Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 12

Check your waiver wire for these IDP Week 12 pickups.

We move along to Week 12, and six teams are on a bye this week. This is one of the final weeks to take advantage of roster crunches as we make our way toward the fantasy playoffs.

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 Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos

This dude has wreaked havoc on opposing backfields for weeks. Regardless of whether he has DE or LB eligibility, he needs to be picked up. He has sacks in eight of nine games. Last week, he had seven tackles and two sacks, and he’ll be getting after the Las Vegas Raiders this week.

DE Kwity Paye, Indianapolis Colts

I swear, every year, we have a sighting of this 26-year-old defensive end. But it’s warranted. He has sacks in three straight games. He logged seven tackles, a forced fumble, and two sacks last week. Paye will have a meeting with the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots before his Week 14 bye, so this may be an abbreviated stay on your roster.

Linebackers

LB Devin Bush, Cleveland Browns

The 2019 first-round pick has been pretty invisible much of the season. However, he had eight tackles and a sack in Week 9 before his bye week. He came out of that bye week with eight more tackles. Scoop him up.

LB Omar Speights, Los Angeles Rams

The 23-year-old undrafted rookie busted out with eight tackles in Week 10. He followed it up with six in Week 11. It’s time to start taking him seriously as he’s firmly entrenched at RILB.

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LB Jerome Baker, Tennessee Titans

Baker stepped in for the injured Jack Gibbens and delivered eight tackles in Week 11. He was in and out of the lineup with Seattle earlier this season, but he posted a couple of seven-tackle games. Gibbens is out for the year, so give Baker a spin.

Defensive backs

CB Nazeeh Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

The former seventh-round pick made his presence known in Week 10 with 10 tackles and a sack. He came back in Week 11 with eight tackles. He’ll face two dumpster fire teams in the next two weeks in Carolina and Las Vegas to potentially pick one off.

FS Ar’Darius Washington, Baltimore Ravens

What did you do in Week 11, Ar’Darius? Oh, you know, just racked up 11 tackles! He’s running as the starting free safety now and played every defensive snap last week.

S Kamren Kinchens, Los Angeles Rams

The third-round pick is more of a boom-or-bust type, because he’s playing nickel back behind starters Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake. He has two big games in the last three weeks. He had three tackles and two INTs in Week 9, including one he took to the house. He didn’t do much in Week 10 and managed eight tackles, a forced fumble, and another INT last week.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 12 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver-wire targets in Week 12 of fantasy football.

The home stretch of the fantasy football season is finally upon us as managers aim to make their push for the playoffs.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to secure a playoff spot or playing spoiler to other teams in the league, the waiver wire in Week 12 will be crucial.

There are six teams on a bye this week, including the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo, using the 75% rostered mark (at least 25% availability) 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.

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 12

Check your waiver wire for these IDP options ahead of Week 12.

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.

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 12

It’s time to find those IDP gems on the fantasy football waiver wire in Week 12.

Crunch time has begun as we inch toward the fantasy playoffs. No one is on a bye this week, which means there are a lot of options to play. We’re here to sort out those crucial decisions.

Defensive linemen

DE Olivier Vernon, Cleveland Browns

Plain and simple, Vernon can dominate when healthy and motivated. He had three sacks last week, which gave him five sacks in three games. He has so-so matchups the next two weeks, but he finishes the season against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants and New York Jets. All of those are tantalizing.

DT David Onyemata, New Orleans Saints

The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder has been everywhere in the stat sheet the last two weeks. He had four tackles and a pass defensed two weeks ago, and he had three tackles and two sacks last week. The Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles are great slates for him the next three weeks to continue doing damage.

Linebackers

OLB Nicholas Morrow, Las Vegas Raiders

Morrow has been all over the field in the last three games with 16 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and four passes defensed. He was a top-20 linebacker during the stretch and is worth consideration as an LB2 or a flex.

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ILB Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals

We have been waiting for the No. 8 overall pick to emerge all season, and he had a statement game in Week 11. He had 10 total tackles and a sack in what could be a sign of things to come as he has fought to find his way into more playing time. He’s worth the speculative grab.

OLB Matt Judon, Baltimore Ravens

Judon is one of the better edge rushers in football, but he usually doesn’t tackle enough to warrant a lot of consideration. That has changed the last three weeks. He has 15 total tackles and two sacks in the last three games to scratch the surface for a pickup. The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the best matchup this week, but he follows it up with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants.

Defensive backs

FS Jordan Whitehead, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The 23-year-old has been a DB1 the last three weeks with his increased tackling. He had 19 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass defensed over the last three weeks. He’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, who throw a lot, and he’ll have plenty of chances to continue his tackling ways.

SS Donovan Wilson, Dallas Cowboys

The second-year man had a huge week in Week 11 with nine tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a half-sack against the Minnesota Vikings. Even better news? He faces the Washington Football Team, which has granted the most points to DBs over the last three weeks. He’s a plug-and-play option for Week 12.