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Week 3 IDP Waiver Wire: DBs and More Ready to Reshape Your Lineup

Is That a Fluke, or the Start of a Trend?

You know the post-Week 1 mantra ...

Don't overreact to just one set of games.

Well, now that we're two weeks into the season, some of those seeming Week 1 outliers just might be turning into trends. And that positive trend just might turn into a full-season breakout.

Below you'll find some two-week winners with the potential to alter your season-long IDP outlook ...

Week 3 IDP Waiver Wire Targets

This list of IDP waiver wire pickups is sorted by position, and then by priority.

Of course, IDP leagues vary widely by depth, scoring rules, and lineup settings. So to get the best measure of who to pick up in your league, check your Free Agent Finder.

Carl Granderson, Edge, New Orleans Saints

Granderson followed a strong opener against the Cardinals with an even better Week 2.

He tallied 1.5 sacks among 6 total tackles (5 solos) in Week 1, adding a pair of pass deflections. Granderson followed that with another 2 sacks in Sunday’s loss at San Francisco. He tallied 3 tackles for loss and 3 QB hits in all.

That’s setting Granderson up as a weekly DL starter, and his next opponent boosts the upside. Seattle QB Sam Darnold has taken pressure on 39.3% of his dropbacks so far, tied for 11th-highest among qualifying QBs.

Granderson gets a tougher sack matchup at Buffalo in Week 4, but then positive spots against the Giants, Patriots, and Bears in consecutive games. As of Monday morning, he was rostered in just 14% of Sleeper IDP leagues.

Milton Williams, DL, New England Patriots

Williams delivered a pair of sacks among the five times New England took down Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday.

That followed a better opener than the traditional numbers revealed. Williams supplied a tackle for loss and 2 QB hits against the Raiders. 

Week 3 holds a matchup with the Steelers, who have allowed Aaron Rodgers to take 7 sacks and 15 total QB hits through two games. And behind that sits another upside home matchup, with the Panthers.

Devonte Wyatt, DT, Green Bay Packers

Wyatt didn’t enter this season looking especially interesting for IDP purposes but suddenly looks like a breakout candidate.

Wyatt had yet to reach 50% playing time for a season through three years in the league. He had topped out at 5.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 2023, with modest tackle production.

This year, however, the 27-year-old has played 73% and 74% of the snaps in the first two games. And he has delivered numbers:

• 2 sacks
• 5 QB hits
• 2 pass deflections

The Micah Parsons trade not only imported a disruptor that forces offenses to game plan specifically, it also freed up snaps by sending DT Kenny Clark away.

Wyatt’s 11 total pressures through two weeks ties for fourth across defensive positions. And next comes a matchup with Cleveland, which seems likely to be overwhelmed by these Packers in all phases.

Payton Wilson, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

I recommended grabbing Wilson off your waiver wire in this space last week. If you did, then his 9-tackle (7-solo), 1-sack outing Sunday against the Seahawks should motivate you to keep him around.

If you didn’t pick up Wilson already, then this might be your last chance.

There’s cross-category upside to a Week 3 matchup with the Patriots.

Nate Landman, LB, Los Angeles Rams

If your league downplays the value of tackles and leans more toward big plays, then Landman won’t present much appeal. But he looks like a weekly starter for tackle-favoring outfits.

Landman has emerged as the Rams’ playing-time leader at the position, getting snap shares of 98% and 97% in the first two games. He turned those into outings of 10 and 8 total tackles.

Landman also might be in for at least a little big-play value. His nine pass rushes through two games make up 7% of his total snaps so far. That’s a bump from his 4.9% rate in 2023 with the Falcons a near-doubling of last year’s 3.7% rate.

The Rams’ new MLB won’t wow anyone with his versatility, but he did collect 10 sacks and 14 passes defensed across 48 college games -- with season highs of 4 in each category.

Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Minnesota Vikings

As expected, Pace didn’t match the playing time of Eric Wilson, who took over Sunday night in place of the injured Blake Cashman. But Pace did register an 89% snap share and lead Minnesota LBs in scoring.

Pace’s 7 solo tackles against Atlanta paced both teams, while his 9 total tackles tied S Theo Jackson for the lead. Pace’s line also included a tackle for loss. And his 14 total pass rushes and 4 pressures so far signal untapped upside.

Matchups with the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, Steelers, and Browns the next three weeks present opportunities to tap in.

Dax Hill, DB, Cincinnati Bengals

Hill has been an interesting case over the past few years.

He spent 2023 -- his second NFL season -- starting at safety for the Bengals. And disappointing the team that drafted him late in Round 1 the year before.

Pushed out of that position, Hill managed to open 2024 as a starting CB. But a right ACL tear ended his season in Week 5. Hill rebounded from that, though, opened this season on time, and has found himself in a high-value role.

Hill has played all but two snaps through Cincinnati’s first two games, splitting that time primarily between a box-safety role and slot corner. That’s basically the two best positions in the secondary for supporting IDP production.

Hill posted a solid 9 tackles (5 solo) in the opener. He followed that with 8 solos (including a tackle for loss) and an INT in the Week 2 win over Jacksonville.

That stat line will get him picked up in many a league this week. Don’t be afraid to do the picking.

Paulson Adebo, CB, New York Giants

Adebo looks poised to stay busy in his first season as Giants lead corner. His 20 total tackles through two weeks ties for eighth league wide … and that’s with Giants LB Bobby Okereke leading in the category.

A full-OT loss at Dallas certainly helped drive up the play volume that produced Adebo’s 13-tackle (11-solo) Week 2. But he also tallied 7 tackles (6 solo) in the opening loss to Washington and has defensed a pass in each game.

Moreover, Adebo appeared on his way to a full breakout last year before injury. He led all DBs in fantasy points per game when a broken femur ended his season in Week 7.

The Giants threw a three-year, $54 million contract at him in free agency, and Adebo sits tied for 10th-most targets faced through two weeks.

A Week 3 matchup with the WR-deficient Chiefs might cut into those numbers. But the pass-happy Chargers await in Week 4, followed by an upside matchup with Adebo's former team, the Saints.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.