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As you know, because we keep reminding you, Week 7 was the fantasy football equivalent of a direct-to-DVD movie experience. Something was playing on your television this Sunday, and it looked kind of like something you might enjoy. Deep down you knew it was a cheap imitation of what you love. With countless players on bye, most of us faced Week 7 with gritted teeth and an eye on the clock, waiting for Week 8 to roll around. However, there is one glaringly obvious way in which this past week’s bye bonanza may have worked in your favor.
Week 7 was so littered with bye week players that it forced thousands of fantasy managers to make the unenviable choice of either taking an L or dropping a significant contributor. Unfortunately, many had no choice but to make that difficult drop and move on. As a result, you may find several star IDP contributors available on your league’s waiver wire today. While you may think it unlikely a star would be so attainable, consider that the likes of Derwin James (-8.7%), Trevon Diggs (-4.5%), Eric Kendricks (-22.7%), Micah Parsons (-20.9%), T.J. Watt (-6.9%), and Danielle Hunter (-14.8%) were all casualties in a significant number of leagues.
Each player listed above profiles as a top-ten defender at their respective fantasy position for the rest of the season. Each of them has fulfilled their bye week obligation, too. It would not be unreasonable for fantasy managers to invest more than 10% of their FAAB budget on players like these because they will serve as set-it-and-forget-it starters from here on out. Do not miss out on these players or devalue them because they are defenders. Players like James, Watt, and Hunter are all worth far more than this week’s most common offensive waiver options, such as Allen Lazard or Christian Kirk.... With that addressed, let’s get to our weekly list of priority IDP waiver additions. As always, to qualify for this list, the defender must be rostered in less than 20% of IDP leagues.
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Kyle Dugger, DB, New England Patriots
Rostered in 5.5% of IDP leagues
In what appears to be a trend, Dugger had yet another unheralded fantasy explosion this week. While this latest boom came against the backup quarterback of a poor Jets offense, Sunday wasn't the first DB1 quality performance for the sophomore sensation. In fact, this was the third straight blowup for the big safety. He's officially a DB2 in most formats, and that ranking may be too conservative.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 3%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 5%
Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered in 14.2% of IDP leagues
For all the same reasons we had Fitzpatrick on this list last week, he remains on it today. Fitzpatrick is even more attractive than he was last week because his bye week has come and gone. Thanks to his bye last week, the Alabama product is also available in far more leagues after people were forced to drop him in the "Bye-Nado.” Consider him a worthwhile DB3 moving forward.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 4%
Trey Hendrickson, DL, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered in 5.4% of IDP leagues
Hendrickson is one of our bigger misses of the pre-season, as he somehow helped turn the Bengals' defense into a formidable force with the help of Logan Wilson and two star safeties. The former Saint is currently tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks, and he should continue to climb those ranks against the second-worst pass-blocking unit in the league this week. With a horrid Jets pass-blocking unit protecting a backup QB (likely the immobile Joe Flacco) against an improving Cincy defense, Hendrickson is a prime candidate for our DL Streamer of Week 8.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 2%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 4%
Markus Golden, DL, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered in 10.1% of IDP leagues
Golden is having the best start to any season in his career, largely because opponents are focusing their attentions on other big playmakers on Arizona’s defense. The former Giant sits seventh in the league in sacks right now, his snap rate has been above 70% in five of seven games, and he's averaging a turnover per contest. While Golden is one of the better candidates to regress the second half of this season, it's hard to ignore his production at a relatively thin position.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
Nick Bolton, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered in 10.4% of IDP leagues
Last week, we nominated Bolton as a Streamer of the Week because he had the ideal matchup, but the big performance he gave us wasn't just a byproduct of the Titans' game plan. Bolton popped on tape, ending up in Tennessee's backfield multiple times and stopping Derrick Henry in his tracks with far more success than anyone in recent memory. The needle is pointing up on this rookie, and the Chiefs have to take notice.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 2%
FAAB in Dynasty IDP Leagues: 4%
Azeez Al-Shaair, LB, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered in 7.2% of IDP leagues
Al-Shaair is another player we liked going into last week, but his film ended up being better than we hoped. The FAU product is currently in concussion protocol, but he continues to be very involved in the 49ers’ game plans when healthy. If Al-Shaair can clear protocol this week, he has a positive matchup against the Bears on deck. He is a worthwhile stash in deeper leagues, even if you have to wait a week.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 2%
Troy Reeder, LB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered in 2.8% of IDP leagues
The Rams' linebacker corps is like an unhinged rollercoaster that empties into the Pacific at the end of every ride. The roster churn at the heart of that unit has been dizzying the past two years, and the latest exchange occurred this week when Kenny Young was traded to Denver for pennies. Young had stepped into the role we expected Reeder to fill this year, and his departure appears to open that spot back up for Reeder. Reeder could end up back on the LB2 radar quickly, thanks to the position that defense will put him in.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
Darrell Taylor, DL, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered in 0.8 % of IDP leagues
Taylor’s roster rate is considerably lower than it should be due to a scary neck injury he suffered last week against Pittsburgh. Luckily, the Seahawks’ coaching staff is now referring to that injury as a “stiff neck” while they hold out hope he will be active in Week 8. Though Seattle coaches are notoriously over-optimistic on these things, Taylor has been prolific enough to merit stashing in the hopes he does return soon.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 5%
Anthony Averett, DB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 6.1% of IDP leagues
Averett is the perfect example of how fantasy may value the DB position differently than NFL coaches. IDP managers want Averett because he is the lesser talent in Baltimore’s secondary. Averett is the guy who opponents target when Marlon Humphrey is shadowing their top pass catcher, meaning he sees a lot of targets and opportunities. Consider Averett a quality depth option in deeper leagues and a streamer when his team faces an opponent with a clear #1 receiver.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 1%
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