Did waivers go by and you missed out on the top waiver wire IDP fantasy pickups?Here is a couple of sleeper dart throws late in the week worth a look.
Every week goes by and waiver claims are processed. If you missed out on the biggest waiver wire names it can be heartbreaking. Here we will be looking into some deep sleepers based off snap count and production that can help you get by, maybe even for the week, without being affected too much by injury or bye weeks.
Linebacker
Mason Foster -Washington Foster is one of those old school style linebackers that is known purely for his tackling prowess. He may not be the kind of linebacker that will get you any pass deflections or force any turnovers, but the man on a weekly basis can get 10 tackles.
Week one Foster played 70% of the defensive snaps played and made 5 tackles (3 solo). Since week one he has played virtually every defensive snap, 98% week 2, 100% week 3, bye week 4, and 100 % week five. During that three game stretch he has racked up 32 tackles (16 solo). Based off his usage and tackle production makes him a very nice sleeper.
Whitney Mercilus -Houston Mercilus is more of a dart throw than Foster but hear me out. Three years ago Mercilus had 12 sacks while two years ago he had 7.5 sacks. When looking at his production this year, it’s not great. 2017 was cut short due to injury.
The Buffalo Bills are next up for Mercilus. Rookie Quarterback in Josh Allen who is not a great decision maker and has been sacked the 2nd most by opposing teams (19 times) trailing only Eli Manning (20) who has played 6 games already. With most of the Offensive Line attention on J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney and Mercilus playing around 75 % of the snaps, it is worth giving him a look.
Defensive Back
Tedric Thompson -Seattle Thompson was throw into an every down role after Earl Thomas broke his leg and gave everybody on the Seattle sideline the proverbial “bird”. Although it has only been one start for Thompson he has shown up great on field and tape.
Tedric Thompson! 🔨💥💥 pic.twitter.com/p2VYkhcgIi
— WeAreDBnation (@WeAreDBNation1) October 7, 2018
3rd and short! Tedric Thompson! 🔨💥💥 pic.twitter.com/bYf5PDY8HU
— WeAreDBnation (@WeAreDBNation1) October 7, 2018
If you need somebody who can put up starter caliber numbers, just know Thompson played 100% of defensive snaps last week. He ended the game with 7 tackles (6 solo) with a pass deflection and an interception. Fire up Thompson as he can help turn your DB position around.
Bene Benwikere– Arizona Benwikere has not been fantasy football relevant since the 2015 season where he racked up 59 tackles, 1.0 sack and 9 pass deflections. After a couple of empty seasons with Miami and Dallas he has found his niche with Arizona. He started the season behind Jamar Taylor but has seemed to leap him in the depth chart.
Week 3 Benwikere played on only 46% of the defensive snaps where he still produced 3 tackles, 0.5 sack and 1 pass deflection. Weeks 4 & 5 he has seen that increase to 97% and 98% and saw his production rise to a total of 10 tackles (7 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass deflection and 1 interception. With Patrick Peterson on the other side of the field Benwikere should see plenty of targets.
Defensive Line
Trent Murphy– Buffalo Murphy has had a decent season so far. He has 10 tackles (6 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 pass deflection. Murphy plays about 67% of all defensive snaps which is right up there with highly productive DE teammate Jerry Hughes. He has also started every game since week 1.
The Bills Defensive Line has a tasty match up with Houston who has given up the 3rd most sacks this season with 18. Murphy has great potential to come up with a sack on Sunday. That is more than enough to ask for from a dart throw plug in.
David Irving– Dallas There is a good chance David Irving is not available in many leagues based on his pure pass rushing ability. Last season Irving played in only 8 games but posted and amazing 7 sacks, 22 tackles (13 solo), 6 pass deflections and 1 forced fumble. That is the making of a star Defensive Tackle.
Temper expectations a little this week as it is his first game action of the year. The Cowboys activated off suspension last week but declared him out. He has had a few practices leading up to Week 6 to get his game shape up. If Irving is available scoop him up immediately as he scores great in all facets.
Looking at the above options shows that even in a pinch there are still some decent options available. Run back to your waiver wire because most of the options above should be cheap. Good luck next week with waivers, hopefully you wont be needing this advice again.
For more tips and analysis, follow Joseph on twitter here. Listen to the guys talk about news, analysis, strategy on the podcast, and follow the show on twitter @IDPGuys.
[podbean resource=”episode=zhtem-9bf942″ type=”audio-rectangle” height=”100″ skin=”1″ btn-skin=”107″ auto=”0″ share=”1″ fonts=”Helvetica” download=”1″ rtl=”0″]