Week 7 had some surprises and injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s take a look at some players who make for nice potential waiver wire additions for your IDP squads.
Week 7 is just about in the books as we still have a Monday night matchup to cap it off. This article was written before the conclusion of that game so unfortunately, it doesn’t include those players. Now it’s time to dive into some potential week eight waiver wire additions.
Disclaimer: All league sizes and formats are different. Meaning some of these players may or may not be available in your league. Each week I’ll be doing my best to cover a wide enough base of scenarios. If you ever have any league specific questions, I’m always willing to help and so is our fantastic team here at IDP Guys.
Linebackers
Damien Wilson – LB – Kansas City Chiefs
Week 7 stat line: 8 tackles (6 solos)
The Chiefs linebacker unit is one of the more frustrating in IDP due to the variance in usage. While WIlson has started every game this year, his snaps have fluctuated. The past three weeks Wilson’s snap counts have looked like this; Week 5 86% (season-high), Week 6 44% and he led all Chief linebackers in Week 7 at 69%. Over that three week stretch, Wilson has been productive from an IDP standpoint producing 24 combined tackles (15 solos) and one tackle for loss. In total, Wilson has played 63% of the defensive snaps on the year. Wilson is more of an LB4/5 type, but with bye weeks and injuries hitting he could be worth a waiver wire addition for teams needing linebacker help in deeper leagues.
Kamal Martin – LB – Green Bay Packers
Week 7 stat line: 6 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss
The Packers fifth round rookie from this year’s draft made his debut this past week. Martin had previously been on IR after suffering a knee injury before the season. While Martin started the game next to Krys Barnes, Barnes was the linebacker staying on the field in the single linebacker sets. Unfortunately, Barnes injured his shoulder to start the third quarter and was unable to return.
Ty Summers initially took over for Barnes, but made a costly mistake in coverage. Green Bay then turned to Martin as the man in the middle and play caller. Martin was solid in his first action and collected six solo tackles and one tackle for loss. The availability of Barnes and Kirksey is currently unknown, meaning Martin could be holding down the middle for Green Bay in Week 8. Martin is worth a waiver wire pickup as we see his role develop and is a great dynasty stash if available.
Cole Holcomb – LB – Washington
Week 7 stat line: 5 tackles (4 solos), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 1 interception, 1 pass defended
After compiling 105 tackles (74 solos) as a rookie in 2019, Holcomb has been off to a slow start this year battling a knee injury. Holcomb has started the past two games for Washington, playing 64% of the snaps in Week 6 and 70% Week 7, though he might of saw extra action this week due to Jon Bostic being ejected. As his stat line above shows, Holcomb had a huge Week 7 IDP performance. Hopefully, his play has earned him some additional snaps coming out of Washington’s Week 8 bye. While Holcomb is on bye this week, he’s worth a waiver wire add should you have the room with the hope his role continues to grow.
Defensive Line/Edge
Marcus Davenport – DE – New Orleans Saints
Week 7 stat line: 2 tackles (1 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit
After missing the first four games of the year with toe and elbow injuries, Davenport played 30% of the snaps in Week 5 and 50% this week coming out of the bye. While Trey Hendrickson drew the start opposite of Cameron Jordan, Davenport and Hendrickson both ended up playing 23 snaps (50%). Davenport registered his first sack of the season and the hope is that he is healthy and ready to contribute. While he will be in a rotation, Davenport has the talent to make good use of his opportunities. In leagues where you start 3-4 defensive lineman, Davenport is worth a waiver wire add.
Melvin Ingram – DE – Los Angeles Chargers
Week 7 stat line: 2 QB hits
Ingram made his return this week after missing the past three games while on short-term IR with a knee injury. Returning to the starting lineup, Ingram played 68% of the snaps in his first game back. While he only turned those snaps into two quarterback hits in the stat column, better days are certainly ahead. Ingram is a veteran pass rusher that knows how to get it done and if he’s available in your league he’s a fine waiver wire pickup going forward.
Jerry Hughes – DE – Buffalo Bills
Week 7 stat line: 6 tackles (5 solos), 1 tackle for loss, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 1 interception, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble
The old veteran Hughes had an absolute monster game this week! Hughes recorded his first two sacks of the season and even notched the first interception of his career, although I’m not sure that’ll happen again. At age 32, Hughes showed he still has some juice left in his game this week. Playing 63% of the snaps on the year, Hughes has a steady roll in the Buffalo pass rusher rotation. Managers in need of pass rusher help in deeper leagues, could look to Hughes coming off a hot Week 7.
Haason Reddick – Edge – Arizona Cardinals
Week 7 stat line: 11 tackles (5 solos), 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 QB hits
After losing Chandler Jones for the season, Arizona was in need of someone to step up off the edge. Haason Reddick has been that guy and has been putting his added opportunities to good use. Over the last two weeks, Reddick has amassed an impressive 16 tackles (9 solos), five tackles for loss, three sacks, five quarterback hits, and one pass defended. He’s also seen his highest snaps totals with 61% in Week 6 and 94% in Week 7. Reddick is starting to look like the player Arizona thought they drafted at 13th overall in 2017. In leagues where Reddick has Edge/DL eligibility he is a great waiver wire pickup and he also has value in leagues where he is designated a linebacker. It is notable that Reddick has a Week 8 bye, but I’d grab him before someone else does especially in leagues where he has Edge/DL eligibility.
Markus Golden – Edge – Arizona Cardinals
Week 7 stat line (w/ Giants): 1 solo tackle, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 QB hits
As I said earlier, Chandler Jones is out for the season and Arizona has some big shoes to fill off the edge. Last week, they traded a 2021 sixth round pick to the New York Giants for a familiar face in Markus Golden. For whatever reason, Golden had been used sparingly in New York, but did register his first full sack of the year in Week 7 before leaving. Now in Arizona, Golden will enter a rotation with Haason Reddick, Devon Kennard, and Dennis Gardeck. Golden is a talented pass rusher and should carve out a role in Arizona. In deep roster leagues, Golden is worth a waiver wire addition as he gets acclimated with his new team during the bye week.
***Dynasty Stash***
D.J. Wonnum – DE – Minnesota Vikings
Week 7 stat line: Bye
With the Vikings recent trade of Yannick Ngakoue, there are snaps to be had at defensive end. One player who could see his role increase is Minnesota’s fourth round rookie from this year’s draft DJ Wonnum. Wonnum has a nice athletic profile and also possesses good length to create separation off the edge. Wonnum recorded his first career sack in Week 4 against Houston and he should get more opportunities to add to that going forward. In dynasty leagues, Wonnum is a nice add as a taxi squad stash as we see if his role progresses.
Defensive Backs
Ronnie Harrison – S – Cleveland Browns
Week 7 stat line: 9 tackles (6 solos), 1 sack, 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovery
Harrison missed Cleveland’s Week 6 game with a concussion, but returned to make his second start of the year in Week 7. Karl Joseph was active this week, but was possibly on a snap count as he is coming back from a hamstring injury. The Browns chose to start Harrison at strong safety this week and he played a season-high snap count of 84%. Harrison’s nine tackles (6 solos) led the team and he even added in a sack and a fumble recovery. The Harrison/Joseph situation will be one to watch, but Harrison has made an impact in both of his starts. Harrison is worth a waiver wire pickup as we see how the safety roles shake out in Cleveland.
Anthony Harris – S – Minnesota Vikings
Week 7 stat line: Bye
With Harris having a Week 7 bye, it is possible he was dropped in certain leagues. Harris had a really nice outing in Week 6 against Atlanta where he collected eight tackles (5 solos), one tackle for loss and one pass defended. Another attribute of note is the fact that Harris has yet to miss a defensive snap on the year. If available, Harris is a nice waiver wire add for teams looking for safety help.
Daniel Sorensen – S – Kansas City Chiefs
Week 7 stat line: 9 tackles (7 solos), 1 interception (for a TD), 1 pass defended
After a shaky start to the year, Sorensen play has come on as of late. Sorensen had a big Week 7 performance as he tied for the team lead in tackles with nine (7 solos) and also added an impressive pick six. Generally used as the third safety in the defense, Sorensen is asked to move around the Chiefs’ defensive formation. This causes his snap counts to fluctuate, but Sorensen has played 75% of the defensive snaps on the year. Sorensen is more of a deeper league pickup where the waiver wire is thin for manager’s in need of safety help.
Kamren Curl – S – Washington
Week 7 stat line: 3 solo tackles
Week 7 took another prominent IDP player from us as Landon Collins is believed to have suffered a season ending Achilles injury. After Collins left the game it was seventh round rookie Kamren Curl who came in to play alongside Deshazor Everett. Curl ended up playing a season-high 70% of the defensive snaps and turned in three solo tackles. Washington is on a bye in Week 8 so we will have to wait a week to see how the safety situation shakes out without Collins. That being said, Curl is worth a stash especially in dynasty leagues.
Conclusion
Thanks for tuning into this week’s edition of the IDP waiver wire. This week we saw some new names step up to produce big games and unfortunately, we saw yet more injuries occur. Some of the players listed are deeper league adds, while others may be dynasty league stashes. No matter the league format it is important to keep tabs on who’s available and as always follow the snaps.
**Be sure to check out Morgan McLane’s offensive waiver wire article over a Dynasty Football Digest which you can view here.
