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With Week 8 in our rearview and nearly half the season done, this is an excellent time for us to consider some of the most disappointing and most surprising fantasy defenders this year. What better way to address that ever-popular issue than with our first-ever Mid-Season IDP Waiver Wire Awards?!
With that in mind, we will be presenting our Week 9 IDP waiver column in a slightly different format this week. Instead of a strict look at viable fantasy defenders available in 20% of IDP leagues, we will be handing out Mid-Season Waiver Awards to our favorite waiver wire-eligible defenders. Most of these awards will go to familiar tacklers who qualify for our waiver column as per usual, but a few will be different.
This week we will not only be including our most attractive additions of the week, but we will take a look at several disappointments that can be easily dropped. Remember that for every player worth adding, there needs to be someone worth dropping. Our Mid-Season Waiver Awards will recognize both ends of this spectrum…. And with that addressed, let’s get to our weekly list of priority IDP waiver additions. As always, to qualify for this list, the defender must be rostered in less than 20% of IDP leagues.
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The Surprisingly Tasty Half-Eaten Burrito You Found in the Trash Award goes to… Randy Gregory!
Rostered in 3.5% of IDP leagues
That's right! The winner of this award is, appropriately enough, a guy who's been suspended four times and missed 43 games in his five-year career. After a horrific start to his career, Gregory was left for dead by many fantasy fans and journalists, and he went undrafted in nearly every IDP redraft this summer. Despite that, Gregory has totaled five sacks, two turnovers, and 11 quarterback hits over the past four games.
The former Cornhusker is worth picking out of the trash, dusting off, and biting into on your bye week. Gregory could also become even more valuable when Demarcus Lawrence returns, as the Cowboys could finally unleash their full attack.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
The Banging My Head Against the Wall Award goes to… Kyle Dugger!
Rostered in 11.1% of IDP leagues
Despite scoring the tenth most points amongst DBs in standard IDP scoring this year, the Patriots’ sophomore safety is the 39th most rostered DB in all of fantasy. While his roster percentage is slowly climbing, it isn’t climbing fast enough. We will beat this drum and hand this award to Dugger until you render him ineligible.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 3%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 5%
The We Told You So Award goes to… Kamren Curl!
Rostered in 2.6% of IDP leagues
Now before you go getting upset about the title of this award, know that we are mostly taunting the Washington Football Team here… mostly.
In all seriousness, though, we warned Ron Rivera this summer that Washington's deference to Landon Collins’s personal preferences would not only hurt the fantasy value of Kamren Curl, but it would harm the defense as a whole. Surprisingly, Rivera didn't heed our warnings. The defense has suffered as a result of that, and a myriad of other issues.
Luckily for fantasy managers, Washington seems to finally be realizing Collins is a liability in coverage. That's likely why Washington is playing Collins at linebacker more, while giving Curl more snaps at his old free-ranging safety position… which is what we said they should do in the first place. As a result of that obvious move, Curl's fantasy value is rising back up. He's an excellent buy-low option and a fine dynasty addition as well.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Dynasty IDP Leagues: 4%
The Gimpy Guy Worth Stashing Award goes to… Demarcus Lawrence!
Rostered in 13.2% of IDP leagues
The past month has seen Lawrence’s rostership drop an understandable 42% thanks to his current injury. Lawrence is now pegged to return to Dallas sometime in Week 10 or 11, which is just a few weeks away. Given Lawrence's history as a premium DL2 in fantasy and the ease with which you can add him in most IDP leagues, you may want to consider stashing him in your IR spot now while he can be had for nothing.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
The Attack of the Youths Award goes to… Nick Bolton!
Rostered in 12.8% of IDP leagues
Okay, not all of our award titles can be winners. The point is, Bolton is a rookie who should be rostered in far more leagues. He has at least nine tackles in half of his games this year, his playing time is increasing, and he benefits from the Chiefs’ recent struggles to score points.
As long as opponents try to ground Patrick Mahomes by running the ball, or as long as Andy Reid’s offense keeps games close by turning the ball over, Bolton will see a steady dose of tackle opportunities. Consider him a borderline LB2.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Dynasty IDP Leagues: 3%
The Fancy Donut That Tastes Like a Tire Dipped in Deodorant Award goes to… Zach Cunningham!
Rostered in 42.8% of IDP leagues
There are few fantasy defenders having a more disappointing season than Cunningham, at least right now. To open the season, he was considered a low-end LB1 in most fantasy circles, and he started the year off right. Unfortunately, the former Vanderbilt star’s season started to tank quickly, culminating in the loss of his starting job in Houston.
Now Cunningham’s primary hope for a fantasy rebound is a trade by Tuesday's deadline. While such a trade is relatively unlikely, even that may not result in his immediate return to fantasy relevance. This overpaid backup shouldn't be rostered in more leagues than Jordyn Brooks, Isaiah Simmons, or Bobby Okereke right now, but he is. You can drop Cunningham to add someone better.
The Bruce Willis Award goes to… John Johnson III!
Rostered in 24.7% of IDP leagues
We reserve this award for guys who are still selling tickets based on hits from their past but haven't lived up to expectations in quite some time. That description fits Johnson almost perfectly, as he's the 20th most rostered DB in fantasy despite putting up only one starter-worthy performance in eight contests. Johnson is a guy you should absolutely try to package to someone and see if you can get an HD copy of Die Hard in return, even though his real value is probably closer to a used VHS of The Whole Ten Yards… or perhaps that's a bit harsh?
In case these Bruce Willis references weren't clear, Johnson is droppable in most IDP formats. Better options that are rostered in fewer IDP leagues than him include Jonathan Abram, Kyle Dugger, and Jordan Fuller.
The Broken Record Award goes to… Trey Hendrickson!
Rostered in 5.4% of IDP leagues
Hendrickson now sits fifth in the NFL in sacks, has been a member of this list for weeks, and yet he’s rostered in fewer leagues than Bradley Chubb and J.J. Watt, both of whom are on IR. Cure this now. Hendrickson is a DL2 the rest of the year.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 2%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 5%
The Smiling Poop Emoji Award goes to… Jabril Peppers!
Rostered in 19.2% of IDP leagues
No offense to Peppers, but the guy is out for the season yet he's still rostered in nearly 20% of leagues. What makes matters worse is his role on the Giants defense was dwindling before his injury, and he had just two fantasy-viable games out of six.
People in anything but the deepest of dynasty leagues should let go here. There’s no reason more people should have him on their team than have Justin Simmons, Tracy Walker, or J.C. Jackson. Drop Peppers like you’d drop the turd emoji in a text argument if you can.
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