IDP Waiver Wire: Week 3
Jeff Pomazal gives you the week’s best waiver targets.
After the chaos of Week 1, we get a little clarity on the more defined roles players will be deployed in and the schemes that the defensive coordinators tend to lean on when the games really matter. Snap count/share is the most important stat when it comes to an IDP’s success. Simply put: if your player is not on the field then they cannot be scoring points. As we dive into this week’s players, snap counts should be the most important factor in not only adding players to your teams, but also, who should be starting. After 2 weeks, it isn’t set in stone for the rest of the season, but it does give us some insight to base future roster decisions on. Let’s dive into Week 3!
Defensive Line
Previous Week: Carl Granderson, Drake Jackson
Harrison Phillips, Minnesota Vikings
Harrison Phillips has had back-to-back monster weeks for the Vikings. Phillips not only has dominated the stat sheet where he has 21 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 2 QB hurries but he is well on his way to crushing his snaps played for an entire season (738) by about Week 12 at his current pace.
What is really exciting about Phillips is that he is generating most of his points with a super high, safe floor based on tackle numbers alone; imagine his stats when he sprinkles in a few sacks and forced fumbles in the coming weeks. Phillips’ snap volume is a prime example of the importance of being on the field for IDP relevance.
In 2021, Phillips posted his best tackle numbers of his career with 56 combined across 16 games; he already is more than one-third of the way there in just 2 games this season. Phillips is a must-start in any league at the moment, especially in leagues that start defensive tackles where he is playing like a cheat code.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a slow start to the season last weekend against the Minnesota Vikings, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka turned it on this past weekend against the Chicago Bears. Tryon-Shoyinka played 39 snaps in Week 1, racking up 2 tackles and 1 QB hit good for 6 points in Big 3 Scoring. On Sunday, he met Justin Fields in the backfield on numerous occasions. Tryon-Shoyinka had 2 sacks and combined for 4 tackles on the day, good for 22 points in Big 3 scoring and a DL5 finish heading into MNF.
Tampa is off to a surprising 2-0 start and the defense will get a huge test next week when they travel to Philadelphia. I expect a high tackle floor for Tryon-Shoyinka in this one against a very run-heavy team that ran the ball 44 times last Thursday night, providing both Danielle Hunter and Harrison Phillips with very solid weeks.
Defensive Back
Previous Week: Reed Blankenship, Christian Gonzalez
Camryn Bynum, Minnesota Vikings
As a Packer fan, it is tough to find anything nice to say about the Vikings, but here I am again pumping up another one. This will be the third Viking in two weeks for those of you keeping score at home. Camryn Bynum is having himself a heck of a season. After 10 combined tackles in Week 1, Bynum followed that up with a 14 combined tackle performance on Thursday night. Bynum played 100% of snaps on Thursday (77) and only came off the field for 1 snap last week versus the Buccaneers.
Not only are Bynum’s tackle numbers spectacular, but he is also posting his lowest career missed tackle rate. This efficiency will keep Bynum on the field regardless of the defensive alignment. According to PFF, Bynum is ranked first or second in all defensive categories for the team at the moment, and with Harrison Smith getting a little long in the tooth, this role looks like it is safely in Bynum’s hands.
Jason Pinnock, New York Giants
If you followed The IDP Minute during the preseason, you probably already know the name Jason Pinnock. If not, let me take this opportunity to introduce you. Pinnock emerged as a player to replace Julian Love this offseason, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Love finished last season as DB11, and with no major signings in the offseason, it was the next man up for Big Blue. Pinnock played all 58 snaps in Week 1, finishing the game with 5 combined tackles: good, not great.
In Week 2, Pinnock cranked it up another level, playing 63 of 64 snaps while finishing the day with 13 combined tackles (10 solo/3 assists). Pinnock has played a little more than 30% of his snaps in the box this season, playing closer to the line of scrimmage creates a little bit more of an opportunity to make some tackles. Pinnock and the Giants travel to San Francisco next week, another high-volume offense that is great for long drives by the offense and lots of tackle opportunities for the defenders.
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