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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 2

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Wed, 11 Sep 2024 . 1:34 PM EDT
Joey Bosa looked ready to rebound in a Week 1 win over the Raiders. He leads our list of IDP waiver wire pickups for Week 2.

Players to Target (or Dump) on Defense

Let’s start this week with some drops.

If you’re going to pick a player up, then you likely need to get rid of someone. And the first week of playing-time data should be enough to change our minds on some players … even some that I’ve been excited about.

Here are four LBs you can dump in most IDP leagues …

IDPs to Drop

  • Jack Campbell
  • Troy Andersen
  • Christian Rozeboom
  • Ivan Pace Jr.

If you’ve been reading our IDP stuff, you’ve probably seen me mention Andersen at least once. Well, he split time with Nate Landman in the opener – even though a quad injury limited Landman early in the practice week.

Falcons coaches had said previously they considered their top 3 off-ball LBs to all be starters. Only Kaden Elliss got starter-level playing time in the opener, though.

If you play in a deep league, you can hold. But most formats offer little reason to wait for change here.

Similarly, Campbell ran third among Lions LBs in the opener, while Rozeboom and Pace each trailed teammates who didn’t start for their teams last year. Feel free to move on.

Be Cautious with These High Week 1 Scorers

A lot of targets this week figure to be guys who scored in Week 1, but you shouldn’t just blindly grab a player who opened the year with a good stat line.

These guys delivered the numbers but also played snap shares that make them weaker bets to sustain that scoring:

  • Patrick Jones (48%)
  • Eric Kendricks (67%)
  • DeMarvion Overshown (58%)
  • Mack Wilson (63%)
  • SirVocea Dennis (36%)
  • Alontae Taylor (78%)
  • Keisean Nixon (68%)

Am I saying you should just ignore all these players? No. Just don’t lose sight of the whole picture.

Whether they make sense for your team will depend a lot on the format and depth of your league. And, of course, sometimes players keep scoring more efficiently than their playing time says they “should.”

Week 2 IDP Waiver Targets

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.

Joey Bosa, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers

Headshot of Joey Bosa

We knew Bosa had been good at plenty of points throughout his career. But there was reason to doubt him heading into his age-29 season. 

Bosa appeared in just 14 total games over the previous two seasons, totaling 9 sacks over that span. And then he broke his left hand in a joint practice this summer, which sidelined him nearly a month before returning him with a club on the hand. 

But Bosa shrugged off the issue – and the past two years – to deliver 7 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, and a forced fumble in Sunday’s win over the Raiders. Expect Bosa to land much higher in our IDP rankings for visits to Carolina and Pittsburgh the next two weeks.

Keion White, DL, New England Patriots

Headshot of Keion White

White carried some deep-sleeper appeal heading into the season but needed to prove both that we could count on him staying on the field and that he could produce. 

He played 48.8% of New England’s defensive snaps as a rookie, not reaching 60% in consecutive outings until the season’s final two weeks. And he totaled just 1 sack and 5 QB hits for the year. 

But the former second-round pick played 79% of the snaps in Sunday’s win over the Bengals, delivered 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble, and guaranteed that no one will be sleeping on him heading into Week 2. 

Just don’t go overboard chasing his Week 1 stats. 

White hit the league with intriguing potential and appeared to improve as his rookie year wore on. But he totaled just 20 pressures for the season, according to PFF. That ranked sixth on the team, despite White getting the fourth-most pass rushes.

Zach Allen, DL, Denver Broncos

Headshot of Zach Allen

Allen posted a modest stat line in Week 1, but it did include a tackle for loss, a QB hit, and a safety.

Perhaps more importantly, he played 97% of the defensive snaps. That’s simply not a level most D-linemen approach.

That type of role gives Allen weekly upside. And Week 2 brings the run-heavy Steelers to town – with a sackable QB behind center, whether it’s Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.

Zack Baun, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

Headshot of Zack Baun

Baun spent four years barely getting on the field after the Saints drafted him in Round 3. He reached 50% playing time in a game just three times. 

That changed drastically Friday, when Baun played every snap in his first game with the Eagles. He also racked up 15 tackles (11 solo) and 2 sacks in the win over the Packers. 

That’ll probably remain one of his best fantasy outings all year – and maybe the best. But when a guy debuts that way, he’s telling us to pick him up where available and get him into IDP lineups.

Alex Anzalone, LB, Detroit Lions

Headshot of Alex Anzalone

Jack Campbell’s disappointing Week 1 snap share meant I overrated him in the preseason, based on his draft pedigree and offseason hype from the coaches. That also led me to underrate Anzalone, even though he was Detroit’s best LB in 2023.

Anzalone remained that in Week 1, playing every snap and racking up 13 tackles (10 solo) in the win over the Rams.

If your league also underrated the veteran and let him go undrafted, feel free to drop one of the guys mentioned in the opening and change that.

Tyrel Dodson, LB, Seattle Seahawks

Headshot of Tyrel Dodson

Dodson delivered 10 tackles (9 solo) – including 1 for a loss – and defensed a pass in his Seattle debut.

Despite arriving on a small one-year deal this offseason, he played every snap of the win over Denver – with fellow import Jerome Baker also playing 68 of 69.

Dodson’s no lock to maintain this production level, but he should be a good bet to keep his role. And Baker spent six years in Miami as an inconsistent performer.

A Week 2 visit to New England brings another friendly matchup with a shaky, short-range offense.

Troy Reeder, LB, Los Angeles Rams

Headshot of Troy Reeder

The stats made them look more often than they were, but Reeder emerged as the lead LB in the first game since the Rams traded away Ernest Jones.

Reeder and Christian Rozeboom each tallied 8 total tackles, but Reeder played every defensive snap vs. Rozeboom’s 74% playing time. Reeder added a pass deflection, one of just three for the Rams in all.

Reeder previously logged 25 starts across his first three Rams seasons, including stints as a full-timer in 2020 and 2021. He showed not only tackle-collection ability then, but also totaled 5 sacks, 8 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss and 8 passes defensed over those two years.

Jartavius (Quan) Martin, S, Washington Commanders

Despite generating summer buzz as a second-round rookie last year, Martin failed to settle into a regular role. 

This season, however, finds the former slot CB starting at safety – and possibly serving as the team’s only full-timer at the position. SS Jeremy Chinn played just 80% of the snaps to Martin’s 92% in a lopsided opening loss to the Buccaneers.

Both Washington safeties performed poorly, according to PFF grading. But that could just bring more opportunities to Martin’s territory, as long as he doesn’t get booted from the lineup.

He tallied 9 tackles (8 solo) against the Bucs. And Martin’s 7 INTs in college suggest there’s upside in coverage.

A Week 2 matchup with the putrid Giants offense could boost that upside.

Riley Moss, CB, Denver Broncos

Headshot of Riley Moss

After a rookie year derailed by early injury, Moss opened his second season starting opposite CB Pat Surtain II. That’s a potentially strong position for opportunity: A first-time starter at corner opposite one of the league’s cover men should be an attractive target for offenses.

According to PFF, only 11 players saw more Week 1 targets than Moss, who drew two more than Surtain in the loss to the Seahawks. That helped him post 12 tackles, including 8 solos and 1 TFL.

Moss arrived as a third-round pick after five years at Iowa that included 11 INTs and 26 passes defensed.

Week 2 could be light on targets, with a run-heavy Pittsburgh offense coming to town – seemingly with Justin Fields set to start again. But Moss figures to be busier at the Bucs in Week 3 and the Jets in Week 4.

Want Some Waiver Targets on Offense?

Jared and I talked through some top offensive options for your Week 2 waiver wire run in this video ...

Matt Schauf Author Image
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.
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