Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire Targets for Week 1

Derrick Morgan, Tennessee, Defensive End/Linebacker

In many balanced or tackle-heavy leagues, starting a player who plays at the outside linebacker spot isn’t usually the best idea.

Derrick Morgan, however, has been one of the better pass-rushers in the league over the past two years, thanks in 2014 to defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s defensive scheming with the Tennessee Titans. Horton’s hybrid front allowed him to use Morgan as a movable chess piece and put his best pass-rusher wherever he would thrive the most -- he finished 14th among players with defensive lineman eligibility in ESPN leagues.

Why is Morgan an IDP waiver claim for Week 1? He gets to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team whose offensive line saw right tackle and best pass protector Demar Dotson go out for six weeks with a knee injury. In his stead lines up Indianapolis Colts’ bust Gosder Cherilus, who ranked 48th out of 56 offensive tackles who played 50% or more of their offense’s snaps in Pro Football Focus’s grading for 2014. Morgan plays the left edge rusher position as a base, and he might not move off of it much with a matchup that juicy. Even if he does, rookie Donovan Smith is on the other side, and he still should still feast.

Morgan is available in 93.2% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for around 3.5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a total score of 6.38 balanced fantasy points in Week 1.