2012 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 11
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 10 of the NFL season.
George Wilson rotated again with Da’Norris Searcy. It’s looks pretty clear that this trend is going to continue. With this said, it’s safe to drop Wilson in moderate to shallow IDP leagues.
Jordan Babineaux was back to a full-time player, however he only managed to compile 1 assist in last week’s game against Miami. With Zach Brown playing well and Colin McCarthy getting more playing time, he’s just not seeing as many tackle opportunities. He will still have a couple of big tackle games, but don’t expect the same kind of tackle consistency we saw earlier in the season.
Nolan Carroll (a waiver wire recommendation last week) killed owners last week with a big, fat goose egg. He played a majority of the snaps and seemed to be healthy. I think his poor performance can be mainly attributed to the Titans only completing 9 passes. He should have a much better game this week.
Jasper Brinkley rotated with Erin Henderson in nickel subpackages. Look for this rotation to continue with Henderson having the inside track on possibly regaining his every down role sometime down the line.
Lavonte David had another monster week and is quickly developing into an every week, matchup independent LB.
David Hawthorne and Jonathan Vilma are both starting at OLB, but Jonathan Casillas is the nickel OLB.
Elvis Dumervil suffered a shoulder injury early in last week’s game and missed the remainder of the game. The injury is not as bad as originally thought, but he is still questionable for this week’s game against the Chargers. If he is a no go, Robert Ayers will take his spot in the starting lineup.
Jerrell Freeman had another stinker of a game. However, he’s still playing every down and doesn’t seem to be affected by the return of Pat Angerer. His low production is more likely due to a lack of tackle opportunity driven by below average opponent rush attempts over the last two weeks. Expect his production to rise.
Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 11!
Defensive Linemen
(Previously recommended DLs: Chandler Jones, Derrick Morgan, Derrick Wolfe, Greg Hardy, Randy Starks, Darnell Dockett, Cameron Jordan, Henry Melton, Tyson Alualu, Carlos Dunlap, Michael Bennett, Michael Johnson, Tyson Alualu, Cameron Wake, John Abraham, Everson Griffen, Terrell Suggs, Ray McDonald, Brian Robison, Chris Kelsay, Da’Quan Bowers, Jonathan Babineaux, Jerry Hughes, Austen Lane, Linval Joseph, Antonio Smith, Kamerion Wimbley)
LDT Ahytba Rubin (CLE) – Rubin missed the last couple of weeks due to a calf injury but looks like he has a good shot of playing this week against the Cowboys. Dallas has been very vulnerable up the middle from a pass-rushing perspective. Rubin’s fallen off the radar in a lot of leagues due to his injury making him a nice waiver wire option this week and a worthwhile stash for the rest of the season, especially in DT-required leagues.
RDE Justin Smith (SF) – Smith has yet to register a sack so far this season which is pretty amazing considering he’s had 5 or more sacks in 10 of his 11 seasons. The good news is he’s still managed to float around the top 30 at his position due to his strong/consistent tackles numbers. He’s due for a sack or two and has a great matchup against the Bears this week, so he’s a guy I would get in your lineups if you are looking for a solid DL2 option this week and DL3 option rest of the season.
RDE Paul Kruger (BAL) – Kruger is a guy I called out in the preseason to watch after Terrell Suggs went down with an injury. Although he’s been uninspiring on the whole, he did have 2 sacks last week and has been a decent source of tackles. He draws the Steelers this week which could be an inviting matchup with Big Ben out of the lineup. In leagues in which Kruger is classified as a DL, he’s worth a shot as a low-end DL3/high-end DL4.
LDE Kroy Biermann (ATL) – The Cardinals are just downright awful at protecting the QB. They’ve given up a whopping 41 sacks in 9 games so far this season and show no signs of improvement. Biermann has been playing well as of late and has seen his snap count increase. The Falcons cut Ray Edwards earlier this week giving Biermann that much more job security. Consider him a DL3+ in Week 11.
Linebackers
(Previously recommended LBs: Wesley Woodyard, Larry Foote, Jerrell Freeman, Paris Lenon, Erin Henderson, Russell Allen, Dannell Ellerbe, Akeem Ayers, Will Witherspoon, Zach Brown, Phillip Wheeler, Rey Maualuga, Vontaze Burfict, Pat Angerer, Colin McCarthy, James Harrison, Demorrio Williams, Bruce Carter, Thomas Davis, Chase Blackburn, Aldon Smith, Brad Jones, DeMario Davis, Wesley Woodyard, Erik Walden, Ernie Sims, Bryan Scott, James Michael-Johnson, Brian Urlacher )
LB D.J. Williams (DEN) – Williams suspension was lifted this week, but he likely won’t see any playing time until Week 12 or Week 13 as he still has to get back into game shape. When he does see the field, he’s likely to line up at MLB with Woodyard manning the weak side. It’s still to be seen whether or not he will be an every down LB, but he’s worth grabbing now in deep leagues as he has high enough upside to be valuable down the fantasy playoff stretch.
WILB Brad Jones (GB) – Before his week 10 bye, Jones put up back-to-back solid weeks (7-3-1 FF, 6-3-0). His matchup against the Lions is a good one and I would expect the previously mentioned stat lines to continue, at least for this week.
LOLB Rob Ninkovich (NE) – Ninkovich has flown relatively under the radar in a lot of fantasy leagues this season. He’s on pace for double digit sacks this season and can be a useful LB3 option in big-play leagues. He will face off against Andrew Luck and the Colts this week.
LOLB Ahmad Brooks (SF) – Brooks can typically be counted on for 5-7 sacks a season (similar to Anthony Spencer) and he’s on pace for those totals again this season. He’s done a good job of getting to the QB against weak offensive lines and with the Bears coming to town, he’s quite likely to register at least one sack in this contest. LB3 in big play leagues. Suffice to say, Aldon Smith should be in your lineups as well this week in those type of leagues.
LILB Dannell Ellerbe (BAL) – Ellerbe has been putting up good numbers since taking over for the injured Ray Lewis in Week 6. Over his last three games, he’s posted 32 total tackles and a sack. He should see a lot of run attempts against the Ben Roethlisbergerless Steelers this week. LB2- option this week and similar value the rest of the season.
Defensive Backs
(Previously recommended DBs: T.J. Ward, Craig Dahl, William Moore, Alterraun Verner, Tracy Porter, Michael Griffin, Madieu Williams, Buster Skrine, William Gay, Josh Norman, Atari Bigby, Jordan Babineaux, John Wendling, Matt Giordano, Rahim Moore, Malcolm Jenkins, M.D. Jennings, Mike Adams, Glover Quin, Stevie Brown, Casey Hayward, E.J. Biggers, Nolan Carroll, Josh Robinson, Leonard Johnson, Derek Cox )
RCB Ronald Bartell – The Raiders released Pat Lee last week and in a corresponding move, activated Bartell from the DFR reserve. He slid immediately back into an every down, starting role and put up 3 solo tackles. He should fare better this week against Drew Brees. Not a superb option, but could pay dividends for owners in a pinch in deeper CB-required leagues.
RCB Casey Hayward (GB) – Hayward is just one of those cornerbacks that finds a way to score fantasy points week in and week out. He has a knack for making big plays with 4 INTs, 1 FF, and 9 PDs on the year in limited time early on. Additionally, since Charles Woodson went down in Week 7, Hayward has had two solid tackle games in a row (6-2-0, 5-2-0). He has a great matchup this week against the Lions. I expect solid tackle numbers and a good chance for an INT. High upside DB3.
FS Madieu Williams (WAS) – Like several Redskins safeties before him, Williams has been a solid fantasy option so far this season. He’s on pace for 112 total tackles, but hasn’t done a whole lot in the big play department. He has a nice matchup against division rival Philadelphia this Sunday and should be in line for 7-10 tackles.
CB Aqib Talib (NE) – Talib’s suspension has been lifted and he will see his first playing time as a Patriot this week. He should be close to game shape and see a very healthy amount of snaps. He’s shown nice fantasy value throughout his career and I think the move to New England has a chance to help his value further. I expect this game against the Colts to involve a lot of passing which should mean good tackle opportunity for the 5th year corner out of Kansas. Solid CB2+.
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Last Updated: November 14, 2012