Week 2 IDP Waiver Wire

- Aaron Nihart (@AaronNihart) -

Defensive Line Targets:

Aldon Smith - If you have Aldon Smith already, then I would like to give you props. Smith was my pick for a late round flier in most of my IDP leagues and he returned strong on Sunday night. After a five year absence it appears that Smith hasn’t skipped a beat. If he has his head on straight Smith could be an IDP stud this year with the amount of time he spent on the field and the immediate production that came with it.

Ryan Kerrigan - The Washington Football Team may have one of the most underrated defenses in the league this season. After drafting Chase Young the only question about the team’s front seven would be who sees the field the most. Though Kerrigan only saw 32% of the snaps, he was able to notch two sacks. With Kerrigan’s leadership on the field and strong performance, one would expect more opportunities for the veteran.

Carl Lawson - The hype for the Bengals deservedly belongs to first overall pick Joe Burrow. But after watching the game on Sunday it was hard not to be impressed with the defense. Former fourth round pick Lawson has flashed a couple times in his first two seasons but made his presence felt on Sunday. He racked up a sack and five tackles while playing 58% of the snaps. If Lawson continues to have a large role he will be able to show his pass rushing skills that made him a sack threat in college.

Linebacker Targets:

Jon Bostic - Playing behind the aforementioned stout defensive line in Washington, Bostic played 100% of the defensive snaps on Sunday. During that time he was able to accumulate 8 tackles and a sack against the Eagles pass heavy offensive attack. Going forward Bostic should be a safe option for fantasy lineups with decent upside.

Josh Bynes - Watching the Bengals take on the Chargers, Bynes flew around the field becoming involved in a number of big plays. With a 72% snap count Bynes also racked up 8 tackles and a sack. Safely cemented as a three down player, Bynes will have a great opportunity to make plays with an offense that struggled to stay on the field Sunday.

Micah Kiser - Going into this season the Rams have a decent amount of new faces. One of the less-heralded names is new starting linebacker Micah Kiser. Playing every one of the team’s defensive snaps, Kiser notched seven tackles on Sunday. Going forward Kiser will be a player with a high ceiling and plenty of opportunity worth stashing for some linebacker depth.

Defensive Back:

Marcus Maye - Goodbye Jamal Adams, hello Marcus Maye. The former second overall pick was given his time to shine this weekend and did not disappoint. After playing in the shadow of Adams, Maye racked up 10 total tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 passes defended in the season opener. Maye played every snap on Sunday and put together quite the performance worth making him a top notch waiver add this week if available.

Darian Thompson - In a somewhat surprise move, during the final round of roster cuts the Cowboys released veteran Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix. Following this move Thompson was given a starting position and made an impact in week one. Staying on the field for 72% of the snaps, Thompson finished the game with 10 tackles. In a secondary with question marks, Thompson should have plenty of opportunity to produce.

C.J. Garnder-Johnson - The second year player out of Florida, Gardner-Johnson takes over the vacated position of Vonn Bell in the Saints secondary. Filling the shoes of a perennial top-ten fantasy performer, Johnson lived up to those expectations in week one. In playing all of the snaps on Sunday, Johnson notched ten tackles and asserted himself as a safe stash on your fantasy bench.

The following are some names to monitor. These are potential one week wonders with upside. If you find yourself with plenty of roster spots these guys could be worth a flier. But for now they are just names to follow up with to see if any of them can have repeat performances.

Emmanuel Moseley, Jeremy Chinn, De’Vondre Campbell, B.J. Goodson, Josh Sweat and Trey Hendrickson.