IDP Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Report Week 9: Uchenna Nwosu, Za'Darius Smith Explode

Uchenna Nwosu and Za'Darius Smith were bubbling under the surface and delivered big IDP performances.

We're now past the midpoint of the 2022 season, so welcome to the Week 9 IDP Waiver Wire Report. I like to talk strategy at the top of the article and this week's offering focuses on your league competition. Sometimes, it's best to move on, meaning, we can outgrow our league. For example, if you're in an IDP league with multiple starters at DL, LB and DB and yet there are 20 scoring players at those positions still on the waiver wire, the league may not be competitive enough for your time. If multiple managers are rostering RB150 and beyond and there are a few top 30 backs on the waiver wire, is this really a serious league? The same applies for IDP. Maybe this league is with your buddies from high school, college or work, so it's more about the camaraderie than the competition. That's fine—there's no wrong way to play. It's fine to be in a casual league. But you should also seek out a more competitive league and challenge yourself as well. 

Update (11/1): The Bears traded LB Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for LB A.J. Klein and 2023 second- and fifth-round picks. The Bears linebacker that will most benefit from this move is Nicholas Morrow, and he should be owned across the board in every league format if he isn't already. The Bears use a heavy rotation across their defensive line and may opt to use more five-DB, nickel formations rather than give Klein or another linebacker a ton of playing time. Smith remains an elite IDP and it'll be interesting to see how the Ravens opt to rotate their pass rushers as both Smith and Patrick Queen figure to maintain a near 100% snap share.

If you have any IDP waiver or lineup questions, I'm happy to help and you can contact me directly on Twitter @mattkdelima. Before I offer the latest IDP information, please do go back and check the names on the Week 8 IDP waiver wire list.

The wide variety of IDP leagues makes it difficult to pinpoint roster percentages, so not every recommendation may be a good fit for your league. Generally, if you play in a shallow format with a total of 24 or fewer IDP starters across the league (two per team), these recommendations are at least a layer too deep for you. For specifics, it's always best to consume a lot of IDP content to get a feel for the landscape from multiple points of view.

Note: For each player, I provide a rest of season (ROS) ranking and list their percentage of defensive snaps played in their most recent game. For example, Derwin James would be a DB1+, meaning a defensive back ranked 1 to 12 (DB1) and the plus sign meaning on the high-end (1 to 4). DL3- would be a defensive lineman ranked 25 to 36 (DL3) and the minus means on the low-end, specifically 33 to 36.

NFL Game Books (PDF): BAL VS. TB | DEN VS. JAC | CAR VS. ATL | CHI VS. DAL | MIA VS. DET | ARI VS. MIN | LV VS. NO | NE VS. NYJ | PIT VS. PHI | TEN VS. HOU | WAS VS. IND | SF VS. LAR | NYG VS. SEA | GB VS. BUF

Notable IDP injuries

• Bills DB1 Jordan Poyer (elbow)
• Cowboys DB2+ Donovan Wilson
• Packers LB2 De'Vondre Campbell (knee)
• Seahawks DB2 Ryan Neal (cramps)
• Bucs DE2- Shaq Barrett (Achilles)
• Vikings DE2- Za'Darius Smith 
• Packers DE3+ Preston Smith
• Cowboys DB4+ Jayron Kearse
• Packers LB4 Quay Walker (ejected)
• Jaguars DB4 Rayshawn Jenkins
• Titans DB4- Amani Hooker
• Seahawks DL5- Darrell Taylor (hip)
• 49ers DB5- Charvarius Ward
• Cowboys LB8- Anthony Barr (hamstring)

More IDP Injuries: Lions CB A.J. Parker (hip), Giants DL Nick Williams (biceps), Eagles CB Josiah Scott (ankle), Falcons CB Mike Ford, Falcons CB Cornell Armstrong, Dolphins DT Raekwon Davis, Steelers CB James Pierre, Titans DT Teair Tart, Ravens S Kyle Hamilton, Panthers DB Myles Hartsfield, Panthers DB Donte Jackson, Vikings DT Dalvin Tomlinson (calf), Colts DT Tyquan Lewis, Eagles DT Jordan Davis (ankle)

IDP Waiver Wire Pickups

Defensive Linemen

DE Za'Darius Smith, Minnesota Vikings
A Week 7 bye was only a brief pause in Smith's dominating 2022 season. He came back in full force with three sacks, seven solos, four TFLs and a PD. Smith now has 8.5 sacks on the year and at least a half-sack in all but one contest. His rostership remains very low, but his Week 8 game will certainly change that. DL2+, 69% of Week 8 snaps played

DE Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle Seahawks 
It's been a mostly quiet 2022 after Nwosu delivered an impact Week 1 game. He outdid himself with five solos, one assists, two sacks, two TFLs and a forced fumble against the Giants in Week 8. Nwosu has been a late bloomer, coming into the league in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. He's one of the more fun and popular players on this defense and I expect him to continue to grow as a pass-rusher. DL3+, 80%

DE Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers
Despite not posting a sack since Week 5, Smith's slow and steady tackle numbers keep him in the DL conversation. DL4+, 76%

DT Zach Sieler, Miami Dolphins
Sieler has been the ying to Christian Wilkins's yang this year. It hadn't resulted in much on the stat sheet thus far but impact games show what a player is capable of. Sieler provided three solos, one assist, one sack, one TFL and two PDs. The 27-year-old is worth consideration in deeper DT leagues. DT6+, 83%

More Defensive Linemen (< 5% rostered on MFL)
DE Jaelan Phillips, MIA, DL5, 82%
DE Leonard Floyd, LAR, DL6, 83%
DE Lorenzo Carter, ATL, DL7, 89%
DE John Franklin-Myers, NYJ, DL9+, 63%
DE Boye Mafe, SEA, DL9+, 43%
DE Markus Golden, ARI, DL9, 83%
DE Dante Fowler, DAL, NR, 47%
DE Payton Turner, NO, NR, 57%
DE Ta'Quon Graham, ATL, NR, 69%
DE Nik Bonitto, DEN, NR, 58%

DT Lawrence Guy, NE, DT2-, 58%
DT Poona Ford, SEA, DT3/DL11, 52%
DT Davon Hamilton, JAC, DT3-/DL12, 52%
DT Jaleel Johnson, HOU, DT4/DL13, 50%

Linebackers

Divine Deablo, Las Vegas Raiders
I can't count how many times I've talked about Deablo this season, yet his rostership remains relatively low. He provided nine solos and five assists in Week 8. LB2-, 100% Week 8 snaps played

Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit Lions
HBO's Hard Knocks introduced us to "Rodrigo,” and now he's making a name for himself in IDP circles this season. With at least four solos in every contest, Rodriguez was mostly getting his numbers with tackles. But he stuffed the stat sheet in Week 8 with five solos, two assists, a sack, one TFL, one fumble recovery and a PD. LB3+, 68%

Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills
A couple down games and a Week 7 bye have pushed Milano's rostership numbers a bit too low for my tastes. I believe he's only a LB3 or flex, but by the Bills' defensive design, they keep offenses in front of them. This allows Milano to be very consistent in his tackle numbers. LB4-, 100%

Kenneth Murray, Los Angeles Chargers
We've been waiting for Murray to turn a corner since he came into the league as the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He seems to be piecing it together and I believe he's worth a speculative add following the Chargers' Week 8 bye. LB7+, Bye

More Linebackers (< 10% rostered on MFL)
Josey Jewell, DEN, LB2-, 100% Week 8 snaps played
Leighton Vander Esch, LB3, DAL, 87%
Isaiah Simmons, ARI, LB5+, 80%
Quay Walker, GB, LB4, 25% (ejected)
Willie Gay, KC, LB4-, Bye
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CLE, LB4-, MNF
Akeem Davis-Gaither, CIN, NR, MNF
Justin Houston, BAL, NR, 35%
Tomon Fox, NYG, NR, 42%
Malik Reed, PIT, NR, 56%
Micah McFadden, NYG, NR, 42%

Defensive Backs

S Ryan Neal, Seattle Seahawks
Last week's IDP waiver wire headline player, Neal had a solid Week 8 with six solos and two assists. I believe that's around his baseline scoring. Don't worry about a snap decline, he cramped up late in the game and had to come out for a bit. DB2+, 85% Week 8 snaps played

S Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills
Hamlin remains a tackle-friendly option in his replacement of Micah Hyde. He accumulated four solos and six assists. I would prefer he gets a little more big play production but Hamlin is just not there yet. DB3, 100%

S Geno Stone, Baltimore Ravens
While Marcus Williams has been out on injured reserve because of a wrist injury, Stone has inserted himself in the IDP mix. I don't believe he has any value once Williams returns, but for another week or two, Stone is a capable tackler with at least six solos in each of his last three games. NR, 100%

CB Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers
Over the last three weeks, Jackson has been one of the top-scoring cornerbacks. He has two INTs over that span and 15 solos. CB3, 64%

More Defensive Backs (< 5% rostered on MFL)
S Myles Hartsfield, CAR, DB5, 97% Week 8 snaps played
S Devin McCourty, NE, DB5-, 100%
S Marcus Epps, PHI, DB6+, 100%
S Nasir Adderley, LAC, DB6, Bye
S Rodney McLeod, IND, DB6, 100%
S Duron Harmon, LV, DB6-, 83%
S Adrian Amos, GB, DB7+, 100%
S Nick Scott, LAR, DB7, 100%
S Juan Thornhill, KC, DB7, Bye
S Kerby Joseph, DET, NR, 100%

CB Jeff Okudah, DET, CB2/DB5-, 99%
CB Tyson Campbell, JAC, CB3-/DB7, 100%
CB Rasul Douglas, GB, CB4+/DB8-, 80%
CB Fabian Moreau, NYG, CB4+/DB9+, 72%
CB Michael Jackson, SEA, CB4+/DB9, 100%