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2023 NFL Week 6 IDP Waiver Wire Adds
Hello readers, I’m back! I am glad you survived without me for a week, but I am also pleased that you have returned to me on our quest to find IDP waiver wire gems each week this year.
Is it just me or are bye weeks weird this year? Weeks 8 and 12 don’t have any teams on by, but all the rest of the rest of the weeks from Week 7 through Week 13 have at least four teams on bye. And of course, we have two teams on bye for the start of the playoffs in most fantasy leagues in Week 14. Yes, this is a tangent, but a (semi)relevant one with the bye weeks having started.
Anywho, these waiver additions are mainly redraft-focused and looking at deeper leagues; if you have questions for shallow leagues, where you start 2 DL/2 LB/2 DB many of these are likely a bit deeper than you need. All statistics are courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted, and the base scoring we go off of you can find here. Please feel free to reach out to us for questions on any specific league; the more info you have the better!
And now, let’s go to a clip.
Bye Weeks: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers
2023 NFL Week 6 IDP Waiver Wire Adds – Linebackers
Damone Clark, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
Rostered: ESPN 1.1%, Yahoo 1% Sleeper 5%
Damone Clark was already the only other inside linebacker, aside from starter Leighton Vander Esch, getting any sort of relevant snaps. Going into Week 5 Leighton had 211, Damone had 130, and Devin Harper was next with 3. Starter Leighton Vander Esch left the Sunday night mess against the 49ers with a neck injury, which is scary as he has a history of neck issues. X-rays came back negative which is a fantastic start, but he is scheduled for an MRI and there is no guarantee he will be playing next week.
Damone ended Week 5 with 4 solos and 5 assists on 65% of the defensive snaps. If Leighton is unable to go, Damone is the next man up and going to be worth starting in many leagues. Just be aware that the Chargers are not a great matchup for linebackers. They are at the bottom in tackles allowed to linebackers per game.
Tyrel Dodson, Linebacker, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: ESPN 0.1%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 0%
Starter Matt Milano is out for the year after breaking his leg in London against Jacksonville. Terrel Bernard will still be an every-down linebacker, but that second spot is now up for grabs. There is a good chance that there is not a singular player that ends up just taking over Matt’s role; rookie Dorian Williams (36%) first came in after Matt left, but Tyrel Dodson (63%) played more snaps overall and had the better stat line. Dorian had 2 solos and 3 assists, while Tyrel had 4 solos, 1 assist, 1 TFL, 1 pass deflection, and 1 fumble recovery. If there is one to grab as an anticipatory play, it would be Tyrel at the moment.
Nathan Landman, Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: ESPN 2.7%, Yahoo 2%, Sleeper 2%
Starter Troy Andersen was placed on IR on September 26, and Head Coach Arthur Smith stated that Troy may miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. When Troy has not played Nathan has played at or near 100% of the snap at linebacker for the Falcons’ 98% Week 2, 82% Week 4, 100% Week 5. In those three weeks, he has had 4, 9, and 7 combined tackles, respectively. These numbers are very similar to fellow starting linebacker Kaden Elliss (6, 4, and 6 combined tackles in the same games), and Nathan deserves to be rostered with how he has played with his opportunity.
Henry To’o To’o, Linebacker, Houston Texans
Rostered: ESPN 5.3%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 5%
The Texans have gone through many linebackers having “starter’s snaps” so far this year. Blake Cashman, Denzel Perryman, Christian Harris, and rookie Henry To’o To’o have all had at least one week with at least a 90% snap share through five games. Henry however has been the most consistent, with weeks of 34%, 81%, 95%, 95%, and 97%.
From Week 2 on, with the higher snap shares, he has at least 7 combined tackles each game. He is the current top linebacker for the upstart Texans and he has the confidence of the coaching staff. He should have a much higher roster rate with his playing time and production.
2023 NFL Week 6 IDP Waiver Wire Adds – Defensive Backs
Xavier McKinney, Safety, New York Giants
Rostered: ESPN 18.1%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 7%
A 2020 2nd-round pick of the Giants, Xavier has at least 7 combined tackles in 3/5 games this year, with 3 and 4 in the other two games. He has a 100% snap share on the year to go with his 22 solos and 7 assists, 4 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble. The Giants have been on defense a lot this year and that does not look to change any time soon with the slew of issues they have. Xavier is not a must-start each week, but is a valuable bye-week fill-in and bench player.
Russ Yeast, Safety, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: ESPN .5%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 2%
Jordan Fuller is the bigger name in the Rams’ defensive backfield, but Russ is not far off in production this year and is much less rostered.
Jordan Fuller: 17 solos, 17 assists, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pass deflection (100% snap share)
Russ Yeast: 13 solos, 11 assists, 1 pass deflection (99% snap share)
The Rams face the Cardinals in Week 6 and the Cardinals are in the top 10 in tackles allowed to opposing safeties on the year.
Josh Metellus, Safety, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: ESPN 5.3%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 0%
The Vikings have played a lot of three-safety defenses this year. On the year, these are the total snaps for their top three safeties:
Camryn Bynum: 348
Harrison Smith: 343
Josh Metellus: 300
On the year Josh has one game below an 84% snap share and at least 6 combined tackles in every game this year; he has 22 solos and 12 assists on the year. For a player barely rostered he is a good bye week fill-in and bench player for tackle-heavy and balanced-scoring leagues. As a bonus, he is a cornerback on some sites which is a total cheat code if you can play him there. If he has this eligibility on your site he is a must-start at cornerback.
Deonte Banks, Cornerback, New York Giants
Rostered: ESPN .8%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 4%
Sitting at a 75% snap share on the year, the Giants’ 2023 1st round pick only has 13 solos, 2 assists, 4 pass deflections, and 1 TFL. This is nothing to write home about but the Giants face the Bills this week, who are a top three matchup for tackles allowed to cornerbacks. Adoree’ Jackson is a better play as the #1 CB for the Giants, but he is also more highly rostered. If you are cornerback dumpster diving, Deonte is a decent play this week.
2023 NFL Week 6 IDP Waiver Wire – Defensive Linemen
Samson Ebukam, Defensive End, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: ESPN 1.0%, Yahoo 5%, Sleeper 2%
Samson has the highest snap share for any Colts edge player on the year at 61.7%; for reference, Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo are tied for second with 54.9%. Samson has at least 1 sack or 1 TFL in four of his games so far this year, and on the year has 12 solos, 4 assists, 4 TFL, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. He has 8 QB pressures on top of that, so he is getting to opposing quarterbacks. In Week 6 the Colts play the Jaguars, and Trevor Lawrence has been sacked 13 times this year; that includes at least 2 sacks in all but one game this year.
Mike Danna, Defensive End, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered: ESPN 1.7%, Yahoo 6%, Sleeper 3%
Mike Danna is right behind George Karlaftis for the highest snap counts for defensive ends on the Chiefs. George is at 254 (79.6%) while Mike has 248 (77.7%). Despite George being the bigger name in fantasy, Mike is having a better year:
George: 7 solos, 8 assists, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflection
Mike: 11 solos, 7 assists, 3 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 pass deflections
Mike has at least a half sack in all but one game this year and also has at least 3 combined tackles (including 2 solos) in every game but one. In Week 6 the Broncos face the floundering Broncos on Thursday night. Broncos QB Russel Wilson has been sacked at least once every game and 15 times total this year. Mike has standalone value in many leagues already but this is a good matchup for him regardless of that.
Leonard Floyd, Defensive End/Edge, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: ESPN 1.5%, Yahoo 3%, Sleeper 5%
Yes, this is a repeat from my Week 4 article, but people forget and it bears repeating. I suggested adding Leonard due to the upcoming games he had, not his Week 4 matchup with the Dolphins. In that Week 4 game, he had 1 solo and 1 assist, pretty pedestrian. Week 5 against the Jaguars though, 2 solos, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble. The Bills face the Giants in Week 6, and Giants QBs have been sacked a combined 29 times this year. This is another fantastic spot for Leonard.
Sebastian Joseph-Day, Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered: ESPN 3.0%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 3%
Sebastian did not register a stat in Week 1, and the Chargers had a bye in Week 5. In Weeks 2 – 4, Sebastian had 4 combined tackles each week, and the Week 6 opponent of the Chargers, Dallas, is in the top 10 in tackles allowed to opposing defensive linemen. Starting Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 and is undergoing an MRI on it. If he misses time this is a boost for Sebastian as well.
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