Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 5

​William Gholston, Defensive End

This is your notice that Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston needs to be owned in all leagues going forward. With bookend Robert Ayers and rookie backup Noah Spence banged up, Gholston played 75% of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 snaps and racked up 2 quarterback hits, 0.5 sacks, and 1 tackle for a loss.

Stepping back into a full-time role has done wonders for the run-stopper, and he is getting cut loose to help generate a pass rush for Tampa Bay in his colleagues’ absences. As of right now, Gholston is on pace for nearly 100 points in standard scoring leagues -- this would have put him in the top-12 at DL-eligible players in 2015. He’s a DE1 right now.

In Week 5, Gholston and the Bucs take on the lagging Carolina Panthers and their shoddy mess of an offense line. The Panthers have allowed 13 sacks already to opposing defenses, good for a 7.6% sack percentage allowed (the fourth-highest in the league). Gholston should be able to get some tackles, too, but it’ll likely be sacks that he earns his way on in Week 5; Carolina has allowed the lowest stuff percentage through four weeks.

Gholston is available in 95.1% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 4.22 tackles, 0.20 sacks, and a total score of 4.88 fantasy points in Week 5.