September 20, 2023

Mitch Blatt's top IDP waiver wire adds and defensive streamers for Week 3 of the 2023 fantasy football season. These LB, DL, and DB have matchups worth exploiting.

Last week's second waiver wire recommendation, Saints DE Carl Granderson, made a sack and forced a fumble in the New Orleans' victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football.

The performance netted 16.95 fantasy points in RotoBaller IDP Bonus scoring format. That's about 10 more per game than he was averaging last season. It was his second straight game with a sack and his second straight game scoring 16 or more fantasy points. Commanders DT Daron Payne, who was on my list in Week 1, also had a good game, making five tackles and a sack against the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, Divine Deablo, my top waiver wire add of last week, made 10 tackles and a sack, good for 19.55 RotoBaller IDP Bonus fantasy points.

All three of Granderson, Payne, and Deablo remain strong free-agent adds this week and may still be available in your shallow leagues. (I even saw Granderson on the waiver wire in a deep league; don't tell anyone, but I submitted a waiver claim!) In addition, here are 11 new players to put bids on if they fill a position of need.

IDP Waiver Wire Adds in Shallow Leagues

George Karlaftis, DE, KC

Karlaftis had a learning curve his rookie season, as many defensive linemen do. He still did pretty well, achieving a pressure rate of over 10% and being involved in seven sacks. He is already playing at a tier above in his second season.

He is getting more playing time; he's averaging about 56 snaps a game versus 43 per game last year. And he's doing more with it. He's made pressures on eight of his 69 pass rush snaps, and he was in on two sacks in Week 2. He is tied for No. 11 in the league in sacks, yet he's available in about half of deep IDP leagues and even more shallow leagues.

Arden Key, DL, TEN

Arden Key is building on his momentum from last season. With nine pressures through two weeks, he is tied with the likes of Nick Bosa, Danielle Hunter, and DeMarcus Lawrence for seventh in the league. His 1.5 sacks, however, are 1.5 more than Bosa has made. Be wary, though. His 1.5 sacks are his only two tackles of the season. He's boom-bust and best in sack-heavy scoring formats.

Kwity Paye, DL, IND

Kwity Paye is tied with eleven pass rushers who all have six pressures in two games. Paye converted two into sacks and made five tackles, too. Compare that with others in this group, like Myles Garrett, who has only made a single sack, his only solo tackle, and Hassan Reddick, who hasn't made a single tackle. On the other hand, T.J. Watt has made 4.0 sacks, nine combined tackles, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

At this point in the season, it is hard to tell which pass rushers will keep it up over the course of a season. Kwity Paye has a better chance to break out than some of the others in the six pressures clump, such as Greg Rousseau and Nik Bonitto. He was a first-round draft pick in 2021, and he had a promising rookie season, but his play and volume dropped off a little bit last season. He seems to be getting back on course.

Josh Sweat, DL, PHI

The Eagles defensive line always creates a lot of fantasy production. Even if Reddick hasn't hit yet, like he did last season, these next two have: defensive end Josh Sweat and tackle Jordan Davis. Sweat is coming off his first double-digit sack season, and this season, he has already made 1.5 sacks and six QB hits.

Jordan Davis, DT, PHI

Jordan Davis didn't play much last season. He only started five games and only played 26% of the snaps. Now he's playing more than last season. He started both games, although he still only played 38% of the snaps. He might not ever get to above 50% because the Eagles run a deep rotation, and he didn't play full-time in college, either. But he already has 1.5 sacks, eight combined tackles, and one forced fumble.

Robert Spillane, LB, LV

Vegas' linebackers went under the radar this season, but they're both producing. Robert Spillane already has 13 solo tackles and eight assists, plus one sack, while having played every single defensive snap. He's looking like a set-em-and-forget-em tackle-making linebacker.

Jordan Whitehead, DB, NYJ

In his first game, Whitehead picked off Josh Allen three times. In his second game, he made seven solo tackles, two assists, and one tackle for loss.

IDP Waiver Wire Adds in Deep Leagues

Andrew Van Ginkel, LB/DE, MIA

A fifth-round pick from the class of 2019, Van Ginkel is a dynamic player who has seen interesting usage patterns in the first two weeks. In Week 1, he played 41 snaps as an inside linebacker lined up in the box and just two on the defensive line (as well as 16 on special teams). Last week, he did not play at all on kick coverage, a good sign that the Dolphins are prioritizing him as a key defensive piece.

Instead, he lined up on the defensive line for 61 snaps and lined up in the box just twice. This usage means he is getting juicy opportunities to rush the passer. He took advantage of that to the tune of five pressures, two QB hits, and one sack. In each of the first two games, he made four solo tackles. His usage as an edge rusher was necessary because of an injury to Jaelan Phillips. Phillips' availability for Week 3 against Denver is uncertain.

Even if Phillips does start and Ginkel moves back to inside linebacker, he can still be productive if he plays like he did in Week 1.

Dorance Armstrong, DE, DAL

It is time for the annual (or semi-annual) mention that Dorance Armstrong, whose production is heavily dependent on sacks, has been making sacks lately. Two sacks in two games. Will it continue? Probably not. His career high for sacks is 8.5. However, he'll always be there on the waiver wire for when both of your DEs suddenly have a bye in the same week.

Harrison Phillips, DT, MIN

Phillips, who exceeded 50 tackles in 2021 and 2022 and has already made 21 this season, is a good add in leagues that require DT-specific roles. He made half a sack, too, and if he keeps averaging 10 tackles a game, he would even be a strong starter in shallow Sleeper leagues. It is hard to believe he will keep making double-digit tackles all season as an interior lineman, but even if he declines a lot, he's still up there with other starting DTs in large leagues.

Dennis Gardeck, OLB, ARI

Dennis Gardeck falls into the category of rotational pass rushers who pile up a lot of sacks in a certain span of time. He only had 16 pass rush snaps last week, fewer than starters Zaven Collins and Jonathan Ledbetter, who had 25 and 29, respectively. But he made one pressure and one sack. In Week 1, he made three pressures and two sacks on 15 pass rushes.

His efficiency at converting pressures into sacks so far is through the roof. It probably won't hold up. Still, in his six-year career, he has made 11 sacks on 45 total pressures for a pressure-to-sack rate of 24.4%, which is higher than usual. He's not a must-add yet, but he's an option and one to keep an eye on even if you do not add him immediately.

Other DE to Consider:

Bradley Chubb, DE, MIA

Jonathan Cooper, DE, DEN

Joe Tyron-Shoyinka, DE, TB

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