Week 8 IDP Hits: This Chief and Others Are Hiding Big Sack Upside

But First, an Important Correction and an IDP Riser

I have to start by apologizing for a mistake here.

I wrote in this week’s IDP waiver wire article that Falcons LB Divine Deablo was on IR with a forearm fracture. That’s not the case. He’s dealing with a forearm injury that cost him last week, but Deablo returned to practice this week and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.

That especially matters because his return to action would almost certainly knock LB Kendal Daniels’ playing time back down from the 100% of last week and make him a shaky IDP play at best. 

There’s room for a second full-time LB next to Deablo. He and Kaden Elliss played such roles together last year. But this year’s Falcons staff has elected to split time between Daniels and fellow rookie Harold Perkins next to Deablo. So we’ll have to assume that will remain the case until we see or hear otherwise.

I’m not sure at this point how I made the error, but I’m guessing that in reading up on Deablo’s situation, I mistakenly looked at something referring to last year’s forearm fracture that landed him on IR.

Anyway, I’m sorry about that error if you grabbed Daniels off waivers earlier this week and have been planning to start him. Deablo’s “optimistic” about his chances of playing, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. I’ve moved Daniels down the Week 8 LB rankings and added Deablo.

Here’s the Biggest Winner of the DeForest Buckner Trade

OK, in real football, that’s probably the 49ers. But the star DT’s move from Indy to San Francisco clears room for a fourth-year ex-teammate whose name I’d prefer to I’d prefer to not have to type too often.

Adetomiwa Adebawore opened the season by playing 30% of the defensive snaps or less in each of the first three games. That climbed to 40% or higher in three of the past four contests, even before Buckner’s departure. The trade figures to push that further.

The fourth-round pick from 2023 is traditionally undersized for the position (6’2, 282 pounds) but also brings rare speed and quickness for a DT. According to PlayerProfiler, Adebawore’s 2023 Combine performance delivered a:

• 100th-percentile 40 time among DTs
• 100th-percentile speed score
• 100th-percentile burst score (drawing from testing jumps)
• 99th-percentile agility score

That has converted to limited production on limited playing time in the NFL. Adebawore has just 10.5 career sacks halfway through his fourth season in the league. But there have been some recent sources for optimism.

Time for Colts to Find Out What They’ve Got

Adebawore finally get a stretch of boosted playing time over the second half of last season when Buckner left Week 8 early, returned for Week 9, but then missed seven of the final eight contests.

From Week 8 on, Adebawore tied for 16th among interior D-linemen in pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, while ranking 23rd at the position in pass rushes. The eight games in which Buckner left early or sat out completely produced 3.5 sacks, 4 QB hits, 23 pressures, 8 solo tackles, and 15 assists.

This year has already found him matching last season’s sack total (4), thanks largely to a strong outing vs. Minnesota last Sunday.

Adebawore played a season-high 49.2% of the snaps and racked up …

• 5 tackles (4 solo)
• 2 sacks
• 1 pass defensed

His 5 total pressures were the second-most he has posted in a single game in his career. And here’s what NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Thursday:

Adebawore’s in the final year of his rookie contract. Interest from other teams points to displayed talent. And if the Colts are truly unwilling to move him -- despite no guarantee of extending him -- then that confirms they expect a boost in production.

Adeboware’s an intriguing option for DT-required lineup spots in IDP leagues the rest of the way. And now might be a particularly good time to stash the 25-year-old in dynasty leagues with such requirements.

George Karlaftis Leads Gang of Sneaky Sack Bets

Sacks don’t come close to telling you the full story on who’s faring best at rushing the passer. Judging on that stat alone would be a bit like using only rushing TDs to judge -- and project -- fantasy RBs.

Sometimes a player gets a sack boost from playing amid such a strong group of rushers that he lucks into reaching the QB more often. Other times, a guy might generate regular pressure but simply come up short of finishing off those plays.

Most IDP leagues don’t award fantasy points for pressure plays beyond the sack. But even if you play in such a format, you can still benefit from looking beyond the sack totals to see who might have a sneaky big game -- or stretch of enhanced production -- on the way.

Here are some candidates for the second half of this season:

QBs Definitely Feeling Chiefs Lead Rusher

Kansas City Edge George Karlaftis has just 1 sack through six games, and he waited until his fifth outing to notch that one against the Chargers.

But the fifth-year man has delivered 15 QB hits, tied with Houston’s Will Anderson for sixth-most and leading both Anderson and Vegas’ Maxx Crosby in hits per game.

Karlaftis finished last season with just 6 sacks and has reached 10 in a season only once. But the 25-year-old is working on career highs in both hits per game (2.5) and pressures per game (5.5). So we should expect some correction to his sack total soon.

That might not come this week against a Broncos offense that has allowed just 9 sacks through seven games, but a Week 9 date with the Jets and Geno Smith’s 3 sacks per game looks far more attractive.

Second-Year Giant in a Quietly Good Spot?

Abdul Carter shouldn’t be a sneaky player himself. The Giants drafted him third overall just last year, so everyone’s clearly expecting pass-rush results.

The sack numbers haven’t lined up yet. He finished his rookie year with just 4 and appears on the way to similar 2026 results with just a pair of sacks through seven games.

But Carter’s playing better than that. He’s tied for 15th among edge players in total pressures, according to PFF, and ranked fourth on his own in pass-rush grade. I’m not sure how much to trust that latter category, given Carter’s T-15th rank in pressures vs. his No. 4 rank in total pass rushes, but the youngster does have at least 1 QB hit in five of his seven contests so far.

He also leads the team in total pass rushes, which points to the Giants not limiting his opportunities vs. other edge contributors.

Carter’s probably welcoming the bye week. He entered Week 6 with a calf issue that cost him two practices, rendered him questionable against the Saints, and resulted in a season-low 65.3% snap share.

Carter avoided last week’s injury report and got back to 93.4% playing time or the OT win at Houston, but a little extra rest can’t hurt.

He’ll return from the bye to face Tanner McKee’s Eagles and then Washington, whose QBs rank seventh and ninth among multi-game starters in highest pressure rate faced.

Don’t be shocked if Carter delivers a pair of nice fantasy outings after this week’s bye.

The Ravens Vet Who Might Not Help You at All

We know what Trey Hendrickson is 10 years into his career: a boom-bust, sack-reliant IDP option. And this week has presented much more bust than boom.

That doesn’t fully capture his performance, of course. Hendrickson has contributed just 2 sacks among 5 total tackles in five appearances (around surgery for a finger injury). But he ranks a nice 18th among edges in total pressures while tying for just 51st in total pass rushes.

However, the 32-year-old (until Dec. 5) is also working on a career-worst tackling grade from PFF and his worst pass-rushing grade since 2019, Hendrickson’s penultimate season in New Orleans.

The vet does have QB hits in four straight games, with 6 total over that span. He remains an upside sack bet in positive matchups and is garnering the same snap share as in his final Bengals season. That’s not far off his previous rates, which generally ran in the mid-60s. (Hendrickson’s at 61.5% this year.)

I’ve found PFF grading to be unreliable, in that it varies in how much it appears to match actual performance and offers any help to projecting future production. But comparing Hendrickson’s current grades with his previous works with the current production level and his age to suggest we’re probably looking at a post-peak version of the player.

So be careful not to over-trust a rebound in sack numbers from Hendrickson the rest of the way. But consider him a lineup option in upside spots such as Week 10 against the Chargers and Week 11 at Carolina.

This Cowboy Could Help in Week 9

Rashan Gary’s career has presented a tale of hidden pressure. His seven years in Green Bay included nary a 10-sack season, but he tallied 20+ QB hits on three occasions, including last year.

Gary’s influence looks especially hidden this year, though, after an offseason trade to Dallas. He has just 1 sack among 17 total tackles through seven games. He does sit tied for 15th among edges in pressures, though -- with Abdul Carter -- despite ranking just 31st at the position in pass rushes.

Gary also leads Cowboys edges in rush attempts. So like Carter, his numbers don’t belie a relative lack of opportunity.

That said, Gary’s history doesn’t make a big sack rebound look likely. And a career that has never included a season of 30 solo tackles presents a low weekly fantasy floor.

So I wouldn’t count on Gary as a significant second-half IDP contributor. Even this week’s matchup with the Cardinals doesn’t present as good a spot as it should. Despite Arizona leading the league in pass attempts, QB Jacoby Brissett has averaged just 2.1 sacks taken per contest.

He has, however, taken eight of those among the past three games. So there’s some appeal to Gary in deeper leagues. A Week 9 visit to Indy looks more attractive, though.

Daniel Jones’ 39.2% pressure rate ranks 13th-highest among multi-game starters and is up from last year’s 35.2%. That’s before the Colts traded away G Quenton Nelson. And it seems RB Jonathan Taylor could be gone by the Colts-Cowboys clash.

Here’s a Sneaky DT for This Week

Let’s close this out with an interior lineman who presents some Week 8 upside.

Falcons DT Brandon Dorlus has just 1 sack through seven games. But he’s tied for third among all interior linemen with 24 pressures, according to PFF. That’s already just two short of his total for all of last season, on 125 fewer rushes. And there’s optimism in the pair of DTs he’s tied with.

One is teammate Gervon Dexter, pointing to the surprising strength of this year’s Atlanta front. The other is stud Jeffery Simmons, who just commanded the largest draft-pick haul ever given for a DT. I’m not saying Dorlus rushes the QB near as well as Simmons, but he’s tied with the former Titan in pressures despite 52 fewer pass rushes.

This week pits Dorlus, Dexter, and the rest of the Falcons against a Bucs offense that has yielded the league’s fourth-highest sack rate this season.

If you need help at DT this week, give Dorlus a look. He’ll also find positive spots in these later-season matchups:

• Week 12 at Minnesota
• Week 14 at Cleveland
• Week 15 at Washington
• Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay

Who Belongs in Your IDP Lineup?

Have trouble figuring out which IDPs to get into your lineup each week? The Team Dashboard combines our 3D Projections with the specifics of your situation to give you a clear picture every week.