2010 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 14

Fantasy Football playoffs are cranking up. Some teams are in, some teams are out. For those of you still in the race, hopefully this waiver wire suggestions will help you in your pursuit of a championship.

Here are a few IDP news tidbits from Week 13:

Pat Chung had a very disappointing performance this week as he wasn’t playing in all of the teams packages and therefore did not have very many opportunities for tackles. I wouldn’t trust him as anything more than a DB3 moving forward.

Takeo Spikes had a monster game while Patrick Willis was surprisingly quiet. I wouldn’t read into this very much, however.

Abram Elam had yet another solid game, while T.J. Ward had perhaps his worst of the season. I view them both as about equal right now as I consider Ward the safer play but Elam the player with more upside.

Stephen Tulloch continues to be a beast. He may be the best fantasy linebacker out there right now.

Sean Lee continues to see increased playing time and is looking like he will be a great dynasty stash for next season.

Here are the waiver wire suggestions for Week 14:

1. LDE Jeremy Mincey (JAX) vs. OAK – Mincey has had 3 solid games since becoming a starter four weeks ago. He hasn’t been spectacular by any means, but he’s been above average for fantasy purposes and he has an appealing matchup against the Raiders this week. He’s a decent DL3 option.

2. RDE Stylez White (TB) @ WAS – White has been a disappointment this year in the eyes of many fantasy owners. I personally expected him to come close to reaching double digit sacks in 2010. Although it doesn’t look like he will reach that goal, he has a good chance for a sack this week against the Redskins who are one of the best matchups for opposing fantasy defensive lineman.

3. LDE Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG) @ MIN – I pointed out in my article last week that JPP was a nice play in deeper leagues and owners that picked him up were rewarded handsomely as he pulled in two sacks. That makes four in his last two games. He’s getting better with each passing game and has a decent matchup this week in the Vikings. He should be a solid DL3.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

LDE Justin Smith (SF) vs. SEA – Smith is consistently one of the best fantasy lineman that plays in a 3-4 defense. The Seahawks have really struggled to protect the quarterback at times this year. I really like Smith’s chances for a solid game.

1. WLB Jason Williams (CAR) vs. ATL – Williams has played well for the Panthers on the weak side (14 total tackles in two games) and has one of the best matchups an opposing linebacker can have this week in the Falcons. I would expect 6 or 7 solos and a couple of assists.

2. SILB Akin Ayodole (BUF) vs. CLE – Ayodele is a player that can be very valuable come fantasy playoff time. He’s readily available on most waiver wires and he the potential to to put up LB2-type numbers. The Bills defense continues to be on the field on a ton and should get a big dose of Peyton Hillis this week. I like Davis for 8-10 total tackles this week.

3. Dhani Jones (CIN) @ PIT – Jones is one of the safest pickups on a week-to-week basis because even if he doesn’t produce in the solo tackle column, he usually has 4 or 5 assists to at least help him put up some respectable numbers. I have a feeling he will have a good game this week in Steel City.

4. SILB Brandon Siler (SD) vs. KC – Siler has been a favorite IDP underdog of people who follow this portion of fantasy football closely for the last couple of years. With Stephen Cooper hurt last week, Siler got his chance at an every-down role and produced well with 12 total tackles. He’ll see a ton of running attempts this week against KC and should put up a good amount of tackles.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

WLB David Hawthorne (SEA) @ SF – Even though the matchup isn’t the greatest and Hawthorne still isn’t playing in a lot of subpackages, he’s definitely worth a pickup. He’s shown that he can be a LB1 stud linebacker when given the chance. He’s had an amazing 39 total tackles in his last 3 games and is showing no signs of slowing down. Plus, the 49ers probably won’t run a ton of multiple receiver sets and therefore the Seahawks will likely be in their base package a majority of the game. This bodes well for Hawthorne.

1. LCB Cortland Finnegan (TEN) vs. IND – Finnegan has been pretty solid the last four weeks (25 solo tackles). He gets to go up against Peyton Manning this week and should see plenty of opportunities for tackles and interceptions. I would feel comfortable starting him as a CB1 this week if I didn’t have great options at that position.

2. SS Reed Doughty (WAS) vs. TB – There are rumors swirling around that LaRon Landry may return this week. If this is the case, Doughty doesn’t have much value. However, if Landry is unable to go this week, Doughty is a solid DB2 pickup regardless of the matchup. He’s posted back-to-back 10 tackle games while filling in for LaRon and should continue to post similar numbers given the proper amount of snaps.

3. LCB Captain Munnerlyn (CAR) vs. ATL – Munnerlyn has taken over the starting LCB role from Chris Gamble and he produced fairly well by registering 6 solos and an interception in each of the last two games he’s started. He get’s the pleasure of playing Roddy White and the Falcons. He probably won’t be covering White all the time, but he should get his fair share of chances for fantasy points.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

SS Craig Dahl (STL) @ NO – The strong safety position in Saint Louis has been a very productive one from a fantasy standpoint since the days of Adam Archuleta. Since Week 8, Dahl has taken a majority of the snaps at the position and has consequently become one of the most consistent tacklers at his position in all of fantasy football. His matchup against the Saints is a good one and he should be able to keep up his 7 solo tackle pace over his last 5 games.

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: December 7 , 2010