Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week 13

Tim Riordan

Week 12 was dubbed “bye-mageddon”, with six teams on bye. As this piece is written, only 24 teams have played this week. Thankfully, the NFL gives us a short reprieve of zero teams on bye this week, before going back for six more teams on bye week 14. With no bye weeks this week, it may be a less crucial waiver wire than normal. Luckily, this is a thin week for waiver wire pickups for IDP leagues. Most of the top scorers in week 12 were highly-rostered and there were few major injuries on the defensive side of the ball. While the waiver wire may be thin, it’s time to start looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs and some of the juicy matchups we could target to win a fantasy championship.

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Teams that give up three or more sacks-per-game, and their schedule for the playoff weeks.

The table above highlights the teams that will have multiple matchups against teams that give up three or more sacks per game. Miami in particular has a juicy playoff schedule with Houston (3.3 sacks/game) in week 15 and Cleveland (4.3 sacks/game) in the championship week. The Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in football getting to the quarterback, only recording 21 sacks through the first 11 games of the season. While that may limit the upside of their pass-rushers in these matchups, it also means they are readily available. Emmanuel Ogbah, Chop Robinson, Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler all have four sacks this season, leading the team. Of them, Robinson is the most desirable, especially in dynasty leagues, but he’s also on the most rosters. That number is only 40% though, so it would be worth checking to see if he, or any of these other Dolphin players, are available for the playoff run in your leagues. Along with these Dolphins, here are some more players to consider off the wire this week.

As a reminder, these waiver wire suggestions are based on dynasty leagues that start seven defensive players, two at each position group and a flex. Some players profiled will be for deeper leagues, and others for more shallow leagues, but with no standard format for IDP leagues, we need to cast a wide net. I’ll be using roster percentage data from Sleeper.

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

D.J. Wonnum, DE CAR, 23%

In the two games since Wonnum returned from injury, he’s had 11 tackles (six solo, three for a loss), two sacks and a forced fumble. He’s shown a nose for the quarterback and an ability to rack up tackles in the run game for Carolina this season. He’s on the field plenty, getting in 57 snaps on Sunday, 77% of the Panthers defensive plays. Next week, the Panthers play the Bucs, a team that only allows 13.1 tackles/game to defensive linemen (28th in the league). But, things will be better the week after that with Philadelphia.

Nick Herbig, EDGE PIT, 17%

Herbig has had a really solid season for the Steelers. The 2023 fourth-round pick who was born and raised in Hawaii has managed to get to the quarterback four times this season in only seven games. More impressively, he’s forced three fumbles in those seven games. With TJ Watt demanding so much attention from opposing offenses, Herbig has garnered less attention, and taken advantage of the situation. In his second game back from a hamstring injury, Herbig had a strip sack and five tackles (three solo). The Steelers will play the Bengals next week.

Braden Fiske, DT LAR, 31%

Fiske has been a frequent feature in the IDP waiver wire article on DLF. He’s now had five sacks over the last four games with another sack against Jalen Hurts this week. He also had four tackles, two of them solo. Of course, he’s no Aaron Donald, but he’s done a fine job filling the giant hole left behind by the future hall-of-fame defensive tackle.

Other Players to Consider: Christian Barmore, DT NE, 21%; Calijah Kancey, DE TB, 28%; Yetur Gross-Matos, DE SF, 5%; A’Shawn Robinson, DT CAR, 9%; Jer’Zhan Newton, DT WAS, 23%; Odafe Oweh, EDGE BAL, 26%

Linebackers

Christian Rozeboom, LB LAR, 29%

Rozeboom once again led the team in tackles, earning 12 total tackles against the Eagles. It’s the third time in four weeks that Rozeboom has had double-digit tackles, and he’s up to 89 on the season through 11 games. Unfortunately, 43 of them have been assisted tackles. He’s 9th in the NFL in assists. He’s only made one “big play” this season, so he’s especially valuable in tackle-heavy leagues. However, the Rams rotate their linebackers, so he only played on 75% of the snaps in week 12. He’ll play the Buffalo Bills next week.

Tyrice Knight, LB SEA, 19%

Knight fell into a massive workload after the team released Tyrel Dodson (who has garnered a large role in the Dolphins defense, if he’s available on your waiver wire). In Knight’s second game as a starter, he got his first career sack. He also racked up nine total tackles (five solo) and one for a loss. He can’t be considered an every-week starter, because he doesn’t quite have an every-down role for the Seahawks. He played on 81% of the snaps this week, trailing only Ernest Jones in linebacker naps for Seattle. But, especially in tackle-heavy leagues, he’s worth a roster spot and potentially a starting spot in deep leagues.

Malcolm Rodriguez, LB DET, 11%

With Alex Anzalone out for the near future, Malcolm Rodriguez had a much larger role in week 12. He played 89.1% of the snaps against the Colts and had a season-high eight total tackles (the most since his rookie season in 2022). It’s the same story as Knight, he isn’t an every-down player, so he’s not a must-roster player, but he has a large role in the Lions defense until Anzalone returns.

Other Players to Consider: Mohamoud Diabate, LB CLE, 11%; Devin Bush, LB CLE, 17%; Cody Barton, LB DEN, 34%; Pete Werner, LB NO, 32%

Defensive Backs

Ugo Amadi, S NO, 6%

Amadi has gotten a full-time role in the Saints defense since the trade deadline opened up a spot for him in the secondary. While the Saints were on bye last week, he remains a player to consider. Next week, the Rams play the Rams, who give up 13.6 tackles to safety a week, seventh most in the league.

Xavier Woods, S CAR, 21% or Jordan Fuller, S CAR, 19%

The Panthers defense is on the field plenty this season, and Woods and Fuller have both been productive in the tackle column this season, when healthy. Woods had more tackles last week, but Fuller made the big play forcing a fumble. Both players were on the field for every snap the Panthers played on Sunday, 74 of them.

Marcus Jones, CB NE, 12%

Marcus Jones had his best fantasy game of the season last week against the Dolphins. He had a season-high eight solo tackles and defended a season-high three passes. Christian Gonzalez is a great cover corner, so quarterbacks are more likely to force the ball Jones’s way in coverage. With that comes more opportunities for tackles, defended passes and interceptions.

Other Players to Consider: Jonathan Owens, S CHI, 7%; Josh Butler, CB DAL, 2%; Malik Mustapha, S SF, 14%; Harrison Smith, S MIN, 33%; Kamren Kinchins, S LAR, 18%

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