Football is finally back and as per usual, our collective expectations have been proven wrong – at least for now anyway. Whilst overreacting to the opener is always a danger, you also don’t want to sit idly by whilst your league mates hoover up the available talent. These are the players you should be targeting in IDP leagues on waivers ahead of Week 2.
Defensive line
Kwity Paye, Indianapolis Colts – Paye feels like a breakout sophomore candidate and his first game of 2022 certainly made that feel even more likely. He was excellent against the Texans, finishing with seven tackles, two sacks, and four defensive stops. He seems to be the leading man in Gus Bradley’s front four and has a nice matchup against the Jaguars in Week 2.
Dominique Robinson, Chicago Bears – It isn’t every day that fifth round edge rushers flash on their NFL debut, but that is precisely what Robinson did against the 49ers. He finished the game with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks, scoring 25 points in the process. Next weekend he faces a Packers offensive line that struggled in pass protection in Week 1 and could do so again.
Rashad Weaver, Tennessee Titans – Weaver missed almost his entire rookie season in 2021, but he looks like a player who could make an impact this year. With Harold Landry out for the season there are opportunities along the Titans’ defensive line that Weaver seems to be taking advantage of. He had two sacks and scored 25 points in his first NFL start.
Linebacker
Pete Werner, New Orleans Saints – Demario Davis might still be the main linebacker for the Saints, but as far as IDP is concerned, Werner is well worth rostering. He got his second season off to a hot start, providing 12 tackles and a forced fumble against the Falcons, resulting in 28 points. Right now, Werner is available in 68% of IDP leagues – take advantage of that while you can.
Mykal Walker, Atlanta Falcons – Walker impressed as a rookie in 2020, but his snaps disappeared under a new regime in 2021. Based on Week 1 that misfortune looks to have reversed, with Walker taking advantage of Deion Jones’ absence and earning a starting role against the Saints. With his high snap volume and usage as a blitzing linebacker he is worth stashing.
Kamu Grugier-Hill, Houston Texans – As is often the case with IDP, it pays to have inside linebackers who are on bad defenses. That looks to be true with Grugier-Hill. Whilst his 18 tackles were obviously juiced by virtue of a full overtime period, he continues to be a tackle machine for the Texans, averaging 8.2 per game since the start of 2021.
Defensive back
Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers – There might not have been a more impressive performance from a defensive back in Week 1 than Hufanga. The second-year safety was outstanding for the 49ers, contributing 11 tackles including two tackles for loss. He also chipped in with the first interception of his career on his way to scoring 33 points.
Tracy Walker, Detroit Lions – Walker was everywhere for the Lions in Week 1. He racked up an impressive 13 tackles in their loss to the Eagles. That’s pretty impressive when you consider he only played in three quarters thanks to an ejection for a late hit. 57.8% of his snaps came in the box or in the slot and he scored 31 points. He’s also rostered in just 37% of IDP leagues.
Nick Cross, Indianapolis Colts – The key to maximising your return from the waiver wire is getting ahead of trends. With Cross that is exactly what you can do. He only scored eight points in Week 1, but crucially he played on all 70 of the Colts’ defensive snaps in his NFL debut against the Texans. More importantly, 75.7% of those came in the box or slot.
