Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 4

Pernell McPhee, Defensive End/Linebacker

I love my hybrid players. That’s exactly how the Chicago Bears must feel as well, as they are working on completing a transition from the most traditional 4-3 defense in the league to a new 3-4 under former San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Pernell McPhee is an adaptable player who these new-look Bears have built around, as he came from the Baltimore Ravens’ hybrid front. McPhee has experience both as a defensive end and a rush linebacker, and with 2 sacks and 7 tackles in Week 3, he’s showing that he can follow up his career-high 7.5 sacks from 2014 well.

In Week 4, the hapless Bears host the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field. The unfortunate fact for McPhee’s fantasy chances is that the Raiders have allowed the second-fewest percentage of pressures on a per-drop back basis in 2015. That said, they’ve been one of the pass-heaviest teams in the league, both in total plays and in pass-to-run ratio, which should provide McPhee plenty of chances to test the rebuilt offensive line for weaknesses. With Jared Allen recently traded away, McPhee will be the featured rusher; I expect him to live up to his promotion.

McPhee is available in 91.2% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for around 3.0 tackles, 0.5 sacks, a pass defensed, and a total score of 4.74 balanced fantasy points in Week 4.