2025 IDP Waiver Wire: Week 7
Who are the IDPs you should target on the waiver wire in your league?
Linebackers have been hit hard by injuries this year and the hits just keep coming. This week, the biggest injury was to Fred Warner. I’m hitting the linebacker position hard again this week to help you find a replacement.
Whether you need starters, injury replacements, or potential bye week fill-ins, I’ve got you covered. 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.
Let’s dive into this week’s targets.
Linebacker
Shallow: Barrett Carter, LB, Cincinnati Bengals (10%)
After split snap shares and some uncertainty about whether Logan Wilson would return to the full-time linebacker in Cincinnati, Barrett Carter took over the green dot on Sunday. His snap share has jumped from 20% in Week 1 to 52% in Week 5—and now to a full 100% in Week 6.
The coaching staff isn’t hiding their enthusiasm. Head coach Zac Taylor’s comments after the game give more context: “Barrett has just been an ascending player and it’s time to see what he can do in a full-time role. We have given him bits and pieces over time and it was just time to throw him into the fire and let him go.”
Translation: Carter’s now the guy. Meanwhile, Wilson saw just 20% of snaps and even played on special teams. Carter responded with 10 tackles and a QB pressure in his first full-time outing. His season tackle efficiency of 16.8% is nearly four points higher than the league average.
If he’s on your wire, he should be your top linebacker add this week—especially in dynasty or keeper formats where his arrow points way up.
Average: Tatum Bethune, LB, San Francisco 49ers (3%)
The next-man-up principle doesn’t get clearer than this. After Fred Warner dislocated his ankle and was ruled out for the season, rookie Tatum Bethune stepped in and immediately made his mark. The seventh-rounder logged 84% of snaps and piled up 10 tackles in his first real defensive action of the year. His PFF grades were solid across the board—only a low coverage grade pulled his overall score down to 61.3.
Unless third-round rookie Nick Martin develops quickly, Bethune should have a clean runway as the new full-time middle linebacker in San Francisco. It’s never easy replacing a cornerstone like Warner, but the opportunity here is undeniable. In deeper or average-sized leagues, Bethune is an automatic add and start-worthy as long as the snaps stay high.