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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 13

Colts Rookie For The Win?

This list of IDP waiver wire pickups is sorted by position, and then by priorty.

Of course, IDP leagues vary widely by depth, scoring rules, and lineup settings. So to get the best measure of who to pick up in your league, check your Free Agent Finder.

It's the best fantasy football waiver wire assistant you'll find.

Laiatu Latu, Edge, Indianapolis Colts

Latu delivered a strip-sack among 2 QB hits in Sunday’s loss to the Lions. That gives him 2 sacks and 5 hits over just the past two weeks. But the uptick doesn’t look like a fluke.

DC Gus Bradley said in mid-October that the production would come:

Latu’s production the past two weeks came against QBs who rank 24th (Aaron Rodgers) and 19th (Jared Goff) in pressure rate among 25 QBs with 100+ dropbacks.

Now he gets Drake Maye (sixth), who has taken 7 sacks over just the past two weeks. And you’ll want to hold Latu through the bye and Denver matchup if you can, because high-ceiling matchups await with the Titans and Giants in weeks 16 and 17.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, New York Giants

Thibodeaux had a quiet return from IR in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, but he did play 63% of the defensive snaps and tally a QB hit. 

Thibodeaux played 75-82% of snaps over his first five games of the season, so expect more playing time going forward. Azeez Ojulari’s toe injury against the Bucs can only help on that front – especially with the quick turnaround to Week 13’s Thanksgiving game.

More important, however, are the matchups with Dallas and New Orleans the next two weeks. Cooper Rush has taken 1 sack in two of the past three games. But those sandwiched a 5-sack night against the Texans.

Calijah Kancey, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A boom-bust type at DT can be tough to fit into this waivers article, because he’s not generally going to make sense for most IDP leagues. But Kancey has demanded a mention here.

The second-year Buc has 4 sacks and 6 QB hits over just the past three games. He’s averaging 1.3 tackles for loss per contest after missing the season’s first five weeks with a calf injury.

And now he gets a favorable schedule over the final five fantasy weeks (for most leagues):

• at Panthers
• vs. Raiders
• at Chargers (only negative matchup)
• at Cowboys
• vs. Panthers

Kancey makes sense even outside of DT-specific slots at this point.

Josey Jewell, LB, Carolina Panthers

Jewell hasn’t missed a snap in the four games since returning from a three-week absence for dual lower-body injuries.

He has delivered a tackle for loss in three of those four games, after tallying none across the season’s first four games. Sunday also marked Jewell’s second game among the past four with 6 solos and 9+ total tackles.

Week 13 brings a Bucs matchup that hasn’t been favorable for LB scoring on the year but has worked out better lately. The past two Tampa opponents each had two LBs go for 7+ tackles. Four of the past five opponents have had at least one 9+ tackle LB, including three who reached double digits.

Jewell also presents cross-category upside. And his offense’s weakness helps the defenses play totals: 73+ in each of the past four games, and that’s with Bryce Young playing better.

Omar Speights, LB, Los Angeles Rams

LB Troy Reeder missed his fifth straight games Sunday night against the Eagles. Here’s how the weekly snap shares have gone for Speights over that span:

• 44%
• 6%
• 74%
• 55%
• 77%

Sunday night marked the second time in the past three weeks that the undrafted rookie has played more snaps than LB Christian Rozeboom, this time by just a single snap.

Clearly, that doesn’t necessarily mean Speights will lead again in Week 13. And we’ll have to watch to see if Reeder comes back from IR. HC Sean McVay said last week they were deciding what to do with their last remaining IR activation of the regular season.

L.A.’s terrible performance against Saquon Barkley – 255 rushing yards – could also complicate the picture and motivate potential defensive changes. But PFF grades Speights as the team’s second-best run defender this year, behind only Edge Jared Verse.

If Speights remains in the lineup for Week 13, he’ll get an upside matchup with the Saints – the sixth-best scoring matchup for LBs by adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Malik Harrison, LB, Baltimore Ravens

Harrison’s a speculative add for now, as we wait to see Roquan Smith’s status for Week 13.

With Smith out Monday night, Harrison took the surprising playing time lead among Baltimore ‘backers. The fifth-year man spent 72% of the snaps on the field and racked up 12 tackles (6 solo) – double the next-highest total among Ravens (CB Nate Wiggins’ 6).

The most surprising part was LB Trenton Simpson dipping to a season-low 43% playing time. That followed four straight games of 85%+ snap shares.

For most IDP formats, you’re best off just avoiding Harrison and Simpson this week and leaning on more dependable options. But Smith didn’t practice at all last week and is far from a lock to play Week 13. So consider Harrison for deeper, tackle-heavy formats.

Nazeeh Johnson, CB, Kansas City Chiefs

The corner has seen near-full playing time for three straight weeks and tallied 8+ total tackles in each contest. He added his first pass defensed of the year in Sunday’s too-close win over the Panthers.

Johnson has drawn some recent criticism amid a slipping defense, with Sunday’s passing success for Bryce Young the most glaring example. But PFF credited Johnson with allowing just 3 receptions for 41 yards on 8 targets in his coverage for the game.

That should help keep Johnson in the lineup for a high-upside Week 13 matchup with the Raiders. And if his playing time remains strong, another terrific matchup (Browns) awaits in Week 15.

DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys

Dallas tossed Bland into the mix for 83% of the defensive snaps Sunday in his first action all season. (He’d been out since August with a stress fracture in his right foot.)

That playing time’s likely to grow even further, and he’s now hitting a favorable stretch of games.

The Giants in Week 13 and Panthers in Week 15 register as positive DB matchups by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. The Bengals matchup in between has been negative for DB fantasy scoring, but Cincinnati sports the league’s pass-happiest offense. That’ll mean opportunities for this outside CB.

Bland’s a boom-bust fantasy prospect even at his best, and thus not a fit for all leagues. But his big-play upside makes him especially worth a shot in leagues with deeper starting lineups.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.