October 25, 2016

Bryan Levin's IDP waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for Week Eight of the 2016 fantasy football season. NFL linebackers, defensive linemen & defensive backs to add.

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to our weekly columns to help you win on the defensive side of the ball. Today we are here to review some IDP waiver wire pickups for Week 8. The following players are not necessarily “must start” players for IDP leagues, but rather, players that currently have below 25% ownership levels (in Yahoo! Leagues) and are suggested deep-league IDP additions for this week.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 8 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

Linebackers - Week 8 IDP Waiver Adds

Dee Ford, Chiefs

Matchup: @ Colts

Ownership: 0%

Those who have followed this column throughout the season should have picked up on a trend by now: picking a pass rusher against the Colts is something I believe is quite a safe bet. Ford has been a bit of a lightning rod for the Chiefs and their fans since the team made him a late first round pick in 2014. For the most part, he has underachieved in his short career. But he has shown signs of significant growth and progress this season, including his 2.0 sack performance two weeks ago. This could be the final week Ford has to prove himself before All-Pro Justin Houston returns from the PUP list, and he gets as good a matchup as you could imagine against the sieve-like Colts offensive line.

Leonard Floyd, Bears

Matchup: vs. Vikings

Ownership: 1%

Floyd, a top 10 pick in this years NFL Draft, gave the Bears nothing through the first seven weeks of his rookie season, including three straight games where he was declared inactive through October. Floyd broke out in a major way on Thursday night against the Packers, collecting 2.0 sacks, forcing a fumble, and even recovered one in the end zone for a touchdown. While the touchdown was a major boon to his IDP scoring, Floyd enters Week 8 with improved confidence and a good matchup, as the beat up Vikings offensive line allowed 6.0 sacks this past week against the Eagles.

Denzel Perryman, Chargers

Matchup: @ Broncos

Ownership: 4%

Perryman was a preseason favorite of many IDP players, including myself. The second-year pro ended his rookie season playing his best football and was in line for a massive leap forward this year. It is safe to say that Perryman has underperformed tremendously this season from an IDP standpoint, but the ultra-talented linebacker is coming off arguably his most dominant game of the season, where he was the most disruptive force for the Chargers defense down the stretch of their thrilling OT victory @ Atlanta. Perryman had a poor game against the Broncos two weeks ago, but owners should be willing to take a gamble on Perryman’s abilities after last weeks’ performance.

Jordan Hicks, Eagles

Matchup: @ Cowboys (Sunday night)

Ownership: 8%

Hicks has a similar story to Perryman this season. Before going down with an injury midway through his rookie campaign last year, Hicks was emerging as a dominant IDP force at linebacker that distributed playmaking instincts and a nose for the ball. His tantalizing play made him a hyped IDP prospect for 2016, but has failed to meet expectations to this point. Like Perryman, Hicks is coming off one of his most impressive performances of the season and was an integral part of the Eagles upset victory last week as he looks to get back on track. Hicks’ talent is worth taking a flier on this week in a big division showdown against a dominating rushing game.

Defensive Linemen - Week 8 IDP Waiver Adds

Emmanuel Ogbah, Browns

Matchup: vs. Jets

Ownership: 11%

Ogbah was a highly touted prospect heading into this year's NFL Draft and was taken by the Browns at the top of round two. His draft position clearly indicated the talent is there, but he had a slow transition to the NFL in his first five weeks, failing to record a sack and failing to notch over three solo tackles in any game. The past two weeks have been a different story for the rookie, as Ogbah has notched 3.0 sacks to go along with nine total tackles (6 solo). He started at outside linebacker this past week, played on 55 total defensive snaps and seems to be significantly more comfortable on the field. A linebacker with defensive line eligibility in Yahoo! Leagues is a sought after commodity and has a good matchup this week against a Jets offensive line battling poor play and injury concerns.

Sheldon Richardson

Matchup: @ Browns

Ownership: 18%

Richardson has been the Jets' best defensive lineman over the previous two weeks and seems to be operating at a much higher level than he was earlier in the season, when the Jets were playing him out of position and often having him drop into coverage on some pass plays. This Sunday, however, the former first-round pick moved back inside on the line and wreaked havoc in both the run game and pass game. Richardson’s dominant performance (8 total tackles, 1.0 sacks, and frequent disruptions in the backfield) should be a clear indicator to the Jets to keep their talented lineman in this comfortable position this week where he should be able to do serious work against a Browns offensive that has allowed 3.0 sacks per game thus far.

Defensive Backs - Week 8 IDP Waiver Adds

Bradley McDougald, Buccaneers

Matchup: vs. Raiders

Ownership: 3%

McDougald has been mentioned in this column before, primarily for his ability to register impressive tackle numbers from the defensive back position. The Bucs safety is coming off three impressive performances for IDP owners that include 23 total tackles (19 solo) and an interception. On paper, this weeks tilt with the high-powered Raiders passing game is a good matchup for McDougald who should see plenty of opportunity to keep his strong tackle numbers going.

T.J. Ward, Broncos

Matchup: vs. Chargers

Ownership: 17%

Ward has long been a staple on IDP rosters for his high tackle floor and is currently in the midst of a four week stretch that has him averaging around 7.0 total tackles per contest and faces a Chargers offense that is throwing the ball over 35 times per contest. Look for Ward to continue his present streak of useful tackle numbers.

Rodney McLeod, Eagles

Matchup: @ Cowboys (Sunday night)

Ownership: 20%

The Eagles made an underrated acquisition this spring when they signed McLeod, a former Ram to their revamped secondary. He first popped up on the IDP radar in this column heading into Week 6 (which you can find here), and has been a must-own defensive back since. In the past two weeks McLeod has stuffed the stat sheet, notching 20 total tackles (19 solo), while chipping in a sack and an interception. The Eagles will rely heavily on their versatile safety this Sunday night against the Cowboys efficient passing game and dominant running game.