2011 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.
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 13:
Patrick Willis pulled a hamstring early in the game last week and he’s questionable heading into week 14. If I had to guess, I would assume Willis will miss at least one game. With the 49ers sitting comfortably in 1st place in their division and facing a fairly weak divisional rival, I see reason for them to risk putting the beast known as Pat back on the field if he’s not 100% healthy.
Colin McCarthy continues to impress as he had 9 solo tackles, a forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries against the Bills in week 13. His play reminds me a lot of Desmond Bishop’s play last season when he came in for the injured Nick Barnett. I’m betting on him starting the rest of the season and being an LB2+ with big upside.
Ray Lewis missed another game with a toe injury and his status for this week remains in question.
Both George Wilson and Patrick Chung missed another week as well due to lingering injury issues. Both players (especially Chung) have at times looked like they may be able to suit up. I would be very cautious about banking on either of these two to carry your defense down the stretch.
Eagles SS Kurt Coleman had another strong game with 11 total tackles on Thursday night against the Seahawks. If I were an underdog, I’d keep playing him even in poor matchups as he’s shown over the last few games that he’s matchup independent and capable of putting up big points.
Pat Angerer went down with a knee injury on a non-contact play last week. There hasn’t been much news released yet on the severity of the injury, but judging by the signing of Zac Diles today, I’d assume Angerer is out for a couple of weeks at minimum.
Jordan Babineaux and Chris Hope split time as strong safety for the Titans last week with Hope coming out with the better stat line. It’s probably best to drop Babineaux.
LaMarr Woodley stated today that he’s likely to share snaps with Jason Worlids for the rest of the season as he is still recovering from his hamstring injury.
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 Adrian Clayborn (TB) – Clayborn was on this list last week and came through for owners with 5 total tackles and half a sack. He has a great matchup this week against the hopeless Blaine Gabbert-led Jaguars. Odds are good that AC gets adds at least one more sack to his record come Sunday.
LDE Chris Clemons (SEA) – Clemons isn’t the type of defensive end that is going to win against an above average offensive tackle. He is valuable however in the sense that he really takes advantage of weak offensive lines and is capable of multi-sack games if you choose the matchup wisely. There may be no better week to start Clemons as he faces the St. Louis Rams who have given up the most sacks to opposing defenses this season (he had 3 sacks against them in week 11). He’s a great DL2+ option this week.
RDE Robert Quinn (STL) – Quinn was perhaps the most talented defensive end to come out of this year’s draft. Like many rookie DLs, he had a slow start to the season. However, that has changed of late as he’s had 4 sacks in his last 6 games and draws a very favorable matchup against the Seahawks this week. He’s a great pickup in dynasty leagues and is a solid DL3 start in deeper, big play leagues this week.
LDE/LOLB Aldon Smith (SF) – Like Clayborn, Smith was on this list last week. He played well against the Rams and awarded his owners with 2 sacks. He’s got another very juicy matchup this week against the Arizona Cardinals. Von Miller is getting all the attention for DROY, but Smith has 9.5 sacks on the season in limited playing time. With 4 really good matchups the rest of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith finish with 14-15 sacks for the year.
Linebackers
MLB D.J. Smith (GB) – Since coming on in relief of injured IDP stud Desmond Bishop in week 12, Smith has tallied 14 total tackles. Although these numbers aren’t superb, his matchups haven’t been great either. Look for Oakland to run the ball quite a bit this week leading to more tackle opportunities for the Green Bay linebackers. I think Bishop’s injury is more serious than the Packers are letting on and that he’s highy likely to miss another game this week. Smith is a decent LB3 option for those in deeper leagues looking to fill that spot.
WLB Omar Gaither/WLB Jordan Senn (CAR) – Gaither’s been injured over the last couple of weeks and Senn has been filling in on an every down basis. It’s yet to be seen whether or not Gaither will be healthy enough to start this week. With this said, it’s going to be important to watch the injury report throughout the week to get a clue as to which one of these LBs is worth a roster spot as a LB3/4.
WILB Larry Grant (SF) – Patrick Willis suffered a hamstring injury early in week 13’s contest against the Rams. Although the injury isn’t believed to be serious, the 49ers may error on the side of caution and hold Willis out this week. If this is the case, Grant will take over the WILB role next to Navarro Bowman. Grant posted 6 total tackles (5 solos) and a sack while filling in for Willis last week and a similar stat line is probable this week if he gets starter snaps.
MLB Chase Blackburn (NYG) – The Giants MLB position as been a fantasy sore spot since Antonio Pierce left the team several seasons ago. Players such as Jonathan Goff, Mark Herzlich, Greg Jones, and so on have fizzled out quickly at the position. Blackburn was signed off the street last week and put up 7 total tackles, an INT, and 2 pass deflections. He’s shown fantasy potential in year’s past with the Giants and although he’s got a limited ceiling, he’s worth a look as a LB4 against the Cowboys this week if he retains the starting role.
SLB Mario Haggan (DEN) – Haggan came on like a big dog last week while filling in for the injured Von Miller. He had 12 total tackles (3 TFLs) and an interception for a touchdown. “Super” Mario 2.0 has been productive when given the chance to play. Von Miller may return this week and this all may be a moot point, but Haggan’s worth a good look if he starts again.
Defensive Backs
SS Craig Dahl (STL) – The SS position in St. Louis has been valuable from a fantasy position over the last several seasons regardless of the player manning it. Outside of James Laurinaitis, the Rams don’t really have anyone in their front seven to suck up tackles. This leaves a lot of tackle opportunity for the strong safety who is often times used as an extra linebacker. Incumbent starter Darian Stewart missed last week’s game with a concussion and is questionable to play this week. In his absence, Dahl had 11 solo tackles. I don’t see those tackles as being a fluke either as Dahl has proven that he can post DB2+ tackle numbers when starting. If Dahl is named the starter again this week, jump on him as your DB2.
SS James Sanders (ATL) – It seems as though the Falcons have benched SS William Moore in favor of Sanders who over his last two games has compiled 23 total tackles and a fumble recovery. Sanders is gonna be a boom/bust play moving forward as he plays behind a trio of above average linebackers and therefore his tackle opportunities can sometimes be limited. If you’re an underdog in a deeper league, Sanders is a good option for possible big tackle numbers.
LCB Tracy Porter (NO) – Porter was hampered by an injury for a majority of the 1st part of the season and thus his fantasy numbers dipped. Now fully healthy, he’s starting to compile low-end CB1 numbers with 27 total tackles, 1 interception, and 2 pass defenses over his last 4 games. The Saints have been jumping out to big leads over their opponents forcing them to throw early and often. Expect this to be the scenario in week 14 against the Titans. Porter should be good for 5 or 6 solos, an assist, and a decent chance for an interception this Sunday.
LCB Alterraun Verner (TEN) – Jason McCourty has been an IDP staple all season. He left last week’s game with concussion-like symptoms, however. If McCourty misses any time, Verner will step into his starting role where he put up great fantasy numbers last season. Additionally, the matchup against the Saints this week is superb. Alterraun could wind up be the biggest IDP sleeper this week if he starts.
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Last Updated: December 6, 2011