Another week almost in the books so it's time for an update with the Week 6 IDP Waiver Wire Report. We've seen some emergent players break out recently and we're getting to that point in the season where you're questioning whether to stick with a top performer from last season or go with an option that's playing well right now. Let me share my very general philosophy.
First, in redraft, you should almost always chase the points. The only caveat is a slight fade for players with a heavy reliance on big plays. For example, we saw Ravens safety Marcus Williams begin the season with two monster games that had him ranked either the first or second-best DB. In his last three games? Not so much. He's still ranked in the top-five based on points, but consistency will be a problem as Williams mostly plays deep safety. Another example is Steelers pass rusher Alex Highsmith. Again, a hot start in Weeks 1 and 3 have been balanced out by underwhelming games in Weeks 2 and 5. This is the nature of big-play scoring and while the cream eventually rises to the top, you're going to endure hot and cold swings with even the most elite players.
I can only strongly recommend your IDP leagues use a tackle-centric scoring system. Big plays (sacks, INTs and touchdowns) should be thought of as bonuses. Tackles provide a modicum of consistency and predictability to the IDP format.
Lastly, to close out my thought on chasing points: Unless you're playing in a deep league (seven or more IDP starters), you need to aggressively pursue whichever players are performing. Every year, IDPs overperform and underperform—more so than offensive players. It's volatile. And because of that volatility, in shallow IDP leagues, there are truly a handful of studs who are undroppable unless they're out for the season. T.J. Watt, who I hope you were able to retain until he returns. Nick Bosa, Aaron Donald, Brian Burns, Roquan Smith, Jordyn Brooks, Foyesade Oluokun, Devin White, Derwin James and maybe a few more. And depending on your scoring system, some of those guys may not be all that valuable unless you are mandated to start their position. Keep grinding and you'll get the hang of it!
If you have any IDP waiver or lineup questions, I'm happy to help and you can contact me directly on Twitter.
Before I offer the latest IDP information, please do go back and check the names on the Week 5 IDP waiver wire list.
The wide variety of IDP leagues makes it difficult to pinpoint roster percentages, so not every recommendation may be a good fit for your league. Generally, if you play in a shallow format with a total of 24 or fewer IDP starters across the league (two per team), these recommendations are at least a layer too deep for you. For specifics, it's always best to consume a lot of IDP content to get a feel for the landscape from multiple points of view.
Note: For each player, I provide a positional rank and list their percentage of defensive snaps played in their most recent game. For example, Derwin James would be a DB1+, meaning a defensive back ranked 1 to 12 (DB1) and the plus sign meaning on the high-end (1 to 4). DL3- would be a defensive lineman ranked 25 to 36 (DL3) and the minus means on the low-end, specifically 33 to 36.
NFL Game Books (PDF): IND VS. DEN | NYG VS. GB | PIT VS. BUF | LAC VS. CLE | HOU VS. JAC | CHI VS. MIN | DET VS. NE | SEA VS. NO | MIA VS. NYJ | ATL VS. TB | TEN VS. WAS | SF VS. CAR | PHI VS. ARI | DAL VS. LAR | CIN VS. BAL
