IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 17

Thanks for sticking with this column this season! With very few leagues having anything to play for in the NFL’s week 18 regular season finale, this week 17 edition will be my last IDP waiver wire article for the 2022 season.

In the near term I’ll be doing some deeper dives into the 2022 rookie class for a rookie review series that will start rolling out in February. And, I’ll be reworking my top 150 rankings headed into the off-season.

Good luck in your league championships! And if you’ve unfortunately been eliminated, keep reading for a handful of dynasty stashes.

Edge Rushers

Michael Danna, KC

Russell Wilson looks like a rookie trying to play quarterback right now. I want any piece of the Chiefs defensive line this week, and the versatile Danna seems likely to be the most attainable off the wire in the majority of dynasty leagues.

Carl Granderson, NO

You could do a lot worse at defensive end than Granderson, who had a big week 16 with one sack on two quarterback hits, five solo tackles (three for loss) and an assist. He’s been a surprise this season, but he’s more productive than the disappointment that is Marcus Davenport and the always-injured Payton Turner. Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata can be had, so don’t shy away from this matchup in week 17.

Shaq Lawson, BUF

I’m not saying I would have Shaq Lawson on the field more than A.J. Epenesa, but that’s what the Bills are doing. Assuming Epenesa (who picked up a sack on Saturday in Chicago) is rostered, Lawson (four solo tackles – two in the backfield) is looking good as a streamer in a favorable matchup vs. the Bengals’ Jonah Williams.

Cameron Sample, CIN

With Sam Hubbard out with a calf strain, Sample has topped 53 snaps in each of the past two weeks. He hit paydirt with a sack plus six combined tackles (three solo) against New England, and draws a winnable matchup against Buffalo’s Spencer Brown this week. Teammate Joseph Ossai, credited with half-a-sack on a quarterback hit plus an assist on Saturday, is back to backing up Trey Hendrickson on the right side. He’s more dynamic than Sample and the preferred dynasty hold, but you can’t plug him in a lineup this week.

Food for Thought

Adetokunbo Ogundeji, ATL – I hesitate to even mention Ogundeji but he is Atlanta’s primary left edge, meaning he’ll go against Kelvin Beachum in week 17, and that’s a winnable matchup. Even so, this is a bad idea, so you’d better be more desperate than a 30-year-old virgin to take this chance.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Jonathon Cooper, DEN – The sophomore outproduced Baron Browning, Randy Gregory and Nik Bonitto on Sunday with three solos and four assists on 41 snaps. He’ll see plenty of opportunity against Kansas City in week 17.

Michael Hoecht, LAR – The Great Michael Hoecht Experiment continues in Los Angeles, with the converted interior lineman collecting one-and-a-half sacks on two quarterback hits, plus three combined tackles on 46 snaps against the Russell Wilson-”led” Broncos. If you’re not auto-checking the box next to his name these days, you have some nice options at defensive line.

Anthony Nelson, TB – As mentioned last week, Tampa Bay really has no one else to turn to at edge opposite Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Due to holiday travel obligations I’m having to submit this article near the end of the third quarter of Sunday night’s game, but Nelson has already notched a strip sack to go along with a handful of tackles. Week 17’s matchup against Carolina is pretty average for edge rushers, but Nelson’s been productive with his late-season opportunity.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, HOU – After a quiet week 15, Okoronkwo was at it again against Tennessee, registering two sacks and five solo tackles (three in the backfield). With four sacks over the past four weeks, the free-agent-to-be is writing himself into a decent payday.

Interior Defensive Linemen

Larrell Murchison and Jonah Williams, LAR

After shutting down Aaron Donald for the season, mad scientist Sean McVay is just seeing how far he can go with a rag-tag defensive line. Murchison never caught on in Tennessee after falling behind fellow rookie Teair Tart early in his career. But he and Williams joined the hit parade on Russell Wilson on Christmas, with Murchison notching two sacks on two quarterback hits to pair with four solo tackles on just 16 snaps, and Williams picking up half-a-sack on three quarterback hits to go along with three combined tackles on 36 snaps. The Rams unfortunately can’t play Denver again in championship week, but the all-L.A. matchup with the Chargers is a winnable one for interior defenders.

Jarran Reed, GB

Reed is coming off his best fantasy outing in ages with a sack on two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and recovery on a Raheem Mostert carry, four solo tackles and two assists. Sure it’s a bit fluky, but with Dean Lowry now dealing with a calf injury, Reed is sitting pretty headed into a winnable matchup with Minnesota’s interior offensive line.

Milton Williams, PHI

I plugged him earlier this season and I’ll plug him one last time. Williams (three solos – one for loss – against Dallas) has athleticism that shows, and I think next season he’ll become a more depended-on piece of the Philadelphia defensive line should Javon Hargrave depart in free agency. He’s not getting the snap volume needed to produce since both Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh joined the rotation mid-season, but all that could change in 2023. He’s certainly worth rostering in all defensive tackle-premium dynasty formats.

Food for Thought

Poona Ford and Shelby Harris, SEA – In tackle-required leagues, Seattle’s leading interior defenders are set up well at home in a beatable matchup versus the Jets, who allowed sacks to both Davon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris in week 16.

Off-Ball Linebackers

Darien Butler and Luke Masterson, LV

The season is over for Denzel Perryman, and Divine Deablo and Jayon Brown both reside on the injured reserve list. This means more Masterson, who played a career-high 57 snaps against the Steelers en route to ten combined tackles (six solo). If he’s available, Masterson is a priority add for tackle-heavy players. We could also see quite a bit of fellow rookie Butler. The former Arizona State star is worth a flier to see if he can turn the late-season opportunity into a bigger backup role in 2023.

Akeem Davis-Gaither, CIN

If you’re simply reading for dynasty stashes headed into the off-season, you should clear a roster spot for Davis-Gaither in tackle-heavy formats. Drafted in the same class as Logan Wilson, Davis-Gaither hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft potential, but he’s always been a serviceable fill-in. With Germaine Pratt playing out a contract year, Gaither-Davis could be in line for No. 2 linebacker duties in 2023 if Pratt signs elsewhere.

Tony Fields and Reggie Ragland, CLE

Woe is the Cleveland linebacker corps. This looked like a good unit earlier this season with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker and Jacob Phillips. Now, even with Deion Jones on the roster, we’re subject to the likes of Fields and Ragland, an IDP disappointment from forever ago. If you’re looking to take a swing on either of these two, I’d go with Fields, who logged nine total tackles (six solo) on 42 snaps against New Orleans. Ragland topped him with seven solos and three assists, but played just 33 snaps (61 percent). I hope you can do better on your title contenders but if you’re desperate, these two Browns are indeed desperate measures.

Jack Gibbens, TEN

Sans Dylan Cole (ankle) and, for the most part, Zach Cunningham, Gibbens posted seven total tackles (four solo) on 48 of 67 snaps as the Titans’ second linebacker. (Monty Rice, who should have been picked up a couple of weeks back, is the full-time guy.) Gibbens wasn’t expected to play that many snaps with Cunningham returning from injured reserve, but Cunningham saw just 15 snaps before exiting with an injured elbow. If you need to dig deep and are considering Gibbens, be sure to watch out for the status of both Cole and Cunningham. Unless both are inactive, you can’t trust the rookie free agent Gibbens.

Mark Robinson, PIT

Robinson wasn’t even active Saturday night, but as was the case in the preseason, the seventh-round pick looked quicker and more decisive than his higher-pedigree linebacker teammates during a short spurt of action in week 15. Myles Jack, though overpaid and a justifiable cap casualty, will likely remain in black and gold in 2023. First-round bust Devin Bush is a free agent, as is Robert Spillane. So it’s conceivable that Robinson will not only be a “gameday 53” regular next season, but that he sees the field at a decent clip. I think he can produce even in a role that has him playing 70 percent of the snaps. In tackle-heavy formats, he’s worth a roster spot heading into the off-season.

Food for Thought

David Mayo, WAS – The Commanders went heavy on the Mayo and two linebackers against the 49ers’ rushing attack, and the veteran led Washington with nine combined tackles (four solo) on a season-high 46 of 52 snaps. I suppose we could see it happen again against Las Vegas, but do you really want to trust Mayo with a championship on the line?

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Joe Thomas, CHI – He is indeed the Bears linebacker to own since Jack Sanborn‘s season-ending injury. Thomas played all 64 defensive snaps against Buffalo en route to six solo tackles and an assist.

Safeties

Food for Thought

Jeremy Reaves, WAS – Kamren Curl‘s absence wreaked havoc on the Washington lineup, and Reaves (along with David Mayo) saw easy season highs in snaps (44 of 52 for Reaves). If you need a hedge for Curl in case the S2 misses week 17, Reaves seems to be a justifiable streamer considering his five solo tackles, three assists and one pass defensed against the Niners.

Reed Blankenship, PHI – The rookie returned to the lineup after missing most of week 14 and all of week 15 with a knee injury, and posted eight combined tackles (four solo) on 69 of 73 snaps. He’s not any sort of dynasty asset, so consider Blankenship nothing more than a late-season streamer.

Cornerbacks

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Marcus Jones, NE – The speedy rookie suddenly looks like the second coming. Granted Joe Burrow attempted 52 passes against the Patriots – providing plenty of opportunity – but Jones had a semifinal-winning 12 solo tackles (one for loss), two assists, an interception and a fumble recovery. He should again be put to the test in week 17 against Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. And, of course, Jones provides upside on kick and punt returns, and as an occasional gadget receiver on offense.

Cam Taylor-Britt, CIN – The rookie makes for a great streamer against Buffalo. Despite being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, he played 100 percent of snaps on Saturday and was serviceable with four solo tackles and two passes defensed.