September 17, 2016

Bryan Levin's IDP waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for Week Two of the 2016 fantasy football season. NFL linebackers, defensive linemen & defensive backs to add.

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to our weekly columns to help you win on the defensive side of the ball. Today we are here to review some IDP waiver wire pickups and adds for Week 2.

The following players are not necessarily “must start” players for IDP leagues, but rather, players that currently have below 25% ownership levels (in Yahoo! Leagues) and are suggested IDP additions for Week 2.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests for Week 2. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

Linebackers - Week 2 IDP Waiver Adds

Tahir Whitehead, Lions

Matchup: vs. Titans

Ownership: 2%

Whitehead is a fifth year pro that for the last several years has been a bye week filler at best for fantasy owners playing in deep IDP leagues.  When you watch him on the field, he certainly looks the part, and has flashed potential in small doses. It appears that he has secured an every down role, playing in all 70 defensive snaps and collecting 10 total tackles for the Lions in their Week 1 victory. The Titans running backs managed to get 25 touches between them last week, so it’s entirely possible that Whitehead will see plenty of action.

Deion Jones, Falcons

Matchup: @ Raiders

Ownership: 3%

The Falcons have severely lacked speed on their defense over the last few years, and addressed that in a big way during this years draft. Jones, a second round pick out of LSU, is faster and more athletic than Paul Worrilow, who he was drafted to ultimately replace. After registering six total stops in his first NFL game (five solo), the Falcons will rely heavily on their speedy rookie ‘backer to stay on the field in all packages against the Raiders high octane offense that put up nearly 500 yards of total offense in Week 1.

Will Compton, Redskins

Matchup: vs. Cowboys

Ownership: 7%

Like Whitehead, Compton has jumped on and off IDP radars over the past few seasons as nothing more than a bye week fill-in. Also like Whitehead, Compton played in all of his teams’ defensive snaps in week 1 and was productive, getting in on 13 total stops (five solo). Look for tackle chances to be there once again this week, as the Cowboys should rely heavily on the ground game, going up against a Redskins run defense that looked completely overmatched Monday night against the Steelers who ran for just under 150 yards.

Nigel Bradham, Eagles

Matchup: @ Bears (Monday)

Ownership: 0%

The linebacker situation in Philadelphia was a buzzworthy topic of discussion among IDP circles following Week 1. Bradham and talented second year linebacker Jordan Hicks were the clearly preferred options of the new coaching staff (51 snaps each), while former IDP stud Mychal Kendricks spent a ton of time on the bench (19 snaps). As if this wasn’t enough incentive to plug the former IDP contributor Bradham into lineups this weekend, take into account his matchup for Week 2. Last week, three Texans linebackers that saw 85% or more of defensive snaps against the Bears managed a combined 16 tackles (9 solo), 3 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Defensive Linemen - Week 2 IDP Waiver Adds

Cameron Heyward, Steelers

Matchup: vs. Bengals

Ownership: 7%

The Steelers defense failed to record a sack last week, something that won’t be the case in week 2.  The Jets defensive line harassed Andy Dalton for much of the game last week, collecting six of the teams seven sacks in the process. They also led the charge in stuffing the Bengals run game, getting in on numerous stops. Heyward, coming off back-to-back seasons of at least seven sacks himself, should see plenty of opportunities to reach Dalton on pass plays and be involved in tackles against the run Sunday afternoon. Need more assurance? Heyward has been able to record a sack in three of his previous four games against the Bengals.

Chris Long, Patriots

Matchup: vs. Dolphins

Ownership: 1%

After watching Long’s Patriot debut Sunday night, one thing was clear: Long looks like he belongs in New England. The Pats seem to make a habit of finding high motor guys, specifically mid-low round picks or veterans that were castoff by another team and getting the most out of them. Long impressed in his first game with his new team Sunday night despite only being in on 64% of the defensive plays, making three solo tackles and a sack. I would have to imagine Long will be on the field more often this weekend against a division rival that allowed four sacks last week to Seahawk defensive linemen.

Defensive Backs - Week 2 IDP Waiver Adds

Bradley McDougald, Buccaneers

Matchup: @ Cardinals

Ownership: 1%

McDougald burst onto IDP radars last season with 67 solo tackles from the safety position, which was good enough to place in the top 15 in the NFL. McDougald has a tasty Week 2 matchup against a Cardinals team that threw the ball 37 times last week, enabling their opponents’ defensive backs to lead the team in tackles. Sure the Cardinals might not have to throw as much being that they trailed for practically their entire Week 1 loss, but it is still an enticing situation. For you math nerds: Passing Offense + Proven Tackler at Safety = Opportunity for Fantasy Points.

T.J. McDonald, Rams

Matchup: vs. Seahawks

Ownership: 5%

The punishing safety for the Los Angeles Rams is coming off a somewhat lost 2015 campaign that saw him play in only 11 games. One of the more underrated IDP defensive backs of the past few seasons, McDonald looked like he was back in his normal form Monday night, playing on 80/81 defensive snaps and contributing 8 tackles (all solo). The Rams will be highly motivated this weekend as professional football returns to LA and the fact that they are coming off a drubbing at the hands of the pitiful 49ers. The Rams always seem to play the now pass-happy Seahawks (43 attempts last week!) close, and McDonald should find himself around the ball plenty.

Da’Norris Searcy, Titans

Matchup: @ Lions

Ownership: 1%

The former Bills safety used to generate some preseason buzz every year as a potential breakout candidate that never broke out. Now in his second season in Tennessee, Searcy is the Titans starter at strong safety playing behind a somewhat questionable front seven. Both Searcy and fellow safety Rashad Johnson will be counted on all year as the last line of defense (literally) for the Titans, allowing for plentiful amounts of opportunities. Searcy was only in on 67% of defensive plays in Week 1, but still managed a team high 8 tackles (all solo).