Who are some names to know in your IDP leagues after a wild Week 6? Let’s take a look at a list of players who make for potential waiver wire Week 7 additions to your IDP squads.
Week 6 brought us another action-packed week of football with plenty to digest. We still have one more game to cap it off, as the Buffalo Bills take on the Tennesee Titans on Monday night. The waiver wire Week 7 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 waiver wire Week 7 IDP 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
Anthony Walker, LB, Cleveland Browns
Week 6 Stats: 9 tackles (6 solos), 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended
After missing three weeks with a hamstring injury, Walker returned to the starting lineup in Week 5. During that time, rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had seen his role steadily grow. Unfortunately, Owusu-Koramoah suffered an ankle injury this week and will miss some time. The Browns just can’t catch a break.
Walker has been back in the starting lineup the past two weeks playing 73% of the snaps in Week 5 and 79% this week. With Owusu-Koramoah now out, the Browns will definitely be relying on Walker once again. Walker should see plenty of work and is productive when on the field. Where available, Walker is a fantastic waiver wire addition if you need a linebacker.
Justin Strnad, LB, Denver Broncos
Week 6 Stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 QB hit
Justin Strand had previously appeared on this list back when Denver lost Josey Jewell for the season. Unfortunately, injury has struck the Denver linebacker unit again as A.J. Johnson suffered a pectoral injury and will miss the rest of the season. Yet another big loss to the group. Micah Kiser came in for Johnson after he exited, but we’ll talk about him in a minute.
Since replacing Jewell in the starting lineup, Strnad had been playing around the 80% snap mark. Now, with Johnson out, I think Strnad will be relied upon even more. The production hasn’t been staggering thus far for Strnad, but I think we could see that start to pick up. With a potential role increase ahead, Strnad is a solid waiver wire grab where available.
Micah Kiser, LB, Denver Broncos
Week 6 stats: 3 tackles (1 solo)
As I mentioned above, Micah Kiser filled in for A.J. Johnson after he exited this week's game. It’s also notable that Denver will be without rookie Baron Browning Thursday night as he suffered a concussion on Sunday. This leaves Justin Strnad and Kiser as the likely top two options at linebacker this week.
Kiser has his limitations as a linebacker but can produce some solid tackle numbers when out there. While Kiser’s role is a bit uncertain, he got the first shot this week and is the last man standing right now. Kiser is worth a look in deeper roster leagues as we see how this situation works out.
Derrick Barnes, LB, Detroit Lions
Week 6 Stats: 9 tackles (6 solos), 1 pass defended
The name of the game for Detroit rookie Derrick Barnes has been efficiency. Since seeing his role grow over the past few weeks, Barnes has been super-efficient as a tackler. Take the last two weeks for example. Barnes only played 31 snaps (44%) in Week 5 and 32 snaps (46%) in Week 6 but has produced 15 tackles (10 solos) over that span.
While this kind of efficiency likely isn’t sustainable, the hope is Barnes has earned himself more opportunity. Detroit is in a rebuilding season and may choose to roll with the rookie more as he gets comfortable. While the snaps aren’t ideal right now, that could change in the future. Barnes can even be used in a pinch if your options are limited with injuries or byes.
Kevin Minter, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 6 Stats: 4 tackles (2 solos)
With Lavonte David out in Week 6, Kevin Minter started in his place and played 88% of the snaps. The production wasn’t great, but the snap share was solid and should be once again this week. Minter is a deep league option if you need a guy and the waiver wire is scarce.
Davion Taylor, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6 Stats: 4 tackles (2 solos)
This is more of an upside speculative add. Davion Taylor is a second-year linebacker whose role has been growing over the last two weeks. In Week 5, Taylor saw more work playing 24 defensive snaps (34%) and topped that number in Week 6 playing 37 snaps (49%). The added reps for Taylor have come at the expense of teammate Eric Wilson whose role is trending in the opposite direction.
Coming out of college, Taylor was a raw player who lacked experience but had intriguing physical attributes. The athleticism and range are there with Taylor, he just needs to continue to progress. If you have the room in deeper roster leagues, I’m looking to add Taylor now, especially in dynasty. Adding Taylor now is one of those speculative waiver wire ads that can pay off nicely down the road.
Shout-out to my dude @adamIDP who was pumping up Taylor after last week's game. Adam is a smart dude and when he's talking, I'm listening. Check out Addie's tweet below where he shares Taylor's impressive testing numbers and a clip from Philadelphia's Week 5 game.
https://twitter.com/adamIDP/status/1448296994531860486
Defensive Line/Edge
Josh Sweat, DE, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6 Stats: 6 tackles (4 solos), 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit
Josh Sweat hasn't quite had the start to the year that many IDP managers, myself included, had hoped for. However, he has picked it up a bit lately. Over the last two weeks, Sweat has amassed 10 tackles (5 solos), two tackles for loss, and a sack. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come for the talented defensive end.
With Brandon Graham out for the season, Sweat has been seeing steady snap volumes playing his two highest totals in Week 5 (75%) and Week 6 (79%). In Week 7, Sweat has a nice matchup against a Las Vegas offensive line who have surrendered 17 sacks on the year. Sweat may only be available in shallower leagues but is worth a waiver wire add where available.
Derek Barnett, DE, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6 Stats: 4 assisted tackles, 1 QB hit
Derek Barnett has been a frustrating player during his time in Philadelphia. It's been a series of injuries and uneven production during his time there. This year, he's played every game but has yet to register a number in the sack column. I know, I'm making this sound super enticing right, lol.
The angle with Barnett is simply this, the snap volume is solid and as I said with Sweat, the matchup is nice. Barnett has played 66% of the defensive snaps on the year and a season-high 87% in Week 6. If you miss out on Sweat or he’s unavailable, I'd check and see if Barnett is on the waiver wire in leagues where you start 3-4 DL. Maybe this is the week Barnett gets home for one, he’s due.
Justin Houston, Edge, Baltimore Ravens
Week 6 Stats: 2 tackles (1 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit
Even at 32 years old, the old veteran is still showing he can get it done. In Week 5 against the Chargers, Houston got home for a sack and registered a season-high four pressures, per PFF. Not a bad day against a solid Los Angeles Chargers offensive line.
This week, Houston has a more favorable matchup against a much weaker Cincinnati offensive line. Houston's role is solid among the Baltimore defense playing over 60% of the snaps in all but one of his five games this year (53% Week 2). In leagues where he has edge/DL eligibility, Houston is worth a look if the waiver wire is bleak.
Jonathan Greenard, DE, Houston Texans
Week 6 Stats: 6 tackles (5 solos), 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits
After being selected by Houston in the third round of the 2020 draft, Greenard had a very quiet rookie season. Well, that certainly hasn't been the case lately. Over his last two games, Greenard has produced an impressive nine tackles (8 solos), 4 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. We see you, Greenard.
The one worry is, he is only seeing about half the snaps playing 53% and 56% in Week 5 and Week 6, respectively. Hopefully, his play has earned him a few more snaps, but ultimately he's getting it done with what he's getting. Greenard is a young, upside dynasty pickup and is also worth a look in deeper redraft leagues.
Defensive Backs
DeShon Elliot, S, Baltimore Ravens
Week 6 Stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 1 interception, 2 passes defended
After missing the last two weeks with a quad injury, DeShon Elliot made his way back to the field this week. Not only did he return, but Elliot returned with a BANG (see stats above). Elliot had a slow start to the season in his first three games, but that certainly wasn't the case this week. While weeks like this likely aren't the norm, it was certainly an encouraging outing for Elliot.
Elliot returned to the starting lineup this week and played 98% of the defensive snaps. Also worth noting, was that Elliot played 27 of his 55 snaps up in the box/slot/DL, per PFF. If you are in need of safety help, Elliot is a solid option with the hope the injuries are behind him.
Juan Thornhill, S, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 6 Stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss
The Chiefs decided it was time to make a switch at safety this week as Juan Thornhill got the start over Daniel Sorensen. It seems Sorensen's missed tackles and coverage woes finally caught up with him. Thornhill received his second start of the season and played all 59 defensive snaps on the day.
Thornhill spent most of his time at free safety but did see a few snaps up in the box/slot. The big takeaway here for me is the fact the Chiefs made the switch and Thornhill was out there every play. In deeper leagues, finding players who see a healthy snap volume at this point of the season can be key. This makes Thornhill a waiver-wire option in those such leagues with the hope the production picks up some.
Sean Chandler, S, Carolina Panthers
Week 6 Stats: 10 tackles (7 solos), 1 forced fumble
After losing Juston Burris to IR with a groin injury, Carolina has turned to Sean Chandler as his replacement. Chandler has seen his snap count steadily rise playing 96% and 100% of the snaps in Week 5 and Week 6, respectively. Producing his most productive week of the season, Chandler's 10 tackles (7 solos) tied for the team-high this week.
With Burris out, Chandler's role looks stable for the time being as his snaps indicate. If you're in need of safety help/depth, Chandler is worth a look where you start 3-4 players.
Robert Rochell, CB, Los Angeles Rams
Week 6 Stats: 5 tackles (4 solos), 1 interception, 1 pass defended
The Rams' fourth-round pick of this year's draft, Rochell has been thrust into action as of late. He made his second start of the season this week and played 71 defensive snaps (95%). Rochell entered the starting lineup in Week 5 and will be relied upon going forward with Darius Williams now on IR.
Rochell snagged his first career interception this week and turned in a solid IDP outing. He was also plenty busy throughout the game as the Giants targeted the rookie nine times, per PFF. In cornerback required leagues, Rochell could be worth a look with injuries and byes hitting.
Conclusion
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s edition of the IDP waiver wire Week 7! With six teams on bye and all the unfortunate injuries that have occurred, this week could be brutal on rosters. Hopefully, I have provided some options to help get you through it. As always, if you have any questions at all feel free to reach out. Happy bidding everyone and good luck this week!
To get the low-down on everything IDP relevant from Week 6, make sure you check out Johny The Greek’s “The Monster”!
Thanks for taking the time to read my article, I hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful. You can find my work here at idpguys.org and follow me on Twitter @KBellf54. I’m always available for any questions or feedback you may have and my DMs are always open.
