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IDP Waiver Wire Adds: Preseason Week 1

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Who are some IDP names to know after a few weeks of camp? Let’s look at some player battles and see who makes for potential waiver wire additions (or late-round targets) to your IDP squads.

Fantasy draft season is officially upon us, and the IDP Guys Invitational is underway. If you haven’t already drafted, this makes for a sleeper/watch list article. If you have, these battles could lead to relevant waiver wire players for your squads. Hopefully, the drafts or waiver wires are kind to you!

Once more information and preseason games are available, this article will transition more towards specific players. Until then, we’ll highlight team battles and camp reporting to pass along information to better inform decisions. I’ll give my opinions on players and battles and hopefully provide insight to help your teams and inform waiver wire moves.

Disclaimer: All league sizes and formats are different. Meaning some of these players may or may not be available in your league. Each week I’ll be doing my best to cover a wide enough base of scenarios. If you ever have any league-specific questions, I’m always willing to help, and so is our fantastic team here at IDP Guys.

Check out IDP Waiver Wire for Week 1 information.

Linebackers

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Broncos

In 2021, the Broncos had nothing but a revolving door at LB. Baron Browning, their lead tackler at LB, shifted from the inside to outside to replace the departed Von Miller. This leaves Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton, Jonas Griffith, and Justin Strnad left to battle it out. So, who might be worth a waiver wire addition?

If the reports out of Broncos camp are accurate, and he continues his ascent, Jonas Griffith appears to be the guy. He and Jewell are playing together, but it appears that Griffith will be the one on the field when in dime packages (one LB, six DBs). In a four-game cameo that ends in 2021, Griffith put up 40 tackles in a starting role. He could be a viable starting LB for

Chargers

Kyzir White left the Chargers this offseason to join the Eagles (more on them in a bit), leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the defense. Kenneth Murray has struggled and is still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list (preseason PUP list players can be activated at any time). This leaves Drue Tranquill, Troy Reeder, Nick Niemann, and Amen Ogbongbemiga as the likeliest options.

I’m less sure that Kenneth Murray could get a shot again, but with Tranquill, the leading returning tackler and a ready-made White replacement in Reeder. Brandon Staley must trust Reeder to bring him in after coaching him with the Rams. He’s a bigger, faster, more athletic player than White is. It might be messy if Murray clears the PUP list in the preseason. If not, Reeder may be able to slide right into White’s role.

Eagles

The Eagles are loaded at LB, and sorting through it will be huge for mining fantasy values. Top returning starter T.J. Edwards is back. So is his most successful running mate Davion Taylor. Philadelphia added Kyzir White from the Chargers, then drafted Nakobe Dean in the third round. So what is going on with the Eagles’ LB spot?

Dean will be the popular name due to draft pedigree and biases people have toward finding “the next big thing”. He might even be the next great Eagles LB. This season, though, all reports are that Edwards and White will get the Week 1 nod, and seem to be playing well enough to hold off the young gun. It’ll be fun to follow as the preseason games get underway.

Defensive Line/Edge

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Falcons

In 2021, the Atlanta Falcons had the lowest pass rush grade per PFF since 2014. They completely overhauled their edge rushers, cutting Dante Fowler Jr., who had been their top pass rusher. Atlanta is also lacking most other depth players as well. Lorenzo Carter, who had a late-season surge with the Giants, and rookies Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone replace the missing.

It doesn’t always translate immediately, but after spending a high second-round pick on Ebiketie, expect him to lock down one side with Carter projected as the other starter. Hopefully, Carter can stay healthy and build off his 2021. DeAngelo Malone is a sleeper to watch, though. The staff’s third-rounder is being talked up for his run defense, which was a knock at his size. Malone is definitely a player to watch.

Chiefs

The Chiefs brought back top edge defender Frank Clark from 2021, but he’s not the reason for bringing up Kansas City. They added George Karlaftis in round one of this year’s draft. Then, during training camp, they added veteran Carlos Dunlap. Not exactly what Karlaftis managers had hoped to see, but should it worry them?

The short answer is no. The Chiefs aren’t looking to play any of their guys every down — they’ll rotate through to stay fresh. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo ran the “NASCAR package” with the Giants, and I expect all three edges mentioned above to team with Chris Jones on passing downs. Training camp signings shouldn’t bump down first-round picks. However, it may potentially drop their ADP and create buy windows.

Packers

The Packers are an intriguing team for those in leagues requiring DTs. Kenny Clark is a lock for one of their three DL spots; Dean Lowry has been solid and will likely start the year off as a starter; new addition Jarran Reed is likely the third starter. So why address the as a waiver wire battle to watch? First-round DT Devonte Wyatt is why and whether he can force his way onto the field.

First-round picks, especially ones who can do that, don’t sit on the bench. At least not for long. As the season progresses, I expect Wyatt to become the second option as Lowry and Reed battle for the other starting spot. Wyatt could blow up preseason games and push for season-long relevance — he is someone to keep on your watch lists.

Defensive Backs

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Colts

Indianapolis wasn’t supposed to be on this list. Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon were rock solid, and added depth through the draft to protect them. When Willis retired, it opened the door for competition in camp to replace an extremely productive safety. This position has been great for IDP leagues, and I expect that to continue. Who should you look to draft or add from the waiver wire?

Blackmon has his spot when healthy. Rodney McLeod has been nursing a knee injury in camp, opening up lots of playing time opportunities for Nick Cross to try and seize the starting gig immediately. Even if McLeod does start, I’d stash Cross and wait. The Colts have been coaching him up to play all offseason, and his athleticism can help him recover from mistakes. He should be the more valuable DB in 2022.

49ers

Jaquiski Tartt took his game to Philadelphia, opening a hole at strong safety for the 49ers’ defense. They have a few in-house options to replace him, which will be settled this preseason. Those options? Special teams ace George Odum, second-year player Talanoa Hufanga, and recovering from injury Tarvarius Moore. Which one should make managers excited enough to hit the waiver wire?

Tarvarius Moore is coming off an Achilles injury, or he might’ve been the starter in 2021. Reports seem to be that his explosion is back. If true, this makes him my favorite option as athleticism can’t be taught and boosts his ceiling. It’ll be interesting to see this battle play out in camp and into the year, the 49ers project to have a strong defense and could put up playable numbers with plenty of tackle opportunities.

Patriots

This one is going to be a big mess. The Patriots have a lot of guys in camp, and any competition likely continues into the regular season. That being said, they have a JC Jackson-sized hole at CB and a lot of good — not great — players in the secondary. How this shakes out likely could provide a playable CB or two and potentially a mess at safety.

Rather than cover everyone here, this is roughly the lineup I expect to start in Week 1, barring injury. Terrance Mitchell is the first guy on the field every day in camp. He’s been playing solidly, but Jalen Mills appears to be ascending into the top guy while Jonathan Jones is the likely slot corner. I like Mills as a solid depth CB, while rookie Jack Jones is an ascending talent who could be the next great CB in Foxboro.

Conclusion

With this week being before 30 teams have played a game, I hope the information was helpful and informative. As the replacement for Kyle Bellefeuil, hopefully, I can keep up with the fantastic work and insight he provided you last season. I look forward to helping as many of you as possible win titles this fantasy season — football is back!

To get the low-down on everything IDP relevant from the Hall of Fame game, check out Matt Record and Mase Riney’s IDP Instant Reactions – Hall of Fame Game Edition!

Thank you for reading my article! Please remember to follow me for more content via Twitter @FFFBallers  and @IDPGuys as well as check out my IDP Guys author page and the IDP Guys website.

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