2011 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 17

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.

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 16:

London Fletcher is having a career year with 163 total tackles heading into the last week of the season. This is pretty remarkable for a guy heading into his 15th season next year. 1st ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion.

Desmond Bishop returned to action last week after missing 3 weeks with a calf injury. He registered 12 total tackles and didn’t seem to miss a beat. He’s a bit of a risky play this week as the Packers may choose to rest him if they get a lead.

The beast known as Jason Pierre-Paul registered another 2 sacks last week bringing his season total to a whopping 16. Even more amazing, he has 83 total tackles to go along with those sacks. Those are LB4 type numbers from a defensive lineman. JPP is making a strong case to be the #1 overall IDP next season.

Jerod Mayo finally seems to be getting back on track after a slow start coming off of injury. He has 31 total tackles over his last 3 games and has re-established himself as a top 20 LB heading into next season.

Lawrence Timmons had his most productive game since week 1 with 11 total tackles (8 solo). He seems to have righted the ship over the last several weeks. However, I don’t believe he should be taken as a top 10 linebacker heading into 2012.

Just as a reminder for those already starting to draft for 2012 or who are in keeper leagues: don’t forget about DBs such as Eric Berry, Patrick Chung, and LaRon Landry who had their season derailed due to injuries. They should come back strong in 2012 and I have them all ranked within the top 10 at their position.

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

Defensive Linemen
LDE/LOLB Aldon Smith (SF) – Smith seems to make this list every week (and for good reason). He plays in the NFC West which means he has a ton of favorable pass-rushing matchups throughout the year. Additionally, he’s classified as a DL in certain leagues such as Yahoo! leagues. He finishes the year with a fantastic matchup against the Rams, a team in which he sacked twice earlier in the season. Expect similar results this week.

RDE Dwight Freeney (IND) – If you read my site even on an occasional basis, you know that I think Dwight Freeney is one of the most overrated IDPs on the planet. However, Freeney tends to finish the year strong and he has a great matchup against the Jaguars. Blaine Gabbert has no pocket presence and holds onto the ball way too long which should lead to a few sack opportunities for both Freeney and Mathis. If ever there was a week to start Freeney, this is the week.

NT Phil Taylor (CLE) – “Big T” has performed well for the Browns in his rookie season. Through 16 games, he has 36 solo tackles, 21 assists, and 4 sacks. He finishes the season against a hobbled Big Ben and should see plenty of tackle and sack opportunities. Consider Taylor a solid DL3 start this week.

LDE Leger Douzable (JAX) – Douzable has been a pleasant surprise for the Jaguars. Since getting increased playing time a couple of weeks ago, he’s proven himself capable of stopping the run and registered a sack last week against the hard-to-sack Titans. This week he draws a more favorable matchup in the Colts and is a very sneaky play for those in deeper leagues.

Linebackers
SILB Perry Riley (WASH) – Riley was on the watch list of many IDP owners entering into this season and he has disappointed. Since becoming the starter at SILB in week 10, Riley has amassed 33 solo tackles, 31 assists, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. Much like London Fletcher, Riley’s total tackle numbers are a bit inflated due to the Redskins’ scorekeeper. He should only good better heading into 2012 and rests nicely in the LB3+ tier.

WLB Michael Boley (DAL) – Boley re-emerged this season has a nice high floor LB3 option for fantasy owners. On the surface his seasonal stats may not represent this fact; however he did miss two full games due to injury. He plays the Cowboys this week in a very important game and will be seeing 100% of the defensive snaps. If you are a favorite heading into the last week of the season, Boley is a great option as a safe LB3 play as he’s almost always good for 5-7 total tackles each week.

ROLB Calvin Pace (NYJ) – From a sack perspective, Pace is having somewhat of a down season with only 4.5 sacks. However, this week’s game against the Dolphins is a must win for the Jets and they will be pulling out all the stops from a defensive perspective. Miami has really struggled to protect the quarterback this season so look for New York to exploit that with Pace. He’s a great LB3+ option in big play leagues and has a great chance for a multiple sack game.

WLB Jordan Senn (CAR) – Senn has been on a tear over his last several games and he is still available on a lot of waiver wires. He won’t have much, if any, value next season, but he could provide owners with a much needed boost this week against the Saints. Although the matchup has been up and down for opposing linebackers, OLBs have favored fairly well against New Orleans this season.

WLB Thomas Howard (CIN) – Much of the hype in Cincinnati this season was centered on Rey Maualuga. However injuries and inconsistent play greatly affected his performance. Thomas Howard on the other hand has emerged as the Bengals only every down player and has played solidly all season. He’s a nice high floor LB4+ who jumps up into the lower end of the LB3 tier this week with the favorable matchup against Ray Rice and the Ravens.

Defensive Backs
WLB/SS Bryan Scott (BUF) – Scott is an IDP you only want to use in the right weekly matchup. He’s only been seeing the field during nickel packages as the team’s 2nd linebacker next to Nick Barnett. With this said, he tends to have his most productive games against teams that use a lot of spread sets. This week the Bills play the Patriots and Scott should see a lot of playing time as the Patriots use a lot of 3 and 4 receiver sets. Additionally, he will likely be covering either Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski for a majority of the game. This increased playing time and coverage responsibility should lead to good production for Scott. For reference, the last time Scott played the Patriots in week 3, he had 11 total tackles and an interception. He is one of the top IDP sleepers this week.

FS Jaiquawn Jarrett (PHI) – The safety positions in Philadelphia have been productive this season as their linebacking crew as really struggled to stop the run. With incumbent starter Kurt Coleman landing on IR last week, rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett will start this week against the Redskins. Jarrett is certainly a player you want to keep your eye on for next year. He’s talented, in a position with good opportunity, and has a solid chance of beginning 2012 as the starter.

SS Steve Gregory (SD) – Over the last three weeks Gregory has been producing at a steady rate in the box scores. During this span, he’s had 21 total tackles and an interception. When given enough snaps, he’s shown that he’s capable of producing low-end DB3 numbers. If you are looking for a player to fill that third DB spot this week, Gregory is a solid choice.

FS Matt Giordano (OAK) – Much like Gregory, Giordano has been very strong in the tackle department the last couple of weeks (7-1 and 9-1 with an INT). He faces the Chargers this week who have been one of the better matchups for opposing fantasy safeties and is consequently a nice high upside DB3 start in week 17.


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Last Updated: December 29, 2011