RADIO
Many were excited by the news. You had waited all week for news on the best fantasy DB in the game, and finally they told you what you wanted to hear. Derwin James was active again! Rejoice, for he is an automatic starter the second he’s activated. Right? As those who follow my Twitter timeline may know, the answer to this question wasn't so simple.
That is why I warned people to downgrade James to a DB2 at best after he was activated on game day. The reason for this was that we had already seen this script before. Last week, James was a gameday activation and he missed a good portion of that game due to re-injury. We rightfully worried that James could sit a lot of the Texans game as a precaution, and that fear proved correct.  Despite the Chargers desperately needing James to slow down the lukewarm offense of the Houston Texans, James didn't play. This spoke volumes about why his team even activated him, and it reminded many of what the Rams did when they activated Darrell Henderson several weeks ago only to sit him on the bench. In short, these teams are losing so many players to COVID that they are activating gimpy players who they don’t plan on playing just so they have enough depth to finish a game.
The purpose of addressing this issue is to warn fantasy managers about this trend, which could kill many fantasy championships this week and next. It used to be that the activation of a superstar like Adrian Peterson meant they would play an immediate significant role. Such is no longer the case, though. If it's a late activation off of COVID, odds are you're fine. If it's a same-day activation from an injury that kept your star from practicing all week, odds are you have to consider sitting that player, even if he’s a regular starter for you…. And with that, let’s get on with our Weekly IDP Waiver Priorities. Remember that defenders only qualify if their roster percentage falls below 20% in IDP leagues. Also, remember that our FAAB percentages are based on the amount you have to begin the season. So if you began the season with $100 in FAAB, our recommendation of 3% equates to $3 in FAAB.
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Quincy Williams, LB, New York Jets
Rostered in 16.9% of IDP leagues
Our obvious addition of the week is Williams, who is still available in 83% of IDP leagues. While Williams has been an LB2 level contributor most of this season, his lull in Week 16 could see his roster percentage drop slightly. The Jets linebackers have a solid matchup against the Buccaneers, however.
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out this past weekend, Tampa committed more to the run and played it safe in a comfortable win over Carolina. Next weekend shouldn’t be any different for Tom Brady and the Bucs, as they should again get out to a comfortable lead before committing to the run and conservative passing plays. That script should provide a safer fantasy floor for Jets LBs than many expect.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 3%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 4%
A.J. Terrell, DB, Atlanta Falcons
Rostered in 11.8% of IDP leagues
Terrell has consistently gotten his hands on balls over the past eight weeks, even if it hasn’t regularly turned into turnovers. You have to like his perceived volume against the Buffalo Bills’ heavy passing attack, too. Terrell has DB2 upside this week.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 2%
Chris Jones, DL, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered in 5.1% of IDP leagues
A big name you would imagine is rostered in far more leagues, Jones has been a disappointment in fantasy this year. That unsteady performance has led to him being available in nearly 95% of IDP leagues. While there are continuing questions about his health, he managed to play almost half of the team's snaps against Pittsburgh, including a good majority of the team sitting out the second half in that blowout.
Given his play against Pittsburgh last week, Jones is a nice streamer in Week 17. Against a high-volume Bengals passing offense that sports the second-lowest graded pass-blocking unit in the NFL, Chiefs pass rushers should be able to pin back their ears and rush with abandon. You have to like the chances of this game turning into a shootout, meaning Jones should have a shot at a sack or more.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 2%
Troy Reeder, LB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered in 4.4% of IDP leagues
Look, we know we've recommended Reeder before. We also know that it's been seemingly impossible to figure out who the Rams prefer at the center of their defense this year since they've rotated the likes of Kenny Young, Reeder, and Ernest Jones, among others at the position. That said, Ernest Jones looks like he could miss time, and Reeder could be one of the last men standing. If Jones misses time, Reeder is looking at elite playing time in a fantasy-friendly role.
It’s also worth noting that Travon Howard is a deep league name to know, and he’s worth monitoring in practices this week. There’s an outside shot he takes over Jones’ role instead of Reeder, simply because the Rams like to keep us guessing at this position.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 2%
Kevin Minter, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rostered in 1.2% of IDP leagues
Minter is one of two rotational players in the Tampa Bay linebacker room who stands to gain in the short term, thanks to that team's struggle with injuries. With Shaquil Barrett hurt, Minter saw 70% of the defensive snaps this past week, producing respectable statistics as a result. Expect Minter and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (who also makes this list) to see an increase in opportunities against the Jets this week.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
M.J. Stewart, DB, Cleveland Browns
Rostered in 1.1% of IDP leagues
This former Tar Heel hasn’t lived up to the expectations I had him coming out of college as an impact player, as his aggressive style and solid film suggested he could be one of the better slot corners in the league. What he has done is found a role on Cleveland’s defense as a jack-of-all-trades sort of player. That role has translated to two starts over the past two weeks, and great fantasy production. Stewart also has a plus matchup with a struggling Steelers offense this week.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 1%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 3%
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, DL/LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rostered in 0.7% of IDP leagues
With Shaq Barrett unlikely to suit up over the next two weeks, the Buccaneers will have to shuffle their linebacker corps. Expect the rookie from Washington to take on a much larger role in the passing game as a result, which could make him a terrific sleeper against the Jets and Panthers in the final two weeks of the season. Tryon is the highest upside player available in over 90% of IDP leagues right now.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 2%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 4%
Jonas Griffith, LB, Denver Broncos
Rostered in 0.3% of IDP leagues
Griffith has seen a spike in playing time the past two weeks, and offenses have been targeting him as a result. He’s averaging seven solo tackles per game in his two starts, and he faces a Chargers team that will again be without Mike Williams next week. Griffith is a deep league streamer to watch.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 1%
Arden Key, DL, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered in 0.3% of IDP leagues
Look, our call to make Key a streamer last week didn't work out. He put up a dud in a terrific matchup against the Titans, and the tackle for a loss that NFL scorekeepers improperly robbed him of wouldn't have changed that. Still, we have to consider Key as a viable streamer in deep IDP leagues this week because he's been hot over the past seven weeks and he has another good matchup on deck against the Texans.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 1%
Tony Jefferson II, DB, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered in 0.0% of IDP leagues
Jefferson is currently rostered in fewer leagues than the retired Earl Thomas, yet he stepped off the street and saw significant snaps for a thin Ravens secondary this past week. Those snaps translated to healthy blitz usage and double-digit tackles.
While much of his production was a byproduct of playing against a surging Bengals offense, the Rams are also a high-volume unit, and they are turning the ball over more than usual lately. Jefferson is another deep league streamer, as Baltimore has little reason but to use the active safety a lot.
FAAB in Standard IDP Leagues: 0%
FAAB in Deep IDP Leagues: 1%
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