2025 IDP Waiver Wire: Week 18
Who are the IDPs you should target on the waiver wire in your league?
This is it, part deux: championship week! Some of you fellow degenerates have one final week to bring home the title! Before we get into the players, I want to talk about scenarios.
The Broncos, Patriots, and the Jaguars all have a shot at the #1 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars need the other two to lose to have a shot, but they play before the other two (both play at 3:25), so all three should be playing their starters.
The Texans can still win the AFC South if the Jaguars lose. Like the Jaguars, Houston also plays at noon and will likely play their starters.
The Ravens and Steelers play each other Sunday night for the AFC North title and the 4 seed in the playoffs.
The Bills can move up to the 5th seed if they win and the Texans lose. Buffalo plays after the Texans, so I expect them to sit their starters as the Texans should defeat the Riley Leonard-led Colts.
The Chargers have already said they are going to sit Justin Herbert against Denver so they are pretty much locked into the 7th seed. However, that could affect what the Patriots and Jaguars decide.
The Seahawks and 49ers are playing Saturday for the NFC West title and the #1 seed in the NFC. If the 49ers win, the Seahawks will be the 5 seed and the Rams will be the 6 seed. If the Seahawks win, the Rams will need to beat the Cardinals to be the 5 seed; otherwise, they will be the 6 seed and the 49ers will be the 5 seed.
The Bears and the Eagles are the 2 and 3 seeds, but which is 2 and which is 3 will depend on the outcomes of their games Sunday. Do either of them play their starters to secure the matchup with the Packers (locked in as the 7 seed) instead of facing the Rams or 49ers?
The Buccaneers and Panthers play each other Saturday to decide who wins the NFC South and makes the playoffs as the 4 seed. If the Panthers lose, they can still win the South if the Falcons beat the Saints, creating a three-way tie. The Panthers have the tiebreaker. Either way, both teams are going to be playing their starters.
With that as a backdrop, let’s move on to the players.
We all play in leagues of varying depth—with different IDPs on the waiver wire—so I’m going to identify IDP waiver targets at each position for shallow, average, and deep leagues. I’m using data from PFF and NFL Pro. Rostership percentage (in parentheses) is from Sleeper dynasty leagues. Any reference to fantasy points per game is based on Big 3 Scoring.
Defensive Back
Shallow: Alohi Gilman, S, Baltimore Ravens (39%)
Gilman has been pretty reliable since joining Baltimore, averaging 11 points per game while playing full-time snaps. He’s also had good usage, logging 53% of his snaps in the defensive back sweet spot (defensive line, box, and slot snaps).
The Ravens face Pittsburgh with the division title on the line, ensuring starters will play full workloads. While the Steelers haven’t been an elite matchup for safeties over the full season, they’ve been more favorable recently, ranking in the top half of the league over the last few weeks. Gilman offers a safe floor in Week 18, making him a strong shallow-league add if you need stability over the potential boom week.
Average: Dane Belton, S, New York Giants (11%)
With Tyler Nubin on IR, Belton played a full-time role in Week 17, playing 100% of snaps and spending 62% of them in the defensive back sweet spot. He finished with 7 tackles and an interception, good for 19 fantasy points.
In the five games where Belton has played full-time snaps this year, he’s averaging 8.8 tackles and 15.6 points per game. Given the Giants’ continued injury issues in the secondary, there’s little reason to expect his role to shrink this week. Belton is a very solid Week 18 DB option who combines a strong tackle floor with turnover upside.