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Week 5 IDP Waiver Wire: Might Be Time to Trust Devin Lloyd

We've Got Options at Both Age Extremes

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

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.

It's the best fantasy football waiver wire assistant you'll find.

Week 5 IDP Waiver Wire Targets

Let's start with some matchup-driven DL options ...

Calais Campbell, DL, Arizona Cardinals

I was worried I wasn’t giving this 39-year-old enough credit after he generated 3 sacks across the first four games. But then I checked the Sleeper rostered rates and found Campbell’s number at … 0%.

I started writing Campbell up as the second D-lineman here, behind his teammate below. But the 18th-year vet deserves the top spot.

Not only does his tackle production make him a more widely useful IDP option than Sweat. Campbell has also been Arizona’s best-graded defensive player so far this season. He barely trails Sweat -- 79.2 to 77.3 -- even in pass-rushing grade.

So grab Campbell ahead of this Sunday’s high-upside matchup with the Titans. And hang onto him as long as he keeps forgetting how old he is.

Josh Sweat, Edge, Arizona Cardinals

The former Eagle finds himself rostered in less than 10% of Sleeper IDP leagues despite collecting sacks in three straight games.

Those sacks are the first thing drawing us toward Sweat. But the bigger reason to target him now is this week’s Tennessee matchup.

Poor Cam Ward has taken a league-high 17 sacks through four weeks, at the league’s third-highest sack rate. Don’t be surprised if Sweat gets his first multi-sack game as a Cardinal this Sunday.

Tuli Tuipulotu, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers

Welp, woulda been nice to highlight this guy before he forced attention with a 4-sack outing against the Giants. But we’re not just looking his way because of that outing.

Tuipulotu has generated 6+ pressures in three straight games, according to Pro Football Focus. And his team’s success seems to be helping his opportunities. Only eight edge players have gotten more pass-rush chances so far than Tuipulotu, and three of those guys played for his Week 4 opponent (the Giants).

Week 5 brings Washington to town, with a less-than-100% Jayden Daniels expected back behind center.

Expect volatile scoring from Tulipulotu, who scored less than 2 fantasy points in two of his first three games. But the opportunity and talent are worth a shot in leagues of moderate depth (and deeper).

Joey Bosa, Edge, Buffalo Bills

Not gonna lie: I scoffed at the Bills for paying Bosa in free agency. He missed 22 games over his final three seasons with the Chargers and totaled just 13 sacks over that span. I figured he was cooked.

But he has proved useful in the pass rush over the past three weeks and seen good playing time:

• 69%
• 55%
• 87%
• 73%

Bosa’s still not likely to win as a tackle collector, so avoid him if your scoring leans that way or even stands balanced. But sack-friendlier formats can chase him ahead of this week’s Patriots matchup. Drake Maye carries the league’s fourth-highest sack rate into Week 5.

Devin Lloyd, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars

This one’s tentative and not for every league.

Lloyd might seem like an obvious waiver target this week, coming off an 8-tackle, 2 INT game. But the most interesting number to me is the 94% playing time. That followed snap shares of:

• 34%
• 69%
• 68%

Does that Week 4 playing time reset the expectation or remain an outlier as we move forward? We’ll see. But PFF says he’s been the second-best LB so far in overall grade, trailing only San Francisco’s Fred Warner. And Lloyd’s strongest grades have come in the pass rush and coverage.

Those two areas should specifically drive more playing time by motivating the Jags to leave Lloyd in for all situations.So we’ll take a shot on him here and hope the numbers can continue. 

Meetings with the Chiefs and Rams among the next three games present offenses that haven’t been kind to LB scoring. But Lloyd’s Week 4 score means we’ll probably have to target the Jag now if we want him.

Teddye Buchanan, LB, Baltimore Ravens

The slew of Ravens injuries in Sunday’s loss at Kansas City included lead LB Roquan Smith hurting a hamstring. The team ruled him out quickly, and Smith appears likely to at least miss another game.

That should mean another boost in playing time for his rookie corps mate, who had already overtaken Trenton Simpson. 

Buchanan gets an upside home matchup with the Texans and brings the speed to score in multiple categories. He showed that cross-category upside in a final college season that included 5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 4 passes defensed.

Eric Wilson, LB, Minnesota Vikings

Wilson tallied a solid 9 tackles (5 solo, 1 tackle for loss) in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. But we’re listing him here more because of the Week 5 matchup. 

Minnesota gets the Browns, who arrive as the top scoring matchup for fantasy LBs. 

A Week 6 bye makes Wilson most likely a one-week option, and he’ll best fit in deep-ish leagues whose scoring leans toward tackling.

Deep League: Cedric Gray, LB, Tennessee Titans

I highlighted Gray’s strong role through the season’s first two weeks … and then pointed out last week how the second-year LB saw his playing time fall off. That coincided with veteran Kyzir White seeing his first playing time since joining the Titans. So it seemed the young guy might be trending down.

Naturally, Gray’s next move was to play season highs in total snaps (67) and snap share (94%) in the brutal loss at Houston … and rack up 17 tackles. And Gray didn’t simply get lucky.

He graded out as Tennessee’s top defensive player for the game, according to PFF. That might seem pretty easy to do when your team loses 26-0 to a struggling Texans squad. But Gray earned an elite-level 90.2 overall grade. 

More importantly, he now sits second among all LBs in run-defense grade for the season. And that Week 3 playing time stands as an outlier:

• Week 1: 82%
• Week 2: 93%
• Week 3: 56%
• Week 4: 94%

Gray’s numbers haven’t impressed outside of that Week 4 contest, so he’s still not an option for everyone. But the final piece that makes him interesting here: Tennessee’s No. 1 LB, Cody Barton, isn’t that good.

I pointed that out earlier this season, and among 67 LBs who have played at least 100 snaps this year, the veteran sits just 49th in overall PFF grade and 60th in run grade.

That can only help Gray’s chances of keeping -- and maybe growing? -- his role.

Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seahawks

Witherspoon returned from a knee injury for last Thursday night’s win over the Cardinals and led his team with 9 tackles. He added a half-sack and a pass breakup. Witherspoon’s previous outing -- Week 1 -- found him collecting 7 solos among 8 total tackles. 

He has spent nearly all of his time lined up in the slot or in the box through those two games. PFF has just 13.3% of his snaps coming at wide corner or deep safety.

That’s an even higher percentage in those prime number-collecting roles than last year, making Witherspoon a comfy weekly starter at one of fantasy’s most volatile positions.

Make sure he’s claimed ahead of an upside Week 5 home date with the Bucs. Witherspoon’s not only an elite play for CB-specific slots but also a strong option for general DB use.

Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets

Gardner has made no turnover plays yet this year and has supplied his usual light tackle production. But he’s worth a look this week because of a matchup with Dallas.

The Cowboys offense enjoyed a big rebound in Sunday night’s tie, but it remains the league’s top matchup for DB scoring. And you can bet Gardner will be following WR George Pickens everywhere he goes in that one.

Dallas arrives to Week 5 leading the league in pass attempts and total offensive plays.

Find Out Who Makes Sense for Your Team

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Week 4 IDP Hits: Replacements Get Shots in Lots of Places

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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.