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IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 5

 Injuries, Matchups Present Opportunity

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.

Jonathon Cooper, Edge, Denver Broncos

Cooper opened the year with 2 sacks in the Week 1 loss to Seattle. But he has added just one more over the three weeks since.

He looks like a good candidate for more in Week 5.

Cooper and the Broncos host Raiders, who rank just mid-pack in rate of pressure faced. But QB Gardner Minshew owns the eighth-highest pressure-to-sack rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

Minshew took 9 sacks over the first two games (just 4 over the past two weeks). Cooper, meanwhile, has tallied 7 total pressures in two of four outings and 3 QB hits over the past two games.

Expect Denver to hit Sunday as a favorite for a change, too.

Dorance Armstrong, Edge, Washington Commanders

Armstrong had been near-silent statistically before Sunday’s surprising shakedown of the Cardinals. He entered Week 4 with 0 solo tackles on the year and just a half-sack through three games.

But Armstrong had, at least, notched a QB hit in each game; 2 against the Giants in Week 2.

Then he exploded for 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble among 3 QB hits and 5 total tackles against Arizona.

I don’t expect Armstrong to sustain similar production the rest of the way. But a Week 5 matchup with easy-to-pressure Cleveland gives him a good chance at delivering usable value for another game.

Dayo Odeyingbo, Edge, Indianapolis Colts

Odeyingbo’s playing time grew in Week 3, amid numerous D-line injuries for the Colts. His production caught up in Sunday’s win over the Steelers.

The fourth-year man delivered 1.5 sacks to lead a team effort that included 4 sacks and 9 total QB hits. The next three games all hold positive pass-rushing matchups. 

Trevor Lawrence and Will Levis (next two weeks) entered Week 4 as the fifth and sixth most-pressured QBs. After that sits a potentially strong matchup with Miami. We’ll see who’s playing QB for the Dolphins at that point and what Odeyingbo’s role looks like.

Christian Rozeboom, LB, Los Angeles Rams

Rozeboom has consistently trailed fellow LB Troy Reeder in playing time so far this season. But he has also quietly collected 9+ tackles in three of four games. 

The quiet part comes from Rozeboom managing just 4 solos in each of the first three contests. He boosted that to 6 solos and a season-high 11 total stops in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. 

Next comes a matchup with the Packers, who entered the week supplying the second-most fantasy points to LBs. The run-heavy offense of fill-in QB Malik Willis helped that. But Vikings LB Blake Cashman racked up 11 tackles – including one for a loss – even with Jordan Love back and throwing 54 passes Sunday. 

Rozeboom looks worth a shot in tackle-friendly leagues for Week 5. We’ll see beyond that.

Trevin Wallace, LB, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers lost LB Shaq Thompson for the season in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. LB Josey Jewell exited as well and is expected to miss at least one game with groin and hamstring injuries.

That positions this third-round rookie as the new lead LB for at least Week 5.

We haven’t seen much of Wallace in the pros yet, but he flashed cross-category potential over three seasons at Kentucky. That included 15 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, and 3 INTs over his final two years.

Week 5 holds a matchup with the Bears, who have supplied double-digit tackle totals to five LBs among just the past three opponents.

Make sure you check the Week 5 rankings before putting in a claim for the rookie, though. Wallace certainly won’t be worth a pickup in every league.

Montaric Brown, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

I have to admit, it was probably stupid to leave Brown out of this article last week, ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Texans.

It certainly made sense for a Houston offense stacked in the passing game and hurting at RB to test a weak, hurting Jaguars secondary. Sure enough, C.J. Stroud attempted 40 passes. And Brown got a lot of chances.

He tallied 8 tackles (5 solo) and defensed three passes. That followed games of 11 and 7 tackles the previous two weeks.

Brown might have just one start left, before CB Tyson Campbell potentially returns from IR. But he’ll be worth considering against the Colts – especially if Joe Flacco’s starting.

And if Brown remains in the lineup for Week 6, then he’ll get another upside spot vs. Chicago.

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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.