Griffin, CB, Houston Texans

You’d have to scroll way down the box score to find Griffin’s contribution to Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. He finished with just 1 assist.

Blame opportunity. According to Pro Football Focus, Tampa Bay targeted Griffin just four times in coverage and completed one of those passes. Tough to make tackles if the ball’s rarely near you.

His four prior starts included three games of 6+ tackles and 3 passes defensed in a single game against Pittsburgh.

Week 10 brings Cincinnati, which ranks among the league leaders in pass rate over expected. That could mean a lot more action coming Griffin’s way Sunday.

Markquese Bell, S, Dallas Cowboys

I mentioned Bell back in the Week 6 IDP Hits, right after Leighton Vander Esch went down. Although he’s listed as – and sized like – a safety, Bell has been filling in at LB since then.

Sunday’s loss to the Eagles found him playing a season-high 94% of the snaps. That followed games of 53% and 73%, his three largest snap shares of the season.

Vander Esch must spend at least one more game on IR (we’ll see beyond that), leaving Bell at least one more start. Like I mentioned above with Damone Clark, that will come in a high-upside spot against the Giants.

As long as Bell gets full playing time again, he should give us at least decent tackle production. And the current – most awful? – version of the Giants offense boosts the big-play upside.

Compare the Week 10 projections in your Free Agent Finder to see whether Bell fits your team.

Ja'Sir Taylor, CB, Los Angeles Chargers

Looking for a deeper play for Week 10? Taylor has quietly settled in as the Chargers' slot corner over the past six games, which of course means varied playing time.

He has gotten a bit louder over the past three weeks, though, with four passes defensed and an INT. Taylor tied his season high with 5 tackles Monday night against the Jets and his first game with multiple breakups.

Taylor figures to be busy against the Lions this Sunday. Detroit's top two pass-catchers -- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and TE Sam LaPorta -- operate primarily in Taylor's area of the field.

That should boost playing time and opportunities in coverage for the second-year player.

Ravens slot CB Arthur Maulet and Raiders slot CB Nate Hobbs turned in good fantasy days in the past two Lions games.

Win Your Season

Finding the best waiver wire targets is only part of your winning in-season strategy. Check out this video for more.