Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 5
Lorenzo Alexander, Outside Linebacker
This is by far our riskiest linebacker play of the week, so if you get queasy easily with your IDP streamers, Buffalo Bills outside rusher Lorenzo Alexander is not the option for you.
Alexander was signed out of free agency in April and figured to play a depth and special teams role for the Bills. When rookie Shaq Lawson went down with a shoulder injury, Alexander was thrust into a starting role. He has thrived. Alexander’s sack rate is 4th among linebackers (behind only Von Miller, Trent Murphy, and Nick Perry), and he comes in at 14th in quarterback hit rate at his position. The risky part is that he’s only playing 66% of the Bills’ defensive snaps, getting rotated off the field in sub packages in favor of an extra defensive back.
This usage makes him a bit of a week-to-week proposition, but Week 5 should treat him well. The Bills will play the Los Angeles Rams’ impossibly inefficient offense, guided by the shaky hand of quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum hasn’t been sacked a bunch -- the Rams rank just 14th in sack percentage allowed -- but there is a decent chance Alexander gets home against his West Coast foes. If nothing else, there will be plenty of running back tackle chances against star Todd Gurley, and the Rams have the 11th-highest stuff percentage allowed.
Alexander is available in 95.7% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 4.87 tackles, 0.52 sacks, 0.12 passes defended, and a total score of 6.71 fantasy points in Week 5.
