IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 15

We’re on to the playoffs, and hopefully your title contenders are healthy now that we’re through the NFL’s final bye week – and what a doozy of a bye week it was with six teams taking the week off.

Just in case the injury bug strikes during the playoffs, or you’re eliminated and want to work the wire before your league-mates start thinking ahead to next season, I’ll continue writing this column through the end of the season.

It’s a bit of a sad landscape this week. If you’re looking for help at linebacker, defensive tackle or safety, I don’t have much to offer, so sorry if you’re in need.

Keep in mind when reading:

This advice is geared more toward 14- and 16-team dynasty setups, or 12-team setups with fairly large roster limits (65 spots or so). My goal is to write this for managers who must dig deeper on the wire in order to stay ahead for both this season and future years.

I’m probably not going to list many IDPs you can find in my top 150 rankings. I’ll list some obvious “shallow” league options but I don’t plan to go into much detail on those players unless there’s some growing dynasty (this season and beyond) appeal.

Not everyone I list is a recommended add. Sometimes I may just want to write up a player to convince you not to waste your FAAB on him.

Edge Rushers

Michael Danna, KC

It’s a struggle sometimes watching Danna try to play the run, but Kansas City sticks with him as one of its primary edges. He’s productive as a pass rusher, and produced his third sack of the season on Sunday in addition to three total tackles. Now, I could never recommend starting Danna in a championship game, but if you’re playing in week 17, the Chiefs do have a rematch with the Broncos – a team to target for edge rusher production.

James Houston IV, DET

All this man does is collect sacks! Houston’s unlikely story continued on Sunday when the sixth-rounder registered his fourth sack in three weeks – the first three games of Houston’s career. Putting him in your lineup would be a risky play – his nine defensive snaps against Minnesota brings his season total to 26 – but he needs to be rostered in all true position IDP leagues.

Arden Key, JAC

Travon Walker enjoyed a huge first quarter against Tennessee before suffering an ankle injury. It may be nothing, but should it keep the top pick out of action next week, Key seems like a logical passing-down beneficiary. Say what you will about him, but Key has always had some nice pass-rush ability. And granted most of his production came in an ideal game script, with the Jaguars up big on Tennessee in the second half, but Key registered a sack on two quarterback hits, recovered a fumble, and made four combined tackles (one for loss). He’s only in consideration if you’re in bad shape at edge.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, HOU

The former Ram is having a career year in his fifth season. And while it’s not quite at “breakout” level, it’s good enough that he needs to be rostered in IDP leagues with more than 12 teams. Okoronkwo now has sacks in back-to-back weeks, including one this week that forced a fumble by Dak Prescott. Okoronkwo hit Prescott on back-to-back fourth-quarter plays, and the second led to an interception. He also had a pass defensed and three combined tackles.

In dynasty terms, the dreadful Texans need a lot (notably a quarterback), so even though he’s a free agent, Okoronkwo will likely be recruited back to Houston next season to pair with Jonathan Greenard and any other decent edge options that are willing to sign for relatively cheap. So in short, if Okoronkwo returns to Houston, the competition shouldn’t be too stiff unless the Texans punt on quarterback and are in a position to nab Alabama star Will Anderson.

Joseph Ossai and Cameron Sample, CIN

Trey Hendrickson, who ranked top ten in pressures (per Pro Football Focus) going into week 14, broke a wrist Sunday and will reportedly miss a few weeks. That’s a pretty significant blow to the Cincinnati defense, which relies heavily on Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard at edge.

Ossai, the 2021 third-round pick who missed his entire rookie year following preseason knee surgery, would stand to be the primary beneficiary of Hendrickson’s absence. Unfortunately Ossai suffered what looked like a shoulder injury during the third quarter, leaving his status for next week seemingly in question.

I’d keep an eye out for any word on Ossai’s status prior to waiver runs, and he’s a top add at edge if he can play. He registered a sack in week 13 and got a hit on the quarterback in week 14, so there’s big play potential. I hope you’re not so desperate you need to consider Sample in a less-than-ideal matchup at Tampa Bay, but he should see a considerable bump in snaps should Ossai not be able to go. Rookie seventh-rounder Jeffrey Gunter, who has seen a handful of snaps during two games this season, should get elevated to the game-day 53. He’s a roll of the dice if you’re in a deep IDP league and want to scoop him up in case he pops.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Jonathon Cooper, DEN – The sophomore got home for a sack on Sunday – his second over the past two weeks. Cooper remains a viable streaming option in true position leagues.

A.J. Epenesa, BUF – The third-year edge is finally realizing his potential and trying to help make up for the loss of Von Miller. He’s likely rostered, but if he wasn’t prior to week 14 he surely will be now following a performance that included four solo tackles (one for loss), an assist, a strip sack and a batted a pass at the line of scrimmage on a day the Bills defense absolutely teed off on Mike White.

Michael Hoecht, LAR – Hoecht is learning to play edge on the fly and it showed on Thursday night. Hoecht frequently got sucked inside at the mesh point and left the edge wide open, leading to several big gains on outside runs. This may end up being a failed experiment, but in the short term, Hoecht is playing a lot (50 of 60 snaps) and providing acceptable production each week. Against the Raiders, he finished with three solo tackles, two assists and a hit on the quarterback.

Off-Ball Linebackers

Monty Rice, TEN

Joe Schobert was a dud but Rice came through with a dozen tackles (seven solo). Dylan Cole actually led Tennessee linebackers in snaps with the unit decimated by injuries (remember David Long Jr. and Zach Cunningham are on injured reserve), but he’s never been a productive tackler. So if Rice is still on the wire, he’s at least in consideration for your starting lineup. And with a good showing – something that has eluded him so far in his brief career – there’s some dynasty appeal with Long Jr. in a contract year and Cunningham a potential cap casualty.

Safeties

There’s nothing much appealing on the wire this week, so I wanted to focus on a couple of dynasty options – and both are rookies in Cincinnati.

Tycen Anderson and Daxton Hill, CIN

The Bengals hit the safety spot hard in the draft, nabbing Hill as a free safety/nickel defender in the late first and then Anderson in the fifth. Both picks could be starting in Cincinnati in 2023, as both Von Bell and Jessie Bates are set to hit free agency in the off-season. Bates, playing on the franchise tag, seems most obvious to go, given Hill’s first-round draft capital. But with Bell having a nice season and Cincinnati looking at market-setting contract commitments to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase post-2023, and good money headed toward Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson, I’d anticipate the Bengals being frugal at a position like safety.

Anderson, while no sure thing as a starter next season – he hasn’t played a snap this year due to a preseason hamstring injury – is a nice strong safety-type prospect. Assuming Bell isn’t back, I’d wager on Anderson battling for the job with a low-cost veteran.

Food for Thought

Josh Metellus, MIN – Metellus had a nice fantasy outing (seven solos and two assists) while subbing for Harrison Smith, who sat out with a neck injury. Smith was listed as questionable during the week, so we can’t exactly count on Metellus being much of a factor next week.

Jason Pinnock, NYG – Pinnock has had more staying power than I thought during Xavier McKinney‘s absence. The Giants got pummeled by the high-flying Eagles offense on Sunday – helping Pinnock to eight solos and an assist – and week 15 opponent Washington isn’t a great matchup for safety production, so I’d still avoid Pinnock if possible.

Eric Rowe, MIA – He hasn’t been much of a fantasy option this season, but Rowe erupted Sunday night against the Chargers with a sack, seven solo tackles (two for loss) and an assist. He did leave the game with a hamstring injury, so if you feel the need to give Rowe a go, be mindful of a potential injury.

K’Von Wallace, PHI – Already down Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the Eagles lost backup Reed Blankenship (two solo tackles) to a knee injury on Sunday. Wallace (five solos) is the next man up, and stands to see starter’s snaps should Blankenship be ruled out for week 15.

Andrew Wingard, JAC – As mentioned last week, Wingard is a threat to hit double-digit tackles in any game he sees full-time snaps. Wingard didn’t get double digits but still had a nice fantasy outing with six solo tackles (one for loss), one assist, a quarterback hit and an interception. He’ll again be a nice play in week 15 at home against Dallas should Andre Cisco again be sidelined.

Cornerbacks

Darren Hall, ATL

The 2021 fourth-round pick is coming off a bye, and has played well opposite A.J. Terrell. He was productive for three straight weeks prior to Atlanta’s bye, and has a good matchup this week against New Orleans. And if you’re still playing in week 17, the matchup with Arizona looks juicy for Falcons corners.

Damarri Mathis, DEN

The rookie fourth-rounder from Pitt has had four consecutive productive weeks (five solo tackles and a pass defensed against the Chiefs), and now draws the Cardinals, Rams and Chiefs again for the fantasy playoffs. He’s a locked-in starter down the stretch. Let’s ride!

Cam Taylor-Britt, CIN

The Bengals have been relying on Taylor-Britt, a good prospect out of Nebraska, to play a big role since starter Chidobe Awuzie tore an ACL back in week eight. The rookie had a productive week against Cleveland with five solo tackles, an assist and two passes defensed. And with matchups against Tampa Bay (week 15) and Buffalo (week 17) on tap, Taylor-Britt looks like a nice play in two playoff weeks.

Food for Thought

C.J. Henderson and Jaycee Horn, CAR – The Panthers duo is mostly spoken for in cornerback-required leagues, but where available both Henderson and Horn should be targeted this week on waiver wires with the Steelers coming to town. Pittsburgh is one of the most giving teams for opposing cornerback production.

Troy Hill, LAR – The veteran has been in and out of the lineup this season with a groin injury. When he’s been on the field he’s been a productive tackler, and finished with seven solo tackles and two assists against the Raiders while playing 58 of 60 snaps. Coming off a Thursday night game, Hill has some extra healing time with the Rams traveling to Green Bay for Monday Night Football.

Isaiah Rodgers, IND – Stephon Gilmore likely isn’t available in cornerback-required leagues, so with Indianapolis entering a prime matchup with Minneapolis, Rodgers becomes a viable streamer. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a desirable play, as Rodgers doesn’t see full-time snaps. But it’s a good matchup nonetheless.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Jerry Jacobs, DET – He should be rostered in all cornerback-required leagues. Since he started getting defensive snaps in week nine, he’s a borderline CB1. The matchups aren’t great down the stretch, but with the Detroit offense looking legit over the past five weeks, opponents will have to pass more to keep pace.