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Happy November, RotoBallers. Welcome to our weekly columns to help you win on the defensive side of the ball. Today we are here to review some IDP waiver wire pickups for Week 9.
The following players are not necessarily “must start” players for IDP leagues, but rather, players that currently have below 25% ownership levels (in Yahoo! Leagues) and are suggested deep-league IDP additions for this week.
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Linebackers - Week 8 IDP Waiver Adds
Nate Stupar, Saints
Matchup: @ 49ers
Ownership: 1%
Stupar has been one the biggest surprises from an IDP standpoint over the past month. A seventh round pick in 2012, he has bounced around the league primarily as a depth linebacker and special teams contributor. The Saints awful defense (stop me if you’ve heard this before) needed an injection at the linebacker position, and they turned to Stupar to fill in for the underachieving James Laurinaitis and Stephone Anthony, who has shockingly become a complete non-factor for IDP owners. In the previous three weeks where he received a significant boost in playing time, Stupar has accumulated 18 total tackles (14 solo) and had an impressive interception on Russell Wilson this past week. His matchup against the 49ers is a good one, and he should continue to stay on the field plenty.
Nick Perry, Packers
Matchup: vs. Colts
Ownership: 3%
Let this be known: I do not like Perry. I believe he has been a significant bust since Green Bay made him a first round pick in 2012 and is a borderline IDP contributor this season. However, Perry fills this slot for Week 9, solely based on my now weekly trend of putting the best pass rushing linebacker/lineman against the Colts brutal offensive line on the list. In last weeks column, I advised IDP owners to pounce on Chiefs LB Dee Ford simply based on his matchup, and he racked up 3.5 sacks. Perry is in a similar situation this week, and while 3.5 sacks is tough to project, he should see plenty of chances to bring down Andrew Luck.
Derrick Morgan, Titans
Matchup: @ Chargers
Ownership: 4%
Morgan is presently on one of the best stretches of his career from a pass rushing standpoint, picking up 5.5 sacks in his previous four games. In fact, the last game he failed to record a sack was Week 4. Morgan is a talented player with a strong matchup this weekend, as the Titans front seven will square off against a Chargers offensive line that has allowed an average of 2.6 sacks allowed per game (6th most in the NFL) and are coming off a game in which Philip Rivers went down four times against the Broncos.
Thomas Davis, Panthers
Matchup: @ Rams
Ownership: 18%
Davis has been an IDP force throughout his underrated career, but like the Panthers, has been inconsistent through most of 2016. Davis, however, is coming off his most productive contest of the season that included 6.0 total tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Perhaps the Panthers Week 7 bye rejuvenated the veteran, who certainly has an appealing matchup in Los Angeles against a Rams team that should look to keep the ball out of their quarterbacks’ hands, whoever that is going to be.
Jatavis Brown, Chargers
Matchup: vs. Titans
Ownership: 21%
Brown has emerged onto the IDP scene out of nowhere this season for the Chargers, who were expected to get massive production at linebacker from other sources. Injuries and inconsistent performances at the linebacker position has given the rookie fifth rounder an opportunity, and he has run with it. Brown is logging more snaps at linebacker than anybody else on the team in recent weeks and faces a Titans team this Sunday that features a true “ground and pound” offense which will give him ample opportunity for stops.
Defensive Linemen - Week 9 IDP Waiver Adds
Armonty Bryant, Lions
Matchup: @ Vikings
Ownership: 0%
Bryant, waived by the Browns this summer after accruing a 4 game PED suspension, has provided a tremendous pass rush presence for the Lions since returning. The linebacker/defensive end hybrid has notched a sack in three of his last four games and faces a Vikings offensive line that has been an absolute disaster the previous two weeks, surrendering a total of 11.0 sacks in that span! Bryant won’t provide much in terms of tackles or other counting stats, so there is risk here, but the matchup may be too favorable to avoid if you are in need of a defensive lineman this week.
Cliff Avril, Seahawks
Matchup: vs. Bills (Monday)
Ownership: 21%
The Seahawks host the Bills on Monday Night Football this week in one of the stranger matchups of the year. The Seahawks defense have yielded uneven results as a whole unit thus far, but Avril has managed to turn in consistent performances for over a month now, registering at least 1.0 sack in his prior four contests for a total of 6.5 over that span. The Bills offensive line has yielded an average of 3.0 sacks per contest over their last three tilts, and should have a hard time containing the pass rush and the noise in Seattle Monday night.
Defensive Backs - Week 9 IDP Waiver Adds
Michael Thomas, Dolphins
Matchup: vs. Jets
Ownership: 0%
Someone has to fill in for the injured All-Pro Reshad Jones, right? Thomas is a little known safety from Stanford now in his fourth year for the Dolphins, who began receiving significant playing time only last season. He was fairly productive down the stretch in 2015, and was on the field for 100% of defensive snaps in Miami’s Week 7 tilt before the bye, the first game without Jones. There are safer one week plug-and-play options out there, but Thomas is widely available and offers more potential upside than most other options on the wire.
Bradley McDougald, Buccaneers
Matchup: @ Falcons (Thursday)
Ownership: 15%
McDougald appears on the IDP Waiver list for back-to-back weeks. The third year safety racked up lofty tackle numbers in October, collecting 31 total tackles, including a whopping 28 solo in four games. He is a rock solid contributor both for Tampa and for IDP owners out of the DB slot, and sets the floor very high with his penchant for tackling. A Thursday night matchup with the pass-heavy Falcons will give McDougald plenty of opportunities.
Keanu Neal, Falcons
Matchup: vs. Buccaneers (Thursday)
Ownership: 17%
The rookie thumper had his career get off to a slow start due to a late preseason knee injury, but he has certainly provided a huge boost to the Falcons secondary. Neal was a true enforcer in college, prompting Atlanta to nab him in the first round of this years draft and his tackle numbers have made him an IDP asset. In Neal’s previous five games, he has totaled 45 tackles (29 solo), and like McDougald, offers a high floor as a result. The Falcons will look to avenge their Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, and Neal figures to play a big role Thursday night, especially if the Bucs feature their passing game given their depleted stable of running backs.
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
