IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 4

Let Deshaun Watson Boost Your Rushers

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.

 

Christian Wilkins, DT, Las Vegas Raiders

Wilkins entered Sunday’s game against the Panthers questionable with a knee injury that limited him throughout the practice week. And he came away with a stat line that might leave you skeptical: 2 assists, 0.5 sacks.

But Wilkins notched his first 2 QB hits of the season against Carolina. His snap share dipped vs. the first two weeks, which might have been influenced by the knee. But that just meant he fell from 95% – rare territory among DTs – to 76%. Wilkins still played 56 snaps, more than he played in Week 1 and just six fewer than Week 2.

So we’ll watch the leadup to Week 4, but he seems OK physically. And that’s great, because it will allow him to take advantage of maybe the league’s best pass-rushing matchup.

The Watson Boost

Browns QB Deshaun Watson has not only taken 42 hits through three games. He has elevated opponent pass rushes.

The Cowboys (17 hits vs. Browns), Jaguars (8), and Giants (17) have combined for just 16 across their other six contests.

 

Will McDonald, Edge, New York Jets

I’m not gonna lie: I’m not sure how much I actually believe in this guy. He hit the league very light for the position. (The Jets list him at just 236 pounds.) And he posted uneven college production. 

McDonald’s snap shares increased each of the past two weeks, but his snap counts have gone just 35-35-30 through three games. 

All that said, McDonald racked up 5 sacks and 7 QB hits over the past two weeks – and he gets the Broncos in Week 4. We can’t just leave him on waivers this week (if he’s available). 

Playing on one of the league’s most talented defenses obviously isn’t hurting him.

 

Daiyan Henley, LB, Los Angeles Chargers

Henley made it into this space last week after an uptick in snap share. That improved further on Sunday.

Henley played defensive every snap of the loss to the Steelers, racking up a game-high 12 tackles – including 9 solos and 1 tackle for loss – and a pass defensed.

Rookie LB Junior Colson’s inactive status likely helped, so I’ll be keeping an eye on his status and the impact on Henley’s playing time when Colson returns. But Henley looks like an upside player worth stashing – and/or using – in many IDP leagues.

 

Jordyn Brooks, LB, Miami Dolphins

Brooks’ production remained somewhat quiet in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks. He tied for the team lead with 9 tackles, but just three of those were solos. 

Miami lost LB David Long to a hamstring injury during the game, though. If he remains out for Week 4, then Brooks could find more available for him in the middle of the field.

His even quieter start to the season – 10 total tackles over the first two games – likely sent Brooks to plenty of IDP waiver wires already.

 

Troy Andersen, LB, Atlanta Falcons

Andersen has seen 94% and 99% playing time in the two games since LB Nate Landman hit IR.

He posted a game-high 12 tackles in Sunday night’s loss to the Chiefs, following 9 tackles at Philly.

Now comes a Week 4 matchup with the Saints, who have run the ball on more than 50% of plays every week so far. Andersen’s speed should make him a key factor in defending against Alvin Kamara.

We’ll see whether Landman’s on track to return when eligible in Week 6.

 

Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions

Campbell played every snap for the first time in his career Sunday at Arizona. That marked a big jump from his snap rates of 56% and 73% the previous two weeks.

LB Alex Anzalone went inactive with a concussion, which obviously helped Campbell’s role. Anzalone figures to return for Week 4 after hitting last weekend questionable.

But Derrick Barnes left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, and HC Dan Campbell said Monday that he’ll miss “a significant amount of time.” That can only help Campbell’s chances of staying on the field.

Now it’s up to him to turn that into meaningful fantasy production.

 

Nick Cross, S, Indianapolis Colts

Right now, you might be saying, “Thanks for this one, Schauf. That guy got picked up in my league after Week 1!”

I get it. Perhaps I’m too late on Cross, and we’ve missed out on the next Camryn Bynum. But I’m including him this week for a couple of reasons …

1. The more times you do something, the more it goes from blip to trend. In Cross’ case, that’s three straight games of double-digit tackles.
2. I’m still not sure it’s a trend we should bet on continuing.

Is Rushing Volume Bound to Decrease?

The Colts have played the league’s most defensive snaps through three weeks. They’ve also faced 10 more run plays than any other team – and 24 more such plays than fifth-place Carolina.

Cross has made more total tackles and solos on run plays than any other player in the league. Two teammates join him among the league’s top 4 in tackles: LBs E.J. Speed and Zaire Franklin.

All three Colts have 22+ total run tackles to date. Just seven other players in the league have 20+.

So is this a tackle bubble about to burst? Yes. Just look at the rush attempt totals for the three games:

• 40
• 53
• 28

Houston sported a reasonable rushing lean in a Week 1 win. Green Bay went run-mad in QB Malik Willis’ first start since 2022. Chicago ran on just 31% of plays in Week 3 … but also ran 90 offensive plays. (League average per team game so far: 60.7)

The Colts are having trouble getting off the field on defense and will miss DT DeForest Buckner for at least three more games. (He’s on IR for an ankle sprain.)

But even if the defense stays bad all year, the play volume that opened this season is likely to come down.

So enjoy Cross for now. But don’t be shocked if it doesn’t last.

 

Michael Jackson, CB, Carolina Panthers

Jackson racked up a team-high 9 solo tackles in Sunday’s win over the Raiders. He also defensed three passes, including an INT. 

That marked Jackson’s second game of 7+ solos among the first three contests. Next comes a Week 4 matchup with the Bengals, who went 66% pass Monday night in their first game with Tee Higgins back healthy.

Expect Jackson to be busy again.

 

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