2015 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 10
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.
OK. Let’s start things off by going through some IDP news, notes, and commentary from Week 9 of the NFL season.
Injuries
Giants DT Jonathan Hankins suffered a torn pectoral muscle and is lost for the year.
Rookie Henry Anderson tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve on Monday.
Audie Cole fractured his ankle in last week’s game against the Rams and is likely done for the season.
Jamie Collins was a bit of a surprise inactive on Sunday due to an unspecified illness. He should hopefully be go to go for Week 10. If not, Jonathan Feeny will likely see the bulk of work again in his absence.
DeMarcus Ware aggravated his back injury and did not return to the game. He’s likely out for a couple of weeks as he lets the injury heal. Shaq Barrett becomes an interesting pickup in big play leagues as he lit up the box scores during Ware’s previous stint on the inactive list.
Sean Lee suffered another concussion during the Cowboys Sunday Night tilt against the Eagles. He’s doubtful to play this week. So owners should start coming up with a backup plan.
Jon Beason was placed on IR with an ankle injury. This should open up more playing time for Uani Unga.
Potential DROTY candidate Jordan Hicks suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the remainder of the season. Kiko Alonso figures to see a bump in playing time next week and DeMeco Ryans could see a good amount of action if he’s able to return from his own injury.
Bradley McDougald suffered a concussion in Week 9 and will have to pass through the concussion protocol before suiting up again.
DB1-/DB2+ Mike Adams exited the game on Sunday due to a left ankle injury. He’s still being evaluated and we should know more about his long-term status over the next several days. Fortunately, he does have the bye week to recover.
The ageless wonder Charles Woodson aggravated his shoulder injury in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. He played through the pain however and should be starting come Week 9.
General Player Notes
After much anticipation, Jason Pierre-Paul finally returned to action last week. He ended up playing more snaps than most thought (70%+). And although he only registered a couple of tackles, he was around the quarterback several times. I think he’s safe to slot back into the boom/bust DL2 tier.
Dont’a Hightower put up a disappointing 1 solo tackle last week. The Patriots weren’t on defense much however and Hightower got sent to the bench after the Patriots got a decent-sized lead. He should be fine moving forward, we just need to recognize this could happen again if the Pats continue to play as well as they are.
Despite an above average matchup and facing a significant amount of rushing attempts, Jelani Jenkins was only able to muster 3 solo tackles. He’s fallen off a cliff after a hot start to the year. I honestly don’t have an explanation for this decline other than he’s not getting to the ball as quickly as he was earlier in the year.
Harrison Smith put up a big old goose egg in Week 9. I think this was more due to game flow/matchup than Smith’s own performance. The Rams ran a lot and weren’t able to consistently get to the second level thereby limiting Smith’s chances. He should be fine moving forward.
Looks like Micah Hyde’s time as a consistent fantasy producer may be coming to an end. He played just 28% of the snaps last week with Morgan Burnett back which resulted in just 1 solo tackle generated. He should see a bump in playing time against offenses he use more spread sets, but he has to be downgraded to a matchup-dependent DB4 start at this point.
Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 10!
(Please note that a majority of these pickups are long-term, rest of season pickups as opposed to matchup-type recommendations. As the season progresses and the waiver wire becomes more thin and matchup information becomes more reliable, the focus of this article will shift more towards recommendations based on weekly matchup.)
Defensive Linemen
(Previously recommended DLs: Henry Anderson, Allen Bailey, Mario Addison, Jacquies Smith, Jabaal Sheard, Sen’Derrick Marks, Jared Allen, Stephon Tuitt, Greg Hardy, Sheldon Richardson, Stephon Tuitt, Jarvis Jenkins, Kerry Wynn, Ryan Delaire, Jay Ratliff, Kony Ealy, Lawrence Guy, Cameron Wake, Adrian Clayborn, Sheldon Richardson, Jared Allen, William Hayes, DeMarcus Lawrence, Kawaan Short, Jason Pierre-Paul, Derrick Shelby, Mario Edwards)
DE Frostee Rucker (ARZ) – Rucker has had a couple solid games this year but hasn’t scored enough points to be rostered in many leagues. However, if there was a week to pick him up, it’s this week. He goes against the Seahawks who have allowed a league-leading 31 sacks on the year through 8 games. That said, Wilson is likely to get sacked 3-4 times and Rucker has a good chance of being one of the players in on that action.
DE Kony Ealy (CAR) – Up until Week 8, Ealy had done next to nothing despite many owners having high hopes for him coming into the year. The arrival of Jared Allen seems to have inspired better play out of the 2nd year player out of Missouri as he’s registered a sack in each of his last two weeks. He faces a Titans team that gives up their fair share of sacks. The lack of tackles keeps him off the radar in most leagues but for those in sack-heavy scoring systems, Ealy is worth a look as a one-week, bye/injury filler.
DE Desmond Bryant (CLE) – Bryant has flown under the radar this season after getting off to a slow start to the year and missing the next three games due to injury. He’s turned it on in recent weeks however with 4 solid performances in a row. He’s admittedly a low ceiling play but given the lack of quality options at the position, injuries, and bye weeks to cover, he’s a fairly safe option for a few tackles and potentially a sack against a rookie quarterback this week.
Linebackers
(Previously recommended LBs: Thomas Davis, Vincent Rey, Brian Cushing, Koa Misi, Uani Unga, Dont’a Hightower, DeMeco Ryans, Jordan Hicks, Justin Durant, Hau’oli Kikaha, Jordan Hicks, Malcolm Smith, A.J. Klein, Christian Kirksey, Anthony Hitchens, Manti Te’o, Thurston Armbrister, Christian Kirksey, Eric Kendricks, Rolando McClain, Avery Williamson, Michael Wilhoite, Dannell Ellerbe, Eric Kendricks, Michael Wilhoite, Denzel Perryman, Justin Durant, Jon Beason, Kevin Minter, Manti Te’o, Vontaze Burfict, Wesley Woodyard, O’Brien Schofield)
ILB Jake Ryan (GB) – The Packers seemed to have enough of Nate Palmer’s ineffectiveness at inside linebacker and replaced him with rookie Jake Ryan in the first half of last week’s game. From that point on, Ryan was close to an every down player and racked up 10 total tackles in 38 snaps. This position has been a valuable one in years past and I think Ryan is the type of player who can be a very productive fantasy player. I’d treat him as a high upside/variance LB3. Solid waiver wire pickup for this late in the year.
OLB Chad Greenway (MIN) – With Eric Kendricks unable to suit up due to a rib injury, Greenway saw 100% of the defensive snaps for the first time all season. This resulted in his best stat line of 2015 as well (8-2). If Kendricks or Anthony Barr miss this coming week’s game, Greenway makes for a fine LB3+ option against a beneficial Raiders matchup (especially if Kendricks is out again).
SLB Phillip Wheeler (ATL) – Newly-signed Phillip Wheeler is getting a chance for substantial playing time with Justin Durant still nursing his way back from injury. Paul Worrilow just isn’t the player he was last year in terms of being around the ball, so whoever is manning that SLB next to him is going to produce (unless your name is Joplu Bartu). The Falcons are on bye this week, so Durant could return in Week 11. If that’s the case, he becomes a very nice waiver wire pickup as well. Otherwise, Wheeler is a sneaky LB3- option in Week 11.
ILB Jonathan Anderson (CHI) – The undrafted rookie out of TCU is getting a shot at playing every down with Shea McClellin out with a knee injury. He made the most of his chance, shining on prime time television with 11 solo tackles. The matchup against the Rams this week isn’t ideal but he’s worth a look as a LB4+/LB3- if he starts again.
Defensive Backs
(Previously recommended DBs: Calvin Pryor, Trenton Robinson, Josh Norman, Adam Jones, Will Allen, Eric Berry, Adam Jones, Tony Jefferson, Corey Graham, Brandon Meriweather, T.J. Ward, Ronald Darby, Chris Conte, Jonathan Cyprien, David Amerson, Jonathan Joseph, Brandon Browner, Mark Barron, Jason McCourty, Antwon Blake, Jason McCourty, Devin McCourty, Mark Barron, Jaquiski Tartt, Kemal Ishmael, Jacquiski Tartt, Ibraheim Campbell, Logan Ryan)
CB Prince Amukamara (NYG) – Amukamara was close to returning last week but the Giants decided to hold him out. He has a good shot of returning this week in a big game against the Patriots. Prince has proven to be one of the most consistent tackling options at the cornerback position and should serve as a CB1 for as long as he’s healthy (a big concern with him). He may have been dropped in leagues due to his injury, so if he’s out there in CB-required leagues, he should probably be picked up.
S Kurt Coleman (CAR) – Coleman has proven to be a better fantasy than real-life safety over the course of his career. He’s been turning up the dial tackle-wise over the last three weeks garnering 19 total tackles to go along with a sack, an interception, and 3 pass deflections. His upside is limited playing behind Carolina’s stout front seven, but he does have a top 5 matchup against the Titans this week and is worth a flier in deeper leagues as a DB3-.
S Leodis McKelvin (BUF) – McKelvin missed the first 8 weeks of the season due to injury, but returned last week and played safety next to Corey Graham. He compiled 6 solo tackles while playing just 68% of the snaps. The safety positions on this defense are productive and McKelvin should see his playing time increase over the next few weeks. He’s not likely owned in many leagues since he’s been out the entire season, but he’s worth a roster spot as a DB4 in deeper leagues and is someone to keep a close eye on moving forward.
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Last Updated: November 10, 2015