We're near the halfway point of the season in Week 8 with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on a bye. If you see any players from those squads that shouldn't be on waivers, try to take advantage of someone else's roster crunch.
Each week, we'll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.
Defensive Linemen
EDGE Boye Mafe, Cincinnati Bengals
The former Seattle Seahawk came out of the bye week flying toward the quarterback. He had five tackles and 1.5 sacks in Week 7 - his third straight game with at least one sack. He also has the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons
and Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule over the next three weeks, and they allow a ton of sacks.
EDGE David Walker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2025 second-round pick was on our radar last week with seven tackles and two sacks. He followed it up in Week 7 with five solo tackles. They have the Falcons this week, which should be another good matchup.
Linebackers
LB Kendal Daniels, Atlanta Falcons
Daniels was carted off with a neck injury in Week 6, which put his status in question for Week 7. All he did was tally 11 tackles, a fumble recovery and an INT. Pick him up.
LB Derrick Barnes, Detroit Lions
Barnes has been good for most of the season - just not great. He had four solo and two assisted tackles in Week 7 coming off the bye week. He now has six total tackles in four of six games. He'll face the run-heavy Minnesota Vikings this week in a great matchup.
LB Tyrice Knight, Seattle Seahawks
Knight's status here hinges on Drake Thomas' (ankle) status. While Thomas was out, Knight recorded eight tackles in each of the last two games. That's a good floor to run out there as your flex.
Defensive Backs
S Kevin Byard, New England Patriots
Having Byard on your fantasy roster early in the season was a snooze-fest, even in deep leagues. He had five, four, five, two and three tackles. He added one pass defense total to that. However, over the last two weeks, he had seven tackles and a PD, followed by seven more tackles last week. It might be time to buy back against the Miami Dolphins this week.
S A.J. Haulcy, Indianapolis Colts
The third-round pick is starting to compile some stats. Over the last three weeks, he has six, six and nine tackles. He hasn't done much else statistically, but if he can keep up around that seven-to-eight-tackle range, he will remain a weekly consideration. He has a great matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8.
CB Kyler Gordon, Chicago Bears
Gordon debuted in Week 6 and exploded with four tackles, two forced fumbles and three sacks. He posted five tackles and another sack in Week 7 for his encore. He's flex-worthy right now.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 8
