2024 IDP Waiver Wire: Week 5

Mike Woellert identifies the IDP targets on this week's waiver wire.

I think Stewie sums up the feelings of all Alex Singleton managers:

Ahead of Week 4, we got word that Singleton was going on IR with a torn ACL. Apparently, the dude played the majority of the game with it. Respect to Kingleton. The injuries didn’t stop with Singleton, as Carolina also lost Shaq Thompson (for the season) and Josey Jewell to injuries, and Fred Warner suffered an ankle injury.

Injuries, poor play, and now the bye weeks. Without further ado, let’s look ahead to this week’s IDP waiver wire targets.

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Linebacker

Cody Barton, Denver Broncos

A rocky situation looks to be smoothed out in Denver — as well as it can be when you lose a guy like Alex Singleton.

Cody Barton emerged as Singleton’s replacement and saw 100% of the snaps in Week 4. This also included the play-calling responsibilities. One thing that has improved with Barton’s game is his coverage. After seeing a lot of red and orange from PFF over the last few years, Barton has a 72.7 coverage grade and was coming off his best game in Week 3 from a PFF grade standpoint.

In his first game as a three-down LB, I think he held his own. He was sent in on 11 pass rush snaps and was targeted 3 times in coverage. On the day, he’d finish with a 13.5% tackle rate, resulting in 10 tackles.

On this play, he does a good job of breaking off the block to get the tackle on Breece Hall for no gain:

I’m hoping for more solos than assists in the coming weeks. When Barton has a full-time role, he’s produced a 14.8% tackle rate in those two seasons, resulting in 257 tackles (including 151 solos). Barton is looking like an LB2/3 for the remainder of the season.