IDP Waiver Wire Pick Ups For Week 3

Sep 22, 2020

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Week 2 will be one for the ages. Remember when we were worried about all the positive COVID tests? Well, there haven't been any, but the torn ACLs, Achilles', and hamstrings have run rampant and to sum up Week 2 in a song - U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" comes to mind.

The injury notifications came quicker than Pumpkin Spice season. Nick Bosa knee injury, Mailk Hooker Achilles', Anthony Barr shoulder. These injuries felt like Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" - 'neath the black the sky looks dead, steal the warm wind tired friend. Just which player was next to get hurt and with each notification, "Won't you come, Black Hole Sun". So, who to target in Week 3? If anyone on your wire is healthy, put in a claim. I'm joking, but within each joke, there is a grain of truth.

As we look ahead to Week 3, here are the IDPs I'm suggesting to target on your waiver wire this week.

Linebacker

B.J. Goodson, LB, Cleveland Browns

Goodson appears to be the lone three-down guy, as of now, in Cleveland. Sione Takitaki had a rough game and was replaced by Malcolm Smith. Goodson is that veteran presence in the middle and is calling the plays for the Browns' defense. He's still rough in coverage and he got matched up on Tyler Boyd - which resulted in a TD. Goodson finished with seven tackles - six solos - and has an 11.3% tackle rate through two games.

Keep an Eye On: Browns LB, Mack Wilson, has returned to practice. This would be a shot in the arm for an LB group that's been struggling. If he was dropped, he's worth the pick-up. Wilson returning would have an adverse effect on Malcolm Smith and Sione Takitaki. I believe going forward, Wilson and Goodson would be the two ILBs in their 4-2-5.

Joe Thomas, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Dallas didn't go dumpster diving this week with the Leighton Vander Esch news and just plugged in Joe Thomas. Although he's a bit slight in stature and gets swallowed up by blocks, he still made plays and got to the ball carrier. He and Aldon Smith made a really nice play on Todd Gurley, plugging the gap quickly. Thomas finished with 12 tackles - resulting in a 16% tackle rate. He should be at the top of your waiver list.

Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB, Washington Football Team

So, it appears Kevin Pierre-Louis is going to be a thing. Thomas Davis was active for Week 2 but didn't get on the field. It was Jon Bostic and KPP, yeah you know me, who were on the field. Pierre-Louis received 97% of the snaps and through two games, is recording a 13.4% tackle rate - certainly aided by his 15 tackle performance in Week 2. He made a couple of nice tackles in space and takes good angles. He's not afraid to mix it up and plug gaps. As long as he's getting the snap volume, he'll be worth the add in most league formats.

Eric Wilson, LB, Minnesota Vikings

Anthony Barr is out for the year with a torn pectoral. Troy Dye got some snaps, but ended up getting hurt. Ryan Connelly received a snap and could factor into some snaps in their base defense. It was Eric Wilson who ended up receiving the majority of the playing time in Week 2. Wilson appeared in 92% of the snaps and recorded six tackles and added an INT. Wilson always seems to excel in these spot-starts. In 2019, in the two games where he appeared in 100% of the snaps, he had two double-digit tackle games. With Barr out for the year, I think Wilson will be a solid LB-streamer for the rest of the year - barring they don't bring in anyone off the streets.

Keep an Eye On: Troy Dye is set to play in three LB sets but remains to be seen if he'll get sub-packages. Also, they're bringing in Todd Davis for a work-out, as well.

Kyzir White, LB, Los Angeles Chargers

So, last week, when I suggested a Charger LB - Nick Vigil - he appeared in 85% of the snaps, so I assumed he'd get the snaps this week. Well, his defensive snap count was the same number as Reese's cups left in my house after Halloween - 0.0 - relegated to just three special teams snaps. When I saw the tweet that White was starting WILL, I kinda brushed it off as "Well, starting doesn't mean anything. He may not get sub-packages." Well, White received 100% of the snaps and recorded nine tackles. So, you know what that means? Denzel Perryman is going to start next week and get all the playing time. So, I reached out to a few Chargers' beat-writers for a little more insight into the situation.

Daniel Popper, of The Athletic, believes Kyzir White is just a better player than Vigil. Jeff Miller, of the LA Times, stated they went with Kyzir White because they wanted younger, faster LBs to keep up with KC's speed and doesn't anticipate too much playing time for Nick Vigil going forward - outside of injury - so, this definitely makes sense. White did a solid job in coverage and made good, clean tackles in space. Is this how White will be deployed in the future? We'll see, but this week, White looks to be the guy.