IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week Nine

It’s more frightening than Daniel Snyder as the owner of your favorite team! It’s likely more terrifying than watching Cooper Kupp being tended to on the field during the closing minute of a blowout loss. Yes, it’s the IDP dynasty waiver wire, on Halloween. If you scare easily, avert your eyes. Treats are few and far between this week.

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

John Franklin-Myers, NYJ

Jermaine Johnson has been relatively quiet as a rookie and has now missed three consecutive outings with an ankle injury. Franklin-Myers, whose value took the biggest hit after the Jets drafted Johnson, has been productive since week four, and added a sack among three total tackles against the Patriots. The dynasty ceiling is the standard eight-foot, popcorn-paint variety, but Franklin-Myers is worth spot-start consideration.

Payton Turner, NO

I don’t want to get carried away with a big stat line (two fourth-quarter sacks among four total tackles) in a rout, but we seriously needed something to hang our hats on when it comes to Turner. The 2021 first-round pick has only seen snaps in four games, and his 32 snaps against Las Vegas was a season-high. I have him sitting at the tail end of my top 150, and so far this season that’s only due to his draft capital and situation (Marcus Davenport’s contract voids after this season, and Cameron Jordan is 33). Pick him up where he’s been abandoned and hope this is the start of something good.

Food for Thought

Tomon Fox, NYG – With Azeez Ojulari (calf) on injured reserve and Oshane Ximines (quad) inactive, Fox has been getting a lot of work on the edge over the past two weeks. The undrafted rookie hit paydirt against Seattle with six solo tackles (two for loss) and two assists, but I’m not seeing a long-term fantasy asset here. And with the Giants on bye this week, we should see New York with some better edge help on the field by the time week ten rolls around.

Carl Nassib and Anthony Nelson, TB – It’s bleak in Tampa these days. Shaq Barrett’s Achilles tear was another strike against the team that less than 20 months ago hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and barring a trade for a proven pass rusher, we’ll see a lot more of Nelson and Nassib opposite Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Neither comes highly recommended (or even medium-ly recommended), but I wanted to mention both as they’re currently in line to step into larger roles.

Arden Key and Dawuane Smoot, JAC – I can’t see the Jags dealing away Josh Allen, but Key (one sack on two quarterback hits, two total tackles and a pass defensed) and Smoot (one-and-a-half sacks on three quarterback hits and three total tackles) would benefit the most from an Allen trade.

Revisits from Previous Weeks

Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, DEN – That Bradley Chubb trade chatter cooled a bit after Denver left London with a win, but both Bonitto (a strip sack and two solos) and Cooper (one solo, four assists) still showed to be roster-worthy. Denver has a week nine bye, and Randy Gregory is eligible to return for week ten, but I’d still add Bonitto and, to a lesser extent, Cooper, if available in true position leagues.

Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson, CHI – They’ve both been disappointing if you’ve put them in a lineup at just about any point this season, but with Robert Quinn no longer in the picture, both are worth rostering just in case all the opportunity yields production.

Interior Defensive Linemen

Zach Sieler, MIA

The veteran lineman enjoyed his best game of the season at Detroit with a sack, three solo tackles, an assist and two passes defensed. He hasn’t been starter worthy this year, but his snap counts have ticked upward for the past couple of weeks, and he’s just 27. The Dolphins travel to Chicago this week, and the Bears are one of the better matchups for opposing defensive linemen.

Milton Williams, PHI

I listed Williams last week as a dynasty stash with Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox coming up on free agency. With rookie Jordan Davis suffering a potential high ankle sprain on Sunday, Williams’ short-term outlook improved as well. He finished with a sack and a pass defended on 30 snaps against the Steelers.

Revisits from Previous Weeks

Thomas Booker, HOU – He’s no great shakes (his two solos on Sunday was his best tackle performance of the season) but the versatile fifth rounder from Stanford would likely benefit in the snap department should those Jerry Hughes trade rumors turn to reality, something that doesn’t seem that far-fetched given Hughes’ productive week seven.

Off-Ball Linebackers

Damone Clark, DAL

We were told not to expect to see Clark this season following spinal fusion surgery in March – a procedure that tanked his draft stock. But the fifth-round pick was surprisingly activated for week eight, and opportunity came knocking early when Anthony Barr left the game with a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Clark responded with a solo tackle and five assists, and nearly collected a sack.

Should Clark be available in any of your dynasty leagues, prioritize him on waivers this week. The LSU star was a projected day two pick prior to discovery of a herniated disc. Current Dallas starters Leighton Vander Esch and Barr are playing on one-year deals.

Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson, GB

De’Vondre Campbell suffered a knee injury during the second half of Sunday Night Football and didn’t return. Should the injury be something severe, McDuffie (three solos, two assists) and Wilson (a sack, three solos and an assist) will become waiver wire priorities. Neither has much dynasty appeal with both Campbell and rookie Quay Walker entrenched as starters, so only go after them if there’s short-term appeal. At the time of this writing (Sunday night), it’s not clear how bad Campbell’s injury is.

Micah McFadden and Jaylon Smith, DAL

Smith seems to have finally taken over primary linebacker duties for Big Blue, and he topped Giants linebackers in tackles with two solos and five assists against Seattle. There’s not a full-time role to be had, it seems, but at least we can envision a world where Tae Crowder only sees the field in limited quantities. The rookie McFadden offers the most dynasty appeal, although I think he’s a somewhat limited player. His sack and four total tackles looked nice this week. The Giants are on a bye in week nine – will we see a move to bring in a more well-rounded linebacker before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline?

Garret Wallow, HOU

The Texans gave Christian Harris a full snap load on Sunday, with Christian Kirksey dropping back to the No. 2 role. There’s still two fantasy-relevant linebacker spots here, and with Kamu Grugier-Hill being granted his requested release, Wallow is up to third on the linebacker depth chart. He’s not playing enough to currently be considered lineup-worthy, but should injury strike one of the starters, you may have an LB4 on your hands. There may even be some dynasty value here with Kirksey a prime candidate for off-season release, a move that would save Houston $5 million against the cap, with just $1 million in dead money, according to OverTheCap.com. The 2021 fifth-round pick put up a meager one solo and two assists, but this is where we find ourselves when digging deep on dynasty waiver wires.

Food for Thought

Oren Burks, SF – If you want to protect Dre Greenlaw with a handcuff, it’s apparently Burks. The ex-Packer delivered four solos and three assists plus a pass defensed on Sunday. He’s not really worth a roster spot in the vast majority of leagues.

Safeties

Eric Murray, HOU

I don’t particularly want to mess with Murray, but he put up a respectable six combined tackles (five solos, one assist) in relief of early season darling Jonathan Owens. I’m not sure if Owens (just two total tackles) was injured or simply benched in favor of Murray, but the veteran looks like a short-term safety option in a fantasy-friendly matchup with Philadelphia in week nine.

Keanu Neal, TB

I’m assuming Antoine Winfield Jr. returns from his concussion in week nine, but Neal should still be OK to consider as the primary box safety, with Mike Edwards playing deep and Winfield lining up over the slot. Neal had a decent week eight with four solos and four assists against the Ravens, and until Logan Ryan returns, Neal should be a serviceable, low-ceiling safety play. Hopefully you have better options.

Food for Thought

Jabrill Peppers, NE – If you were counting on a big performance from Adrian Phillips with Kyle Dugger nursing an injury, boo! Peppers led the Patriots in tackles with five solos and three assists. Phillips made a nice play on a red zone pass to Michael Carter, but otherwise was quiet. I wouldn’t rush out to add Peppers; Dugger should return for week nine.

Revisits from Previous Weeks

Andrew Adams, TEN – Adams predictably returned to Earth (just one solo tackle) after flying high in week seven, but Amani Hooker’s shoulder injury likely puts Adams back on the roster-worthy bubble. Keep an eye on injury news out of Tennessee this week.

JuJu Hughes, DET – He’s only worth considering should DeShon Elliott miss additional time (and that doesn’t sound likely at this point), but Hughes came through against Miami with a sack, five solo tackles (including a second in the backfield) and an assist.

Jaquan Johnson, BUF – An elbow injury knocked star safety Jordan Poyer out of Buffalo’s game with Green Bay. Should Poyer miss time, Johnson will likely return to a starting role next to Damar Hamlin.

Cornerbacks

Michael Carter and D.J. Reed, NYJ

Carter and Reed are great options (as is Sauce Gardner, if not rostered) against Buffalo in week nine. Both are also coming off nice weeks – Reed collected five solo tackles, three assists and a pass defensed, and Carter put up seven solos (one in the backfield) to go along with an interception.

Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean, TB

Dean has been a solid play this season and, even though he was only targeted twice by Baltimore, had a solid outing with six total tackles (two on special teams) – bringing his season totals to 30 solos and six assists. The Rams are one of the better fantasy matchups for corners, making Dean a waiver wire target anywhere he’s available. Davis, who missed week eight with a hip injury, is certainly worth exploring. If healthy, he should see a good bit of target hog Cooper Kupp – assuming the Rams star is able to play.

Tampa Bay’s secondary has been banged up all year, so if Davis is ruled out, Dee Delaney becomes an option. I suppose we could see Sean Murphy-Bunting return from his quad injury, but I wouldn’t count on it this early in the week.

Revisits from Previous Weeks

Coby Bryant and Michael Jackson, SEA – Surely by now all Seattle corners are rostered in cornerback-required leagues, no? If not, Jackson (seven solos and three passes defensed) and Bryant (five solo tackles, one for loss) are again sitting pretty in a prime matchup vs. Arizona.

Rasul Douglas, GB – Douglas has been on a bit of a tear the past two weeks, and lit it up against Buffalo with an interception, a sack and six solo tackles. Week nine brings a decent matchup against Detroit.

Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste, WAS – I feel like I keep mentioning Washington corners lately, but St-Juste (six solos, one assist against Indianapolis) and Fuller (three solos) have another nice matchup in week nine at home against Minnesota.