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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 16

Upside Matchups Could Vault Production

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 went quiet the past two games and won’t be worth playing in all leagues. But he does finish the season with two high-upside matchups. 

First comes a Titans offense that’s tied for fifth-most sacks allowed on the season. Indy registered 0 sacks in the first meeting, but Latu notched 2 QB hits.

Then come the Giants, who have allowed 3+ sacks in three of the past four games. 

Ed Oliver, DT, Buffalo Bills

Oliver’s sack against the Lions was his first since Week 2. But he has delivered 5 QB hits over just the past two games. 

Pro Football Focus credited him with a season-high 9 pressures in the Detroit victory, his third game this season with a PFF pass-rushing grade of 82.9 or better.

Next comes a matchup with the Patriots, who sit dead last in team pass-blocking grade. Guards Mike Onwenu and Layden Robinson both rank among the league’s top 20 at the position in most pressures allowed.

Matthew Judon and Arnold Ebiketie, Edge, Atlanta Falcons

Consider this an upside play … but also a warning.

The Falcons have ramped up their sack production over the past three games. They entered their Week 12 bye with just 10 sacks for the season. They’ve racked up 13 more in the three games since.

Judon and Ebiketie got left out of the Monday night sack party against the Raiders. But they’re easily the best playing-time bets among Atlanta edge players.

Ebiketie tallied 3 sacks over the previous two games. Judon’s had a highly disappointing season but has registered 2 sacks among 3 QB hits over the past four games. And he’s the only member of the group to reach 50% playing time every week.

Most importantly, of course, the Falcons get the Giants this week. That makes everyone a sack candidate.

Christian Rozeboom, LB, Los Angeles Rams

Is Rozeboom really available in 90% of redraft IDP leagues on Sleeper right now?

It’s tougher to trust those numbers on the IDP side than for offense. But our data as of Tuesday morning has Rozeboom more widely available than:

• Jets LB C.J. Mosley
• Ravens LB Trenton Simpson
• and Broncos LB Alex Singleton (among others)

In case you weren’t aware, Singleton tore an ACL back in Week 3.

Rozeboom, on the other hand, delivered a top-10 score among fantasy LBs in Week 15, including his first sack of the year.

You shouldn’t expect more scoring in that particular category. But Rozeboom has also tallied 7 solo tackles in three of his past four games and 9+ total tackles in five of his past seven.

He has also hit 80+% playing time in three straight games after doing so just twice over the first nine contests.

Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Cincinnati Bengals

We highlighted Davis-Gaither in the Week 15 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups. But he’s worth calling out one more time in this space.

ADG delivered a game-high 12 tackles (6 solo) in Sunday’s win over the Titans, his third straight game of 9+ tackles.

Next comes a matchup with the Browns, who entered Week 15 allowing more fantasy points to LBs than any other team. Week 17 holds a Denver matchup that’s been negative for LB scoring. But Colts LBs E.J. Speed and Zaire Franklin combined for 22 tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.

Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Green Bay Packers

I highlighted Cooper for future upside in last week’s IDP Hits. I did not realize how quickly that future would arrive.

Cooper delivered the top fantasy score among non-edge LBs for Week 15 with this line at Seattle:

• 7 tackles (6 solo)
• 2 passes defensed
• 2 tackles for loss
• 2 QB hits
• 1 sack
• 1 INT

All that came on just 58% playing time in his return from a three-game hamstring injury.

Bet on more snaps in Week 16. Cooper hit a season high 71% snap share in his last game before the injury. And lead LB Quay Walker left the Seattle game with an ankle injury that puts him in question for this week.

A matchup with the Saints adds upside.

Brandon Jones, S, Denver Broncos

Jones has defensed nine passes this season. Six of those have come over just the past three games, including a pair of INTs.

This week brings Justin Herbert, who has thrown just two picks all year. But he has struggled more in recent weeks, falling short of 220 passing yards in four straight games. Herbert also took 3+ sacks in each of those games, pointing to increased pressure.

Jones racked up a season-high 12 tackles (11 solo) in the first Chargers meeting. He also defensed a pass.

Dane Belton, S, New York Giants

Belton delivered a huge stat line in place of Tyler Nubin last week:

• 15 tackles (7 solo)
• 1 sack
• 1 pass defensed

He'll get a couple more chances to add to it after the Giants placed Nubin on IR.

Don't expect Belton to match his Week 15 numbers. But he'll operate as the primary box safety in a soft defense on one of the league's worst teams.

Next up: A Falcons offense that has supplied the third-most fantasy points to DBs this season.

Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Cincinnati Bengals

Taylor-Britt followed a quiet Week 14 with 6 solo tackles and an INT in Sunday’s win over the Titans. That marked his second INT among the past three games. 

He could find himself in good position for another in a Week 16 matchup with the Browns. Even if Cleveland decides to start QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson over Jameis Winston, DTR has tossed 7 career INTs vs. just 1 TD pass.

About Last Week

Let's see who among our Week 15 IDP waiver suggestions still makes sense ...

• Wonnum went without a QB hit last week for the first time in his five games. That doesn't undo his previous production, but this week's clash with Arizona finds an unfriendly sack matchup. Week 17 against Tampa Bay is an OK spot. Wonnum didn't notch a sack in the first meeting, but he did have a QB hit and the team tallied 4 sacks.
• Oweh managed merely a QB hit and an assist in a lopsided win over the Giants. He's a boom/bust candidate at his current playing-time rates, with more bust potential than boom this week.
• White, Davis-Gaither, and McFadden all delivered last week and look like nice Week 16 plays.
• Wilson didn't post big Week 15 numbers, but his 5 solos led all Cowboys in a quiet defensive game against Carolina.
• Washington's tackles dipped last week, but he remained the full-time starter next to Kyle Hamilton and grabbed his second INT of the year. Now comes a rematch with Pittsburgh, which supplied him 12 tackles in the first meeting.

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.