Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season is in the books, which means we have answers to a lot of questions from the offseason — starting with player usage. We've seen how coaches deployed fantasy football IDPs on the field and how many snaps they played in Week 1.
Snaps and performance will be the biggest keys for top waiver-wire targets this week during what is sure to be the busiest week of the season on the wire. As such, we'll offer more names than usual this week to increase the chances of adding some value to those IDP rosters.
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DEFENSIVE LINE
ED Josh Sweat, Philadelphia Eagles
The biggest question mark for Sweat coming into this season was not his ability as a pass-rusher, but whether he'd to see enough snaps to be a trustworthy IDP in 2021. The good news for Sweat is that he led all Eagles edge rushers with a 55% snap share in Week 1, just a few snaps more than Brandon Graham (49%), Ryan Kerrigan (48%) and Derek Barnett (45%). The bad news: This already feels like it could be a heavy rotation all season long.
Sweat won 15.0% of his pass-rush attempts Sunday — five points higher than his 2020 season rate — which is an encouraging sign that he can continue to be a force on the defensive line. While his box score consisted of just six assisted tackles and two pressures on the day, his snap percentage should signal better days ahead. He’s safe to pick up off the waiver wire where available.
ED John Franklin-Myers, New York Jets
This may be the last chance to grab Franklin-Myers off the wire, coming off a productive Week 1 against the Panthers. We’ve covered him multiple times throughout the offseason, including labeling him an IDP breakout candidate back in July. The Carl Lawson injury increased Franklin-Myers’ chances to play a larger role this season, and he did just that Sunday, leading all Jets defensive linemen in total snaps (69%). He looked good, earning an 80.7 overall grade.
Franklin-Myers also added four pressures, a sack, three tackles, two tackles for loss and two QB hits. If you were waiting to see what Franklin-Myers did with a full-time role, then don’t waste anymore time. He’ll be a hot commodity in most IDP formats.
ED Payton Turner, New Orleans Saints
This one is more of a speculative add, as Turner didn't actually suit up on Sunday, but the team’s current starter in his position, Marcus Davenport, is dealing with a pectoral injury that could sideline him for the immediate future. Carl Granderson and Tanoh Kpassagnon played a fair bit on Sunday as well, but they are not the kind of high-upside replacements we’re looking for. Turner would be the first option where available.
Even though Turner has yet to play an NFL snap, including the preseason, he did earn a 90.0 pass-rush grade and 87.7 overall grade in his final year at college before being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. If he’s activated for Week 2, the Saints are probably going to give him a healthy enough workload in Davenport’s absence to make him worth an early pickup in case Davenport misses substantial time.
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