Joey Bosa moments before gnawing off Aaron Rodgers leg like a gopher with rabies.

Week nine comes to a close and as the bye-pocalypse continues to consume us all we keep looking for short term solutions for these lean weeks of the season. Many of our best players are sitting at home enjoying a much needed week off while leaving us with our pants around our ankles and scrambling for options. These are the weeks your opponents are counting on to grab an easy win off you and gain some ground back. Shit, a third of your team is on bye this week, you should be easy pickens.

What they don’t know is that you’ve been reading this article, likely among many others, all season and will have at least the IDP side of your roster locked down with solid short term options. You’re going to play the matchups and pick up, play, then throw away guys that no one even knows about yet. And I’m going to help you do that. We got some real solid waiver wire guys this week, especially at linebacker. Whether via injury, lack of production or other reason there are some surprising new producers this week that could have some serious impact the remainder of the season, short term or otherwise.

Remember what I talked about last week, let’s keep doing the little things that we can control and don’t give an inch. We need to lock down our shit, no mistakes. We give the fantasy gods as little to work with as possible. They are fickle indeed and love to clap our cheeks so let’s not help them by leaving someone in who’s on bye this week. Also this time of year is starting to grind on people, especially those juggling multiple leagues, and it can get frustrating and cause anxiety etc. So let’s put this in perspective and get our minds right before finishing this season strong.

What were you doing three months ago? You were watching terrible preseason football, drafting your teams and anxiously awaiting the start of the season. What will you be doing three months from now? All this will be over with and we’ll likely be dreading another Patriots super bowl and contemplating whether a spoon or fork would be better to scoop your eyes out after they win title number seven. NOW is what we’ve all been waiting for all offseason, let’s not forget that. Enjoy the moment. Alright let’s break down week nine and make some sense of all these shenanigans.

Be sure to follow all the IDP writers at idpguys.org for a faster take on waivers and to make sure you’re covered from all angles with your IDP information, @IDP_Dude and @Joeythetooth are must follows. Apologies that this article comes out after waivers but it’s either ALL of the detail and it comes out late or NONE of the detail and you’ll have it for Tuesday night waivers. Anyone that knows me knows I don’t do things “some of the way”. Anyways, let’s get into it and prepare to have our cheeks clapped by the football gods again this week.

Is this your God?!?!

49ers @ Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers

Performed as expected: Fred Warner (LB) Jimmie Ward (S) Jaquiski Tartt (S) DeForest Buckner (DT) Dee Ford (EDGE) Richard Sherman (CB)

Possible waiver adds: Dre Greenlaw (LB) is getting some buzz in the IDP Twitter universe as a likely replacement for the now injured and out for the season Kwon Alexander (LB). We’ll have to wait until their next game to see precisely who it ends up being, how much they play and how productive they can be. For now though Greenlaw might be worth an add in much deeper leagues, I’m not about it though, see my Abandon ship below for further explanation.

Flash in the pan: Dre Greenlaw (LB) may be a waiver wire add next week but for this week he was a flash in the pan, 47% of snaps isn’t going to lend itself to any kind of consistency. Next game will tell us more, he won’t be worth much if he doesn’t end up getting more snaps than this though.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: With Kwon Alexander (LB) going down for the rest of the season there will be someone stepping into his shoes starting next game, the early consensus is Dre Greenlaw (LB) will be the guy. However we were all pretty much ready to bail out on Kwon Alexander (LB) due to his lack of production even with plenty of playing time. What’s to say some no name is going to step into his shoes and do any better? There are a few nice linebacker options for waivers this week, Greenlaw I don’t think is going to be one of them, that defense just isn’t on the field enough for everyone to eat every week, the offense, run game in particular, is so good and dominates time of possession so completely that I really only am interested in the 49ers pass rush and Fred Warner (LB) in some deeper leagues and that’s it.

Arizona Cardinals

Performed as expected: Budda Baker (S) Jordan Hicks (LB) Chandler Jones (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: Joe Walker (LB) is our new messiah, Haason Redick (LB) is no more. He played 57% of snaps to Redicks 45% this week and for the second week in a row has outsnapped Redick. He is well on his way to completely stealing his job, production and playing time. If he can get up to the 100% of snaps Redick was at earlier this season the kind of production we are already seeing is just the beginning, highly recommend you grab this guy.

Flash in the pan: NA, Joe Walker (LB) would normally qualify but he straight up stole Haason Redicks (LB) job.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Terrell Suggs (EDGE) had a down week, it happens, he’s an EDGE guy that’s how these things go. Haason Redick (LB) started the season as the rock solid second inside linebacker next to Jordan Hicks (LB) playing 100% of snaps every week and producing steadily and reliably. Flash forward to week eight and nine and he’s been losing playing time to Joe Walker (LB) and Walker has taken full advantage of the opportunity and ran with it. The writing is on the wall here for Reddick, while he may not be worth an actual drop if you have the bench space it sure looks like he won’t be nearly as valuable going forward barring an injury or something of that sort. By the way, Jordan Hicks (LB) always gets injured, maybe not a bad idea to hang on to Reddick just in case that happens…when that happens.

New kid on the block.

Texans @ Jaguars

Houston Texans

Performed as expected: Texans Cornerbacks, Zach Cunningham (LB)

Possible waiver adds: Brennan Scarlett (LB) has had significant playing time the last two weeks including 60% of snaps this week, while last week he was a tackling machine this week he had a sack and looked to do a bit more pass rushing which isn’t surprising with JJ Watt (DE) out for the season. He is looking to be a nice waiver wire linebacker option in deeper leagues.

Flash in the pan: Peter Kalambayi (LB) however only played 10% of snaps so we can completely ignore his production this week, he won’t be coming anywhere close to putting up numbers like this consistently with that little playing time.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Justin Reid (S) not only stunk up the joint yet again this week but his playing time took its first hit of any significance as well. He dropped to 87% of snaps played this week and once again only had two combined tackles and one pass defended which is pretty terrible for a strong safety who just last year was easily a top ten IDP safety. He has come crashing back to earth this season and is swirling the toilet. I got out of my shares weeks ago but some of you more stubborn types may need some more convincing, this should help do the trick.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Performed as expected: Jaguars Corners, Myles Jack (LB) Calais Campbell (DE) Najee Goode (LB) Yannick Ngakoue (DE) Jarrod Wilson (S)

Possible waiver adds: It was Najee Goode (LB) and not Austin Calitro (LB) who emerged as the other inside linebacker next to Myles Crap (LB) when it was all said and done this week, there was some confusion as to who would get the start next to the consistently underwhelming and generally awful Myles Jack (LB) going forward. Goode should be a really nice linebacker option on waivers in medium to deeper leagues going forward, he played 87% of snaps this week and put up five combined tackles in not the most ideal matchup, all good signs.

Flash in the pan: Abry Jones (DT) had a pretty nice game but only played 51% of snaps and hasn’t done much else this season so he’s not worth a look going forward.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Josh Allen (DE) and Ronnie Harrison (S) were the only Jags IDP to really under perform this week. Allen is just a rookie and has had a stellar season so far, he’s everything that was promised and more, he’ll be fine. Harrison though has been somewhat up and down this season while also seemingly adding another minor nagging injury after every game. He has enough huge games that I’m OK rolling him out in the one league I have him in. That league requires four safeties though so it’s not like I’m going to find much better, if I had to rely on Harrison in a less deep league and had to decide if he made the cut if I was only starting say two or three safeties would he still be on my squad? At this point probably not, maybe down the line if he can keep this job and get better at it but right now the consistency just isn’t there yet. So is he an abandon ship? That depends how big your league is and what you expect out of him each week, generally I’d say probably not, but we’re definitely doing safety drills and making sure the life boats are up to regulation.

Matt Ioannidis has joined Sam Hubbard and Robert Quinn on the Mount Rushmore of waiver wire defensive ends this season.

Redskins @ Bills

Washington Redskins

Performed as expected: Landon Collins (S) Josh Norman (CB) Jonathan Allen (DT) Matt Ioannidis (DE) Jon Bostic (LB) Montez Sweat (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: Troy Apke (S) has been playing 100% of snaps while Montae Nicholson (S) has been injured and out, he makes a nice short term safety option for as long as Nicholson is gone. He’s had really nice production while taking over for Nicholson and the Redskins spend a lot of time on defense so this could be good to take advantage of while you can.

Flash in the pan: Shaun Dion Hamilton (LB) had a really nice game but only played 44% of snaps and hasn’t played much more than that in any other game this season. He won’t be able to maintain any kind of consistency with this little playing time, pass, again.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Cole Holcomb (LB) has seen his playing time slowly but surely chipped away in the last few weeks, he was down to just 48% of snaps this week and his production took a hit as well, just three solo tackles on the day. Since becoming the early season waiver wire darling at linebacker he’s been putting up less and less production as the weeks have gone by. His playing time is now definitely not ideal and his earlier efficiency that was allowing him to put up nice numbers with that less than ideal playing time has disappeared as well. This was even an ideal matchup against a Bills team that really likes to run and dominated time of possession and still Holcomb failed to put up solid numbers, that in combination with the lack of playing time doesn’t lead to a great prognosis going forward, I would start looking for other options if you need linebacker help.

Buffalo Bills

Performed as expected: Micah Hyde (S) Tremaine Edmunds (LB) Jordan Poyer (S) Matt Milano (LB) Bills Cornerbacks, Jordan Phillips (DT) Jerry Hughes (DE) Trent Murphy (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Jordan Phillips (DT) saw an increase in playing time this week to 65% of snaps played, he’s been very efficient this season but hasn’t had ideal playing time until now. If he can stay at or increase this amount of playing time he would come off my “risky” list and become a really nice option at defensive tackle.

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Ed Oliver (DT) saw his playing time decrease to just 35% of snaps played this week, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Phillips saw an uptick this week while Oliver saw a decrease. Oliver still has a ton of promise but really has only put up numbers in one game this season, he’s definitely a hold in dynasty but the lack of production combined with the recent decline in playing time pretty much ends his redraft usefulness this season. Abandon ship in redraft, hold in dynasty.

Cousins’ asshole was puckered so tight this week when he saw Chris Jones was active that you could’t pound a thumb tack into it with a jackhammer.

Vikings @ Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

Performed as expected: Harrison Smith (S) Everson Griffen (DE) Eric Kendricks (LB) Anthony Harris (S) Vikings Cornerbacks, Linval Joseph (DT)

Possible waiver adds: NA, all the producers here are known and the ones that aren’t are a flash in the pan and nor worth an add.

Flash in the pan: Mike Hughes (CB) and Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE) both had nice games in the box score this week but played 64% and 27% of snaps respectively. That’s not nearly enough for either position to be consistent going forward, you want 100% of snaps at corner and at least double what Odenigbo is playing for defensive end. Pass on both.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Danielle Hunter (DE) had a bit of a down week but is still either the best or second best IDP defensive end this season in both dynasty and redraft depending on whether you’re in the Myles Garrett (DE) camp or more partial to Hunter. This is literally the first bad game he’s had this year and he still had three combined tackles and a half a sack which is serviceable. No defensive end puts up numbers every week, for you Nick Bosa (DE) people what did your messiah do for you this week? Exactly. He’ll be fine keep plugging him in.

Kansas City Chiefs

Performed as expected: Damien Wilson (LB) Anthony Hitchens (LB) Chavarious Ward (CB) Chris Jones (DT) Juan Thornhill (S)

Possible waiver adds: Emmanuel Ogbah (DE) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (DE) are still both seeing significant playing time while Frank Clark (DE) is injured and out, either would be a decent bye week or short term roll of the dice until Clark gets back.

Flash in the pan: Reggie Ragland (LB) had a decent week with six combined tackles but still only played 66% of snaps this week and usually plays closer to 30% each week, even if he were to stay at 66% of snaps every week that still wouldn’t be ideal unless you were using him as like a linebacker four in a super deep league but I’ve been staring at these numbers all season and I’m telling you this was a bump because they played a team with Dalvin Cook (RB) on it who likes to run a lot, they adjusted by adding more linebacker snaps. Ragland will likely be back to around 30% of snaps next week and I don’t care how deep your league is that’s not enough to play a guy and expect anything significant out of him. Pass, still.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Tyrann Mathieu (S) only had three tackle assists this week but is still playing 100% of snaps and has had a really solid year overall. As far as I can remember the only safety this year to blow up every single game he’s played in has been Tracy Walker (S) of the Lions, even the best IDP safeties like Jamal Adams (S) and Shawn Williams (S) have down weeks, it happens, not as often as defensive line or cornerback but it does happen. He’ll be fine keep plugging him in as a weekly auto start and a pretty much guaranteed top twenty safety for the season. Remain calm.

The Jets got some new blood at linebacker and it ain’t terrible so far.

Jets @ Dolphins

New York Jets

Performed as expected: Brian Poole (CB) Marcus Maye (S) Jamal Adams (S) Quinnen Williams (DT)

Possible waiver adds: With Neville Hewitt (LB) injured and out and Blake Cashman (LB) going the way of CJ Mosley (LB) and Avery Williamson (LB) before him (to IR) we are now down to James Burgess (LB) and Brandon Copeland (LB) as the IDP relevant linebackers starting for the Jets. They both actually had some real nice weeks against the Dolphins. They both played 100% of snaps and both lit up the box score, the question is which one stays when Neville Hewitt (LB) comes back from injury, I believe Burgess is the one guaranteed a role for the remainder of the season but don’t quote me on that. Regardless, Hewitt has been out for three weeks now and has injuries to both his neck and knee so he likely won’t be back any time soon, so adding either of these guys is a nice idea if you need linebacker help.

Flash in the pan: Nate Hairston (CB) might have qualified for this but with Trumaine Johnson (CB) heading to IR it’s more likely he’s just sliding into his role and playing time and should be a safe option going forward at corner, so disregard. No flash in the pan this week.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: There are realistically only a few actual legitimate IDP relevant guys left on this defense and they all put up numbers this week. Even Quinnen Williams (DT) got into the action this week with several combined tackles and a sack. The Jets defense has been absolutely decimated with injuries this season but it’s worth paying attention to who these new producers are as the next man up since their offense is also god awful so this defense will be seeing a ton of snaps. I rode both Copeland and Burgess to victory this week in an all IDP league where I had a ton of bye and injury issues, you can do the same going forward. Remain calm unless you are a Jets fan, if that’s the case it’s time to drink bleach.

Miami Dolphins

Performed as expected: Raekwon McMillan (LB) Jerome Baker (LB) Davon Godchaux (DT) Christian Wilkins (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Vince Biegel (LB) continues to see snaps at linebacker, 81% of snaps this week and around the same the last couple weeks, the production isn’t there or the consistency either but the playing time is the first step, he might be worth a look in super, incredibly, massively deep leagues if you need linebacker help. Reshad Jones (S) is supposedly returning from injury this week or next, he was getting a good amount of snaps and had a massive week before getting hurt and missing the last couple weeks, if he does play this week he could make a real nice option if you need safety help.

Flash in the pan: Jomal Wiltz (CB) and Nik Needham (CB) played 88% and 94% of snaps respectively this week and both had really nice box scores, the only problem is I have no idea who these guys are so the consistency isn’t there yet. Miami is so far out of the playoff hunt that they likely will be just plugging different guys into their defense and seeing what they have in them, I don’t feel like any of these corners has a safe job going forward, they might but I don’t know and don’t follow the Dolphins enough to know and don’t plan on starting to either. It just seems like a stupid risk to take when there are so many corners that get significant playing time out there, why risk it with one of these guys?

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Taco Charlton (DE) has seen his playing time chopped the last two weeks and was at 76% of snaps this week which is still plenty for defensive end but it’s not the ridiculous 90% plus we saw when he made his way over to the Dolphins from the Cowboys a few weeks back. At least when that was happening he was bound to stumble into some stats just by the fact that he was playing just about every snap on a defense that’s on the field a lot. He’s still someone I’d start as a defensive end two or three in deeper leagues but it’s not trending the right way with the playing time and has production has suffered cause of it recently. Just have a backup plan ready basically.

Nathan Gerry was missing tackles like Freddie Kitchens is missing brain cells.

Bears @ Eagles

Chicago Bears

Performed as expected: Eddie Jackson (S) Roquan Smith (LB) Leonard Floyd (EDGE) Danny Trevethan (LB) Bears Cornerbacks, Khalil Mack (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: NA, this IDP corps is picked over more than most.

Flash in the pan: Eddie Goldman (DT) and Aaron Lynch (LB) both had nice box score weeks but played 12% and 23% of snaps respectively, not even close to enough for any kind of consistency. Pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Everyone who was supposed to put up numbers this week did so with the exception of Ha Ha Clinton Dix (S) who still played 99% of snaps, he should be fine going forward as a safety two preferably three in deeper leagues. Remain calm across the board.

Philadelphia Eagles

Performed as expected: Nathan Gerry (LB) Brandon Graham (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Nathan Gerry (LB) played almost every snap again this week, 98% this week, while Nigel Bradham (LB) continues to miss time with injury. He missed a bunch of tackles and got roasted by Eagles Twitter but is still a decent waiver wire linebacker option if you need help in deeper leagues.

Flash in the pan: Genard Avery (LB) only played 7% of snaps this week so we can ignore his three combined tackles and half a sack. It’s entirely possible that they’re just easing him in cause this was only his first week with the team but even when he does see his full potential in terms of playing time I doubt he’s going to be worth an add, especially when Nigel Bradham (LB) returns from injury and bumps Nathan Gerry (LB) down the totem poll. I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if this changes but my gut as well as a good deal of the smart people on IDP Twitter don’t think he’ll be relevant this season.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Fletcher Cox (DT), Derek Barnett (DE) and Malcolm Jenkins (S) all had down weeks but this was more due to the terrible Bears offense being unable to string together drives or possess the ball for any significant amount of time this week. The Eagles IDP corps should have a much better showing as a whole when they go up against a real offense, remain calm.

Minkah Fitzpatrick finally showing what he’s capable of on a new squad.

Colts @ Steelers

Indianapolis Colts

Performed as expected: Anthony Walker (LB) Darius Leonard (LB) Kenny Moore (CB) Justin Houston (DE) Malik Hooker (S)

Possible waiver adds: NA, possibly Bobby Okereke (LB) but his playing time still isn’t there yet.

Flash in the pan: Marvel Tell (CB) had a nice week but only played 58% of snaps and isn’t named Kenny Moore (CB) or Rock Ya Sin (CB) so I’m not interested, not enough playing time or talent.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Denico Autry (DT) had yet another bad week and his playing time fell to 58% of snaps as well, he’s not been what we all expected so far this year so I would look for other options. If you have him as your defensive tackle two or three in a deeper league I still think you stick with him, the monster weeks will happen but it looks like we aren’t going to get nearly as many of them this season as we’re used to. Abandon ship.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Performed as expected: Terrell Emunds (S) Steelers Cornerbacks, Minkah Fitzpatrick (S) Devin Bush (LB) Cameron Heyward (DT) Bud Dupree (EDGE) TJ Watt (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: Marc Barron (LB) saw an uptick in playing time to 74% of snaps this week and had a serviceable game, he could be a decent option in deeper leagues if you need linebacker help.

Flash in the pan: Vince Williams (LB) also had a serviceable week but only played 39% of snaps and hasn’t played much more than that all season, plus he’s not talented. Pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Everyone who was supposed to put up numbers did so this week, remain calm across the board.

The best cornerback for IDP purposes this season plays for the Titans.

Titans @ Panthers

Tennessee Titans

Performed as expected: Logan Ryan (CB) Rashaan Evans (LB) Jayon Brown (LB) Harold Landry (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: Da’Quan Jones (DT) saw his playing time increase to 86% of snaps this week and had a nice box score, he could be a nice option for a bye week defensive tackle. Wesley Woodyard (LB) saw 56% of snaps this week but I think that was mostly due to the matchup and needing extra linebacker snaps to try and slow down CMC, still if he can stay over 50% of snaps he’d be worth an add he’s always been efficient and productive with his snaps.

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Kenny Vaccaro (S) and Kevin Byard (S) had sub par games this week but both still played 100% of snaps like they have been all season. They remain a nice safety two preferably three and end of tier one safety in medium to deep leagues going forward. Everyone else did really well this week and Jurell Casey (DT) was injured and out so that explains his name missing from the box score, remain calm across the board.

Carolina Panthers

Performed as expected: Shaq Thompson (LB) Eric Reid (S) Luke Kuechly (LB) Dontari Poe (DT) Gerald McCoy (DT)

Possible waiver adds: NA, all the IDP producers are known on this squad by now.

Flash in the pan: Marquis Haynes (LB) only played 39% of snaps this week and isn’t someone I’ve ever heard of so the consistency isn’t there yet, not enough playing time and no historical production equals pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Really only the cornerbacks had down weeks against the Titans, Cockrell managed to put up numbers but James Bradberry (CB) and Donte Jackson (CB) did not do so. This was expected I called his a not ideal matchup in my start or sit article. Even with Tannehill at quarterback the Titans still don’t throw the ball enough or well enough to be an ideal matchup for streaming corners against them. These two should be fine against better passing offenses that they will face down the line, remain calm.

Damon Harrison squats and takes a shit on the field in front of tens of thousands of shocked and horrified fans, Detroit USA circa 2019

Lions @ Raiders

Detroit Lions

Performed as expected: Christian Jones (LB) Tavon Wilson (S) Damon Harrison (DT) Justin Coleman (CB) Jarrad Davis (LB) Trey Flowers (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Jahlani Tavai (LB) has seen an uptick in playing time the last couple weeks and was up to 69% of snaps played this week, nice. He had a real nice box score and is worth an add in deeper leagues, we’ve been down this road before though and his playing time disappeared after his first go around though so buyer beware.

Flash in the pan: NA, all the normal names at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Everyone who was supposed to put up numbers this week did so including Damon Harrison (DT) which was a pleasant surprise. Darius Slay (CB) even saw a return to his old playing time with 97% of snaps this week which was good as well, he should be back to a good option for streaming cornerback going forward. Remain calm across the board.

Oakland Raiders

Performed as expected: Eric Harris (S) Tahir Whitehead (LB) Karl Joseph (S) Clelin Ferrell (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Maxx Crosby (DE) may not have had a great game in the box score but he did play 93% of snaps and has put up numbers pretty often this season, I’m personally playing him in a couple places this week for help with my bye week issues. He’s just as good a roll of the dice as any and likely a better one than most due to his high amount of playing time each week.

Flash in the pan: Trayvon Mullen (CB) had a nice week but only played 87% of snaps this week and hasn’t been someone I’ve noticed yet this season so the consistency isn’t there either along with not ideal playing time for a cornerback, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Jonathan Hankins (DT) and Maurice Hurst (DT) both had down weeks this week but are still playing their normal snaps, my guess is it had more to do with the matchup than anything else. These Lions don’t run nearly as much as they used to when Kerryon Johnson (RB) wasn’t injured and out for the season. They should be fine doing forward as defensive tackle two preferably threes in deeper leagues, remain calm.

Jason Pierre Paul didn’t have as explosive of a game as he had hoped for this week.

Buccaneers @ Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Performed as expected: Devin White (LB) Lavonte David (LB) Jordan Whitehead (S) Vernon Hargreaves (CB) Jason Pierre Paul (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Andrew Adams (S) is probably still available in most leagues if you need safety help, he saw a small dip in playing time this week but remains the other starter next to Jordan Whitehead (S) and had a nice week in the box score.

Flash in the pan: Jamel Dean (CB) had a nice week but only played 77% of snaps which isn’t nearly enough at cornerback for any kind of consistency, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Shaq Barrett (EDGE) played 99% of snaps this week and did absolutely nothing. It happens, if you choose to keep playing EDGE guys in a normal linebacker slot you need to be at peace with weeks like this. If you had him plugged into a specific EDGE or OLB slot however you made a solid call and it just wasn’t his week to blow up, he’ll be fine going forward there are more monster weeks to come. This is what he’s going to be, some good weeks, mostly bad weeks, and no chance at the sacks record. Remain calm.

Seattle Seahawks

Performed as expected: Bobby Wagner (LB) KJ Wright (LB) Seahawks Cornerbacks, Bradley McDougald (S) Jarran Reed (DT) Marquise Blair (S) Mychal Kendricks (LB)

Possible waiver adds: Marquis Blair (S) remains a nice option if you need safety help at least until Quandre Diggs (S) gets healthy and returns to the lineup to completely screw up what we know about the Seattle safety situation. Until that day though he’s a nice short term safety who plays 100% of snaps and has been putting up numbers in relief of the injured for the season Tedric Thompson (S).

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Jadaveon Clowney (DE) had a down week but still played 83% of snaps and has been better recently, he’s still best used as a defensive end two in medium to deeper leagues though. If you’re relying on him as your defensive end one things aren’t looking good. He’ll be fine though and everyone else who was supposed to produce did so this week, remain calm everywhere.

Jermaine Whitehead mere hours before melting down on social media and getting himself shitcanned.

Browns @ Broncos

Cleveland Browns

Performed as expected: Mack Wilson (LB) Joe Schobert (LB) Morgan Burnett (S) Larry Ogunjobi (DT) Olivier Vernon (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Morgan Burnett (S) is essentially guaranteed a starting job and excellent playing time going forward now that Jermaine Whitehead (S) got himself thrown off the team for being an idiot on social media. Damarious Randal (S) will be the other safety but if he’s still injured next week there will be someone else taking that role for the short term, I have no idea who that is, but if you can hunt that down that person might get a start this week and make a decent bye week stab. That’s not a lot to work with but it’s all I’ve got for you this week to be honest.

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names and known IDP producers at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Myles Garrett (DE) had a down week but still played 84% of snaps and is still Myles Garret (DE). He’ll be fine, Danielle Hunter (DE) had an off week as well, it happens. Defensive end isn’t an “every week” producing position. Keep plugging him in he’s the best defensive end in football.

Denver Broncos

Performed as expected: AJ Johnson (LB) Todd Davis (LB) Justin Simmons (S) Broncos Cornerbacks, Derek Wolfe (DE)

Possible waiver adds: NA, all the producers are known by this point. AJ Johnson (LB) or Malik Reed (EDGE) I’ve already talked about more than once.

Flash in the pan: Justin Hollins (LB) had a nice week with his IDP points but only played 32% of snaps, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Von Miller (EDGE) once again had a down week while playing 79% of snaps this week. This just isn’t his year, we’ve covered this multiple times this season in this article. It’s been time to move on, this year more than most there are plenty of EDGE or OLB guys available that have been light years more productive and consistent than Von Miller (EDGE) this year. Abandon ship, again.

Only one Bosa brother was blowing out booty holes this week, and it wasn’t Nick.

Packers @ Chargers

Green Bay Packers

Performed as expected: Blake Martinez (LB) Adrian Amos (S) Preston Smith (EDGE) Zadarius Smith (EDGE) Darnell Savage (S)

Possible waiver adds: NA, maybe Darnell Savage (S) is on your waiver wire if you need safety help though.

Flash in the pan: Tony Brown (CB) had a nice week but only played 27% of snaps so he won’t be able to be consistent going forward with that little playing time, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Kenny Clark (DT) had a better week with four combined tackles and a QB hit on 77% of snaps this week, he should have some nice weeks coming down the line against some of the more run heavy teams like the Vikings and Bears. Besides that everyone who was supposed to put up numbers did so, remain calm.

Los Angeles Chargers

Performed as expected: Joey Bosa (DE) Melvin Ingram (DE) Thomas Davis (LB)

Possible waiver adds: Jaylen Watkins (S) played 98% of snaps this week and is playing the old Adrian Phillips (S) role at safety which has always been productive. The only reason he isn’t on everyone’s radar this week is cause the Packers offense didn’t get anything going and the Chargers defense was barely on the field this week, if he had seen more playing time and better numbers from that everyone would be all over him. He makes a really nice safety option until either Derwin James (S) or Adrian Phillips (S) comes back from IR in the next few weeks.

Flash in the pan: Drue Tranquil (LB) and Denzel Perryman (LB) both had serviceable games but played 42% and 44% of snaps respectively this week and haven’t played much more than that all season. Not enough playing time for any kind of consistency, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Jerry Tillery (DT) had a down week but isn’t much more than a defensive tackle two preferably three in deeper leagues anyways so it’s not a huge deal, we shouldn’t expect much out of him this year anyways. Everyone else who was expected to produce did so this week, Reyshawn Jenkins (S) had a down week but once again isn’t someone we expect to produce consistently or to give us huge numbers anyways. Remain calm.

The Ravens, with the help of Onwuasor(us) Rex, clapped the Patriots cheeks on national television this week, did you guys catch that?

Patriots @ Ravens

New England Patriots

Performed as expected: Donta Hightower (LB) Devin McCourty (S) Kyle Van Noy (LB)

Possible waiver adds: No one.

Flash in the pan: Everyone.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Never board the ship. Read past articles if you don’t understand this I’m not going to keep writing the same thing every week I’ve got more than enough shit to do without typing the same paragraph week after week all season. Also, Jamie Collins (LB) had a down week, this is what you can continue to expect, boom or bust, he will never be consistent.

Baltimore Ravens

Performed as expected: Patrick Onwuasor (LB) Marcus Peters (CB) Chuck Clark (S) Earl Thomas (S)

Possible waiver adds: Patrick Onwuasor (LB) is once again healthy and playing, they eased him in this week, only 42% of snaps played, but he was extremely efficient with that playing time and had a massive week in the box score. Definitely grab him if you need linebacker help he was playing 100% of snaps before the injury and is more than capable of putting up numbers.

Flash in the pan: LJ Fort (LB) had a nice week but only played 27% of snaps and we shouldn’t expect anything more than that going forward now that Onwuasor is back and playing again, pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: Matthew Judon (EDGE) had a terrible week but still played 76% of snaps and has been a decent outside linebacker so far this season. He should be fine going forward as a EDGE two preferably three, you definitely don’t want to start this guy in a regular linebacker slot though, he’s light years less consistent and productive even compared to other spotty guys like Whitney Mercilus (EDGE) or Shaq Barrett (EDGE). If you know what to expect from him though he’s good to keep playing especially in deeper leagues.

DeMarcus Lawrence and the Hotboyz had Danny Dimes shitting bricks this week.

Cowboys @ Giants

Dallas Cowboys

Performed as expected: Jaylon Smith (LB) Chidobe Awuzie (CB) Demarcus Lawrence (DE)

Possible waiver adds: Sean Lee (LB) will continue to be an excellent short term linebacker option as long as Leighton Vander Esch (LB) is injured and out. Micheal Bennett (DE) played 60% of snaps and did some damage in his first game as a Cowboy, he makes a nice option if you need defensive end help in deeper leagues.

Flash in the pan: Jourdan Lewis (CB) isn’t going to be returning touchdowns to the house every week and only is playing around 70% of snaps each week which isn’t ideal as far as cornerback is concerned, I’ll pass.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: No one really disappointed this week and there were even a couple surprises with Micheal Bennett (DE) putting in some work in his first game with his new team. Robert Quinn (DE) had a bit of a down week but actually played more than both Demarcus Lawrence (DE) and Micheal Bennett (DE) so he’ll be fine. Leighton Vander Esch (LB) just needs to come back and everything will be hunky dory. Remain calm.

New York Giants

Performed as expected: Jabrill Peppers (S) Antoine Bethea (S) Alec Ogletree (LB) Giants Cornerbacks, Markus Golden (EDGE)

Possible waiver adds: DeAndre Baker (CB) is playing 100% of snaps and is terrible, he’s getting picked on by everyone which is ideal for an IDP cornerback, at least until he gets benched. He is currently making a really nice streaming option at corner in deal matchups.

Flash in the pan: NA, all the right names at the top of the box score.

Abandon ship or Remain calm: David Mayo (LB) once again saw his playing time at a less than ideal level this week, 58% of snaps this week and only three solo tackles to show for it. Long gone are the days where he was everyone’s waiver wire darling. He’s been terrible for almost a full month now and his playing time has been dropping every week. Time to blow him out the airlock and find another option. Abandon ship.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of my (semi) instant reaction and defensive waivers. I’ll be here all season breaking down the crazy shenanigans that is the week in IDP production, playing time and consistency. Some may want to just know who to pick up off waivers but for the truly committed we want to know WHY. We’ll keep plugging together as we scrape and claw our way to those week sixteen title games just like we do every year.

Be sure to keep an eye out for my weekly start or sit article dropping Saturday mornings every week, for the Thursday night game that start or sit will be in tweet form, follow me @Orangeman3142 for that information. Also, our podcast drops every Wednesday morning or Tuesday night all season long as well. Be sure to follow @IDP_Dude and @Joeythetooth to be sure you get defensive waivers and reactions to the week’s production covered from all sides. All this can be found, for free, at your one-stop shop for all things IDP here at idpguys.org or @idpguys on Twitter. Good luck in your matchups this week.

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