IDP Waiver Wire: Week 2

Jeff Pomazal gives you the week’s best waiver targets.

After weeks and weeks of reading training camp reports and watching preseason games, you were feeling pretty good about who your starters were and who would make up your bench… and then, Week 1 hits. It makes you feel like the rug got pulled out from under you thinking about all those reports that said player X was going to play this role and player Y would take these snaps. But now, the real grind begins. I’ll be here throughout the season to help you work the waiver wire and find those studs who can help replace lost and/or disappointing players. It may seem daunting, but worry not friends! We’ve got your back. So, let’s dive into this week’s IDP Waiver Wire!

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Defensive Line

Carl Granderson, New Orlean Saints

Carl Granderson was a hot name this summer after Marcus Davenport left the Saints and signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Granderson, who is entering his 5th season in the Big Easy, had an impressive 2022 season which probably made losing Davenport a little easier to swallow. In 2022, Granderson compiled 39 tackles, 13 hurries, and 8 sacks on just 480 defensive snaps.

On Sunday, Granderson played 47 total snaps, 31 of which saw Granderson deployed as a pass rusher, where he generated 2 sacks and 3 total tackles. This efficiency will be difficult to maintain over the course of the season, but playing opposite of Cameron Jordan will definitely benefit Granderson. If Granderson can continue to play at or near the 75% snap share he played Sunday, he will play over 350 more snaps than last season providing him with more opportunity to rack up some healthy stats. 

Drake Jackson, San Francisco 49ers

Not that you could go wrong with anyone on the 49ers defensive front, but a name to target this week is Drake Jackson. Jackson is not a starter for the 49ers yet, but that is probably a good thing for him. When Jackson is on the field, you know exactly what he will be doing, and that is rushing the quarterback. On Sunday, Jackson played 28 snaps and was asked to pass rush on 26 of those. Jackson got to and sacked Kenny Pickett, not once, not twice, but three times. Jackson is an ideal DL4 on your team in leagues at the moment, as he offers week-winning upside with his almost 31% sack rate. He has already matched last season’s sack total in just one game. Jackson could move into the DL3 conversation if he can get a little higher tackle floor from week to week. As of right now, he is just a one-trick pony… but it is a dang good pony.

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Defensive Back

Reed Blankenship, Philadelphia Eagles

For those of you who have seen any of The IDP Minutes this offseason, whenever I got to talk about the Eagles secondary, it was always about Syndney Brown. His time will be coming soon, but it’s not here yet. Now is Reed Blankenship’s time.

Blankenship played 78 of 80 snaps on Sunday and racked up a team-leading 12 combined tackles while breaking up 2 passes. While typically playing the free safety spot is less appealing than the strong safety spot, Blankenship might be the outlier in this equation as the Eagles offense will more than likely be leading and this positive game script will continue to prove Blankenship with lots of opportunities to make tackles and break up some passes. 

Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots

In the same game that Blankenship provided some highlights in the secondary, New England’s rookie corner Christian Gonzalez did not want to be outdone. Gonzalez did a little bit of everything in this game. He has 6 combined tackles, broke up a pass, and recorded a sack on his 66 snaps, not once coming off the field. Gonzalez scored 25 points in Big 3 Scoring, which ties him for 13th on the week among all defensive backs. He is a must-start in cornerback-required leagues and is making a strong case as a DB3 in non-CB-required leagues. He should get plenty of chances to make plays next week when the Patriots host Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and the rest of the Miami Dolphins, who threw the ball 45 times this past weekend.  

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Linebacker