Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 1

David Harris/Demario Davis, New York Jets, Linebackers

I’ve put both New York Jets inside linebackers here because either is a fair bet to rack up some tackles this week, and whichever you prefer to acquire is fair game.

We haven’t seen inside linebackers thrive much over the last few years in the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive scheme that Todd Bowles has brought over to Jersey. This, however, is because Bowles has preferred to employ bizarre “big dime” packages that see three or four down linemen paired with one linebacker and six to seven defensive backs on the field at one time. This was to facilitate the fact that neither Kevin Minter nor Larry Foote had very good coverage skills, and that superstar Daryl Washington was both injured and suspended for multiple seasons.

In New York, where David Harris is at least an average coverage linebacker and Demario Davis focuses more on the run anyway, we should see a return to a more traditional base 3-4, or 3-3-5. Even if the Jets roll out an extra safety for coverage like they did with Deone Bucannon, this frees the inside linebackers for tackling and blitzing, which is where they make their hay.

Harris is available in 85.9% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 8.34 total points in Week 1. Davis is available in 90.5% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 6 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 7.96 total points in Week 1.