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Fantasy football managers who hate bye weeks, rejoice. There are no teams on bye in Week 8!
Still, you must look to the waiver wire to add replacements for injured players and pick up some ascending stars who can help your team.
Here are 11 linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs to add for Week 8 in fantasy football IDP leagues.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups at Linebacker
Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered in 42% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
After all the drama over Dean underperforming in his first two years, he is a full-time starter this season, and, since the Eagles' Week 5 bye, he has made double-digit tackles in each of the last two games. He added two sacks in Philly's 28-3 drubbing of the New York Giants.
Germaine Pratt, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered in 39% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
I have mentioned Pratt here before. His roster rate has risen from 25% in Week 5 to 39% now, but he's still going under the radar in many leagues even though he is playing over 95% of the Bengals' defensive snaps most weeks.
Against Cleveland, he had his second-best week for tackles, tallying 13. He did not create any impact plays, but his tackles alone make him a solid starter.
Prior to Week 7, Pratt had made a fumble recovery, picked off a pass, or forced a fumble in four of his past five games. He'll look to make a big play again in Week 8 when Cincinnati hosts the Eagles.
Dorian Williams, LB, Buffalo Bills
Rostered in 25% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
In his second year, Williams has been having a breakout season. He's has seen an increase playing time due to injuries to both Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard.
Milano remains out indefinitely with torn biceps he suffered in preseason. Bernard exited the Bills' Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans with an ankle injury. He previously missed most of Week 2 and all of Weeks 3 and 4 with a pectoral injury.
Williams had already been playing well over 70% of snaps in games in which Bernard was healthy, including hitting a career-high 95% snap share in Week 6. He has made ten or more tackles in five games this season.
Baylon Spector, LB, Buffalo Bills
Rostered in 2% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Spector, a third-year player, took on a starting role in the two games Terrel Bernard missed earlier this season. The status of Bernard (ankle) is up in the air as we head into Week 8.
Although Spector played poorly according to PFF's graders, he put up solid statistical production for an IDP waiver wire add in his last starting stint. In Weeks 2 through 4, he made 22 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
IDP Waiver Wire Pickups at Defensive Line
Will McDonald, EDGE, New York Giants
Rostered in 15% of Leagues
McDonald, the No. 15 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is the best available defensive lineman in many casual leagues. His rookie season was underwhelming, but he popped off in Week 2, making three sacks, and he hasn't looked back.
McDonald has made one or more sacks in five of the last six, including a single sack in each of the past three games. His pressure rate in Weeks 4 through 6 is 10.9%. While he doesn't make a lot of tackles, he is valuable in leagues that reward sacks, and he has made two forced fumbles, too.
Chauncey Golston, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Rostered in 5% of Leagues
Seeing a greater snap share with DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) and Micah Parsons (ankle) missing time, Golston made half a sack in Weeks 5 and 6.
During the Cowboys' Week 7 bye, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy commented that Parsons might miss Week 8, too. Entering Week 8, Parsons commented that his status is "up in the air."
If Parsons remains sidelined, Golston should see 70% or more of the Cowboys' defensive snaps. He has been solid, recording a 7.1% pressure rate in Weeks 4 through 6 and grading at 68.1 in PFF's data.
Dante Fowler, EDGE, Washington Commanders
Rostered in 3% of Leagues
Fowler is in the midst of a late-career breakout season. The 30-year-old is coming off a four-sack season, and the only time he hit double-digit sacks was in 2019, with 11.5 sacks.
This season, he has already made 4.5 sacks in seven games, including four sacks in the past three. In Week 7, he also picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
In Week 8, Fowler and the Commander face the Chicago Bears, who are allowing a sack rate of 9.1% on passing plays, which is the fifth-highest total in the league and considerably higher than either of the last two teams he faced, whom he excelled against.
IDP Waiver Wire Pickups at Cornerback and Safety
Derwin James, S, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered in 53% of Leagues
Derwin James Jr. has been lauded for his athleticism since he was young.
“It was crazy how freakish of an athlete he was at 15. He had that crazy athletic build," his youth basketball coach Eric Robinson said.
His early years in the NFL were marred by injury. He played just five games in 2019 and 2020. But he has hit his stride as a hard-hitting safety who can line up nearly anywhere on the field. In each of the past three years, he made over 110 tackles.
This season, his production has slowed down a bit. He is only on pace for 102 tackles and has yet to make an interception. He may not live up to the hype in terms of IDP fantasy football, but here is an elite athlete on the waiver wire in nearly half of all leagues.
Brandon Jones, S, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 23% of Leagues
In his first season with the Broncos, Brandon Jones is getting more playing time than he ever did in his four seasons in Miami. He is the starting free safety and the second-leading Broncos DB by snap volume, but he is playing better than strong safety P.J. Locke.
Jones has allowed just 5.3 yards per reception and 3.6 yards per target, surrendered no touchdowns, and intercepted one pass. He has high upside tackling ability, especially on running plays, where he has made 14 solo tackles and eight assists.
In his worst game, he still made five combined tackles, a respectable figure that won't cost you a week, and in his best game, he made 12.
Marlon Humphrey, CB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 6% of Leagues
The Ravens' ball-hawking cornerback already has four interceptions on the season and is heading into a matchup against the Cleveland Browns, both of whose quarterbacks are prone to throwing picks.
When Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending Achilles injury, Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered the game and threw two interceptions on 24 pass attempts. In his career, DTR has a 52.2% completion rate and only one touchdown to six interceptions. DTR hurt his finger and left the game, and the Browns might not want to start him even if he is healthy.
In his place, Jameis Winston came in and completed 5-of-11 passes for a touchdown. Jameis is famous for his gun-slinging high-risk, high-reward style of play. In his five seasons as a starter, he has tossed double-digit picks five times, including 30 in 2019.
Levi Wallace, CB, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 0% of Leagues
Starting in place of the injured Pat Surtain II (concussion), Wallace made eight tackles. In 2019 through 2023, 30% of NFL players who suffered a concussion missed two or more games, so Wallace might have to start again.
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