Week 13 is now in the books. There are numerous storylines to track, but perhaps the most significant is the overlooked IDP players who showed out in Week 13. There were a lot of defensive fireworks in Week 13, so there are more than a few intriguing names on the waiver wire in leagues of all sizes. Let’s take a look at some of the names that may be worth some of your free agent budget.
Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire
Linebacker
Mykal Walker (LB – PIT): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Mykal Walker was excellent in Week 13, racking up seven solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss. He played a season-high 96 percent of the snaps due to Elandon Roberts suffering a groin injury and should be in for another game over 90 percent due to the Steelers playing on Thursday. This was by far the best performance since Kwon Alexander went down, making Mykal an LB3/4 option for Week 14. Treat him as such if Roberts is indeed ruled out as expected. Make the add where needed.
Cody Barton (LB – WAS): 6% rostered on Yahoo
Cody Barton was excellent in Week 13, racking up five solos and six assists on 100 percent of the snaps. He has played every snap returning from injury and should be back to his LB2 form for the rest of the season. Yes, his pass coverage skills are still an issue, but with a lack of better options for Washington, Barton is making the most of the opportunity afforded him. He looks like he hasn’t missed a beat since returning to the lineup and should be started as a LB2/3 option for the playoff run. Make the add where needed while factoring in the Week 14 bye.
David Long (LB – MIA): 2% rostered on Yahoo
Long showed up in Week 13, posting five solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss on 82 percent of the snaps. David Long is set to see an expanded role with Jerome Baker nursing a knee injury and Andrew Van Ginkel back on the edge for the injured Jalean Phillips. Long has recorded at least four solos in six of the seven games in which he played over 70 percent of the snaps. Treat Long as an LB3 option as long as Baker is sidelined. Make the add where necessary.
Jack Gibbens (LB – TEN): 2% rostered on Yahoo
Jack Gibbens went off in Week 13, racking up nine solos, four assists, and one pass defended. This was the first time in four weeks that he played over 50 percent of the snaps, so fantasy managers just exercise caution, but his strong showing suggests that he should continue to see around 60 percent of the snaps going forward. He was a solid LB3 when handling a full-time role but is more LB4 in his current one. Add and start Gibbens as an LB4 option where needed.
E.J. Speed (LB – IND): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Speed was excellent in Week 13, reeling off six solos, two assists, and three tackles for loss on a season-high 78 defensive snaps. He has played over 90 percent of the snaps in each of the last two weeks, recording at least five solos in each of those contests. He is producing well enough that one can understand trying to get out from under Shaq Leonard’s contract, especially if they thought he would never come close to returning to his pre-injury form. Speed is looking like a solid LB3 play going forward and should be treated as such for a plus Week 13 matchup against the surprising Cincinnati Bengals.
Others to consider: Mark Robinson (LB – PIT): 0%, Josh Woods (LB – ARI): 0%, Nephi Sewell (LB – NO): 0%, Jahlani Tavai (LB – NE): 1%, Nicholas Morrow (LB – PHI): 5%, Christian Elliss (LB – PHI): 0%, J.J. Russell (LB – TB): 0%
Defensive Line
Andrew Van Ginkel DE/LB – MIA): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Van Ginkel was excellent in Week 13, racking up four solos, one assist, one interception, two passes defended, and one touchdown. AVG was back to playing a full-time edge role due to Jaelan Phillips being lost for the season and responded in a major way. He is a low-end DL2 option as long as he holds off Jason Pierre-Paul and Emmanuel Ogbah. Treat him as such for a plus matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Make the add where available.
Samson Ebukam (DE/LB – IND): 7% rostered on Yahoo
Ebukam just misses the seven percent cut-off for this column, but his rostership numbers are alarming enough that he should be included. Ebukam racked up five solos, one assist, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. Ebukam is up to a career-high eight sacks, with four of them coming in his last two games. Start Ebukam everywhere while he is cooking. Count him as a DL2 option for Week 14, thanks both to form and to a plus matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Alex Highsmith (DE/LB – PIT): 6% rostered on Yahoo
Highsmith was excellent in Week 13, reeling off five solos, three assists, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss. He is up to six sacks on the season, but it has been an underwhelming year for the 2022 breakout star. Highsmith should be rostered in competitive leagues and is on sack watch for a tremendous Week 14 matchup against the New England Patriots. Tap him as a DL2/3 as needed. Make the add where available.
Kobie Turner (DT – LAR): 2% rostered on Yahoo
Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner has been heating up for the Los Angeles Rams. He recorded one solo, four assists, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss in Week 13 and now has four sacks in his last four games. The rookie defensive tackle must be soaking up some tips and tricks from Aaron Donald because he has become enough of an impact IDP player that even those in shallower 11 v 11 formats need to take notice. Make the add where needed as a DL4/DT2 option for Week 14.
Leonard Williams (DE/DT – SEA): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Williams was solid in Week 13, posting two solos, one assist, one sack, and one tackle for loss. He is a better fit in Seattle’s system as he has recorded two sacks in four games with the team after recording just 1.5 sacks in eight games with the New York Giants. He is back to being a reliable DT1 option for the fantasy playoffs but should still be treated as a DL3 until he starts to stack solos. Add and start Williams where needed.
Others to consider: Bud Dupree (DE/LB – ATL): 0%, Marquis Haynes (DE/LB – CAR): 1%, YaYa Diaby (DE/LB – TB): 0%, Lukas Van Ness (DE/LB – GB): 1%, Harold Landry (DE/LB – TEN): 2%, Javon Kinlaw (DT – SF): 0%, Jarran Reed (DT – GB): 4%, Jermaine Johnson (DE – NYJ): 3%, Darrell Taylor (DE – SEA): 2%, Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA): 3%
Defensive Back
P.J. Locke (S – DEN): 1% rostered on Yahoo
P.J. Locke went off in Week 13, racking up six solos, two assists, one sack, and two tackles for loss. He more than vindicated the coaching staff’s trust in him and should be a sneaky DB2 option for Week 14. Locke has five or more solos and a sack in each of his last two games, displaying the type of upside that can swing matchups from the DB3 or flex spot. Start Locke everywhere as a DB3 with DB2 upside for a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jamal Adams (S – SEA): 2% rostered on Yahoo
Now that’s the Jamal Adams we have been waiting for. Adams went off in Week 13, reeling off seven solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss. It was just his second time all season with more than four solos, but the playmaker flashing his wares is a promising sign. He is still probably more DB3 than DB2 for Week 14 due to just two teams being on bye, but if he can show some consistency, he can be an impact producer during the fantasy playoffs. Add and start Adams everywhere.
Brian Branch (S – DET): 5% rostered on Yahoo
Branch was back at it again in Week 13, stacking three solos, four assists, one interception, and one pass defended. Branch does not always get it done in the solo department but adds enough assists and peripherals to keep him in the DB2 discussion. There will be some valleys, but there have been and should continue to be more peaks for the talented rookie safety. Add and start Branch wherever available as a DB2 option for the stretch run.
Tony Adams (S – NYJ): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Tony Adams was solid in Week 13, racking up five solos and four assists. Adams hasn’t quite met the lofty expectations heaped on him by offseason puff pieces but seems to be heating back up after a midseason lull knocked off most of his early season shine. Tap Adams as a strong DB3 option for a plus Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans.
Markquese Bell (S – DAL): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Bell was solid in Week 13, reeling off four solos and four assists. He has recorded four or more solos in five of his six starts this season, with five or more in four of them. He has been a strong DB2 option since he began making starts at linebacker and really should be on more rosters at this point of the season. Add and start him as a DB2 option for Week 14 and beyond.
Others to consider: Jimmie Ward (S – HOU): 0%, Christian Izien (S – TB): 0%, Ji’Ayir Brown (S – SF): 1%, Juan Thornhill (S – CLE): 0%, Tracy Walker (S – DET): 2%, Jalen Thompson (S – ARI): 4%, Ryan Neal (S – TB): 4%,
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
