RADIO
Here we are again, tumbling into another week of our Rotoballer IDP Waiver column. As you are likely aware by now, we will typically begin this column with a hilarious joke that makes our biggest fan Trevor fall out of his seat laughing. Then we usually move onto a recap of the injuries and any significant IDP news that informs our Week 5 waiver priorities. This week we will diverge just slightly from this formula, however.
Sorry Trevor, but I know you’ll manage since you aren’t real.
Instead of our usual hilarious and brilliant intro this week, we will begin our waiver column with a very special segment I like to call: Berating You Softly. The way this will work is I will list a few fantasy superstars who are wildly under-rostered in IDP leagues.
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Intro
With each of these under-rostered players, I will politely address the fantasy managers who fail to roster them and explain what they need to do to fix the problem. Sounds simple enough, huh? So let’s get started!
- Myles Garrett (Available in 53.8% of ESPN leagues and 42% of Yahoo leagues): 53.8% of IDP managers on ESPN are idiots. 42% of IDP managers on Yahoo are idiots. Pick him up, idiots! There, analysis done. You’re welcome, my adoring fans.
- Jamal Adams (Available in 47% of ESPN leagues and 49% of Yahoo leagues): The only situation in which Adams should be on waivers is if your league doesn’t use DBs, or if your scoring and roster setup seriously discourages the use of DBs. If you’re in a league like that, leave it immediately and start a better one. On your way out, consider sending a hateful letter to the commissioner of that league. Use expletives in your letter, while you’re at it. Get colorful with it. After all, fantasy football is supposed to be fun, right?
- Budda Baker (Available in 44% of ESPN leagues and 53% of Yahoo leagues): See my comments on Jamal Adams, and repeat them here. All IDP leagues should value players like Baker, Adams, and Garrett. Any IDP league in which superstars like Budda Baker and Myles Garrett are considered droppable should not exist, whether they are injured for a few weeks or not. Just ask Trevor!
There, wasn't that fun? And it was kind of nice for me to be able to sit down and have a constructive conversation with you, too. Hopefully, we can continue our polite and civil discourse on a social media outlet that encourages the free exchange of ideas and discourages hateful attacks on one another. Places like that still exist, right? And if they do, me calling you idiots won’t get banned from those places… will it?
Thus concludes our first edition of Berating You Softly. Thanks for reading, if you did!
If you skipped all of that and are just looking for waiver adds, it is on to our waiver rankings for Week 5!
IDP Settings
As a reminder, we will use the following IDP designations/league settings for our FAAB recommendations:
- Standard Scoring Leagues: This system usually rewards 1-point per tackle, 3-points per sack, 4-points per turnover, and sometimes offers 2-points for a tackle for loss (TFL) or pass deflection (PD). Standard leagues also usually only start one DL, LB, and DB, respectively. You will always prioritize your FAAB budget towards offensive players in Standard Scoring IDP leagues, though you shouldn't underestimate the value of adding a great defender in them.
- Defense Premium Leagues: Defense Premium leagues tend to try to make defensive players worth as much as offensive players. Commissioners often accomplish this by rewarding 2-points per tackle, 3-points for TFL or PDs, 4-points per sack, and 6-points per turnover. In these leagues, you don't necessarily prioritize offensive players on waivers. While it is a case-by-case analysis, defenders in these leagues can often be worth as much as most offensive waiver additions.
- Deep Defense Leagues: These are leagues that have you start a full defense, or require you to start CBs and DTs, or they are leagues so deep (think 16 team leagues) that at least 32 players at each position (DL, LB, and DB) start every week.
- Dynasty Leagues: This is self-explanatory to most. Dynasty leagues are those in which every player you draft/add is on your team until you trade or release him.
Now that we have that explanation out of the way, let's get to this week's top adds! Remember that we will only address defenders who are rostered in less than 30% of IDP leagues on ESPN, Yahoo, or other prominent sites. We will also do our best to avoid obvious additions. While players like Myles Garrett are somehow rostered in only 31% of ESPN IDP leagues, we assume that anyone reading this material knows to add Garrett if they can.
1. Akiem Hicks, DL, Chicago Bears
Last year, the Chicago Bears' run defense was a completely different unit without Hicks on the field. They went from stuffing stars like Aaron Jones to letting opposing RBs run all over them once Hicks went down. That drop in production spoke volumes about how valuable Hicks is to the Bears’ overall defensive performance, but it didn’t speak to just how effective Hicks could be on the fantasy front.
This year, the 30-year-old veteran already has 3.5 sacks, seven TFLs, and 12 solo tackles. Hicks’ production isn’t a flash in the pan either, considering he has accumulated at least seven sacks, double-digit TFLs, and 50+ tackles in every healthy season he has played since 2016. Hicks should be rostered in all 12-team redraft leagues, as well as in all Deep Defense setups. He is also a worthy addition in deep Defense Premium leagues, but his age could keep him off many shallow dynasty rosters.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait Until Waivers Clear
Defense Premium FAAB: Wait
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
2. Javon Kinlaw, DL, San Francisco 49ers
If you pick up Kinlaw, do so with an eye on the future and not on the immediate present. While Kinlaw is getting far more playing time on this 49ers front than was expected, thanks to injuries on the San Francisco defensive line, you’ll want to see him regularly close out sacks before you consider starting him in fantasy. Don’t be surprised if Kinlaw becomes a usable fantasy asset sooner than later, however.
With just four games under his belt, Kinlaw’s game is evolving at a surprising rate. While he came into 49ers’ camp as a raw bull rusher who struggled in one-on-one drills, the past two weeks have seen the rookie effectively utilizing pass rush moves that he didn’t have in August. It is truly impressive to see this highly drafted rookie learning and executing new maneuvers so quickly, seeing as many with his physical skills and pedigree don’t even bother to develop their technique. While Kinlaw only has eight pressures to his name (two per game) so far, he is evolving quickly. Do not be surprised if he soon turns pressures into sacks. Add him now in Deep Defense leagues if available, in dynasties, and in leagues that require multiple DT starters.
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
Dynasty: 2%
3. Trevon Diggs, DB, Dallas Cowboys
Remember that the fantasy CB position is one of the most counterintuitive in all of fantasy sports. The best NFL corners rarely make good fantasy CBs, because opportunity is king in fantasy and shutdown corners get very few of those. Meanwhile, average or young corners often make good fantasy CBs because they are targeted frequently, giving them ample chances at tackles and turnovers.
While the jury is still out on whether Diggs is a good NFL cornerback, he is definitely proving to be a valuable fantasy CB right now. He has a 100% snap share so far, despite being a rookie, and he should continue to be targeted by opponents looking to keep up with the Cowboys’ high-powered offense. The former Alabama defender is averaging over five solo-tackles a game and has forced a turnover in two of his first four games, and it isn’t unreasonable to expect that production to continue. Add him in leagues where a CB starter is required.
Deep Defense FAAB: 3%
Dynasty FAAB: 2%
4. Jeremy Chinn, DB/LB, Carolina Panthers
As exhausting as my love for Chinn can be, he is still rostered in less than 20% of IDP leagues, so he is still on this list. He leads his team in both total tackles and solos, plus his experience as a college cornerback suggests he could pick up some turnovers someday soon. He should be considered a DB starter with a high floor in all formats that value tackles.
Standard Scoring FAAB: 3%
Defense Premium FAAB: 3%
Deep Defense FAAB: 7%
Dynasty: 6%
5. Anthony Walker, LB, Indianapolis Colts
Walker was another member of our pre-season IDP sleeper column, and he was a top-100 defender for me as far back as May. He has historically been a steady contributor in the tackles department, and he cleaned up when Darius Leonard left the game in Week 4. If Leonard cannot go in Week 5, Walker is an easy spot-starter for fantasy managers looking to replace Leonard for a week or two. He is also worth rostering long-term in Deep Defense leagues if he is available.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
6. Kyzir White, LB, Los Angeles Chargers
Now that he is getting starter minutes, this little known defender is tied for 12th in the NFL in solo tackles through four games (three starts). He also has three TFLs and a PD in that time, which isn't significant, but it adds some additional value in leagues that reward points for those stats. He is well worth a waiver pickup in Deep Defense leagues and 16-team IDP setups.
Standard Scoring FAAB: Wait
Defense Premium FAAB: Wait
7. Josey Jewell, LB, Denver Broncos
A former NFL Draft sleeper for me and many others, Jewell is having an excellent season now that he is a full-time and healthy starter. So far, he has 21 solos, two sacks, a PD, and three TFLs. He can continue that pace, even playing next to another fantasy-relevant ILB in Alexander Johnson. Jewell has value in Deep Defense leagues, as well as in 14-team Defense Premium setups. He is relatively young, so if you play in a deep dynasty, you can add him to your bench as well.
Defense Premium FAAB: 3%
Deep Defense FAAB: 2%
Dynasty: Wait
8. Mike Hilton, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers
In a secondary with big names like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden, it is Hilton who is picking up the fantasy slack early in the 2020 season. While Hilton is a nickel back, meaning he is on the field less than Fitzpatrick and Haden, he has still managed 11 solos, two sacks, three PDs, and two turnovers in three games. That production isn't out of line with his stats from 2018 and 2019, either.
While Hilton obviously won’t continue his 11 sack pace, it won’t be at all surprising if Pittsburgh blitzes him enough to add four more sacks by the end of the year. Opposing offenses are keying on the Steelers’ defensive stars (T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree in particular), and Hilton has the skills to take advantage of that. Also worth noting is that Hilton has already had his bye, so having him as your starting CB (or DB in deep leagues) gives you slight roster flexibility that others may not. He is worth adding in Deep Defense setups, leagues that require you to start a CB, and in 12-team Defense Premium leagues.
Defense Premium FAAB: 2%
Deep Defense FAAB: 3%
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