Every week throughout the NFL season I will bring you an IDP article talking about anything and everything that consists of IDP. I will talk about IDP Breakout players, keep tabs on possible waiver-wire additions and some IDP Sleeper plays during the year. It should be fun. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite Breakout IDP Defensive End performances and some possible pick-ups off the Week 2 IDP waiver wire.
Week 2 IDP Waiver Wire
KWITY PAYE, DE, Indianapolis Colts
If you were still stashing Kwity Paye on your bench and waiting for the right time to insert him into your starting lineup like I have been in a couple leagues, well the time is now. We have been waiting for the breakout since he entered the league as a first-round pick out of Michigan in 2021, and it finally came in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Paye had three solo tackles, one assist, two tackles for a loss, and one sack against the Jaguars. Paye was disruptive all day against Jacksonville, displaying good strength and power on his rushes as well as his athleticism. Per ESPN stats he was ranked third in the entire league in pass rush win rate from the edge in Week 1. Paye had a rush win rate of 33%. He should be solidly in your starting lineup going forward.
JOSH ALLEN, OLB/EDGE Jacksonville Jaguars
Sticking with the Jacksonville versus Indianapolis game, we had another breakout performance. This time it came from Josh Allen of the Jaguars. Allen should be rostered in every league. He is highly ranked almost everywhere, but I think the hype has finally caught up to his play. He was just too expensive for me in most cases for the return, but that might have changed. I have been slightly down on Allen over the last couple of seasons. He had 10.5 sacks in his rookie season in 2019 and then the frenzy started. He hasn’t had a double-digit season since then.
The 2023 season looks like it could be different on many levels. In Week 1, Allen showed why pundits have been so bullish on him. He was dominant all day against the overmatched Colts offensive line. Allen had eight solo tackles, two assists, and three sacks. Just an unreal performance. In one game, he is almost 25% towards his tackle total from last season and halfway to his sack total from 2022.
DRAKE JACKSON, DE San Francisco 49ers
When you have the reigning Defensive MVP of the league, Nick Bosa, on the other side of the line, you are going to get some chances to make some noise. Drake Jackson took full advantage in Week 1 with three tackles and three sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had only three sacks in 15 games in his rookie year.
The former second-round pick out of USC looks ready to create quite a tandem with Bosa on an already dominant 49ers defense. If Jackson is on the waiver wire grab him. If he is already on your roster, you need to start thinking about starting him on a weekly basis.
ARDEN KEY, OLB/EDGE Tennessee Titans
Arden Key is possibly the top waiver-wire pickup in IDP. He has kind of been a forgotten player in the last couple of years. Key has had a hard time staying healthy and earning a large snap share since entering the league in 2018. But in his debut for the Titans, he looked very good. He chalked up 1.5 sacks, two QB hits, a solo tackle, three assists and a pass defended. He also had eight total pressures which was top among defensive linemen in Week 1. Per ESPN stats he was the top pass rush win rate at edge in the league for Week 1. He was able to get past the lineman on 8 out of 20 plays for a 40%-win rate.
YANNICK NGAKOUE, DE Chicago Bears
After being cut by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, the question became where would Yannick Ngakoue end up. Then he just sat at home the entire offseason and waited. He went unsigned the entire summer. It was confusing to me why no one would want a 28-year-old defensive end with 65 career sacks.
Eventually, the Chicago Bears came calling. With almost no pass rush last season from its’ defensive line, the Bears seemed like a great fit for Ngakoue. In Week 1, he did not disappoint. He had three solo tackles, one assisted tackle, two tackles for loss, one QB hit, and one sack.
After sitting unsigned all offseason, he was dropped in most leagues. He is a great target and should be available on the Week 2 IDP waiver wire.
Check out our Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty