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Week 12 is complete, and the fantasy playoffs are in sight! If you are still in contention, you need some upgrades to help you win your final few games and seal your playoff spot or some ballers to guide you to victory in the playoffs. Either way, I am here to help with my Week 13 edition of the IDP Waiver Wire Column.
I am doing things a little bit differently this time. There are still roughly a dozen stud defenders to roster but I have them split up by league size. The players you’ll find on the waiver wire in a standard Sleeper league, where you might start four or six defensive players at three positions, are very different from those whom you’d find in a deep and detailed league like those hosted at MFL. Typically, Sleeper hosts more casual leagues, while My Fantasy Leagues can be quite intense. They might have 11 starting IDP players set at all defensive positions from DT down to S.
Last week, Jack Sanborn was my top add. He came through with 10 solo tackles, his new career-high, and five assists. Maybe he was too obvious? But not obvious enough; he’s still available in 47% of MFL-hosted IDP leagues and almost all Sleeper leagues. I’d put him at the top of my Week 13 column, too, along with these 11 others.
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Adds In 6-Starter IDP Leagues
Demario Davis, LB, New Orleans Saints
Rostered in ~50% of Sleeper Leagues
Davis is leading all middle linebackers with 6.5 sacks this season. This kind of production is rare coming from a position focused on stopping the run, and Davis doesn’t even blitz very frequently. His pass rushes this season are 44% of what he rushed last season, but his sacks are up 116%.
Julian Love, DB, New York Giants
Rostered in ~33% of Sleeper Leagues
Love feasted on Thanksgiving, making 10 tackles and an interception against the Cowboys for 26.55 Rotoballer IDP points. It was his second-straight game scoring double-digit fantasy points and his seventh on the season.
Cody Barton, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in ~0% of Sleeper Leagues
Barton continues to make a boatload of tackles in the Seahawks system. He made 12 combined against the Raiders in Week 12. This was his fourth double-digit tackle game of the season.
Daron Payne, DL, Washington Commanders
Rostered in ~0% of Sleeper Leagues
The rare defensive lineman who makes a high volume of tackles, Payne made six combined against the Falcons. Even without making a sack, that was 12.8 Rotoballer IDP points. He has made 6.5 sacks on the season, too. You’ll be in for a treat when he makes six tackles and a sack in the same game, as he did in Week 9, scoring 22.5 fantasy points.
Adds In 11-Starter IDP Leagues
Zach Allen, DT, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in ~50% of My Fantasy League Leagues
Allen has quietly emerged as one of the top 15 interior pass rushers in the NFL. In his fourth year, he has played 81% of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps, up from 70% the previous year and 56% his sophomore season. He has made 4.5 sacks this season. Two-and-a-half of those came in his past four games. He often tips passes at the line. He has seven pass defenses this season.
Michael Davis, CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered in ~0% of MFL Leagues
Davis has been the CB8 in the IDP Invitational in Weeks 8-12. He’s making four solo tackles in most games and a couple of assists. He just played his best game of the season, grading 72.2 and excelling in all facets of the game.
Preston Smith, DE, Green Bay Packers
Rostered in ~30% of MFL Leagues
Smith has taken down the opposing quarterback in each of the past two games. His Week 13 matchup against the Chicago Bears is a good one. The Bears are allowing sacks at a league-leading 14.2% rate. Following that, Smith has his bye in Week 14 and then opens the fantasy playoffs with another favorable matchup against the depleted Rams offensive line.
Elandon Roberts, LB, Miami Dolphins
Rostered in ~30% of MFL Leagues
Roberts has made 18 solo tackles in his past four games. Since Week 8, he ranks No. 14 amongst linebackers in solos, ahead of the likes of Logan Wilson, Mykal Walker, Frankie Luvu, and Bobby Wagner.
Jonathan Jones, CB, New England Patriots
Rostered in ~0% of MFL Leagues
One of many rookie corners excelling this year, Jones has made a pass breakup in each of his past three games. Against the Vikings, he made his third interception and six solo tackles. His tackle numbers in Week 12 are an outlier, but he has been good at making plays on the football all season.
Reed Blankenship, S, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered in ~0% of MFL Leagues
This undrafted free agent played 35 snaps on Sunday Night Football after C.J. Gardner-Johnson went down with a rib injury, and he made six total tackles and an interception. If Gardner-Johnson misses time, Blankenship will get the chance to show if he’s for real or if it was a fluke.
Will Harris, DB, Detroit Lions
Rostered in ~10% of MFL Leagues
Harris has seen a large increase in playing time as Detroit is dealing with injuries in its backfield. He has played over 70 snaps in Weeks 11 and 12. He is especially good at run defense and tackling, grading above 80.0 in tacking in four games this season. His downside is he is not so good at making plays on the ball. He has had no pass breakups all season.
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