Week 9 is in the books, and IDP managers are furiously scouring the waiver wire for impact additions. The first half of the season always provide 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.
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Yannick Ngakoue (DE – LV): 3% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Yannick Ngakoue is feeling it. Now with two sacks in three of his last four games, there are very few pass rushers as hot as Ngakoue right now. He posted two solos, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble in Week 9 and has been the DL4 in fantasy points per game since Week 5. There is no excuse for him to be available in any competitive league whatsoever, and frankly, that was the case as of Week 7 when he had his second two sack outing in three games. Look, I get it, he is coming off a bye, and some of us join leagues where the bench is small or where IDP is treated as a novelty with only one starter per position. However, if you play in a league where you do not have a healthy top-five option on your roster, you are doing your team a disservice by not at least stashing Ngakoue on your bench. He has been hot enough to start over most other options, so you will have decisions to make this upcoming week if you are lucky enough to land him.
Trey Hendrickson (DE – CIN): 13% rostered in Yahoo leagues
All he does is get sacks. Trey Hendrickson has been on fire in the sack department but continues to be overlooked by the fantasy community. He now has a sack in five straight games and in seven of his last eight games. Despite this, he remains on the wire in far too many leagues. Yes, he will likely continue to put up workman-like stat lines like the one solo, one sack, one tackle for loss outing he had in Week 9, but a sack is a sack. We would all prefer it if he could be more active against the run, helping add some tackles to his weekly ledger, but it is what it is. Hendrickson is tied for sixth in the league with 8.5 sacks and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has a bye in Week 10, which should keep the claims to a minimum. If you missed out on someone like Jonathan Greenard, Hendrickson should be a top priority if available, especially for those who lost Danielle Hunter or are still reeling from whatever is ailing Chase Young. Make the add where possible.
Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA): 4% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Ogbah has started heating up again. He was terrific in Week 9, racking up two solos, two assists, 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and one pass defended. He’s crept back up over 70 percent of the snaps in recent weeks and should still push to surpass the career-high nine sacks he posted last season. He is going to continue to be inconsistent, as he has generally only produced when expected, making him more of a matchup play. With that said, each of his next three games are plus matchups, so add him as bye week support who could earn a permanent role on your squad.
Marcus Davenport (DE – NO): 1% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Marcus Davenport has started to look like the talent we all thought he was when the Saints drafted him. He has been sidelined for much of the season but has started to create havoc on opposing offensive lines. He has just two sacks in his four games but looks to have got back on track in Week 9, recording three solos, three assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. Cam Jordan is also starting to get it going, which is something that should make life even easier for Davenport as he makes a case to be more than a bye-week filler. For now, treat him as just that. He has two plus matchups in a row on deck (TEN, PHI) and should be used as cover where needed.
Jeffery Simmons (DT – TEN): 10% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Game wrecker. Game changer. These were the descriptions thrown around regarding Jeffery Simmons coming out of college. It is the reason he was a first round pick despite being slated to miss most, if not all, of his rookie season and is the reason some had him as the top defensive tackle in a draft class with some other big names that went ahead of him. Simmons was able to put that all on display in prime time, breaking out on the national stage to the tune of three solos, three assists, three sacks, and three tackles for loss. He should be long gone in any league that allows you to start a DT instead of a DL but has now made a case for inclusion on DL only rosters. Add the talented interior pass rusher wherever possible, even if it is just to block a rival.
Markus Golden (DE/LB – ARI): 4% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Markus Golden has lit the world on fire. He went wild again in Week 9, recording three solos, two assists, three sacks, and three tackles for loss. He now has seven sacks in his last four games, and has nine on the season, and has propelled himself into a tie for third in the league with nine sacks. He will not contribute much when he is not getting sacks, so his low rostered numbers on Yahoo was fathomable, at least last week. Now, there is no excuse. Golden is playing at a Pro Bowl level and should be scooped up regardless of which fantasy provider your IDP league is hosted on. He is a DL1 option for the rest of the season and is an LB2 option, especially in sack-heavy formats or when he has a plus matchup on tap.
Josh Bynes (LB – BAL): 0% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Josh Bynes has taken over as the middle linebacker in Baltimore. His familiarity with the system allowed him to start quickly, and with Patrick Queen continuing to struggle, Bynes is being given all the snaps he can handle. He posted eight solos, three assists, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended in Week 9 and should have more strong outings in store for fantasy managers. He is healthy again and should be rostered in all competitive leagues as an LB2 option, especially during the byes.
Shaq Thompson (LB – CAR): 12% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Shaq will be up and down at times but is an LB2 mainstay who should be rostered in all competitive leagues. He is at 12 percent but should be on rosters almost universally, especially during the byes. Shaq tallied six solos, four assists, and one tackle for loss in Week 9 and has been excellent since returning from injury. Thompson is generally one of the higher floor options at the position and is a plug-and-play LB2 option regardless of matchup.
Myles Jack (LB – JAC): 11% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Myles Jack has looked better since the bye week and may be over whatever was stuck in his craw earlier this season. One of the more talented players at his position, Jack has never really thrived as many expected he would, but from an IDP standpoint, he has still been a solid LB2 option. He has had multiple weeks where he was more LB5 than LB2 but has looked like the player fantasy managers hoped for in his recent games. He tallied five solos, two assists, and one tackle for loss in Week 9 and should continue to produce at an LB2 level for the rest of the season. He will have his down weeks, but his peaks should be worth his valleys. Add him to your roster if you play in a league where he is still available, and you are in need of an LB2.
Xavier McKinney (S – NYG): 2% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Xavier McKinney is burning hot right now and should be rostered in leagues where you can start multiple S/DB’s. He recorded four solos, three assists, two interceptions, two passes defended, and one touchdown in Week 9. That was his second two interception game in his last four games, making him an Interception heavy league special. He has had only one game with more than five solos this season, so he is going to be hard to trust as anything more than a DB3 outside of those formats, but his upside is palpable. He has always been a high-level talent, but it just has never really translated to fantasy outside of mini stretches. That may be changing. Add McKinney where needed.
Ashtyn Davis (S – NYJ): 0% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Still viewed as more of a deep league option by many, Ashtyn Davis is making his push for casual league relevance. Davis was elite in Week 9, racking up seven solos, three assists, and two forced fumbles. He has recorded seven or more solos in two of his last three games and has been the DB8 in that timeframe. The sample size is small, but talent and more tackle opportunities with Marcus Maye lost for the season should allow Davis to stay in the DB2 conversation. Add the talented safety wherever possible as a bye week filler who can earn a permanent starting role.
Jayron Kearse (S – DAL): 2% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Jayron Kearse has been one of the more consistent options at safety this season. He has had no big games but has produced like a high floor option and looks secure on the Cowboys depth chart. He tallied five solos, four assists, and one pass defended in Week 9. He is a DB3 on the season overall, but that is mostly due to having zero big games. His boxscore reads like that of an uninspiring DB2 option, and that is what he is. He is not sexy, he will not have outings that help you win your fantasy week, but he will produce and is one of the most reliable players at his position. Add Kearse where needed.
Erik Harris (S – ATL): 1% rostered in Yahoo leagues
Erik Harris has been heating up in recent weeks and seems to have crescendos with a seven solo one assist outing in Week 9. The hard-hitting safety is another player who has not really stepped up with monster performances but has been rock solid enough to be producing like a DB2 despite being viewed as more of DB3 or even DB4. There is something to be said about safe, high floors, and that is what you get with Harris. He will not wow with peripheral stats but will put up enough fantasy points to outscore many ranked above him week in and week out. Add Harris where needed.
Nasir Adderley (S – LAC): 7% rostered in Yahoo leagues
While most of the names who have become regulars in this column have been snapped up and now exceed the cutoff for this column, Nasir Adderley, much like Trey Hendrickson, remains a fixture. Adderley has been the DB22 on the season and the S15. He has been a consistent producer and finished Week 9 with six solos, one assist, and one pass defended. Yes, he is lacking in the peripherals for the most part, but fantasy points are fantasy points; however they come. Lock Adderley in as one of the more consistent S2/DB2 options for Week 10 and beyond.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
