Dynasty IDP Waiver Wire: Week Ten

We all know from managing fantasy football teams that trade deadlines spur action, and it was great to see a number of moves made before the NFL’s Halloween trade moratorium. I’d be remiss if, before getting into this week’s waiver wire advice, I didn’t take the opportunity to opine on some of the IDP deals involving players in my top 150 rankings.

Chase Young has recently had some nice weeks, and may still live up to that 2020 second overall draft pick potential. San Francisco is a good spot for him to take the next step, and he has the benefit of actually upgrading on the opposite side, going from Montez Sweat to Nick Bosa. For fantasy, he likely won’t play the same percentage of snaps he did for Washington, with Randy Gregory and Drake Jackson also in the fold. Young of course is set to reach free agency in the off-season unless the 49ers lock him up before then.

Speaking of Sweat, the move to Chicago is a fantasy downer. He’s already been signed to a lucrative long-term extension, so he’s a Bear for the next good bit. There’s no high-level help anywhere else on that Chicago line, so Sweat will have to deal with plenty of chips and double teams until Chicago upgrades over Yannick Ngakoue.

I love the trade to Seattle for Leonard Williams. He didn’t have the best of debuts with just one solo tackle and one assist on 41 snaps, but he should be well-suited to fill the three-tech spot for the Seahawks. Williams hits free agency in the off-season, but after giving up a package that included a second-round pick to land him, you have to think Seattle will make a big push to retain him long-term.

There were some other low-key trades as well, and I hit on a couple of those in this week ten waiver wire column.

Before you dig in, keep in mind 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). The reason is there are plenty of sites, podcasts and Patreons (and good ones) providing what I would consider obvious waiver wire advice for leagues that are of the “start eight IDPs” variety with combined defensive lines and defensive backs. 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.

And of course not every IDP listed here is a good dynasty stash. Dynasty rosters need those short-term values too though, and this early in the season it’s worth it to churn a few end-of-your-roster-types to see if an IDP available on waivers is making a leap in play rather than just taking advantage of a good matchup.

Edge Rushers

Kyle Van Noy, BAL

I guess we have to take Van Noy seriously in this heavily schemed Ravens system. The veteran, who signed with Baltimore in late September, now has five sacks over his past four games following a two-sack outing against Seattle. He unfortunately in tackle-heavy leagues carries a linebacker designation in the MyFantasyLeague default settings, so take that into account with your waiver claims.

Food for Thought

Amare Barno and D.J. Johnson, CAR – If pickings are slim on your waiver wire, and Brian Burns, who suffered a concussion on Sunday, looks set to miss week ten, the rookie Johnson (a piddly three assists on 43 snaps) and Barno (four combined tackles – one for loss – on a season-high 27 defensive snaps) are at least intriguing. Without Burns, someone with some pass-rush juice is going to have to soak up those edge snaps with Justin Houston and Yetur Gross-Matos already on injured reserve.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill, WAS – Both got mentions last week in case of a trade involving Montez Sweat or Chase Young. Lo and behold, both were dealt. Either could be worth a depth roster spot if you’re really, really thin and edge in a large league, but as week nine’s production indicates (two total tackles and a quarterback hit for Smith-Williams, and just one assist for Toohill) there’s not much upside with Washington’s new starters at edge.

Interior Defensive Linemen

David Onyemata and Kentavius Street, ATL

Who knew Atlanta defensive linemen could be so productive? Onyemata, mentioned in this column a few weeks ago, had a great outing against Minnesota with a strip sack, five solo tackles and five assists. Street, traded to Atlanta from Philadelphia after the Falcons lost longtime starter Grady Jarrett to a torn ACL, made two solo tackles, three assisted tackles and recovered a fumble in his Dirty Bird debut.

Cleveland’s interior linemen had a field day against Arizona in week nine, and that bodes well for both Onyamata and Street in week ten for Atlanta’s trip to the desert.

Kobie Turner, LAR

The third-round pick set a career-high in snaps (62) and had a DT1 week with a sack plus seven solo tackles and three assists. The Rams have a great track record with identifying under-the-radar talent, and Turner is in the envious position of being able to play alongside and learn from Aaron Donald early in his career. You of course can’t count on him repeating his week nine performance, but Turner needs to be rostered in any league with defensive tackle-premium scoring.

Food for Thought

A’Shawn Robinson, NYG – The eight-year veteran didn’t see a bump in snaps following Leonard Williams’ trade to Seattle, but his production seemed to get a boost. Robinson logged six total tackles – one for loss – in the Giants’ loss to Las Vegas.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Karl Brooks, GB – The rookie got off to a hot start to his career with two sacks over his first four games, and now maybe has an opportunity for more snaps if Kenny Clark’s shoulder injury keeps the veteran on the sideline. I wouldn’t start him, but in defensive tackle-premium dynasty leagues, you can justify a roster spot on him.

Off-Ball Linebackers

Kwon Alexander, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson, PIT

Pittsburgh’s win on Thursday night was marred by a devastating knee injury to Cole Holcomb. The injury will result in an uptick in snaps for Alexander, who should ascend to a near full-time role. He should be owned in all IDP leagues. Roberts should also see his snaps increase, and in 14- and 16-team leagues with three to four starters at linebacker, that two-thirds usage pushes Roberts into lineup consideration. In deep leagues, Robinson is likely worth snapping up and stashing in case of injury to either Alexander or Roberts. Robinson also has some minor dynasty appeal, and could eventually find himself as the Steelers’ second linebacker.

Segun Olubi, IND

With Zaire Franklin inactive due to a knee injury, didn’t it stand to reason that we could see E.J. Speed play full-time snaps? Or Shaquille Leonard? Absolutely not, and the honor of those 71 snaps went to Olubi, whose existence I knew of but never in my wildest dreams could I imagine would be preferred by an NFL coaching staff over Leonard. Still, the former San Diego State Aztec picked off a Bryce Young pass (a feat that didn’t exactly land him in exclusive company) and recorded four solo tackles and one assist. I’m not waiting another week to see if the playing time is a fluke – and it probably is. But I’m still adding him over whatever is feeding at the bottom of my IDP depth chart.

Food for Thought

Khaleke Hudson, WAS – He matched David Mayo in production (three solos, one assist), but played far fewer defensive snaps, with Mayo tallying 49 to Hudson’s 15. Pass, unless, of course, the Commanders suffer another injury at linebacker before Cody Barton returns.

Troy Reeder, LAR – Ernest Jones has been hampered by a bum ankle for several weeks, and he finally took a seat in week nine. The Rams have a week ten bye, but if two weeks’ time isn’t enough for Jones to see the field, Reeder (two solos and two assists) becomes a handcuff for Jones owners in leagues with scraps on the waiver wire.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Leo Chenal, KC – Granted Willie Gay is dealing with a painful bruised tailbone, but Chenal out-snapped him in Germany, and had a productive outing with a sack, three solo tackles and three assists. Until Nick Bolton returns from a wrist dislocation, Chenal merits lineup consideration in large leagues with 11 IDP starters. And, as mentioned last week, there’s serious dynasty appeal with Drue Tranquill and Gay approaching free agency in the off-season.

Josh Woods, ARI – Woods keeps plugging along with backup-level production (half-a-sack on a quarterback hit, plus two solos and four assists in week nine), but he makes for a nice bye week fill-in over the next couple of weeks with good matchups against the Falcons and Texans.

Safeties

Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson, GB

Owens returned to fantasy relevance after Darnell Savage was placed on injured reserve in late October. And Owens had a 2022-like performance with a strip sack, four solo tackles and three assists. If you’re in need of safety help, Owens is a priority add for this week.

The Pack took Johnson in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, and the rookie had only played eight snaps before making his first NFL start on Sunday. And while he wasn’t very productive for fantasy (one interception on two passes defensed, and one solo tackle), Johnson could carve out a role for himself in 2024 with some good showings in ’23. Rudy Ford (inactive on Sunday), Savage and Owens all become free agents after the season.

Food for Thought

Alex Cook, CAR – Cook, an undrafted rookie, made his professional debut and first ever start (hey, why not, Carolina!). He led Panthers safeties in snaps played with 61, and collected seven combined tackles – one for loss. All I can think to say about this situation is that Vonn Bell will return soon.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Markquese Bell, DAL – This should be the last week Bell is available on any waiver wires. His snap count hit a career-high of 58 in week nine, and Bell accounted for six solo tackles and two assists. As mentioned last week, the hybrid linebacker-safety could be more than a short-term fill-in with Jayron Kearse headed into free agency after this season.

Cornerbacks

Dee Delaney and Zyon McCollum, TB

With Ryan Neal apparently benched for poor play, Delaney saw safety snaps against Houston. I’m not sure that will continue into week ten, but in case it does, Delaney is worth adding off waivers. A corner getting safety snaps and some work in the box is a cheat code for sure. McCollum, meanwhile, stepped in for Jamel Dean after the veteran left due to concussion symptoms. If you’re in a really deep league and need a corner streamer, McCollum would be an option if Dean sits, but he still might not be a good one considering the Bucs host Tennessee.

Carrington Valentine, GB

The seventh-rounder has been impressive enough that Green Bay dealt away Rasul Douglas to Buffalo at the trade deadline. Valentine saw 58 defensive snaps on Sunday, and defended three passes and logged a couple of solo tackles. The modest production shouldn’t be too surprising considering the Rams threw the ball just 28 times with Brett Rypien under center; the week ten matchup at Pittsburgh should result in higher tackle numbers.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

Emmanuel Forbes, WAS – The first-rounder was back on the field as the Commanders’ third corner after getting benched back in week five. The production was modest – three solo tackles and two passes defensed – but getting back on the field was a step in the right direction. Forbes has my attention due to his penchant for fantasy-friendly big plays at Mississippi State (six touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 20 passes defensed in 36 collegiate games).

Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson, CHI – Panthers rookie Bryce Young (three interceptions against the Colts) is riding the struggle bus, and that should mean good things for Chicago’s two outside corners for Thursday Night Football. You wanted a reason to watch, right?