Week 7 is in the books, and IDP managers are furiously scouring the waiver wire for impact additions. The first half of the season always provides some new and some old options to consider, some of which will impact IDP starters for the rest of the season. The names below all seem to qualify and may very well be available in your leagues. Let’s take a look at some of the names that are worth some of your free agent budget.
View your league’s top available players with My Playbook 
Nick Bolton (LB – KC): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Nick Bolton continues to ascend in IDP land and is now on the LB1 periphery. He absolutely caught fire in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans lighting up the box score with nine solos, six assists, and four tackles for loss while playing a season-high in snaps. He has been one of the more consistent producers at the position and is locked in as a must-start LB2 option. Bolton has been impressive on both the real and virtual gridirons, is the LB13 overall, and should be one of the higher floor options overall during the bye weeks. Fix his low rostered numbers immediately.
David Long (LB – TEN): 9% rostered on Yahoo
David Long has been picking up steam for a few weeks now and was at it again in Week 7 to the tune of six solos, two assists, one tackle for loss, and two passes defended. Long has now recorded 25 solos in his last three games alone and needs to be taken seriously as a high-end LB2 option during the byes. The nine percent rostered numbers means the IDP community is not completely overlooking him, but he has been too good, especially off a 10 solo outing, followed by a nine solo one, to be available or on benches in so many leagues. Long should be rostered and started as an LB2 wherever available. There are very few defensive players overall that are this hot right now.
Kenny Young (LB – DEN): 11% rostered on Yahoo
Kenny Young has been traded to the Denver Broncos. Young has been solid for the Rams this season and just recorded a rock-solid three solos, four assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss in Week 7. Perhaps the Rams think Ernest Jones is ready to roll in place of Young, but whatever the case, Young is still a solid addition for the bye weeks. He is still an LB2 option for those in need of bye week cover, but expectations should be tempered until we see how he adjusts to a new role and scheme. Add Young where needed.
Anthony Walker (LB – CLE): 11% rostered on Yahoo
Anthony Walker was solid in Week 7, posting seven solos and three assists. He has now posted six or more solos in three of his four outings and should push for LB2 value the rest of the way. There are more snaps to go around with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on short-term injured reserve and Walker has the track record the Browns will trust in nickel situations. Add him as a bye week LB2 option who will make a case to stay on your roster even after all your starters byes are complete.
Jonathan Greenard (DE – HOU): 5% rostered on Yahoo
The Texans appear to have found themselves a gamer in Jonathan Greenard. Now up to six sacks in five games, Greenard has locked himself into the DL2/DE2 discussion and could push his way into the DE1 discussion if he can keep up the strong play. He has yet to see more than 60 percent of the snaps all season and looks ready to become a household name. Greenard was stellar again in Week 7, racking up three solos, one assist, two sacks, two solos, and a pass defended. He has been a DL1 in fantasy points per game and should be started on a weekly basis. He now has a sack in four of his five games and should be counted on as a DE2 going forward. Add him wherever available as a priority pickup.
Yannick Ngakoue (DE – LV): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Ngakoue is an interesting addition for those who have the roster space to stash him during the Raiders bye week. He showed up for the second time in three games, tallying two solos, two assists, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two passes defended. He now has four sacks in his last three games and could be hitting his stride for the Raiders. He has been a zero when not getting sacks but is impossible to ignore when he is playing so well. Add him as a bye week DE2 if you have the roster space.
Montez Sweat (DE – WAS): 14% rostered on Yahoo
Sometimes the rostered percentages at Yahoo make little sense. Case in point, Montez Sweat. One of the brightest talents in the league among edge rushers, there is zero excuse for Sweat to be available in any competitive IDP league. It is true that he may not have lived up to expectations outside of the sack department, but now with four sacks through seven weeks of action, including a sack in three of his first four contests, he has not been a disappointment. The solos should come once the defense as a whole gets going, but Sweat has been solid. He recorded one solo, one assist, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble in Week 7 and remains a solid DL2 option going forward. Add the talented edge rusher everywhere.
Julian Okwara (DE – DET): 0% rostered on Yahoo
The younger Okwara is finally getting his chance to shine in Detroit and has responded with a sack in two straight games. He tallied two solos, one assist, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended in Week 7 and should see his role continue to expand with older brother Romeo Okwara on season-ending injured reserve. He has climbed past 40 percent of the snaps in each of the last two weeks, and seeing as how he has responded, he should creep over the 60 percent mark in short order. Julian is an exceptional talent who could quickly emerge as a DE2/DL2 option. For now, he is more of a bye week DL3 option, but if he can keep producing, it won’t be long before he becomes a DL2 fixture of the next five plus years. Add Okwara where needed.
Trey Hendrickson (DE – CIN): 9% rostered on Yahoo
Trey Hendrickson has taken up residence in this column due to the fact that IDP managers just aren’t taking him seriously. Fresh off a 13.5 sack season and now with 6.5 sacks in seven games, that needs to change. Hendrickson extended his sack streak to three games, with a one solo, one sack, one tackle for loss performance, and now has four sacks in his last three games. Hendrickson’s low-rostered numbers is one of the more peculiar things in all of fantasy football. He is a DE2 through and through and has obvious DE1 upside. I am not sure what is not to love here. The Bengals uniform? Put some respect on his game and add Hendrickson wherever available.
Azeez Ojulari (LB/DE – NYG): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Azeez Ojulari seems to be back on track after slowing to a crawl following his scorching three game sack streak to start his career. Ojulari recorded three solos, two assists, 2.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in Week 7 and is proving to be a force for the Giants. He is a rock-solid DL2 option if you find yourself in bye week pinch and is a solid LB3 option for those who still play on formats that label him as an LB only. Well on his way to a double-digit sack season, Ojulari should be added wherever possible.
Kyle Dugger (S/LB – NE): 11% rostered on Yahoo
Dugger was excellent in Week 7, racking up seven solos, two assists, one interception, and one pass defended. He is starting to kick it into gear for the Patriots and is riding a two game interception streak. Dugger has recorded five or more solos in all but two of his contests, making the most of all the snaps he is playing at linebacker. He has weekly DB1 upside and should not be available in any competitive IDP league. Dugger should be a priority if available.
Marcus Maye (S – NYJ): 6% rostered on Yahoo
Marcus Maye returned with a bang in Week 7 and needs to be scooped up immediately. Sidelined since Week 3, Maye was excellent against the Patriots, racking up seven solos, five assists, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended. He is the DB3/S2 in fantasy points per game and should have been stashed while he was out. However, if you find yourself in a league where the IR is too small or where an impatient manager needed to free up a roster spot during a bye, Maye should be a priority addition. While Dugger and Collins, who are also on this list, also certainly qualify, it is not often you find someone who can finish at the top 12 at their position on the wire in Week 8. Add Maye wherever available.
Jevon Holland (S – MIA): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Jevon Holland has finally transitioned to starters snaps and is looking like a DB2 option during the byes. He has yet to have his true breakout game but has been rock solid for IDP managers. Holland tallied five solos, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended. Week 7 represented his best fantasy output of the season, and there should be more good times ahead. He should be a busy man in Week 8 against the Bills and will look to solidify himself as a DB2 option with another strong performance or two. Holland is expected to be in the DB1 conversation for at least the next half-decade but will need to work his way into that discussion with consistent play. Add Holland where possible.
Landon Collins (S/LB – WAS): 11% rostered on Yahoo
Landon Collins is an interesting case. He has been productive in his new box safety/hybrid linebacker role, racking up seven solos, one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery in Week 7. However, he saw his lowest snap count of the season and may continue to see a reduced role now that Jamin Davis is starting, and Ron Rivera agrees with Collins as far as him being best suited for the box. Yes, his highest solo count of the season came in his lowest snap count of the season. Are these two related? Was he more of a tackle threat because he was getting constant breathers? Because he was trying to make a case to be on the field more? Whatever the case, Collins is still worth a look despite the waning role.
Juan Thornhill (S – KC): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Juan Thornhill is finally starting for Kansas City and responded with a seven solo, two assist stat line in Week 7. Daniel Sorensen was able to post DB1 numbers in this very same role, so the sky is the limit for the post-hype safety. Thornhill has recorded five or more solos in two of his three starts this season and could push his way into the DB2 conversation before long. For now, he is more of a DB3 who can be used as a DB2 play in a pinch, but we would like to see more consistency before deploying him as one in non bye weeks. With that said, there are byes all the way until Week 14, so Thornhill will have plenty of time to get acclimated and make his case for permanent DB2 status. Add Thornhill where needed.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
