We are now at the point in the season where we have little understanding of what we are seeing from players. The players who have aged are showing some regression. There are players that we didn’t know that are now carving out roles within their teams. Just because we know things that maybe we didn’t to start the year, doesn’t mean that we are finished learning. Fantasy football is a game that requires you to intake information and then apply that to what is available to you on the waiver wire. Is there a gem that will immediately help your team? Is there a player that will provide depth for bye week points? Maybe there is a player who you have been holding onto that just needs to go! Whatever your situation make sure you continue learning. Here are the players that need to be talked about this week in the market. Maybe something here helps you to make that nagging decision about what to do with your team! Ring the bell please!
The Fortune 5
Fred Warner: The big man on campus for the 49ers defense is quietly putting together a fantastic fantasy season. Through the first five weeks, he has put up massive tackle numbers with 41 and has two sacks and three defended passes to boot. The additional stats are the cherry on top of this linebacker desert because frankly, tackles are the name of the game. He has had one “dud” week where he had four total tackles, but outside of that random low mark, he has had no less than eight total tackles. The best sign of them all was that in the stand-alone Sunday Night Football game against the Cowboys, Warner had arguably his best game all season. Eight total tackles, a pass defended, and a sack! This goes to show you that he will show up for his team, and yours when the lights shine the brightest.
Trey Hendrickson: One of the few bright spots of the Cincinnati Bengals this young season is the play of the defense specifically that of Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson has been a monster for opposing offense lines to attempt to slay this season. Four of his first five games have been double-digit scoring efforts and he is currently tied for second in the NFL for sacks. The risk is apparent when playing Hendrickson due to his lower volume of tackles, but he has recorded a sack in all but one of his games on the season. He hovers around that 2-3 tackle mark which isn’t going to win you weeks, but in multiple games this season he has recorded more than one sack. He is a player that needs to start in your lineups until he cools down.
Ed Oliver: Oliver is currently having his best season as a pro and he is likely a free agent in your leagues. As an interior defensive lineman, he is going overlooked and this is a travesty. His career-best tackle mark is 43. He has 24 through five games. His career best for sacks is five, he currently has four through the first five games. He has four games with double-digit point production, four games with at least 0.5 sacks, and has not had a game yet with less than three tackles. In dynasty leagues, he needs to be rostered. He is 25 years old and is with a defensive head coach. He is showing us that he is worth every bit of that contract he signed and he will likely be an impact player for years to come. Get him now!
Rudy Ford: If you are anything like me, this may be the first season where you have continually seen the name Rudy Ford pop up within the IDP world. It is time we talk about what we are seeing. The first thing that should pop up for you is his incremental statistical growth throughout the season. In Week 1, we saw Ford play 93% of the snaps and only compile four total tackles, three of them being assists. Not exactly a boom play for your roster. Since then, he has played 100% of the snaps and has had no less than five solo tackles and no less than seven total tackles. He also is defending passes and has four already on the year. Ford is the preferred safety for the Packers and is significantly out-snapping all the others and is likely available in your league. With the injury to his counterpart Darnell Savage, he may even begin to have more of an impact on the game, resulting in more points for your team!
Azeez Al-Shaair: If you have been following me since last season, you know I am a huge fan of Al-Shaair. To start the season, I had to eat a little crow, but lately, he has been on fire! He has increased his point production each week of the year. He has never scored less than the week prior. Since Week 1, he has not had less than eight total tackles, including a 15-tackle explosion this past week against the Colts. He must be a starter for your team and if you still aren’t comfortable with what you are seeing, he is a dynamite trade asset. At just 26 years old and on a prove-it deal with the Titans, he has a lot more football to play in his career. Don’t worry about Jack Gibbens (who will be mentioned here shortly), taking away from his snaps, he has only one game where he played less than 98% of the team's snaps.
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The Falling 4
Talanoa Hufanga: Last year’s darling safety is not performing to the level that we saw when he introduced himself to the world. Week 1 was his peak unfortunately where he had five solo tackles and an interception. Since then, he has just 12 total tackles and one interception total. The main concern I have is that he appears to be losing snaps to George Odum and rookie Ji’ayir Brown. It is too early to panic, but he is a prime candidate for a one-year wonder and the numbers suggest you should opt to find someone else to deal with this headache rather than go down with the ship.
George Karlaftis: The “Greek God of sacks” is not exactly living up to that billing. He does have two sacks in five total games this season, but he has done little else to impact IDP matchups and shouldn’t be anywhere close to starting in your lineups. His first two games were on fire, and he was looking as though he were coming own, but he has three straight weeks of two or fewer total tackles. He currently is too risky to start, but he is by no means a candidate for you to trade. Just hold him until this cold streak ends, and I am confident it will at some point.
Jordan Whitehead: Whitehead is the first player we have seen this year go from the Fortune Five to the Falling Four. He started off this season like a man out to prove his billing and he has since crashed down to Earth. Week 1 was a game you cannot expect from a player, so if you eliminate his three interceptions in that game, he has one defended pass on the season. It appears that he feasts as a tackler against teams that like to run the ball. He had nine against the Cowboys and 10 against the Patriots. But against pass-happy teams, he just falls flat. He had two total tackles against the Bills, four against the Chiefs, and three against the Broncos. Buyer beware, he plays five pass-first teams in his next six games. I wouldn’t start him unless it is a necessity.
Jamin Davis: This should be the year we coronate Davis as the future of the linebacker position in Washington, but we simply cannot give him that praise to this point. He just isn’t the LB1 that many of us drafted or acquired this past offseason. He isn’t someone I would give up on yet, we just need to lower our expectations for what his ceiling may be. He is a solid LB3 with LB2 upside due to his physical abilities we have seen on tape. He can get to the Quarterback when asked and he is just 24 years old, so don’t give up yet. He is getting significantly outsnapped by Cody Barton and due to Rivera’s defensive scheme favoring an in-the-box safety, he may not be the guy you hoped he would be this season.
Premiere Pennies
Henry To’oto’o: The starting inside linebacker for the Houston Texans is now Henry To’oTo’o. He has had a tremendous increase in snap counts from his 22 in Week 1 and currently leads all linebackers in Houston with 268 total which is over 100 above the second-place Christian Harris. Starter reps almost always bring starter stat production, and we are seeing that from To’oTo’o as well. Last week we saw his best game as a pro, a 12-tackle effort against the Falcons. If you were fortunate enough to draft him in dynasty formats, you may have found a cornerstone piece for your IDP rosters. If you haven’t already had him on your radar from the waiver wire in non-deep leagues, go get him while you still can. He is also a dynamite target to trade for. The 22-year-old is here to stay and his head coach was a great IDP linebacker for Houston in his heyday!
Jack Gibbens: From one young linebacker to another, we are seeing Jack Gibbens blossom into a fantasy-relevant linebacker. As I mentioned previously, Gibbens isn’t producing numbers at the expense of fellow riser Azeez Al-Shaair, we are seeing a duo at the position that is benefitting all who took a chance on either player. Gibbens has just one game this season of less than seven total tackles and is far and away secured the LB2 for this team in terms of snap counts (third place has just six total snaps). The best part about Gibbens is the fact that he is just 24 years old, making him a dynasty darling that we need to pay attention to. This has been a season of surprising new stars in IDP, Gibbens has a case for the top of this list of young assets you need to target in trade talks.
David Long: Long went from zero to hero quickly in IDP and if you were a diamond hands holder of his it has paid off tremendously. Week 1 he played just 17 snaps to Jerome Baker’s 81 and had just one solo tackle. Only one other linebacker played a snap in that game. This was a recipe for fans to panic sell their Long stock, me included. Since then, he has played 36 or more snaps and the team has played with more linebackers. It isn’t just the rise in snap counts that has made him relevant, he is producing at a high clip. Since this abysmal opening-week performance, he has not had less than eight total tackles and also has a sack and a forced fumble. Fantasy football is about learning from the data, but as we see here with Long, sometimes we need a body of work prior to a decision. Long is the real deal for the rest of the year!
Are you ready to win your league on the waiver wire? The IDP community has its fair share of favorites and sell highs, but it’s the guys you buy now that will ultimately benefit your team. As we all know, the wire isn’t always the best place to find guys, sometimes you need to make a move that requires some deep, introspective thought. So make those waiver moves and trades and make sure you continue to follow me on Twitter (X) @mattmontyff for more IDP and fantasy football content as always, make sure you’re following @footballguys to get all the great content from your favorite analysts!