2010 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 7

I came away from the weekend with mixed emotions. On the good side of things my Iowa Hawkeyes had a nice win over their Big 10 rival Michigan on Saturday, the majority of my waiver wire suggestions came through with good performances, and most of my fantasy teams did well. On the flip side, my Cowboys suffered another excruciating loss and the Texans failed to cover the 4 1/2 point spread by 1/2 point costing me a good amount of money. If you want to here my complain some more, click here for my latest “Rants” article.

But, my mood is taking a turn for the better as it’s time for another IDP Waiver Wire article!

Here are a few IDP news tidbits from Week 6:

DeMeco Ryans tore his achilles and is out for the season. Zac Diles will take over at MLB and instantly become a three-down linebacker. He’s going to have LB2 value. He’s on bye this week, but is worth a grab and stash if you have a deeper IDP roster. Xavier Adibi and Daryl Sharpton will battle it out for the WLB spot. I’d bet that Adibi gets the job, but I don’t see much value there.

Eric Weddle emerged from his cave to post 12 tackles (11 solo) in a losing effort against the Rams. This is likely an aberration and I wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to pickup the once, top-level IDP.

With the injury to Robert Ayers, Denver has reverted back to a 4-3 defense. This is good news for D.J. Williams owners as he will likely see even more tackle opportunities as he should be more well protected. Jason Hunter and Mario Haggan’s value probably takes a slight hit as they won’t be rushing the passer as much.

Barrett Ruud continued his streak of mediocre performances against a good matchup in the Saints. I’ve personally lost faith in Rudd as an LB1 or even a high LB2 until he proves otherwise. The below average play of the defensive interior line and increased competition for tackles with Quincy Black and Geno Hayes seems to be putting a serious dent in his production.

University of Iowa alumni Pat Angerer filled in very well for the injured veteran Gary Brackett last game by posting 11 tackles and a sack. This guy was the leading tackler in the preseason and continued his impressive play on Sunday. The coaching staff feels very confident in his abilities as they allowed him to wear the green dot (i.e. call the plays) in his first career start. Angerer is currently stonewalled behind all three starting linebackers but figures to get his chance sooner than later as Gary Brackett and Phillip Wheeler have been underperforming and Clint Session is injury-prone. This guy is a must-stash in dynasty leagues. I’m sure glad we have him in our very competitive HAFAX league.

Here are the waiver wire suggestions for Week 7:

1. LDE/LOLB Andre Carter (WAS) @ CHI – If there ever was a week to start the old, decrepit, barely has a pulse, Andre Carter, it’s this week against the Bears. My 86 year old grandmother could sack Jay Cutler at this point in the season. There are some leagues that still classify Carter as a lineman. He’s a worthwhile play this week in those leagues.

2. RDE Haloti Ngata (BAL) vs. BUF – Haloti Crapa! This guy is on fire! I recommended picking him up back in Week 5 and since then he’s had 10 tackles (4 for a loss) and two sacks. He’s got a pretty nice matchup against the Bills this week and makes for a solid DL2 with upside.

3. RDE Chris Clemons (SEA) vs. ARI – Clemons has been coming through for owners on a consistent basis and should be able to stay fresh as he rotates out for a good majority of snaps. He faces the Arizona Cardinals and rookie Max Hall this week and has a above average chance to capture a sack.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

LDE Jason Babin (TEN) vs. PHI – This former 1st round pick has 6 sacks in his first 6 games and gets the 2nd best matchup for linemen with the Eagles this week. Linemen are tough to come by and when you get a hot player with a good matchup, you have to take it regardless of the name.

1. SILB Andra Davis (BUF) @ BAL – Davis has established himself as one of the better deep-league flex plays at the linebacker position. Even though he’s only a two-down linebacker, he still manages to put up solid tackle numbers due to his above average tackle opportunities and ability to shed blocks well. He faces a Ravens team this week who gave up a whopping 46 total tackles to the four starting Patriots linebackers. Granted some of that was due to the generosity of the New England scorekeeper, but the Ravens have been consistently dishing out the fantasy points to opposing linebackers and are now currently ranked 1st in the league in that regard. Davis makes a nice LB2 option this week.

2. ILBs Desmond Bishop/AJ Hawk (GB) vs. MIN – Bishop and Hawk both continued to play well in last week’s game against the Dolphins. They have another great matchup this week against the Vikings who will likely run the ball a bunch with Adrian Peterson as Favre is quite banged up. Both linebackers make nice LB2/LB3 choices in Week 7.

3. SILB Bradie James (DAL) vs. NYG – If you’ve been reading my articles then you know that Keith Brooking is all but dead to me at this point in the season. Bradie James played quite well last week against the Vikings even though he was still battling some injuries. He tends to heat up during the middle of the season and should provide owners with a steady dose of tackles for the next few games.

4. MLB Dhani Jones @ ATL – This guy is like Old Faithful. He gets the job done when he’s suppose to. He has a fantastic matchup against the Falcons this week and should be able to put up 9-10 total tackles. After an embarrassing loss to the Eagles last week, Atlanta will try and establish the run early with Michael Turner which should lead to plenty of tackle opportunities for Jones and company.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

MLB Stewart Bradley (PHI) @ TEN – “Stewie” has been dropped in a lot of leagues this year after suffering a concussion in Week 1 against the Cheeseheads. Like most players, he’s been a bit slow to recover from that injury but should be close to a full recovery in Week 7 against CJ2K and the Titans. Bradley will likely be the “spy” on CJ and should rack up 8 solos or more with a couple of assists. The Eagles have been using him more frequently in blitz packages as he has two sacks so far this season so there’s an increased possibility for a big play as well.

1. LCB Terrell Thomas (NYG) vs. DAL – “T-squared” has been extremely consistent so far this season by registering at least 4 solo tackles in each of his first 6 games. He draws the Cowboys this week who continue to give up a ton of points to opposing fantasy cornerbacks as Romo throws early and often to his wideouts. I’d feel comfortable starting Thomas as a CB1 in leagues that require you start that position if I didn’t have a ton of options.
***CB-REQUIRED SPECIAL***

2. SS Paul Oliver (SD) vs. NE – Oliver continues to put up solid numbers in place of Steven Gregory. Gregory is still out for a few more games and Oliver should continue to grab 5-8 tackles a game.

3. SS William Moore (ATL) vs. CIN – Moore has been mentioned in my articles multiple times over the last few weeks. He’s now the starter in Atlanta over veteran Erik Coleman and has already had 3 interceptions so far this season. Along with this big play ability, Moore’s tackle numbers should improve once he becomes more comfortable in the system. I would stash him away in dynasty leagues and give him a shot as a DB3 during week’s that he has a good matchup.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

SS Donte Whitner (BUF) @ BAL – I’ve been pimping Whitner for weeks now. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, now’s the time to do so. He’s coming off a bye and has a nice matchup against the Ravens who allowed 13 total tackles to strong safety Patrick Chung last week. Whitner is a DB1 in tackle-heavy leagues moving forward.

Thanks a bunch for reading and feel free to ask me any specific questions. I want to help you dominate your fantasy leagues!

Until next time, this is The IDP Guru signing off.

Last Updated: October 19, 2010