IDP Waiver Wire: Week 4

We're on the eve of Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season and injuries are starting to take their toll on our IDP lineups. Who out there can help you shore up your squad?

What a wild and crazy Week 3 we all had the pleasure of witnessing!

From record-setting, last-second kicks to an Elandon Roberts pick 6… oh the emotions of being a fan of the NFL and a bigger fan of fantasy football! As we look ahead to Week 4, it is so important to not give up on players we selected earlier in our drafts. Many players are just getting up to speed and game conditioning is still a very real factor. No time to panic on guys until we hit the midpoint of the season.

Defensive Line

Zach Sieler, Miami Dolphins

Sieler is a name you probably haven’t heard before, and why would you? Sieler was a 7th round pick by the Ravens back in 2018 who was later waived and claimed by Miami. And yet, Sieler is as constant as they come as far as a DE.

He has 4 solo tackles each of the last two weeks along with 7 assisted tackles. I’m fully expecting this offense to be pretty bland and leave their defense on the field a lot until they make a trade for Deshaun Watson. So, if you’re looking for a guy to help your DE group, get jiggy with this steal from Miami! (That’s a current reference, right?)

Dante Fowler, Atlanta Falcons

If you’re not a gambler or play in a league that does not reward big, explosive plays, then you can ignore this next guy. Fowler is a 7th-year pro playing on a defense that has been on the field a lot more than many expected—and that is just fine for IDP.

Fowler has been playing right around 70% of the snaps each week and has a sack AND a forced fumble in each of the last two weeks! If Fowler can manage to get in on a few more tackles each week, we could be looking at an easy weekly starter in 12 team leagues that start 3/4 DL players each week per team.

Defensive Back

Micah Hyde, Buffalo Bills

This former Packer left Green Bay without much fuss (except for some guy named Aaron Rodgers). But anywho, Hyde has been playing second fiddle to Jordan Poyer as the safety to roster in Buffalo. I guess when you play next to Poyer, who has been a locked and loaded DB1 for the last several seasons, it is easy to be overlooked.

Hyde has been balling out this season with 13 tackles, 5 assists, 1 sack, 3 PDs, and 1 INT. That in itself is a great reason to pick him up and play him, but the reason I am excited about him is that Poyer suffered an ankle injury late in the game on Sunday. If Poyer would happen to miss any time, Hyde should go nuclear this weekend!

Andrew Wingard, Jacksonville Jaguars

Wingard was a late-season waiver wire add in 2020 and here he is doing it again in 2021! Wingard has been playing LOTS of snaps this season, including playing 100% in the game this weekend against Arizona where he had 4 solos, 3 assists, and 1 INT.

I love safeties who play against aggressive passing offenses and Wingard gets to play against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and hopefully Tee Higgins this Thursday night. I’m not sure what Coach Meyer is doing in Jacksonville, but I do know Wingard is playing very well right now on many waiver wires!

Linebackers

Azeez Al-Shaair, San Francisco 49ers

I love this guy’s swagger and relentless pursuit of the ball on every single play. Watching him play Monday against the Packers, he was on the screen more than fellow top drafted LB Fred Warner. Al-Shaair came in and took over in Week 1 for injured Dre Greenlaw (who I had ranked very high) and will man that role at least until Week 7 when Greenlaw comes off IR (and who knows what kind of shape he will be in when he comes off). If Al-Shaair continues to play like he has been, it will be very difficult to take him off the field. He’s played all but 3 snaps since coming in for Greenlaw and has 11 solos and 11 assists in two and a half games!

Tae Crowder, New York Giants

It’s brutal to think about the season Blake Martinez could have had for the Giants if he had not been on kick coverage in Week 3—yes, I am still trying to figure that out as well. Alas… thanks for all the memories the past few years, Martinez. Wishing you all the best in your recovery. After the injury, Crowder came in and played every snap for and had 4 solos, 7 assists, and 1 PD. In limited time, that’s nice production.

Martinez is a great linebacker who has rewarded IDP managers because he plays in a system that funnels runners to him. Now it is Crowder’s turn to stuff the stat sheet in Martinez’s absence this weekend as he takes on Alvin Kamara and the Saints.

(Bonus: See if the Jabrill Peppers manager is down on him after a lackluster start to the season. His snaps have been down so far this season and the Giants may get creative on defense in getting him in the field more with Martinez out.)

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That’s it for this week’s additions. Hope you find some diamonds in the rough on your waiver wire and can build a dominant IDP team. Have a great week this week.

We will catch you next week, kids!

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