RADIO
T.J. Watt showed on Monday Night Football what an individual defensive player (IDP) can do for you.
Making seven tackles and two sacks, including a strip sack that killed a late fourth-quarter Giants drive, Watt helped many fantasy managers come from behind to win.
I can’t guarantee you’ll get the same kind of production from these 14 linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs. But I can say they are well worth adding for Week 9.
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Waiver Wire Pickups at Linebacker
Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered in 48% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Dean remains a full-time starter for the Eagles and continues to hit or near double-digit tackles in most games. In the Eagles’ Week 8 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Dean made nine total tackles and recovered a fumble.
Ernest Jones IV, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 44% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Finally, Jones has found himself in a good situation. After an unexpected trade to the Titans before the season started, Jones was dealt to the Seahawks last week.
He excelled, making 15 tackles in his first game. Jones was one of the best breakout linebackers last season, making 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks with the Rams.
Jamien Sherwood, LB, New York Jets
Rostered in 30% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Sherwood, a fourth-year player out of Auburn, has led the Jets in tackling in recent weeks. He has made over ten tackles in three of the past four games and played over 50 snaps every week since Week 2.
The Jets’ long-time No. 1 linebacker, C.J. Mosley, has been hobbled by injury all year. He left the Jets’ Week 8 loss to the Patriots before making any tackles and is undergoing an MRI to look at his neck.
Sherwood seems assured to keep his place on the field.
Tyrel Dodson, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 35% of Sleeper IDP Leagues
Ernest Jones joined the Seahawks via trade, but that didn’t cut into Dodson’s playing time. Both linebackers played all 76 of Seattle’s defensive snaps.
Head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme supported two top-tier IDP LBs last season when he was the coordinator of the Ravens’ defense.
Dodson should see almost as much volume as Jones. While he’s not quite as effective as Jones (who is rostered in 44% of leagues), he still makes more than five tackles in almost every game.
Waiver Wire Pickups at Defensive Line
Will McDonald IV, EDGE, New York Jets
Rostered in 46% of Leagues
McDonald’s success this season has caused his roster rate to increase to almost 50%. But he’s still available in about half of all IDP leagues.
The sophomore didn’t make an impact in Week 8 against the Patriots. But before that, he had made sacks in three straight games, and he has made eight sacks on the season.
Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, New York Giants
Rostered in 18% of Leagues
In his fourth year, Ojulari has gotten through the first half of the season fully healthy for the first time since his rookie season.
Owing to injuries on the Giants’ defensive line, including a wrist injury that has kept Kayvon Thibodeaux out for the past three games, Ojulari has been playing a majority of the snaps since Week 6.
At that time, he had made five sacks and 14 combined tackles. Thibodeaux must miss Week 9, too, and he could miss a couple more weeks in addition.
Ojulari has been playing better than Thibodeaux and should earn more snaps going forward or possibly be traded to a team that will make him a regular starter.
Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE, Washington Commanders
Rostered in 14% of Leagues
Fowler and the Commanders have a favorable matchup going after New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones this week.
Whether because of his play style or the poor lines in front of him, Jones has always been a frequently sacked quarterback.
He’s been sacked multiple times in each of the past four games, including four sacks against Pittsburgh in Week 8 and seven against Philly in Week 7.
Fowler has been on a good run, making four sacks in the past four games. The 30-year-old is recording his second-best PFF defense grade of his career.
As he typically lines up on the right side, Fowler is likely to be lined up against Joshua Ezeudu, who gave up two sacks in Week 7 and has allowed a relatively high 2.7% sack rate on pass-blocking plays in his three-year career.
Dorance Armstrong, EDGE, Washington Commanders
Rostered in 13% of Leagues
Dorance Armstrong makes the list for the same reason Fowler did: his favorable matchup against the Giants.
In a vacuum, Armstrong might be a better pass rusher than Fowler. He has a 15.9% pressure rate this season and has made four sacks.
But Armstrong is set to line up on the other side, across from Jermaine Eluemunor, who has only allowed one sack while starting every game this season. He has only allowed a sack on 0.8% of his pass-blocking snaps in his career.
Chauncey Golston, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Rostered in 5% of Leagues
With Micah Parsons missing a third straight game and DeMarcus Lawrence still on IR, Chauncey Golston again fielded the bulk of the snaps--a season-high 58--in the Cowboys’ Week 8 loss to the 49ers.
While Golston did not record a sack, he did make five tackles against the Niners. It was his third straight game, making five tackles.
Lawrence remains on the IR, and Parson’s status for Week 9 is as unclear as ever. He is getting closer to playing, but Golston will still be on the field opposite Parsons for most snaps when he returns.
Travis Jones, DE, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 5% of Leagues
Consider Travis Jones in very deep leagues. He’s been splitting time with Brent Urban on the right side of the line. But Urban left last week’s game with a concussion.
If Urban misses Week 9, Jones might see around 40 snaps, as opposed to the 20 snaps he is usually on the field for.
Waiver Wire Pickups at Cornerback and Safety
Javon Bullard, S, Green Bay Packers
Rostered in 44% of Leagues
A second-round draft pick out of Georgia, Bullard is the second-leading tackler among rookie safeties.
He usually plays over 40 snaps in a game, but he has played over 50 snaps in four games. In those splits, he made seven or more tackles in three of the four games.
He might see an increase in volume next week against the Detroit Lions if Evan Williams misses time with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 8.
The Lions and Packers rank No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in EPA per pass play. The over-under is 47.5, and the Lions are only 3.5-point favorites, so it is expected to result in a lot of passes and likely a lot of total plays.
Julian Blackmon, S, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered in 36% of Leagues
Blackmon is one of the most consistent high-volume tackling safeties on the wavier wire. He has been on the field for over 70 snaps in four games, and he has made seven or more tackles in four games.
Brandon Jones, S, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 33% of Leagues
After Brandon Jones appeared on my Week 8 waiver wire list, Jones stacked up tackles against the Carolina Panthers, recording 12, which ties his career-high for the season.
The Panthers were playing from behind the entire second half in a game they lost 28-14 to the Broncos, and Panthers QB Bryce Young threw 37 passes.
This week, the Broncos play the Ravens, who are favored to win by 9.5. In theory, the Ravens should run the ball a lot more than the Panthers.
But 9.5 is a huge line for a team that just lost to the Browns to be favored against a rising Broncos team.
Even if the Ravens are able to execute the run-first offense they strive for, Jones could make a good number of tackles on running plays. He has a 76.2 run defense grade and a 71.1 tackling grade this season, per PFF.
Jones has made 18 solo tackles on running plays this year, according to PFF, the eighth-most in the league, and he has been responsible for making the stop on 3.0% of running plays against the Broncos.
Marlon Humphrey, CB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 28% of Leagues
The Ravens' ball-hawking cornerback already has four interceptions on the season. Humphrey (knee) missed the previous game against the Cleveland Browns. He has a matchup coming up against the Denver Broncos if he is healthy.
Broncos QB Bo Nix was known as “Bo Pix” early in the season, but he has only thrown one interception in the past six games, so you can’t count on Humphrey to take the ball away.
However, the Broncos will probably be throwing the ball a lot if they want to keep up with the high-flying Ravens. That could give Humphrey many opportunities to make tackles.
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