How is it Week 12 already? This season has blown by, and we hope you’re doing the same to the competition. We have a few more weeks of byes to cover, and it’s important to nail those sleepers on the wire.
Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.
Defensive linemen
EDGE Baron Browning, Denver Broncos
The 2021 third-round pick will have some peaks and valleys, but those peaks have been on point of late. In Week 8, he had four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Browning had a quiet, three-tackle game in Week 10 and had three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in Week 11. He has the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans the next two weeks to keep feasting.
EDGE Odafe Oweh, Baltimore Ravens
The EDGE rusher has reached the quarterback three weeks in a row and in four of five games. His value will hinge largely on sacks, because he has 13 tackles over the last five games. If your league incentivizes sacks, he’s a good target.
Linebackers
LB Ernest Jones, Los Angeles Rams
He missed a game due to injury and then had a bye week, so Jones could be floating on waivers in shallow or less competitive formats. He shouldn’t be there after 12 tackles and a half-sack in Week 11. He has five 10-tackle games on the season and will provide some upside.
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LB Damone Clark, Dallas Cowboys
Clark was highly effective early in the season with three eight-plus tackle games in the stretch of a month. He has been a little shaky since, but he has six tackles in three of four games.
Defensive backs
SS Quentin Lake, Los Angeles Rams
He’s dealing with a sore hamstring, so keep an eye on his status this week. Lake had a season-high eight tackles last week and has at least six stops in three of four games. He won’t offer much elsewhere, but the tackle numbers are encouraging.
SS Jordan Battle, Denver Broncos
Battle’s role has increased … as such, his production did as well. He delivered 12 tackles last week. There’s no telling if that was a blip or the start of something, because he didn’t have more than three in any previous game this season.
SS DeAndre Houston-Carson, Houston Texans
Houston-Carson had a statement game two weeks ago with seven tackles and an INT. He followed it up last week with five tackles and a pass defense. He has the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and New York Jets coming up to get it rolling.