Top IDP Fantasy Football Waiver Adds After Week Four

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Has week four left you with a sour taste in your mouth? Here we go through a group of players to add off waivers to make your lineup a bit sweeter.


Week four is finished and we are officially one quarter of the way through the fantasy season. It is now officially time to worry or cut bait with guys you were hoping to be high scorers but have not lived up to expectation. This is the time of year where waiver moves can turn your season around or leave you stuck in the dumps. There are a few guys who are showing good consistency and are worthy of weekly starts. Lets take a look at who the top IDP waiver adds are after week four.

Defensive Tackle

D.J. Reader – Houston Texans

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2019 Stats: 15 tackles (seven solo), three tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.

D.J. Reader has kind of flown under the radar this season in fantasy football. Reader is not a splash play kind of guy but is a model of consistency and a solid run stuffer. In the previous two years where he was a full-time starter he totaled 80 tackles but has started this season to look like more of a difference maker. Since his week one dud against the Saints where he had a single tackle, he has 14 total tackles, three for a loss and 1.5 sacks.

Reader’s next matchup is still a negative matchup against the Falcons who do not give up too many points to DTs but after that game his remaining schedule is nothing but positive matchups. Reader can be a nice streaming option but if he can keep up this momentum can be a weekly starter.

Defensive End

Taco Charlton – Miami Dolphins

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2019 Stats: Eight tackles (five solo), two tackles for a loss and two sacks.

Taco Charlton is an absolute bust, or at least to Cowboy fans. To everybody else, especially Dolphins fans, Taco Charlton just needed a change of scenery. Charlton was a first round pick by the Cowboys in 2017 and was expected to be the starter alongside Demarcus Lawrence to form a nice pass rushing duo. That never came to fruition as Charlton accumulated only four sacks in 27 games with the Cowboys. In two games with the Dolphins he has already half of that production having gotten a sack in each game for his new team.

Taco Charlton is coming off of a career game where he totaled six tackles, one for a loss and a sack. Last week I had him pegged as my defensive end sleeper and this week he is a must add at the position. He is on a bye in week five but has shown me enough that I think he can be a starter for the rest of the season, or at least streamable.

John Simon – New England Patriots

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2019 Stats: 13 tackles (eight solo), two tackles for a loss, two sacks and three passes defensed.

John Simon was that guy that when given the opportunity he always seemed to produce but was never given a high snap role. The time he did he was with the Colts in 2017 but ended the season playing only nine games due to injury. In those nine games though he totaled 42 tackles (27 solo), seven tackles for a loss, three sacks, one pass defensed, an interception and a touchdown. He signed with the Patriots last season and played in only 11 games starting two.

This year with Trey Flowers gone the Patriots are searching for somebody to step up. After barely playing the first two weeks, the last two Simon has seen over 60% of the teams snaps and has been quite productive. the last two weeks he has 10 tackles (seven solo), two tackles for a loss, a sack and a pass defensed. With an unproven line, outside of an old Michael Bennett, Simon seems to be the guy who is stepping up to fill the Flowers role and can be used until further notice.

Linebacker

Nicholas Morrow – Oakland Raiders

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2019 Stats: 15 tackles (12 solo), two tackles for a loss and a pass defensed.

I had Nicholas Morrow pegged as a sleeper to start the 2019 season as he was listed as the teams starting weak-side linebacker the start the season. Even though he was the starter he only played on 32.5% of the teams snaps. During week three that jumped up to 52% and was pretty productive coming up with five tackles. During week four he played on almost 80% of the teams snaps and came up with seven total tackles, one for a loss and a pass defensed. The only other linebacker who out-snapped Morrow was Tahir Whitehead who played all but seven snaps.

Vontaze Burfict is now being handed down a multiple game suspension due to being a repeat offender with helmet to helmet hits. He laid another one on Jack Doyle in week four and the NFL is being stiff with their punishment. Burfict has been suspended for the remainder of the season. Morrow should be the main benefactor and could be a nice add to finish the season.

A.J. Klein – New Orleans Saints

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2019 Stats: 20 tackles (13 solo), one tackle for a loss and a forced fumble.

A.J. Klein is on here as more of a bye week flyer for week five. If you start any of the Lions linebackers or Dolphins linebackers on a weekly basis and were not responsible enough to draft depth, Klein can help. A.J. Klein is a high snap percentage guy having played on 88.13% of the Saints defensive snaps this season. Klein does not have much playmaking prowess as he has only totaled eight sacks, nine passes defensed, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 92 career games.

What Klein has done is average just under five tackles per game as a full-time starter with the Saints. I know that does not jump out at you but as a starter but he does have a great matchup week five against a Buccaneers offense that allows the 3rd most points to opposing linebackers. With his high snap total Klein has the opportunity at least to be a productive week five filler.

Damien Wilson – Kansas City Chiefs

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2019 Stats: 23 tackles (18 solo), one tackle for a loss, 0.5 sack, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.

Damien Wilson is another player who I thought was going to be a sleeper going into 2019. He won the starting inside linebacker job next to Anthony Hitchens to start the season. Though he has mostly underwhelmed for his career, 2019 presented itself great opportunity. Through the first three weeks Wilson’s box score did not necessarily jump out at you but it was consistent. He totaled five tackles in each of his first three weeks while seeing 78% or more defensive snaps each week. In week four his guy was much more noticeable as he was in on many plays and totaled eight tackles.

If Wilson is still on the wire in your league he is worth an add. He goes into week five going up against the Colts who just gave up a combined 15 tackles to Tahir Whitehead and Nicholas Morrow. Wilson should be able to put up some good production once again.

Safety

Erik Harris – Oakland Raiders

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2019 Stats: 14 tackles (12 solo), one pass defensed, one interception and a touchdown.

Erik Harris seems to always produce when he plays but the Raiders keep putting him in the back seat. They signed Lemarcus Joyner in free agency to start next to incumbent starter Karl Joseph. Then they went and spent a first round pick on Johnathan Abram as the eventual new starter or even the guy to play in three safety sets. Joyner has been prolific in the slot and Abram is now out for the season. Enter Erik Harris week three where he took over after the Abram injury. He played on 31% of the teams snaps but produced five tackles. He got the start in week four and was huge in the win over the Colts. Harris accumulated seven tackles, a pass defensed, an interception and a touchdown.

Harris had his first dose of significant time in 2018 where he played on 42% of the teams defensive snaps. During that time he tallied 49 tackles (36 solo), two for a loss, seven passes defensed and two interceptions. Harris always makes plays on the ball and looks like he is an intricate part of the defense moving forward.

Jermaine Whitehead  – Cleveland Browns

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2019 Stats: 19 tackles (15 solo), two passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble.

Jermaine Whitehead has quietly been the most productive defensive back for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. He was also the first player this year to force a turnover against the Ravens so far this season in week four. In a group that consists of Damarious Randall, Morgan Burnett, Denzel Ward, Eric Murray, Greedy Williams, and T.J. Carrie, Whitehead has surprisingly played the most snaps of the bunch with 86.5%.

Whitehead is averaging just under five tackles a game and is coming off of a huge week four performance. He posted eight total tackles, a pass defensed, an interception and a forced fumble. Whitehead gets the 49ers in week five who give up the 2nd most points to safeties and is a nice streaming option. Whitehead is also worth a roster spot now if he continues his week four play.

Cornerback

T.J. Carrie – Cleveland Browns

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2019 Stats: 15 tackles (14 solo), two passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery.

The slot corner position has become a very important position with the emergence of the move tight end and slot receivers. T.J. Carrie is one of the premier players at the position. He may have been rostered at the beginning of the season after his great 2018 season. During that season he produced 74 tackles (58 solo), three for a loss, one sack, eight passes defensed, one interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He started the season real slow with one solo tackle and one fumble recovery in his first two games. With how streamable the position is he was likely dropped.

Over his last two games Carrie has emerged once again as a premier slot corner. During those two games he has 14 total tackles, two passes defensed and an interception.  His remaining season schedule looks great on his fantasy outlook. Carrie can once again be deployed and a solid cornerback option.

Conclusion

D.J. Reader is an add for his consistency and potential breakout year with less help on the defensive line. Taco Charlton has looked like the first round pick most thought he was. John Simon looks like he has a big role on the Patriots line and his production shows.

At linebacker two of my sleepers in Nicholas Morrow and Damien Wilson are fitting the bill and look good moving forward. A.J. Klein looks to be a solid bye week filler with high snap totals and a positive remaining season schedule. Erik Harris looks to have established himself with the Raiders defense after Johnathan Abram was put on IR. Jermaine Whitehead has quietly been the most productive defensive back in Cleveland. T.J. Carrie is back to his old tricks and is one of the top slot corners in the league.


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