Week 9 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups (2025 Fantasy Football)

Week 8 is now in the books. There are numerous storylines to track, but perhaps the most significant is the overlooked IDP players who showed out in Week 8. There were a lot of defensive fireworks in Week 8, so there are more than a few intriguing names on the waiver wire in leagues of all sizes. Let’s take a look at some of the names that may be worth some of your free agent budget.

Week 9 IDP Waiver Wire

Linebacker

Blake Cashman (LB – MIN): 5% rostered on Yahoo
Cashman got back on track in Week 8, racking up six solos, five assists, and one tackle for loss. Cashman started slow in his first week back from the hamstring injury, but he is an easy LB2 when healthy. Treat him as such for a plus Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions. Add and start Blake everywhere.

Eric Wilson (LB – MIN): 5% rostered on Yahoo
Eric Wilson was at it again in Week 8, tallying six solos, four assists, and one tackle for loss. The veteran linebacker continues to play over Ivan Pace and has been rewarding Brian Flores for his confidence in him. Wilson has recorded four or more solos in four of his last five games, and makes for an excellent LB3 option for what should be a busy night against Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions. Add and start Wilson where needed.

Tatum Bethune (LB – SF): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Bethune looked the part once again in Week 8, filling in for the injured Fred Warner and finishing the afternoon with four solos and 10 assists. Tatum may be asked to take on an even larger role with Dee Wint banged up, but is an LB2 option regardless. Bethune has registered 10 or more total tackles in all three games he’s seen significant action in. Start him with confidence as a top-20 option for a tasty Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants.

Dee Winters (LB – SF): 6% rostered on Yahoo
Dee was excellent in Week 8, stacking seven solos and four assists before leaving the game with a knee injury. Winters is an easy LB2 play if he is healthy for Week 9, especially with the New York Giants on the schedule. The injury leaves some cause for concern as the 49ers will not practice until Wednesday, when the FAAB period has already passed. Adjust your claims accordingly, but make the add where possible.

Barrett Carter (LB – CIN): 9% rostered on Yahoo
Carter showed up again in Week 8, totalling five solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss. Carter has tallied five or more solos in all three games since becoming the starter, and makes for a still ascending LB2 option for a tasty Week 9 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Barrett should be rostered universally and starting in all competitive formats. Make it so for Week 9.

Defensive Line

Anthony Nelson (DE/LB – TB): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Nelson went off in Week 8, stacking two solos, two assists, two sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception, one pass defended, and one touchdown on 63 percent of the snaps. Nelson has started cooking for the Buccaneers, recording a sack in back-to-back games. Desperate for a spark off the edge, the Bucs upped Nelson’s snaps from 35 percent in Week 7 to 63 percent in Week 8. And now that he has rewarded the team’s increased confidence in him, we can expect another game with 60 percent of the snaps against the New England Patriots in Week 10. Nelson is on bye, so plan your FAAB budget accordingly, but he is a name deep leaguers may want to stash wherever possible.

Tuli Tuipulotu (DE/LB – LAC): 7% rostered on Yahoo
Tuli showed up in Week 8, notching two solos, one assist, one sack, and two tackles for loss on Thursday Night Football. Tuipulotu is now up to six sacks on the season, with at least one sack in three of his last five games. Tuli makes for an intriguing DL2 option for Week 9, due partly to his recent production, but mostly because he has a date with Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans. Stick Tuli into lineups wherever possible. Make the add where needed.

Khalil Mack (DE/LB – LAC): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Khalil was excellent against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, tallying two solos, one sack, and one tackle for loss on 57 percent of the snaps. Mack is up to three sacks in four games, with at least one sack in three of those four. The veteran pass rusher has been playing at a high level when he has been healthy and is a sneaky DL2 option for Week 9, thanks to a saliva-inducing matchup against Cam Ward and the disaster that is the Tennessee Titans. Start Khalil with confidence. Make the add where needed.

Montez Sweat (DE – CHI): 5% rostered on Yahoo
Montez Sweat is heating up for the Chicago Bears, most recently notching four solos, three assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss. Sweat has registered a sack in back-to-back games and is up to three on the season. He has been active enough in the solo department to maintain his DL3 standing even when he had just one sack heading into Week 7, but is now a legit matchup-based DL2 option for the byes. Treat him as such for a plus Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Ass Montez where needed.

Chase Young (DE – NO): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Chase Young showed up in Week 8, finishing the afternoon with one solo, three assists, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended. With a half sack in Week 7, Chase is now up to two sacks in his three games played and could be an impact producer in the second half of the fantasy season. Young may never live up to his name equity due to a series of unfortunate injuries, but he can still provide DL3 or even DL2-based value for IDP managers this season. Make the add where needed ahead of a plus Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Defensive Back

Quan Martin (S – WAS): 4% rostered on Yahoo
Quan showed up in a big way on Monday Night Football, exploding with 10 solos and four assists. It was just his third game all season with four or more solos, so IDP managers shouldn’t get too excited, but Quan does have the talent to be much better in fantasy than he has been to this point in his young career. For now, continue to treat him as a DB3/bye week filler type with the understanding that he can cement himself as a DB3 option if he can put together another standout performance under the bright lights, this time against Seattle on Sunday night. Make the add where needed.

Kamari Lassiter (CB – HOU): 4% rostered on Yahoo
Kam showed up again in Week 8, racking up four solos, three assists, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass defended. Riding back-to-back spike weeks and an interception in two of his last three games, Lassiter has forced his way into the CB1 conversation. Treat him as a DB3/CB1 for a plus Week 9 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Make the add where possible.

Malik Mustapha (S – SF): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Mustapha showed up in Week 7, tallying six solos, six assists, and one tackle for loss. Malik has emerged as one of the starting safeties on the 49ers roster, as he played 100 percent of the snaps in Week 8, while Marques Sigle and Jason Pinnock took a back seat to Ji’Ayir Brown. Malik looks like he has his role solidified, while Brown will need to continue to play well to hold off Marques Sigle, who disappointed, and Jason Pinnock, who was never signed to start in the first place. Tap Malik as a DB3 option for a plus Week 9 matchup against the banged-up New York Giants. Make the add where needed.

Jeremy Reaves (S – WAS): 1% rostered on Yahoo
It’s time for Reaves to finally get some love in this column. Jeremy Reaves showed up in Week 8, racking up six solos, one assist, and two tackles for loss. The Washington safety has been making some waves over the past weeks and has now officially worked his way into the every week DB3 consideration instead of being viewed purely as a bye week filler. Reaves has registered three spike weeks (by his standards) in his last four games and should be started where needed with confidence for a plus Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Make the add where needed.

Harrison Smith (S – MIN): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Harrison Smith was excellent in Week 8, tallying eight solos and one assist. The veteran safety has finally started looking like his old self now that he is drawing closer to full health and needs to be rostered in all competitive leagues. He has recorded 12 solos over the last two weeks, but more importantly, is flying around the field as we expect him to. Tap him as a DB3 with obvious DB2 upside for a plus Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions. Make the add where needed.

Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.