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Every week, I offer my waiver wire recommendations for IDP leagues. These are my waiver wire picks for the linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs who will make an impact.
I am looking for players who are making a big impact but going under the radar, players who are seeing an increase in playing time, and players who are set to step up in the wake of an injury to a teammate. There are many potential waiver wire adds and streamers, and those who are available in your league depend on the scoring system and roster rules.
See who would be a good add this week with just a couple of weeks left until the fantasy playoffs begin.
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Week 13 IDP Waiver Adds for Shallow Leagues
Jalen Thompson, S, ARI
Jalen Thompson, who has been one of the leading tacklers amongst defensive backs the past two seasons, has gone somewhat under the radar this year, as he got injured and missed Weeks 6 and 7. Now, he is only rostered in 10% of Sleeper IDP leagues.
His production is slightly down from last year. He is only averaging 5.5 tackles per game, which is down from the 6.4 he averaged last year and 7.1 the year before. But he has picked it up in the past two weeks with eight tackles and seven tackles respectively, along with an interception in each of those games.
Carl Granderson, LB/DL, NO
Granderson came out of the gate this season, making a run of sacks. He made 1.5 sacks in Week 1, his first game as the Saints' primary starter after splitting snaps in previous seasons. By Week 8, he had accumulated 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Since then, his sack production has slowed, but his tackle production has increased. Against Atlanta in Week 12, Granderson made 10 tackles. Since Week 6, he has made six combined tackles three times and five solo tackles twice. This is in part due to Granderson playing more snaps. Since Week 7, he has played over 80% of the snaps in every game and has averaged 85%. He only played over 80% of the snaps once in the first six weeks.
Andrew Van Ginkel, LB/DL, MIA
Van Ginkel is an impressive all-around player. He produces from the box and from the line, and he even lines up in traditional pass coverage positions on occasion. Van Ginkel does best from an IDP perspective from the defensive line, and that's where he'll be playing for the rest of the season now that Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) is out. From Weeks 2-5, he made an average of one sack and about five tackles a game. Look for that kind of production to resume.
Week 13 IDP Waiver Adds for Deep Leagues
Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, LAC
The Chargers rookie had some boom weeks early in the season, including a 2.0-sack game against the Jets in Week 8. Since Week 10, he has gotten more playing time while Joey Bosa (on the IR with a foot injury) has been injured. Tuipulotu played over 90% of the defensive snaps in Weeks 11 and 12.
His production hasn't shown a noticeable spike yet. He made three solo tackles in each of the past two games, which is slightly more than what he was averaging earlier (2.2), but he didn't make a sack either week and only made one QB hit.
K.J Henry, DE, WAS
This rookie from Clemson was inactive for the first half of the season, but then, following the Commanders trading away both of their starting defensive ends, he was activated. He played over 50% of the snaps in Weeks 11 and 12, and he made 1.5 sacks in Week 11. Henry is best in deep leagues and is a speculative hold in dynasty leagues with deep benches.
Shaquille Leonard, LB, FA
Since he was released from the Indianapolis Colts, Shaq Leonard might have been released from many fantasy football teams, too. Plagued by injuries in the past two seasons, Leonard hasn't recovered to his big play form of 2021 and before.
He forced 17 fumbles in his first four years in the league, but he hasn't forced a single fumble since Week 17 of 2021. He is still capable of making tackles at a high rate, though. He has made 65 tackles in nine games, and he made 30 tackles in the past three games. Leonard is meeting with the Dallas Cowboys this week. The Cowboys have a whole at ILB where Leighton Vander Esch used to play before suffering a season-ending neck injury.
E.J. Speed, LB, IND
He is the big beneficiary of Leonard's release. Already playing more than Leonard, he takes the majority of Leonard's vacated snaps.
Week 13 IDP Waiver Adds for Big Play Leagues
Eddie Jackson, DB, CHI
Jackson has been healthy since Week 9, but he has yet to have made an interception. He made four picks in 2022 and a career-high six in 2018. Will he return to the form of previous boom seasons? The Bears have a Week 13 bye, but then he faces a suddenly turnover-prone Jared Goff in Week 14 and the rotating cast of terrible Browns quarterbacks in Week 15.
Leonard Floyd, DL, BUF
Floyd has made multiple sacks in four games this season. He has only made more than two tackles four times, but if you're playing in a big-play league, you don't care much about the down weeks. You want him for the week where he makes two sacks, three QB hits, and a forced fumble.
Robert Spillane, LB, LV
As far as inside linebackers who are rostered in less than 20% of leagues go, Spillane is a good one who can make an interception, a sack, or an occasional fumble recovery. He's also hitting the ten-tackle benchmark in some games for which some leagues reward bonuses.
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