Injuries keep piling up, so it is incumbent that you work the free agent and waiver wire lists in your league. Especially with all the bye weeks coming up over the next few weeks. Below are some possible targets available in most leagues, to help get you through the injury bug and weeks when your starters are sitting on the sidelines.
Bye Weeks coming up:Current Week: Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee; Week 9: Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Philadelphia; Week 10: Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Minnesota
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
When Kwon Alexander went down with his torn ACL in the Week 7 contest against the Browns, Taylor leapt to the top of the waiver wire claim list. He will be moving from strong side LB to middle LB, which will provide an uptick in playing time. He looked ready to slot in with seven total tackles (TT) in the home contest against the visiting Browns (five solo), a QB hit (QH) and a sack, plus one tackle for loss of yards (TFL). Grab him now whether or not you owned Alexander.
Marquel Lee OAK
Lee is due to see an increase in snap counts, now that he is the number one middle linebacker on defense. He did put up 10 TT against the Browns earlier this season with a high snap count and the Colts are a decent matchup with a generous stat crew at home in terms of handing out tackle numbers.
Vince Williams PIT
Williams is coming off a bye week, and gets the favorable matchup against the Browns upon his return to fantasy action. He is not much for bag play production with just one sack on the season, but in tackle-heavy leagues he is worth considering with the multiple bye weeks in store.
Denzel Perryman LAC
Perryman is seeing significant snaps on defense every game, although he is not a three-down back at this point in the season. He did collect eight TT in London against the Titans, with an INT and a pass defense (PD) to pad his stat line. His team has a bye this week, but then he gets to face the Seahawks in Week 9, which portends good things for his future production.
Raekwon McMillan MIA
McMillan should be able to build off his eight TT (seven solo) effort in Week 7 when the Dolphins head to Houston to take on the Texans, who rank 10th in the league in points allowed to opposing linebackers.
Cory Littleton LAR
Littleton is the sole LB entry in the rising IDP section who you may have some difficulty locating on your league’s wire. Too bad, based on his numbers against the 49ers last week: 10 TT (eight solo, three TFL), two sacks, two QH and a blocked kick. The next two opponents on the schedule, the Packers and Saints, are just middle of the pack concerning allowing LB points, but Week 10 features the favorable Seahawks coming to town. He is producing at a high level, and is a safe LB to slide into your lineup going forward.
Defensive Linemen
Frank Clark DE SEA
Clark is listed as questionable with an illness, but is also expected to play against the host Lions in Week 8. He is coming off a 2.5 sack game prior to the bye week, and offers decent tackle production from a DL player.
Brandon Graham DE PHI
Graham should see an increase in snaps on defense, with Derek Barnett off to IR. He has been producing even before the anticipated surge in playing time, with 11 TT and 1.5 sacks over his past four contests.
Arik Armstead DE SF
The Rams in Week 8 are a so-so matchup, but the Cardinals in Week 9 promise good things for the 49er DE, especially with a favorable stat crew in Arizona on tap. He can provide steady tackle production, especially of the solo variety.
Carl Nassib DE TB
If Vinny Curry is not able to take the field this week, look for Nassib to see significant snaps on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage. He collected a pair of sacks against the visiting Browns in Week 7, to go with a PD, a QH and two solo tackles, one for a loss of yards.
Alex Okafor DE NO
Okafor finally had a productive week against the Ravens in Baltimore last week, picking up two QH, a PD, a sack of Joe Flacco and three TT (two solo, one TFL). He suffered a torn Achilles tendon last season, and recovery was slow until Week 7. No great matchups on tap, unfortunately, but so long as he is back to near 100%, he should be a decent pickup to get you through these remaining bye weeks.
Defensive Backs
Malcolm Jenkins S PHI
Jenkins has been remarkably consistent, providing his team (and by extension, his fantasy owners) with five solo tackles in each of the past four games he has played. He heads to Jacksonville, where the home stat crew is generous in handing out solo tackle credits prior to his bye week.
Eric Reid S CAR
Reid joined the Panther defense three weeks ago, and as he has accumulated time in Carolina, his snap count has been growing. With the increased playing time, so have his tackle numbers. As the starting strong safety, he is a safe add to your fantasy defensive backfield, although expecting his tackle count to increase week to week is probably a pipe dream. Still, if he can provide nine TT as he did against the Eagles on the road in Philly in Week 7, he is worth employing.
Jayron Kearse S MIN
Kearse has dual eligibility in ESPN, so he is extraordinarily valuable as a cornerback that provides safety production on that platform. Plus, he is due to have increased playing time in specialized defensive packages with an injury being suffered by Mike Hughes that sent him to the IR.Xavier Rhodes and Andrew Sendejo are both questionable for Week 8 at this point in the week, which should lead to additional opportunities to build on his Week 7 stat line of five TT (four solo, two TFL), one QH and a sack.
Darryl Roberts CB NYJ
As with Mr. Kearse above, Roberts should have additional time on the field due to a rash of injuries to the Jets cornerbacks. He is now a starting corner in New York (New Jersey?) and produced a game leading 11 TT in Week 7 against the Vikings (10 solo, one TFL) with a couple of PDs to complement that production.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Hitchens has been a productive part of the Chief defense, until this past week, that is. He racked up just three solos against the Bengals in Week 7, despite playing 64% of the snaps. This could just be a momentary blip on the radar, but is worth noting. If the split between Hitchens and Dorian O’Daniel continues against the Broncos, he is not worth a roster spot going forward.
Defensive Linemen
Corey Peters DT ARI
Peters was on the field for 75% of the defensive snaps in Week 7, but put up a big goose egg on the stat sheet. This after collecting two sacks the prior week. It is not as though the Broncos have been able to shut down opposing DTs regularly, either. Makes you go “Hmm.”
Defensive Backs
Montae Nicholson S WAS
Despite playing as the starting strong safety in Washington, his production has been lacking sorely the past two weeks, with just four solos and two assists over the course of 126 snaps on defense. The youngster still has promise, but wait for his numbers to improve before relying on him in your starting lineups.
TreDavious White CB BUF
White is a fine shutdown corner for the Bills, often being tasked with covering the opponents’ top receiving option. As such, he is essentially worthless for fantasy production purposes. Definitely a case where what actually goes on in the game does not translate into value in our pastime.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Bills or 49ers, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB, DE or DB on the Cardinals that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
New England Patriots @ Buffalo
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland
Detroit Lions vs Seattle
Defensive Ends
Miami Dolphins @ Houston
Indianapolis Colts @ Oakland
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco
Defensive Tackles
Chicago Bears vs New York Jets
Washington @ New York Giants
Miami Dolphins @ Houston
Safeties
Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver
Oakland Raiders vs Indianapolis
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco
Cornerbacks
Los Angeles Rams vs Green Bay
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco
Waiver Wire Targets
This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.
Linebackers
Marquel Lee OAK
Vince Williams PIT
Denzel Perryman LAC
Raekwon McMillan MIA
Cory Littleton LAR (Owned in 49.3% of ESPN leagues, 42% of Yahoo leagues)
Defensive Linemen
Frank Clark DE SEA
Brandon Graham DE PHI
Arik Armstead DE SF
Carl Nassib DE TB
Alex Okafor DE NO
Defensive Backs
Malcolm Jenkins S PHI
Eric Reid S CAR
Jayron Kearse S MIN
Darryl Roberts CB NYJ
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
CAR hamstring
Nick Vigil CIN knee-MCL
Vontaze Burfict CIN hip
Joe Schobert CLE hamstring
Joe Thomas DAL foot
Shane Ray DEN ankle
Brennan Scarlett HOU groin
Brian Peters HOU ankle
Donald Payne JAX knee-MCL
Terrance Smith KC knee (IR)
Justin Houston KC hamstring
Kyzir White LAC knee
Mike Hull MIA knee-MCL (IR)
Chase Allen MIA undisclosed(IR)
Anthony Barr MIN hamstring
Ja’Whaun Bentley NE biceps (IR)
Kevin Pierre-Louis NYJ foot
D.J. Alexander PHI quadriceps
Nate Gerry PHI ankle
Reuben Foster SF shoulder
Kwon Alexander TB knee-ACL (IR)
Jack Cichy TB knee-ACL(IR)
Derrick Morgan TEN shoulder
Will Compton TEN hamstring
Defensive Linemen
DE
Trent Murphy BUF knee
Mario Addison CAR back
Derek Wolfe DEN ribs
Ezekiel Ansah DET shoulder
J.J. Watt HOU knee
Jihad Ward IND ankle
Calais Campbell JAX shoulder
Joey Bosa LAC foot
Charles Harris MIA calf
Everson Griffen MIN personal
Geneo Grissom NE ankle
Vinny Curry TB ankle
DT
Denico Autry IND hamstring
Linval Joseph MIN knee
Taylor Stallworth NO ankle
Jay Bromley NO arm
Haloti Ngata PHI calf
Destin Vaeao PHI undisclosed (IR)
Gerald McCoy TB calf
Defensive Backs
S
Tre Boston ARI shoulder
Marlon Humphrey BAL thigh
Marcus Cooper CHI hamstring
E.J. Gaines CLE concussion
C.J. Goodwin DAL forearm
Dymonte Thomas DEN chest
Adam Jones DEN thigh
Darian Stewart DEN neck
Andre Hal HOU shoulder
Shareece Wright HOU shoulder
Clayton Geathers IND concussion
D.J. Hayden JAX toe
Tyler Patmon JAX neck
Eric Berry KC heel
T.J. McDonald MIA ankle
Andrew Sendejo MIN groin
Eric Rowe NE groin
Marcus Williams NO undisclosed
Doug Middleton NYJ pectoral
Marcus Maye NYJ thumb
Corey Graham PHI hamstring
Adrian Colbert SF ankle (IR)
Marcell Harris SF hamstring (IR)
Kenny Vaccaro TEN elbow
Troy Apke WAS hamstring
CB
Anthony Averett BAL hamstring
Darqueze Dennard CIN shoulder
Aaron Colvin HOU ankle
Johnathan Joseph HOU hip
Arthur Maulet IND hip
Tre Herndon JAX hamstring
Troy Hill LAR concussion
Xavier Rhodes MIN ankle
Buster Skrine NYJ concussion
Trumaine Johnson NYJ quadriceps
Sidney Jones PHI hamstring
Jimmie Ward SF hamstring
Ricard Sherman SF calf
Quinton Dunbar WAS shin
Fabian Moreau WAS ankle
As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. FANation Chat is now live on the site, to help you work through your fantasy football dilemmas. Or if you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message toia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.