Welcome to the 2025 IDP Waiver Wire For Week 17!
Well, folks, it has been quite the run here in 2025 for the IDP Waiver Wire article series here at FANTASY IN FRAMES. From giving you names and options available in your waiver wire that have not only panned out as Plays (Starts) for you in your lineups, but in many cases, we’ve given you player recommendations weeks in advance of other websites and their resources. Always being one step ahead of your competition, whether it be in making content or absorbing that content and acquiring players in your IDP leagues, Gary and I have strived this season to give you the competitive edge that you very much deserve.
To Gary Davenport, thank you so much for using our platform to impart your years of IDP wisdom upon all of us in the IDP space. Your insight, effort, and guidance have been unparalleled.
To everyone else, thank you so much for your patronage. Please have a safe and happy holiday season, and we’ll catch you on the IDP Waiver Wire in 2026!
*Rostership Percentages based on REDRAFT leagues ONLY*
Disclaimer: Waiver Wire Rostership Percentages from Sleeper, ESPN, & Yahoo, as well as the Combined Rostership Percentages, will not exceed 30%. Also, fantasy point scoring will be based on the FantasyPros IDP scoring, which can be found here. Base metrics provided by FantasyData and advanced metrics via PFF.
IDP PICKUP OF THE WEEK
James Williams, LB, Tennessee Titans
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (0%), ESPN (0.4%), & Yahoo (0%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 0.13%
Base Statistics from Week 17:
- Total Tackles (8 solo & 1 assisted), 1 TFL, 1 QB Hit, & 1 Sack for 19.25 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- Since Week 15, Williams has posted an ELITE tackle efficiency percentage of 19.3%
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
Filling in for Cedric Gray in Weeks 15 & 16, James Williams has become the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season, finishing as the LB21 in FantasyPros IDP points per game among all Inside Linebackers (ILB) and the LB20 among ILBs and Outside Linebackers (OLB) combined. What should make fantasy managers EXTRA HAPPY this late in the season is the fact that on Sleeper, he is dual-eligible as a Defensive Back, thus giving your linebacker numbers at the DB position. As a defensive back these past two weeks, he been the DB10 overall among cornerbacks and safeties, and among Safeties ONLY, he has been the S10.
It’s Week 17, aka Championship Week, folks. If Cedric Grey continues to miss any time for the Titans the remainder of the NFL season due to injury, James Williams IMMEDIATELY becomes the cheatcode of cheatcodes for IDP managers. The Titans face the Saints, who, over the course of the past 4 weeks, have become more and more generous in terms of fantasy points allowed to the LB position. They ranked 13th in back-to-back weeks, and in Week 16, they allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to linebackers.
WEEK 17 IDP WAIVER WIRE TARGETS
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Myles Murphy, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (0%), ESPN (3.6%), & Yahoo (0%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 1.2%
Base Statistics from Week 16:
- 5 Total Tackles (3 Solo & 2 Assisted), 1 Tackle for a Loss, & 1 Fumble Recovery for 12.5 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- In back-to-back games, Murphy has tallied 7 Total Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 Sacks, and 4 QB Hits with a pressure rate of 18.9%.
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
Over the past 3 weeks, we have certainly seen a rise in production from Myles Murphy, not only in the form of pass rush pressures but run defense, and in Weeks 15 & 16, we’ve seen the fruits of his labor come together. The Bengals take on the Cardinals this week, who have allowed the 5th most sacks on the season, and when under pressure, Jacoby Brissett has been sacked 7 times since Week 14.
Austin Booker, EDGE, Chicago Bears
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (0%), ESPN (1.5%), & Yahoo (0%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 0.3%
Base Statistics from Week 16 :
- 7 Total Tackles (4 Solo & 3 Assisted) and 0.5 Sacks for 10.25 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- Over the past 3 weeks, Booker has had a pressure rate of 12.4% (league avg for EDGE Rushers) and has tallied a team-high 16 total tackles, 2 TFLs, 3 Sacks, & 5 QB Hits at the position.
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
7.6 versus 11.5. That’s the difference in points per game since Week 14 between Montez Sweat and Austin Booker. The primary reason for that gap? Tackles. Austin Booker for the Bears has been what Montez Sweat was earlier this season for the Bears—a proficient tackling EDGE Rusher who has had a decent pressure rate and sack production. The number one rule in picking your defensive linemen in IDP Fantasy Football is picking those players who have good tackling numbers for their position, that way their already elevated fantasy floor will go through the roof once impact plays like sacks are made.
If you need a DL with an elevated fantasy floor and sack upside potential, look no further than Austin Booker in Week 17.
Chase Young, EDGE, New Orleans Saints
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (4%), ESPN (4.5%), & Yahoo (1%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 3.2%
Base Statistics from Week 16 :
- 2 Total Tackles (1 Solo & 1 Assisted), 1 TFL, 1 Sack, and 2 QB Hits
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- Since Week 11, Chase Young has led all EDGE Rushers on the Saints in total pressures (16) and is second in Sacks (4) with an above average pressure rate of 13.2%
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
Chase Young has been the brightest of bright spots along the defense line for the Saints all season long, and his continuous production this season proves it. He’s Top 20 in sack conversion rate among EDGE Rushers these past three weeks, and going against a Titans team that is close to the top of the league in sacks allowed. Look for Young to have a BIG day. DL2 upside and a DL3 floor.
Linebackers
Jack Gibbens, LB, New England Patriots
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (0%), ESPN (5.9%), & Yahoo (0%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 2%
Base Statistics from Week 16:
- 9 Total Tackles (2 Solo & 7 Assisted) and a TFL for 12.25 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- In Week 16, with Robert Spillane out of the lineup, Gibbens posted a team high tackle efficiency of 18.2% and and a low missed tackle rate of 9.1%
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
With Robert Spillane out of the lineup this past week, Jack Gibbens played 100% of snaps for the Patriots and put up a solid day for IDP managers. Since Week 14, the Jets have allowed the 7th most fantasy points per game to the linebacker position. If Spillane is out another week, insert Gibbens into your lineups as an LB2/3 option.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Arizona Cardinals
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (4%), ESPN (2.7%), & Yahoo (3%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 3.2%
Base Statistics from Week 16 :
- 11 Total Tackles (5 Solo & 6 Assisted) for 12 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- In back-to-back games with 11 total tackles, Davis-Gaither has had a position-leading tackle efficiency on the Cardinals of 15.5% despite not playing an every-down role (85% of total defensive snaps).
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
Despite not being the every-down signal caller for the Cardinals, Akeem Davis-Gaither has still been a productive linebacker who has provided a solid tackling floor for fantasy managers. His matchup with the Bengals in Week 17 should be another LB3/IDP FLEX-worthy performance, as the Bengals have allowed the 13th most fantasy points per game to LBs over the past two weeks.
Defensive Backs
Malachi Moore, S, New York Jets
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (1%), ESPN (1.1%), & Yahoo (1%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 6.1%
Base Statistics from Week 16:
- 8 Total Tackles (5 Solo & 3 Assisted) and 1 FF for 13.75 fantasy points
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- The DB7 in PPG since Week 14 with an average of 12.5 points, Moore leads all Safeties in box snaps and Blitz Rate.
- In that same time period, he is the S19 in Box Snaps among all Safeties in the NFL.
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
One of the lone bright spots for the Jets’ defense, Malachi Moore has been as reliable an option for fantasy managers at the defensive back position as they come. The Patriots are 4th in fantasy points per game allowed to Safeties since Week 14, making Moore an easy plug-and-play DB1 in Week 17 who is widely available on your league’s waiver wire, most likely.
Tyler Nubin, S, New York Giants
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (12%), ESPN (5.4%), & Yahoo (4%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 7.1%
Base Statistics from Week 16:
- 6 Total Tackles (4 Solo & 2 Assisted), 1 PD, 1 FR, and an IDP TD for 19 fantasy points.
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics:
- Since Week 13, Tyler Nubin has been the DB16 in PPG with an average of 14.3 points while playing the 20th most Box Snaps in the league among Safeties.
- Nubin, during that same period, leads all Safeties in defensive stops on the Giants as well.
IDP Waiver Wire Analysis:
He’s hot, he’s cold….he’s hot, he’s cold. Right now, Tyler Nubin is one of the hottest defensive backs in all of IDP fantasy football and just in the nick of time. This week, the Giants take on the Raiders, who have been a tough matchup for safeties all season long. That being the case, I would not start Nubin as my DB1 on my roster, but as an upside DB2 or DB3, I would insert him into my lineups in a heartbeat, given his recent history. You don’t find that type of upside on waivers typically this time of year.
Thanks for checking out my recommendations for your league’s 2025 IDP Waiver Wire for Week 17. You can find all of our IDP Waiver Wire articles for 2025 by clicking here!
Win those IDP Fantasy Football Championships!
Jorge B. Edwards is an FSWA member, FantasyPros ECR ranker & award winner, and creator of FANTASY IN FRAMES, specializing in IDP, Redraft, and Dynasty Fantasy Football. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JorgeBEdwards.
