Tag: fantasy football waiver wire Week 1

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 1

Check your waiver wire for these IDP Week 1 pickups.

Welcome to the 2024 season. If you’re an IDP league, you already know the grind that is ahead, which makes raising that league title over your head even sweeter. We’ll be here along for the ride with you.

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

DE Marcus Davenport, Detroit Lions

Davenport is a boom-or-bust candidate, and he’s in a make-or-break season. He missed all but four games with the Minnesota Vikings last season due to an ankle injury. He’ll be lining up opposite of third-year stud Aidan Hutchinson, who is expected to make a jump from his 11.5 sacks last season. That will only benefit the 27-year-old Davenport, who had a career-high nine sacks in 2021.

DE Gregory Rousseau, Buffalo Bills

After tallying eight sacks in a promising sophomore campaign in 2022, Rousseau only had five sacks last season. He’s entering a pseudo-walk year as the team has a fifth-year option they can choose to utilize or pass on after this year. The 24-year-old had a strong preseason among the league leaders with 2.5 sacks.

Linebackers

LB Dorian Williams, Buffalo Bills

The Bills lost Matt Milano to a biceps injury, and the second-year man from Tulane is expected to start in his place. Williams had 40 total tackles and a pass defense in 17 games last season. It’s hard to find bulk tackles on waivers, and Williams could supply that in the opening weeks.

LB Omar Speights, Los Angeles Rams

The Rams traded Ernest Jones to the Tennessee Titans in a preseason move. That opened a spot potentially for the undrafted rookie from LSU. He had 12 tackles in the preseason and could be an early-season diamond in the rough on waivers.

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Defensive backs

SS Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings

“Harry the Hit Man” is a potential Hall of Famer, but at age 35 this season, he’s going undrafted a lot. He had 93 tackles last year, but for just the second time in his career didn’t have an interception. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 34th-best safety in the NFL last season out of 95 qualifying players. He played the seventh-most snaps among safeties in 2023 at 1,111. So any concerns about his role being tapered are probably overstated. Scoop him up if the injury bug has bitten you.

FS John Johnson, Los Angeles Rams

Johnson is kind of an enigma in fantasy circles as he has been a stud every other season in the league. Years 2, 4 and 6 tackles: 119, 105, 101, respectively; Years 1, 3, 5, and 7 tackles: 75, 51, 61, 42. If that pattern continues, he could be on the verge of another 100-tackle season. The team let Jordan Fuller walk in free agency and drafted SS Kamren Kinchens, but JJ III appears the favorite to start alongside Kamren Curl.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 1 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver-wire targets for Week 1 of the 2024 season.

With the long offseason behind us, fantasy football is finally back in our lives. With that comes the constant scouring of talent on the waiver wire.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in MyFantasyLeague (MFL), using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

13 waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 2

Take a look at the top targets on the fantasy football waiver wire in Week 2.

Just like that, the first week of fantasy football has come and gone.

It was a pretty wild opening weekend for fantasy managers. There were some explosive performances from the studs across the league while we also encountered some surprises along the way.

With rosters and roles settling, the waiver wire will be a much less chaotic place. However, that doesn’t make it any less valuable. In fact, working the waiver wire is from where league champions emerge. Drafting is great for setting a team’s foundation, but the real work comes through the waiver wire.

It’s best not to overreact to all of the Week 1 hoopla. However, we do need to take note of certain storylines, especially when it pertains to usage. Volume drives fantasy points, so that’s one of the aspects we should be looking for on the waiver wire.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

Regardless of whether you won or lost, here are 13 players to target on the waiver wire for fantasy football in Week 2:

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 1

Check your waiver wire for these IDP options ahead of Week 1.

Welcome to the 2022 fantasy football season! Each week, we’ll highlight some 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

DE James Smith-Williams, Washington Commanders

Star DE Chase Young is on the PUP and may miss close to half the season recovering from a torn ACL. Smith-Williams, a third-year end, had 40 tackles and three sacks in his first two seasons combined. He’ll have an opportunity in Week 1 to create havoc against a Jacksonville Jaguars O-line that has some gelling to do. They retained LT Cam Robinson in the offseason on the franchise tag and signed OG Brandon Scherff, but they don’t have much else. JSW is worth picking up in case he breaks out in a good matchup.

DE Tashawn Bower, Las Vegas Raiders

Bower is one to keep on your watch list or snatch in deeper leagues. He’ll be a rotational player behind Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, but he’ll get the chance to rush the passer. He led the league with four sacks this preseason, and he was all over the place with 12 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

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Linebackers

LB Bradley Chubb, Denver Broncos

Chubb and Von Miller were supposed to be a lethal pass-rush duo, but they couldn’t stay on the field together. Now Chubb will have Randy Gregory on the weak side, and they have a great matchup against a hapless Seattle Seahawks offensive line. Look for Chubb to start quickly in his quest to surpass his career-high 12 sacks from his rookie season. Bonus points aplenty if he qualifies as a DE in your league.

LB Myjai Sanders, Arizona Cardinals

Starting strongside LB Markus Golden (undisclosed) is questionable for Week 1, which opens the door for the rookie. Sanders had a solid 14.1 pressure percentage last year as a senior at Cincinnati. He converted that into only 2.5 sacks. The Cards thought enough of him to spend a third-round pick on him, and he could earn more reps with a big debut.

Defensive Backs

FS Andre Cisco, Jacksonville Jaguars

Cisco is the type of high-motor guy you like to see in a potential breakout at safety. QB Trevor Lawrence said that Cisco takes calculated risks in practice, and more times than not – they pan out. Cisco had 26 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two pass defenses in 17 games last year. He’ll be in the starting lineup and could compile enough tackles to make an early splash.

CB Jeff Okudah, Detroit Lions

If you want to talk about post-hype prospects, you can’t get much more post-hype than the 2020 No. 3 overall pick. He had 47 tackles, one pick and two pass defenses in nine games during his rookie season and was only able to suit up for one game last year. He’s still just 23 and in line to start opposite Amani Oruwariye. He’s big and quick enough to compete with anyone, and now he may be hungry to erase that “bust” label.