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Mitchell's top Week 7 IDP waiver wire pickups, adds, fantasy football defensive streamers for 2025. Target these individual defensive players on Week 7 waivers.
Welcome back to our fantasy football IDP Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 7. I hope you took my advice and added New England Patriots defensive back Marcus Jones to your IDP fantasy football team.
Jones made a sack and five tackles as the Patriots beat the New Orleans Saints. Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig, who has appeared on my waiver adds list in Week 5, made two sacks in the Steelers’ victory over the Cleveland Browns. Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman led the NFL with 17 tackles in Week 6.
Now, here are 11 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs to add off the waiver wire in Week 7.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds for Linebacker
Cedric Gray, ILB, Tennessee Titans - Rostered in 26% of Leagues
Gray, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick out of North Carolina, has become a featured starter on nickel packages for the Tennessee Titans this season. He has played about 85% of the snaps in Weeks 5 and 6 and as many as 96% of the snaps in Week 4.
But while Cody Barton is, for now, the every-down linebacker wearing the green dot, Gray has been the more valuable IDP player. Barton has graded poorly and missed 13.2% of the tackles he has attempted, while Gray has made 31 solo tackles and 16 assists, only missing 6.0% of his attempted tackles.
Pete Werner, LB, New Orleans Saints - Rostered in 37% of Leagues
Werner was known as an incredibly athletic tackle machine at Ohio State, and he’s been a tackle-heavy IDP asset during his five-year career with the New Orleans Saints. Last year, for example, Werner made 92 combined tackles and not a single impact play. His rate of tackles per game has increased in each year.
This year, Werner is having his best season, with 7.67 tackles per game and some impact plays. He has added two sacks and a fumble recovery. His snap share is up and down, fluctuating from a low of 41 snaps to a high of 64.
Luke Gifford, LB, San Francisco 49ers - Rostered in 7% of Leagues
Gifford is the highest-graded healthy linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers following Fred Warner’s season-ending ankle injury. Gifford’s fantasy stock benefits as he moves into a nearly every-snap role.
Luke Gifford, 30, has made a living in the least glamorous corners of the NFL. The "Core 4" iron man stopped trying to play his way off special teams long ago.
But the #49ers think Gifford could be their strong-side LB: "Not just a special teams guy"https://t.co/KaG9zu5WYc pic.twitter.com/rUmk3ZIhiR
— Noah Furtado (@_noahfurtado) August 29, 2025
Dee Winters may end up wearing the green dot, but he’s already been playing almost every snap as the No. 2 LB, and he hasn’t been producing well. In each of the past two games, he has only made four tackles.
Gifford has made a tackle on about 9.5% of his snaps, which projects to about five to eight tackles per game. He’s still not in the LB1 range, but he’s a good backup in leagues with three or more starting linebackers.
Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds for Defensive Line
James Houston IV, DL/LB, Dallas Cowboys - Rostered in 8% of Leagues
At Jackson State, where he racked up 16.5 sacks under coach Deion Sanders, and in his senior year, they called him “The Problem.” As an undrafted rookie with the Detroit Lions, Houston made 8.0 sacks in the last seven games of the season.
#Cowboys EDGE James Houston is starting to shine again in Dallas... pic.twitter.com/35O3ign6XS
— Jake (@DraftDayTrade) October 7, 2025
Houston’s breakout never came, as he dealt with injuries and disruptions, missing almost all of his second season, then moving from Detroit to Cleveland in the middle of last season. But now that he has found a home in Dallas, on a team that needs a replacement for Micah Parsons, Houston’s long-awaited breakout is here.
From Week 2 through Week 5, Houston made 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. This past week against the Carolina Panthers, he couldn’t get to Bryce Young, but he did make four tackles. The Panthers are not an easy assignment for pass rushers. They have allowed the eighth-fewest sacks per game.
Because his run defense is suspect, Houston is almost only on the field for pass-rushing situations.
Uchenna Nwosu, DL/LB, Seattle Seahawks - Rostered in 13% of Leagues
If Nwosu can stay on the field, he has a chance to set a new career high for sacks. In his last healthy season, the American of Nigerian descent made 9.5 sacks in 2022.
In each of his next two seasons, he was only able to play six games. This year, in five games, Nwosu has made four sacks. On a team with 3.3 sacks per game, the third most in the league, he’s doing his part.
In Week 6, the Seahawks sacked Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence seven times in a 20-12 victory. Nwosu made 1.5 of those sacks.
Milton Williams, DE, New England Patriots - Rostered in 12% of Leagues
Williams, who helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl last season, has made 2.5 sacks so far in his first season with the New England Patriots. This week, he faces the Tennessee Titans, who are allowing 4.2 sacks per game, the second most in the league. He is a quality streamer.
Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rostered in 2% of Leagues
The Buccaneers' pass rush is getting it together in important moments, and Vea is a part of that. In their 30-19 victory over the 49ers, the Bucs made six sacks. Vea contributed to one of those sacks, putting his total at 2.5 sacks on the season.
In leagues that require a starting DT, Vea is a DT1. In deeper leagues with generic DL positions, he's approximately in the fourth tier of DL.
Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds for Cornerback and Safety
Quentin Lake, S, Los Angeles Rams - Rostered in 42% of Leagues
Lake is a high-volume safety who piles up tackles and impact plays. Last season, he was one of the leading defensive backs in tackles with 111. This season, he’s already made 39 tackles in six games. In his best games, he can make double-digit tackles.
Andrew Mukuba Sr., S, Philadelphia Eagles - Rostered in 34% of Leagues
The Eagles have found another good young defensive back in rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, Sr. The Texas product has been credited with high PFF grades for his run defense as well as good fantasy production.
After making six or more tackles in each of the past three games, while playing 66 or more snaps, he ranks in the top 20 in fantasy scoring amongst defensive backs in various formats.
Mike Sainristil, CB, Washington Commanders - Rostered in 24% of Leagues
Mike Sainristil picks off Michael Penix Jr to seal the National Championship for Michigan and cap off a perfect 15-0 season
"15-0, Took on all comers, and we're the last one standing." -Jim Harbaugh
Team 144 will be remembered FOREVER #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/lJb24ayRub
— Underwood Unleashed (@Underwood_szn) July 31, 2025
During his career at Michigan, Sainristil was known for making big plays in key situations. So it was in his form to pick off Jared Goff twice in the Commanders’ playoff upset over the Detroit Lions last season.
In his second NFL season, he’s back at it. Sainristil has picked off Michael Penix Jr. and Justin Herbert in the past two weeks. In addition, he has made five or more tackles in each of the past four games.
Eric Murray, S, Jacksonville Jaguars - Rostered in 10% of Leagues
While some of the defensive backs above are bigger names, Murray is likely to be available in more leagues.
After bouncing around the league and playing for the Chiefs, Browns, and Texans, he has fallen into a starting role with the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. With 28 tackles and an interception, he is making solid, if inconsistent, numbers. With this production, he fits in as a starter in leagues that need two or three defensive backs.
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