2011 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 10

Before we get to the waiver wire writeups for this week however, let’s take a brief moment to cover off on some important IDP notes from week 9:

Jerod Mayo’s snap count was still limited in week 9 and probably should remain on your bench until he gets a game under his belt in which he plays all three downs consistently.

Rolando McClain was active last Sunday, however he didn’t play and was only available in an “emergency” situation. This is a something to carefully monitor this week.

Morgan Burnett had a clunker of a game against the pass-heavy San Diego Chargers last week. His counterpart, Charlie Peprah, however had 5 total tackles and 2 interceptions. Burnett’s numbers have fallen off a bit since he injured his hand and moved to free safety in replace of Nick Collins. He’s supposedly getting the cast of his hand sometime in the near future but it seems as though the position change has affected his overall value slightly. I would rank him in the low-end DB2 range for now.

Sean Lee missed last week’s game with a dislocated wrist and there were rumors that he may miss the rest of the season. However, the latest reports are saying that Lee will play this week against the Bills. He will play with a cast on his hand which will hinder not only his big play ability but his tackling ability as well. Consider him a LB2 moving forward.

D.J. Williams continued to struggle in the box scores as he was only able to muster 4 total tackles against the Raiders last week. However, Oakland was without Darren McFadden and Denver’s defense wasn’t on the field as much as they normally are. I wouldn’t be too concerned with Williams’ performance of late. He will rebound to low LB1 status.

The Bills placed DT Kyle Williams on IR with an ankle injury on Sunday. Williams’ hadn’t been playing anyway and there won’t be much drop off, if any, with Marcell Dareus manning the position.

With last week’s notes out of the way, let’s move on to the Guru’s waiver wire selections for this week.

P.S. – I will be in Costa Rica from November 10th until November 17th with limited email access. I will do my best to post all articles and respond to reader questions as quickly as possible, however it may take me longer than usual.

LDE Carlos Dunlap (CIN) – For a part time player with only 14 total tackles and 3 sacks to his name, Carlos Dunlap has been a heavily talked about fantasy DL. For those that are paying attention, he’s stood out as an explosive and talented player. He’s seen increased playing time of late and has begun turning his quarterback pressues/hurries into sacks as he has managed 3 in his last 2 games. He has a very appealing matchup against Big Ben and the Steelers this week and is a nice high risk/upside DL3+ start.

RDE Chris Long (STL) – Long took advantage of another great matchup last week by registering a sack against the Arizona Cardinals bringing his season total to 7. His value is higher than it is ever been before and is likely to rise again after this week as he has another above average matchup against the Browns. His remaining strength of schedule is one of the easiest of any fantasy lineman and he should continue to provide owners with solid DL2 production.

LDE Cliff Avril (DET) – Avril has quietly racked up 4 sacks in his last 6 games and is outproducing fellow fantasy linemen Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch. He has a nice matchup against a recently rejuvenated Chicago Bears offensive line. He doesn’t put up much in terms of tackles, but if you are looking for a couple of solo tackles and a good shot at a sack, Avril is a nice play.

Linebackers
SILB Kevin Burnett (MIA) – Burnett started off the season on a sour note with 13 total tackles in his first 4 games, however in the first 4 games since then, he’s had 32 total tackles. He has a nice matchup this week against the Redskins who have been a top 5 matchup to inside linebackers this season. I’d feel comfortable starting him as my 3rd linebacker in a 12 team league this week.

SILB Larry Foote (PIT) – Foote is a savvy veteran who has produced for fantasy owners in the past. As long as James Farrior is out, he will continue to be an every down linebacker and put up decent numbers. He’s usually a high floor type of producer as he tends to garner a lot of assists to go along for his 4-7 solo tackles. He plays in Cincy this week whose scorekeeper tends to be quite generous with assists. With this said, if your looking for a safe amount of points out of your LB3/4, Foote is a good choice.

MLB Gary Guyton (NE) – The MCL strain suffered by Brandon Spikes is likely to sideline him for the Patriots week 10 game against the Jets leaving Guyton as a likely candidate to become an every down linebacker. His matchup against the Jets is about as good as it gets, so free to pickup GG for a one week filler if you are in desperation mode in deeper leagues.

WLB Quincy Black (TB) – Black was moved from his typical strong side linebacker position last week to the weak side as Geno Hayes was sent to the bench for performance issues. The weak side linebacker position in Tampa Bay has been a productive one dating back to the Derrick Brooks era and Black looked good has he led the team with a 7-2 statline. He has an above average matchup agains the Texans who have been providing opposing defenses with a lot of tackle opportunity recently. Consider Black an LB3+ start in week 10.

ROLB James Harrison (PIT) – Admittingly, I’ve been a bit leery of Harrison since the start of the season. He turned 33 in the off-season and was struggling through multiple back surgeries. Early on he just didn’t look like the same player. However, last Sunday Harrison turned in a game that totally changed my perception of his future season value. He had 8 solo tackles, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. It’s time to scoop Harrison up off the waiver wire if he’s there. He’s the type of player that has enough upside to help you win a championship down the stretch.

Defensive Backs
RCB Chris Harris (DEN) – Harris led the Broncos in tackles for the 2nd straight week and is quickly developing into a very viable DB3/CB2+ option. He draws the Chiefs this week who have been throwing the ball a lot more recently and Harris should have a busy day covering Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, and rookie Jonathan Baldwin.

LCB Terrence McGee (BUF) – McGee has been a solid tackle producing corner for several years. He’s a physical corner who’s not afraid to come up and stick his helmet on a ballcarrier. He was injured for the first half of this season but has posted two great tackle performances over his last three weeks and has an excellent matchup this week against the Cowboys. He’s great start in cornerback required leagues.

RCB Richard Marshall (ARI) – The Cardinals finally came to their senses and benched struggling corner A.J. Jefferson last week. Marshall had been seeing a lot of on the field snaps at cornerback anyway, however he’s due for an even heavier workload moving forward. Marshall proved during his years in Carolina that he is willing to come up and play the run and has historically put up above average tackle numbers for a cornerback. Look for that trend to continue for the rest of this season as teams will look to throw on Arizona early and often. Consider Marshall a DB3-/CB2+ for the remainder of the year.

SS Jordan Babineaux (TEN) – Babineaux has been a tackling machine since taking over for the injured Chris Hope six weeks ago. Hope has been medically cleared to practice/play, but Babineaux is likely to continue to start for the time being as he has played quite well in Hope’s absence. As long as he maintains starter status, it’s safe to play “Babs” as a DB2/DB3.

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 9, 2011