2012 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 14

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 13 of the NFL season.

Wes Woodyard left last week’s game with an ankle injury and is doubtful to play in Week 14. If he doesn’t suit up, D.J. Williams could see an every down role and be a solid LB3+ pickup.

Ray Lewis is expected to practice today and it’s rumored that he could see the field as early as next week. He’d be a smart bench stash this week for fantasy teams looking to make a run to the championship.

Similar to Robert Quinn a week ago, Chris Clemons laid a total goose egg despite a very favorable Chicago Bears matchup. There’s really no good explanation for the letdown. All I can say is that I’m sticking to my matchup strategy at DL and starting Clemons again this week against the Cardinals.

A second opinion confirmed that DE/OLB Terrell Suggs has sustained a torn right biceps. He said he is not sure if he will be able to play Week 14 but he is confident that he will play again this season.

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Vikings RDE Jared Allen is playing through a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Pittsburgh Steelers CB Ike Taylor will miss at least two games and possibly more after suffering a hairline fracture in his lower right leg in Week 13.

With Bradie James out with a hamstring injury, the Texans used a three man linebacker rotation of Barrett Ruud, Tim Dobbins, and Daryl Sharpton against the Titans. Not much value in this situation at all.

The Vikings once again rotated Erin Henderson and Jasper Brinkley in subpackages against Green Bay last week. Neither player was particularly impressive. With this said, Chad Greenway is really the only rosterable linebacker in shallow to moderate sized IDP leagues.

Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 14!

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, Ahytba Rubin, Justin Smith, Paul Kruger, Kroy Biermann, Michael Brockers, Justin Tuck, Jason Babin, Fletcher Cox, Phil Taylor, Bruce Irvin)

LDE Brandon Graham (PHI) – After being stuck behind Trent Cole and Jason Babin for the last two seasons, Graham is finally getting a chance to shine. He started last week and produced 1.5 sacks while playing in roughly 50% of the team’s snaps (granted this production came against one of the worst right tackles in the league in Doug Free). The matchup this week against Tampa Bay is not a good one as the Bucs have only given up 17 sacks all season. With this said, Graham is not a top tier option this week, but he is definitely worth an immediate pickup in IDP dynasty leagues.

LDE Jason Babin (JAX) – Babin was recently released by the Eagles and was immediately scooped up by the Jaguars in an attempt to shore up their defensive line. With Austen Lane currently nursing an injury, Babin should get plenty of chances to prove that he’s still a viable starting NFL defensive lineman. He’s nowhere close to the fantasy prospect he was coming into this season, but he could prove worthwhile to owners in deep leagues this week as he faces off against a mediocre Jets offensive line.

LDE Cliff Avril (DET) – After starting out the season slowly, Avril has had a sack in each of his last three weeks. Furthermore, he has a top 5 matchup against the Packers this week and draws another fantastic matchup against the Cardinals in Week 15. For those looking for a sneaky DL playoff producer, Avril is one of the better options at this point.

LDE Trevor Scott (NE) – Scott started in place of Chandler Jones last week and registered 3 solo tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Jones is questionable to play again this week, making Scott a solid desperation DL3- acquisition.

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, D.J.Williams, Rob Ninkovich, Ahmad Brooks, Dannell Ellerbe, Kevin Burnett, Miles Burris, Dan Connor, Jameel McClain)

WLB Thomas Davis (CAR) – I’ve mentioned Davis in my waiver wire articles previously this season, but he’s worth mentioning again here. He’s assumed an every down role over the last couple weeks and it’s had a positive effect on his box score production; he’s had double digit solo tackles in two of his last three games and has a favorable matchup this week against the Falcons. Davis is safe to lock in as a LB3 the rest of the way.

WILB Demorrio Williams (SD) – Williams played in 66 of 78 snaps last week while subbing in for the injured Donald Butler. I have a feeling Butler’s injury is going to keep him out at least one more week, if not more. With this said, Williams should continue to see a good amount of playing time and has shown that he can produce quite well when given enough opportunity. The Steelers have been a pretty good matchup as of late and should continue to be even if Big Ben returns this week. Look to Williams as an LB4+ in most leagues.

SILB A.J. Hawk (GB) – Despite playing in only 65-70% of the defensive snaps, Hawk has managed 30 total tackles over his last 3 games. I still have some consistency concerns about Hawk with him not playing in nickel packages, but his fantastic tackle to snap ratio is hard to ignore. He’s one of the best high upside/risk options at LB this week against Detroit.

WLB Lance Briggs (CHI) – With Brian Urlacher likely missing the next 2-3 weeks with a hamstring injury, Briggs should see a spike in tackle opportunity and production. Consider him a decent LB3 option this week against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.

SILB Brandon Spikes (NE) – Spikes has seen his snap counts increase as of late and should see a ton of tackle opportunity against the Texans this week. Additionally, the Patriots are playing at home, so he will have the added benefit of the generous New England scorekeeper.

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, Ronald Bartell, Aqib Talib, Reshad Jones, Eric Berry, Drayton Florence, Corey Lynch, Robert McClain, Keenan Lewis)

SS Jordan Babineaux (TEN) – Babineaux has had quite the up and down season. After starting off the season sharing time, he became a full time player and had a stretch of four 7 or high solo tackles game over the course of 5 weeks. Bad play led to him getting benched/sharing time over the last few weeks however. The good news is that safety Robert Johnson is out for the remainder of the year with an injury and the other strong safety, Al Afalava, is dealing with an injury as well. This should increase Babs’ chances of assuming an every down role again and is worth a shot as a DB3 in balanced and tackle heavy leagues for the immediate future.

SS Troy Polamalu (PIT) – Polamalu returned to action last week after missing the previous 8 games due to injury. He played in 49 of 63 snaps and registered 2 solo tackles in the process. “Mr. Head and Shoulders” has never been a fantastic tackle producer and is a serious injury risk, but he is one of the best playmakers in the league. With Phillip Rivers coming to town, Polamalu has a good shot at an interception. This being said, he’s a good option for owners in big play leagues who are willing to take on some risk with their DB3/4.

SS Danny McCray (DAL) – Cowboys safeties are not typically good fantasy options. However, with both Sean Lee and Bruce Carter done for the season, the defensive backfield has seen an increase in tackle opportunity and McCray has been the main beneficiary of that increase. Don’t expect him to set the world on fire, but he should be able to produce 5-7 solos against Cincy this week.

LCB Ron Brooks (BUF) – Rookie Ron Brooks saw a full complement of snaps last week as Aaron Williams and Leodis McKelvin both missed action due to injury. He was picked on relentlessly which led to a 9-1 stat line. If Williams and McKelvin are out again, owners in CB-required leagues should take a hard look at Brooks as a CB2+ option.

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: December 5, 2012