2014 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 13
Hello and welcome back to the IDPGuru.com’s most popular in-season article, IDP Waiver Wire Pickups, which will be releasing every Tuesday of the regular season.
Let’s start things off by going through some IDP news, notes, and commentary from Week 12 of the NFL season.
Injury Round-Up
The Chiefs placed Eric Berry on the reserve/non-football illness (team believes he has lymphoma). He’s done for the year. Let’s hope for a full recovery.
Tashaun Gipson is done for the regular season with a torn MCL.
Muhammad Wilkerson was forced from Monday night’s game against the Bills with a toe injury. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday. We should get a better idea of his status for this Sunday’s game over the next couple of days.
Steelers ILB Ryan Shazier (ankle) and SS Troy Polamalu are expected to return for Week 13.
Broncos LB Brandon Marshall suffered a concussion in the team’s Week 12 game against the Dolphins and did not return. He’s currently in the league’s concussion protocol and is questionable to play in this week’s game. In somewhat related news, Danny Trevathan (knee) is targeting Week 14 for his return.
Both Lance Briggs (groin) and Kyle Fuller (knee) are shaping up to be game time decisions against the Lions on Thanksgiving.
General Player Notes
Robert Quinn laid a goose egg against the Chargers last week, making it his 2nd straight dud performance. He gets the Raiders this week who are actually a poor matchup for pass rushers as they have been sacked the 2nd least behind the Broncos. So he may struggle again to find his way to the quarterback. He’s just got too much upside to bench, however.
Bobby Wagner had a somewhat disappointing return to the starting lineup registering just two solo tackles. However, owners shouldn’t be too worried – the production was there, it was just the assist-heavy Seattle stat crew distorting his stat line (2-6 very well could have been 6-2). Three of his next four games are on the road, so we should see a nice uptick in fantasy points from him during the fantasy playoffs.
Similar to Week 10, Quintin Demps split time with Stevie Brown at safety. We just can’t trust either player moving forward. Consider them both banished to the fantasy wasteland until further notice.
Redskins RCB David Amerson was a healthy scratch for Week 12 after he violated a team rule.
Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 13!
(Please note that a majority of these pickups are long-term, rest of season pickups as opposed to matchup-type recommendations. As the season progresses and the waiver wire becomes more thin and matchup information becomes more reliable, the focus of this article will shift more towards recommendations based on weekly matchup.)
Defensive Linemen
(Previously recommended DLs: Gerald McCoy, Willie Young, Cameron Heyward, Sen’Derrick Marks, Wallace Gilberry, William Gholston, Jurrell Casey, Corey Liuget, Mario Addison, Johnathan Hankins, Michael Johnson, Anthony Spencer, Cameron Heyward, Brian Robison, Jurrell Casey, Frostee Rucker, Ezekiel Ansah, Jerry Hughes, Jason Hatcher, Aaron Donald, Michael Johnson, Charles Johnson, Ryan Davis, Henry Melton, Dontari Poe, Robert Ayers, Derrick Morgan, Allen Bailey, Jacquies Smith, Sheldon Richardson)
DE Cliff Avril (SEA) – Avril is coming off a 2 sack performance against the Cardinals. He gets a top 3 DE matchup against the 49ers this week, so another multiple sack week could be coming. Just be aware that Avril is not a tackle producer, so this recommendation is for those in big play leagues.
DE Jason Hatcher (WAS) – I recommended Hatcher last week and he came through for owners with 3 solo tackles and a sack. He makes the list again this week as he has another fantastic matchup against a Colts team that is currently giving up the 2nd most points to defensive ends. A fairly decent streaming option this week.
DE Robert Ayers (NYG) – Who would have thought Ayers would be leading the Giants in sacks 12 games into the season? He’s got 5 total on the year and 3 over his last 4 games. He’ll look to add to that total against the ridiculously porous Jacksonville offensive line. He’ll serve as a solid DL3-DL3+ this week.
DE Desmond Bryant (CLE) – Bryant’s been a top 5-10 defensive lineman over his last three games. He has a really good chance to keep that hot streak going against a Bills team that is the #1 matchup for defensive ends. He’ll be a top 30 play in balanced and even higher in tackle heavy scoring systems.
Linebackers
(Previously recommended LBs: Sio Moore, Jamie Collins, Josh Mauga, Rolando McClain, Brandon Marshall, Emmanuel Lamur, Larry Foote, Jelani Jenkins, Preston Brown, A.J. Hawk, David Hawthorne, Anthony Hitchens, Brian Cushing, Jelani Jenkins, Danny Trevathan, Donald Butler, Prince Shembo, Keenan Robinson, Tahir Whitehead, Justin Durant, Jacquian Williams. Nigel Bradham, Miles Burris, Vincent Rey, Malcolm Smith, Dont’a Hightower, Chad Greenway, J.T. Thomas, Anthony Barr, Avery Williamson, Chris Borland, Michael Wilhoite, K.J. Wright, Mychal Kendricks, Clay Matthews, Ramon Humber, Demario Davis, Jameel McClain, Bjoern Werner)
ILB Avery Williamson (TEN) – Williamson saw a slight dip in playing time last week, but he continues to be utilized heavily in the blitz game which has led to 3 sacks over his last 4 games. He has also provided owners with decent tackle production as of late. With a fantastic remaining schedule (Texans, Giants, Jets, Jaguars), Williamson should serve owners well as an LB3+ the rest of the way.
ILB Rolando McClain (DAL) – After a hot start to the season, McClain’s production waned over his next several games as he struggled through multiple injury issues. That said, he seemed healthier than he’s been all season coming out of the Cowboys’ Week 10 bye week, posting a season high 11 tackles (10 solos) against the Giants. The matchup this week (and Week 15) against the Eagles is poor, but he has strong matchups in the Bears and Colts on the remaining schedule. With little tackle competition around him, he’s worth an add as a LB3 in 12 and 14 team leagues.
ILB Telvin Smith (JAX) – After spending the entire season as a part-time player, Smith played every down in Week 12. This had a significant impact on his tackle production as he doubled his previous solo tackle high of 5, and threw in 3 assists and 2 fumble recoveries to boot. I expect Smith to stay in subpackages from here on out and with the Giants, Texans, and Ravens coming up on the schedule, he’s a great add for the fantasy postseason.
ILB Craig Robertson (CLE) – It was Robertson, not the rookie Christian Kirksey, who seemed to fully take advantage of Karlos Dansby’s absence in Week 12. I personally don’t think Dansby is going to return this week which should mean another game in the sun for Robertson who should be able to stack up tackles against Buffalo and their overly generous stat crew.
Defensive Backs
(Previously recommended DBs: Donte Whitner, D.J. Swearinger, Leodis McKelvin, Ryan Mundy, Robert Blanton, Josh Evans, Prince Amukamara, Tyrann Mathieu, Kyle Fuller, Antoine Cason, Aaron Williams, Tony Jefferson, Byron Maxwell, Husain Abdullah, Brock Vereen, Tony Jefferson, Rashad Johnson, Brandon Meriweather, Reshad Jones, Brandon Flowers, Kemal Ishmael, George Wilson, Quintin Demps, Usama Young, Cortez Allen, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, James Ihedigbo, Deone Bucannon, LaRon Landry, Kendrick Lewis, Major Wright, Brent Grimes, Rafael Bush, Patrick Chung, Larry Asante, Eric Berry, Mike Adams)
S James Ihedigbo (DET) – Ihedigbo continues to impress. He’s manged above average production in nearly every single week and he’s done it in a multitude of ways. His overall stat line to date tells the story: 41 solos, 9 assists, 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 6 pass deflections (in 8 games). Chances are he’s probably not available in your league, but if he is, it’s time to grab him. DB2+ bordering on every week elite DB1 value.
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (GB) – Much like Ihedigbo above, it’s unlikely that HHCD is a free agent in your league as he’s put up pretty solid production since Week 4. Some of you in shallower leagues may still have a chance to pick him up though. The resurgence of Brady to Gronk in New England has made them a plus matchup for opposing safeties and I’m expecting a big game out of Clinton-Dix (and Morgan Burnett). Consider him a top 10 play this week.
SS Ron Parker (KC) – The unfortunate news of Eric Berry’s possible lymphoma diagnosis means that Parker moving back to strong safety is a distinct possibility. He played well there in replace of Berry earlier this season. He’s had 4 straight games of 6 solos or more leading up to this week, so he has good momentum to keep that going against a pass heavy Broncos attack that has been a pretty good matchup for secondary players as of late. DB3-.
CB Orlando Scandrick (DAL) – Scandrick has only eclipsed 4 solo tackles twice in his 9 games this season, but the Eagles have been a godsend for opposing fantasy cornerbacks. So, although not the most ideal option, he has a good shot at 5-6 solos this week with decent big play upside. This may make him an attractive CB2 play for those in corner-required leagues.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at theidpguru@idpguru.com or follow me on Twitter. Also, feel free to post any questions or comments for me in the comments section of this post.
Last Updated: November 25, 2014