IDP Waiver Wire: Week 5 Pickups and Matchup Plays

Oct 04, 2017

It's already Week 5, and not only are we dealing with injuries, but the bye weeks are also here. One of the guys to keep an eye on this week will be Jarrad Davis. He was close to returning in Week 4, but he is still in the concussion protocol. Also, Jamie Collins has already been ruled out for Week 5.

There have been some defenders off to fast start and, below, you'll find waiver wire IDP targets for the week to help you navigate injuries and the bye weeks. Once we get through this week's waiver wire recommendations, I'll analyze my Week 5 rankings to see which matchups stand out at each position.

Week 5 teams on bye: Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, and Washington.

Week 5 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups

Defensive Line

Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Cleveland Browns (42 snaps/66%)

Ogbah is starting to come around after a quiet start to the season. In his last two games, he's recorded 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 12 tackles. He has two straight games of 12 or more fantasy points and he has a favorable stretch of matchups over the next several weeks. With Myles Garrett set to return, Ogbah should see more single coverage while opposing O-Lines game plan for Garrett.

David Bass, DE, New York Jets (48 snaps/62%)

Bass has seen an uptick in usage and it's showing in the box score. I'd look to him in big-play scoring formats, as he now has sacks in consecutive weeks and back-to-back 10+ fantasy point performances. He faces some shaky offensive lines and quarterbacks, including DeShone Kizer this week, who just won't throw the football. Bass has been finding his footing and getting to the quarterback, as he also has 2 QB hits and 3 tackles for loss.

Marcus Smith, DE, Seattle Seahawks (27 snaps/45%)

Cliff Avril managed a handful of snaps before leaving with an injury. This opened the door for extra snaps for the former first-round pick. In 27 snaps, Smith wreaked havoc, managing 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. If Avril misses an extended period of time, Smith should provide a boost in big-play scoring formats.

Keep an eye on: Solomon Thomas. He had been appearing in around 60% of the snaps in the first three weeks, but his usage increased to 80% in Week 4. He turned that usage into 5 solo tackles and 1 sack.