Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 13
Nick Perry, Outside Linebacker
The Green Bay Packers’ defense has become as holey as, well, Swiss cheese. Rush linebacker Clay Matthews is injured and may not play in Week 13, which puts a ton of pressure on breakout outside linebacker Nick Perry to step up and key the Packers’ pass-rush this week. In the weeks Matthews has sat in 2016, Perry averages 4.5 total tackles, 0.63 sacks, and 0.5 stuffs. His average 9.0 fantasy points without Matthews is a solid upgrade from his 7.8 weekly average overall, though we can’t complain about either rate. Perry’s production holds up against his peers too: his tackle rate ranks 7th, his sack rate 9th, and his quarterback hit rate 12th among 39 qualifying 3-4 outside linebackers.
He’ll test that impact against the Houston Texans this week, who rank eighth-lowest in sack rate allowed and fourth-lowest in stuff rate allowed. The Texans have allowed just one sack and 4.5 stuffs to edge rushers over the past month, so we’ll see if Perry has the juice to generate big-plays. If not, though, Perry will be fine; he has averaged 4.25 tackles per game over the past month, so his floor will remain intact regardless of ceiling.
Perry is available in 96.3% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 4.85 tackles, 0.78 sacks, 0.35 passes defended, and a total score of 7.82 fantasy points in Week 13.
