Perhaps you have lost one of your star players to injury? Or maybe your team just needs some added reinforcement. Whatever the reason might be for you dipping into the waiver wire, these are the players you should be looking to pick up in IDP fantasy ahead of Week 8.
Defensive line
Za’Darius Smith, Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings will come into Week 8 off a bye and ready to face a subpar Cardinals offense. I’d be optimistic about Smith’s chances in this game. Arizona have had problems in pass protection, allowing 15 sacks through seven games. They are also dealing with a number of injuries along their offensive line. This all bodes well for Smith, who is rostered in just 46% of leagues.
Montez Sweat, Washington Commanders – Don’t overthink this one. Sweat might have scored just four points against the Packers, but that was a quirk of game script. Next week he goes up against a leaky Colts offensive line that is allowing a concerning 3.5 sacks per game. So far this season, Sweat ranks as the DL24 with an average of 13.8 points per game.
Linebacker
Alex Anzalone, Detroit Lions – Anzalone has been a massively underrated asset in IDP fantasy this season. He is rostered in a paltry 37% of IDP leagues yet ranks as the LB18 on a points per game basis. Anzalone might not get the splash plays that others do, but his reliable tackle volume has seen him score at least 12 points in every game this season.
Willie Gay, Kansas City Chiefs – Gay has missed plenty of playing time this season as a result of his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of your leaguemates has dropped him – Gay is actually rostered in just 38% of IDP leagues. Despite this he ranks as LB21 in points per game this season with an average of 17.5.
Rashaan Evans, Atlanta Falcons – Evans has been a very reliable IDP producer so far this season. In his first year with the Falcons, he has already surpassed 20 fantasy points in three of his seven games. He also ranks as the LB32 through seven games, with 16 points per game. Evans is rostered in just 51% of IDP leagues.
Defensive back
DeShon Elliott, Detroit Lions – Elliott was on this list last week but as long as he continues playing like this he’s going to stay here. He finished the game against the Cowboys with eight tackles, scoring 14 points. Elliott has now scored double digit points in every game and is averaging a very impressive 18.6 fantasy points per game.
Jalen Thompson, Arizona Cardinals – One of the challenges with defensive backs in IDP is finding reliable week-to-week scorers that aren’t reliant on splash plays like interceptions. Thompson is that scorer. He has been great so far this season, averaging 15.1 points per game. More importantly, Thompson has scored at least 12 points in every game this season.
Jonathan Owens, Houston Texans – Through seven weeks, Owens sits 15th in points per game amongst defensive backs. Whilst he has aligned primarily as a free safety, he’s still getting plenty of tackles. That’s been the driver behind his production, and I’d expect it to continue into the next few weeks. The Texans will be facing the run-heavy Titans and Eagles in their next two outings.
