Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week One
Welcome to another season of IDP, or individual defensive players, on Dynasty League Football. While many of you reading this article may be veterans of IDP fantasy football, There are likely plenty of newcomers to this format as well. Congratulations on making the plunge, but good luck. By accepting this format of fantasy football, you’ve more than doubled the possible player pool for your league. While before, you were only focusing on the skill position players, and maybe the kickers. Now, with IDP, you have to focus on all of those players, plus literally every single defensive player in the game. It’s a daunting task, but we’re here at DLF to try to make it easier, so we can all win our leagues together.
The trickiest thing about IDP is that there is no standard format. Some leagues only require you to play one IDP, others you have to start 11. In one league, tackles can be the most important thing, in another, big plays like sacks and interceptions dominate the scoring. With no standard format, we have to cast a wide net in our analysis. In most of my IDP leagues, I start seven defensive players, two linemen, two linebackers, two defensive backs and one IDP flex. The flex player is almost always a linebacker, as they tend to be the highest-scoring position in my tackle-heavy scoring format. For the waiver wire articles, I’ll focus the bulk of my analysis on these leagues, while including some slightly shallower and slightly deeper players as well. For roster percentages, I’ll be using data from Sleeper, maxing out at 15% rostered. The order I list the players in is the order I would prioritize them on the waiver wire at each position
Be sure to check out the DLF Expert IDP Rankings for our experts’ takes on how IDP players should be valued for dynasty leagues.
Defensive Linemen
Montez Sweat, DE CHI, 9%
Sweat said that the situation in Washington was “toxic” for him, so a change of scenery was very necessary. With Chicago, he had the best season of his career last year, racking up 57 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Hopefully the Bears offense will improve this season, creating more passing situations for the defense, and even more pass-rushing opportunities for Sweat.
Rashan Gary, DE GB, 11%
Gary has struggled since the 2021 season, but he played in all 17 games last season and led the Packers in sacks. Recovering from a 2022 injury, he was ramped up as the season went along, working up to a 73% snap share in the final game of the season. He’s healthy coming into 2024 and should rack up pressures and tackles.
Justin Madubuike, DT BAL, 3%
Madubuike is the first defensive tackle on the list, and he’d be lower in leagues that don’t require you to play defensive tackles. For the most part, if your league only has defensive lineman positions, you’ll want the edge rushers more than the tackles. There are certainly exceptions to the rule, Aaron Donald was an IDL and dominated IDP leagues for years, but that’s a rarity. That being said, 13 sacks from the interior is absolutely incredible. Pile on 56 tackles with that and Madubuike had a great year last year. It will be tough to repeat those numbers, but the Ravens signed him to a long-term extension, and expect him to anchor their defensive line for years to come.
Jermaine Johnson, DE NYJ, 3%
Johnson had a really nice breakout season in his second year. He was second on the team in sacks in 2024 and racked up 55 tackles as well. He could see an increase in volume this year after the Jets traded away John Franklin-Myers. They’re also in a contract dispute with Haason Reddick and could end up trading him as well.
More Options to Consider:
Derrick Brown, DT CAR, 5%; George Karlaftis, DE KC, 3%; Lukas Van Ness, DE GB, 14%; Ed Oliver, DT BUF, 5%; Kobie Turner, DT LAR 0% or Braden Fiske, DT LAR, 0%; Boye Mafe, DE MIA, 2%; Tuli Tuipulotu, DE LAC, 2%
Linebackers
Azeez Al-Shaair, LB HOU, 10%
Al-Shaair had career highs in tackles and IDP points last season with the Tennessee Titans. He signed a prove-it deal with Tennessee last year, and now that he’s proven it, the Texans have brought him in on a three-year deal. They will lean on Al-Shaair to be the central piece of their second-unit and he should get plenty of tackles in this spot.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB CLE, 13%
Owusu-Koramoah earned a massive extension last season when he broke out for 98 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He was highly touted coming out of college, and he could finally be playing up to that pedigree. He’ll play out wide to help in all phases of the game for Cleveland.
Trenton Simpson, LB BAL, 4%
Going into his second NFL season, Simpson appears to have earned a starting role in the Ravens defense. He had a quiet rookie season, until he broke out for seven tackles and a sack in week 18 on only 26 snaps. He’s a great IDP sleeper for this season, but we’ll need to see what his snap share is in week one.
Ivan Pace Jr, LB MIN, 2%
Pace flew under the radar in the pre-draft process and landed on the Vikings as a UDFA in 2023. He went on to log 97 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced two turnovers. The Vikings are a blitz-heavy team, leading to opportunities for big plays by their IDPs. Pace could play an every-down role on his team.
More Options to Consider:
Kyzir White, LB ARI, 10%; Germaine Pratt, LB CIN, 7%; EJ Speed, LB IND, 2%; Tyrel Dodson, LB SEA, 2%; KJ Britt, LB TB, 0%
Defensive Backs
Julian Love, S SEA, 9%
Love has had back-to-back triple-digit tackle seasons, and he had a career-high four interceptions on top of that in 2023. He’s only 26 years old going into his sixth NFL season. The Seahawks gave him an extension this summer. He should be a good bet once again to rack up a large amount of tackles.
Josh Metellus, S MIN, 0%
Metellus is a big play waiting to happen in the Vikings defensive backfield. He’s a jack-of-all-trades type of defender who Brian Flores loves to move around the field and get into the backfield. Last year, he performed like an LB in IDP scoring, but he has the DB designation you can use as a much less valuable position. If he comes anywhere close to 122 tackles and 2.5 sacks, he’s a steal off the waiver wire.
Camryn Bynum, S MIN, 2%
We’ll stay in Minnesota and highlight Camryn Bynum, who had a career year last season, leading the Vikings in tackles with 137. Brian Flores did a lot for this defensive unit last year, and your fellow managers may be slow on the uptick going into his second season.
Amani Hooker, S TEN, 3%
Hooker was on his way to a solid 2023 campaign before a leg injury knocked him out in the team’s 13th game. He’s back and healthy through Titans training camp, and should be in line to start the season at full strength. The team brought in Jamal Adams this season, so that could hurt Hooker’s ability to contribute at a high level in tackles like he had last season, but he could make up for that with big plays in the passing game.
More Options to Consider:
Reed Blankenship, S PHI, 5%; Kerby Joseph, S DET, 8%; Tyrique Stevenson, CB CHI, 1%; Trent McDuffie, CB KC, 4%; DeShon Elliott, S PIT, 2%
- Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week 16 - December 16, 2024
- Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week 15 - December 9, 2024
- Tactical Transactions: Dynasty Moves to Make Before Week 14 - December 3, 2024
