With Week 3 coming to an exciting conclusion with the Chiefs domination of the Ravens on Monday Night Football, fantasy football managers have quickly set their sights on improving their rosters ahead of Week 4. With waivers set to run tonight in most leagues, we will jump right into some of the top waiver wire adds for those of you are lucky enough to play in IDP leagues. You truly don’t know what you are missing until you try it. Let’s dig in.
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Note: Rostered percentages provided via Yahoo! leagues
Linebacker
Kenneth Murray (LB – LAC): 11% rostered on Yahoo
IDP owners, especially the more novice ones, are a fickle bunch. Case in point, Kenneth Murray is only rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues. Murray had a quiet Week 3 with just two solo tackles, three assists, and one tackle for loss, but has been one of the stronger linebackers in the league this season. His 23 total tackles puts him ahead of both players drafted ahead of him in the 2020 NFL Draft in Isaiah Simmons and Patrick Queen. He has been active in the tackle department this season and is pushing towards the LB1 periphery. For context, Murray has more total tackles than Demario Davis and more solo tackles than Bobby Wagner, Deion Jones, and Anthony Hitchens. There is no reason for Murray to be available in so many leagues, especially when about half of his rostered numbers likely comes from dynasty or keeper leagues.
Benardrick McKinney (LB – HOU): 4% rostered on Yahoo!
McKinney racked up eight solo tackles and three assists against the Steelers in Week 3, making good on his upside in the plus matchup. He has yet to become a consistent IDP force but has another plus matchup in Week 4 against the Vikings. McKinney is now tied for eighth in the league with 28 total tackles and continues to provide LB2 value. His solo tackle to assist ratio has always been the reason that he failed to garner the respect or recognition that others with his total tackle count would garner. He is a rock-solid LB3 and/or depth option, and if you are adding him as your LB4 or LB5 you are going to be a force at the position. Add him where possible.
B.J. Goodson (LB – CLE): 2% rostered on Yahoo!
B.J. Goodson went bonkers in Week 3 racking up three solo tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended. He more than made up for his low tackle count with the turnovers and will look for another big performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Goodson should be kept busy in Week 4 and is a low-end LB2 option in what projects as a plus matchup. He has continued to produce in a high snap role and appears poised to hold onto his job now that Mack Wilson has returned to the team. Somehow rostered in just two percent of Yahoo leagues despite producing all season, Goodson needs to be added, even if it is just as bye week depth. There is no reason for Goodson to still be on the wires in deeper leagues, so check yours before claims are processed to ensure that a steady contributor isn’t going overlooked.
Rashaan Evans (LB – TEN): 9% rostered on Yahoo!
Rashaan Evans had four solos, three assists, and one fumble recovery in Week 3. He has yet to have his breakout game of 2020, maxing out at six solo tackles in Week 2 but deserves to be rostered as an LB3 at worst. Counted as an LB2 option most weeks, I was quite shocked when I went scrolling through for top-end players with low rostered numbers. Evans is a high-level talent who should be rostered in at least 20 percent of Yahoo leagues. The assumption here is that Evans’ fantasy managers cut bait after the first two games, and that is why someone as talented as Evans is available in so many leagues. Check your wire to be sure that your league is not one of the crazy ones where he was made available. Evans was, is, and will be an LB2 with LB3 upside this season.
De’Vondre Campbell (LB – ATL): 12% rostered on Yahoo!
Campbell had a quiet Week 3 with just four solos and two assists. Isaiah Simmons played just 15 percent of the snaps in Week 3 and remains buried on the linebacker depth chart. They have been sharing the field, so it appears that if Simmons’ role does expand as the year progresses that it will come at the expense of players like Hasson Reddick, and not at Hicks or Campbell’s. Campbell continues to play 100 percent of the snaps and has been a consistent IDP producer. There is no reason for him not to be on your roster if he is somehow available in your redraft leagues. Add him where possible, even if it is just to block an opponent from doing so.
Defensive Line
Derrick Brown (DT – CAR): 1% rostered on Yahoo!
Derrick Brown had the best game of his career in Week 3, recording four solos, one assist, and three tackles for loss against the Detroit Lions. He played just 52 percent of the snaps in Week 3, down from the 68 percent in Week 1 and the 72 percent in Week 2, but played 42 total snaps, just two snaps less than his season-high. He has been more of a force against the run than against the pass so far, but his time is coming. His three defensive stops in the backfield suggests that even though he has zero pressures through three games, that he is indeed getting penetration. Brown will likely be one of the more productive defensive tackles in IDP by the end of the season, even if it doesn’t come by the way of voluminous sacks. He will continue to be active against the run and should be counted on as a DT2/DL4 until his play moves him into DT1/DL3 territory. Add him where needed.
Jonathan Allen (DT – WAS): 9% rostered on Yahoo!
Jonathan Allen was terrific against the Browns in Week 3. He notched seven solo tackles, two assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit. He should be in for another heavy snap outing in Week 4 with both Chase Young and Matt Ioannidis nursing injuries. He is a DL2/DL3 option against Baltimore and is a DT1 going forward. His upside will be capped if Young misses any time, but he proved this weekend that he can produce even without Young commanding double teams. Allen saw his highest snap percentage of the season at 79 percent in Week 3, but his snap count was the same number (50) that he saw in Week 2.
Now at 1.5 sacks for the year, an eight plus sack season seems to be in the cards for the fourth year player. He recorded eight sacks in 2018 and could sail right past that number if the defensive line on Washington can stay healthy this season. You should want a piece of the Football Team’s defensive line, and with Young and Sweat long gone in all competitive leagues, Allen may just be your best bet. Allen should be added as a DL3 with matchup based DL2 upside, and/or as a DT1.
Jeffery Simmons (DT – TEN): 2% rostered on Yahoo!
Jeffrey Simmons is a supremely talented defensive tackle who registered four solo tackles, one assist, two tackles for loss, one sack, and two QB hits. Now being used as a defensive tackle in a hybrid 3-4, Simmons is now free to be at his best. Da’Quan Jones is the nose tackle, so Simmons is no longer being asked to simply fill gaps and eat space. Simmons is going to breakout this season and should be rostered, even if it is just as depth. He saw 92 percent of the snaps in Week 3 is a DT2 option already, and is a matchup based DL3 play. Simmons has massive long term dynasty upside, something that suggests that his two percent rostered numbers may actually be from managers who still play dynasty on Yahoo. Add him wherever available, he is simply too good to be toiling on the wire.
Carl Lawson (DE – CIN): 0% rostered on Yahoo!
It is true that Lawson is a rotational player, but he is logging as many (total) snaps as starters on other teams and should be rostered in IDP leagues. Those in deeper IDP leagues are usually scrambling for defensive ends by this point of the season, and Lawson is someone to kick the tires on. Lawson recorded four solo tackles, four assists, one tackle for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. He played just 52 percent of the snaps in Week 3, his lowest snap share of the season, but logged his highest total snap count of the season with 47. For context, Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars played 74 percent of the snaps in Week 3 but totaled 45 snaps. In fact, despite seeing his snap share increase weekly, Allen has yet to see over 47 snaps in any contest this season. Lawson is worth a long hard look for redraft IDP managers looking for a more consistent producer who may still be kicking around on the wire.
Maxx Crosby (DE – LV): 11% rostered on Yahoo!
Crosby had an excellent Week 3, notching two sacks on Cam Newton. He finished with a two sack, two solo tackle, two tackle for loss, two QB hit stat line. He gets Bills in Week 4 in what projects as another plus matchup. His rostered numbers are among the strangest things I have seen this season. Just one season removed from a 10 sack rookie campaign, it appears that fantasy managers bailed on the talented pass rusher after he failed to register a sack in his first two weeks of the season. Punish your rival managers for this oversight. Add Crosby wherever he is available.
Defensive Backs
Jeremy Chinn (S/LB – CAR): 5% rostered on Yahoo!
Jeremy Chinn is going to be a fixture in this column until he reaches less than 80 percent availability, so go pick him up now if you are tired of reading about him. Chinn registered six solo tackles, six assists, and one tackle for loss against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, and continues to make his case for weekly DB1 status. He already has DB1 upside on a weekly basis, so there is no way he should be available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues. Poised to become a household IDP name before the season is over, Chinn is worth an aggressive bid during this week’s waiver period.
Nasir Adderley (S – LAC): 0% rostered on Yahoo!
Adderley had seven solo tackles and two assists against the Panthers in Week 3. He played 90 percent of the snaps, making it two consecutive weeks where he has seen 90 percent snap share or higher for the Chargers. Desmond King has been reduced to a sub-package role (33 percent of the snaps in Week 3), which means it is all systems go for Adderley. Playing behind what on paper is one the top defensive fronts in the league will only benefit the young safety, and he can now be counted on as a DB2. Certain to be a hot waiver claim due to his seven solo tackle explosion., be sure to be aggressive in your bid for the talented sophomore.
Bradley McDougald (S – NYJ): 2% rostered on Yahoo!
Bradley McDougald had an excellent Week 3. He racked up five solo tackles and five assists against the Colts in the plus matchup. He was expected to come up big in Week 3, so fantasy managers should not get too excited by the big stat line. McDougald has been a DB2 level producer since his time with the Seahawks but is now flashing his matchup based DB1 upside. He has a wonderful Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos. McDougald is someone to think of as more of a DB3 with weekly DB2 upside, so take that into account when preparing your bids for this week. He could prove to be an important depth piece with the byes coming so do not be afraid to be aggressive if you play in a deeper league.
Taylor Rapp (S – LAR): 10% rostered on Yahoo!
A knee injury that put him behind the eight ball in learning the new scheme limited his snaps to under the 30 percent mark in the first two weeks of the season. Rapp got the call when Jordan Fuller fell victim to a shoulder injury against the Buffalo Bills. It does sound like Fuller may be the preferred starter due to his firmer grasp of the scheme, but if his injury makes him miss Week 4, he may be permanently supplanted by the talented sophomore. Rapp recorded six solo tackles and one assist against the Bills in Week 3 and could have another high-level DB2 performance in store for fantasy managers if he gets the call in Week 4. His uncertain role means your bid should be kept low, but it is clear that Rapp needs to be rostered until we have more clarity on the Fuller injury and Rapp’s path to reclaiming the starting role he closed last season with.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.