Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 6

​Quinton Dial, Defensive Lineman

Due to the riskiness inherent in the defensive tackle position, we can often get discounts on their upside. When we have to resort to streaming them -- as we do in Week 6 -- we should aim for the highest upside possible. That may be what we have here in San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Quinton Dial.

I refer to Dial as a “lineman” and not “tackle” or “end” because he has rotated between those spots typically. This season, with nose tackle Ian Williams on injured reserve, Dial and Mike Purcell have split the nose tackle duties nearly 50/50. This limit to just 50 percent of the 49ers’ defensive snaps makes Dial one of the riskier plays this week, but he also has the seventh-highest tackle rate among the 117 defensive linemen to average 30 snaps a game so far. Dial soaks up value when he’s on the field (if only they’d let him on the field more).

This matchup is an exciting one for him, too. The Buffalo Bills rank in the top-10 of sack rate allowed and stuff rate allowed to opposing defenses, meaning Dial has a chance for big play action. Buffalo is the fourth most run-heavy team in terms of pass-to-run play calling ratio, too, so there will be plenty of Lesean McCoy carries than Dial will be able to drop behind the line.

Dial is available in 99.2% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 3.42 tackles, 0.07 sacks, and a total score of 3.77 fantasy points in Week 6.