2011 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.

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 10:

The Vikings secondary took a huge blow as they lost veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield for the season. Asher Allen will replace Winfield and will make a decent IDP pickup in deeper leagues.

Barrett Ruud missed the Titans week 10 game and was replaced by up and coming linebacker Colin McCarthy. The Tennessee coaching staff has said that Ruud will regain his starting job back when healthy, however the writing is on the wall and McCarthy looks highly likely to be the Titans starting MLB come 2012. Time to get him stashed in dynasty leagues.

Sean Lee returned to action in week 11 with a fitted cast on his injured hand. Although Lee admitted the cast affected his tackling ability, he still seemed to have the same aggressiveness and instincts he possessed pre-injury. He may miss a few tackles here and there, but he’s still worth a roster spot as a LB2+.

Kamerion Wimbley exploded for a huge game against the Chargers. Wimbley has actually played quite well all season, it just hasn’t translated to good fantasy production until last week. Wimbley is worth some consideration as a LB3+ in big play leagues.

Jerod Mayo had his most productive fantasy game since returning from injury three weeks ago, however he still looks a bit sluggish and not fully recovered from his injury. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t count on him as anything more than a LB3 moving forward.

Both George Wilson and Kam Chancellor suffered injuries in week 10. Luckily, both IDP studs look like they will play this week.

Apologies to all for the missing weekly rankings last week. I am currently vacationing in Costa Rica with very limited time/internet access and it just wasn’t feasible to get them completed. I am returning home tomorrow (Thursday) late at night and will have the week 11 IDP rankings done very late Thursday night or Friday morning sometime. Thanks for continuing to support the site and good luck for the remainder of the fantasy season!

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 Cliff Avril (DET) – Avril has had a sack in 5 of his last 7 games and is establishing himself as the Lions most consistent fantasy lineman. We’ve seen flashes of potential from Avril in previous seasons, but this year he finally seems to have figured some things out defensively. At this point in the season, I’d rather own him than Kyle Vanden Bosch/Ndamukong Suh.

RDE Andre Carter (NE) – Since the Patriots moved to more to a 4-3 base defense, Carter has been one of the most consistent defensive linemen in the NFL. He had his coming out party on Sunday night against Mark Sanchez and the Jets as he racked up 4.5 sacks and was harassing Sanchez all night long. Additionally, Carter was dominating one of the better left tackles in the league in D’Brickashaw Ferguson. He’s a must add in any leagues that he’s on the waiver wire.

LDE Chris Long (STL) – Long has made this list multiple times throughout the year mainly due to his very good strength of schedule. He faces the Seahawks this week who are among the league’s worst in protecting the passer and has a very good chance to notch a sack in his 4th consecutive game. He’s got several nice matchups remaining for the rest of the season and should produce like a low-end DL2.

RDE Jeremy Mincey (JAX) – I’ve been throwing around Mincey’s name quite a bit lately and for good reason; he’s been the Jaguars top defensive lineman by far and has been putting consistent pressure on opposing QBs. He broke out last week with 2.5 sacks against the Colts. His matchup against the Browns this week isn’t the greatest and his remaining weekly matchups aren’t the greatest either, but Mincey is good enough to overcome marginal matchups. If you need to fill your DL3 spot, Mincey is a nice option.

Linebackers
WLB Omar Gaither (CAR) – Gaither assumed an every down role on the weakside for Carolina last week and put up 10 total tackles (7 solo) in the process. As long as he continues to be a three-down linebacker, he should be a solid LB3+ moving forward. Teams run a lot against the Panthers and Gaither will have a ton of tackle opportunity. Scoop him up off the waiver if you are looking to fill that LB3 spot.

MLB Joe Mays (DEN) – Mays has shown he can produce similar box score tackle numbers to D.J. Willams when given an every down role. With Wesley Woodward out with a knee injury last week, Mays played in the team’s nickel packages and put up 8 solo tackles. If Woodward misses another game this week, Mays becomes a very solid pickup against the fantasy friendly Jets running game.

WILB Daryl Washington (ARI) – I’ve been preaching patience with Washington all year long and his recent performances seem to indicate that he was worth holding onto. He’s had 32 total tackles and 1 sack over his last 4 games and seems to be getting stronger with each and every performance. He’s a nice addition to your team as a LB3+.

MLB Jo-Lunn Dunbar (NO) – Jonathan Vilma is likely to miss a few weeks after undergoing knee surgery which opens the door for Dunbar to put up pretty good numbers as the team’s MLB and leader of the defense. He’s been averaging 5-7 total tackles when given enough playing time and that is a reasonable expectation of his numbers moving forward as a starter. Consider him a LB3/4.

SILB Perry Riley (WAS) – In somewhat of a surprise move, Mike Shanahan decided to bench veteran Rocky McIntosh in favor of Perry Riley who had been on a lot of preseason sleeper lists (especially in dynasty leagues). He played well and racked up 9 total tackles against the Dolphins. You never know if Shanahan will decide to switch things up again this week and go back to McIntosh, but judging by Riley’s solid play, it’s fairly safe to assume Riley will be playing in an every down capacity come Sunday against the Cowboys. Solid low-end LB3 pickup moving forward.

Defensive Backs
FS Kurt Coleman (PHI) – Coleman is a player whose long-term value is tough to judge as he’s fairly inconsistent in his on the field play and always runs the risk of getting benched. However, it’s hard to ignore his game to game value as he’s had 23 total tackles in his last two games. He’s worth a pickup right now as a DB2/DB3. With all the injuries to the Eagles secondary, it’s unlikely Coleman will be leaving the field much.

S Reed Doughty (WAS) – Doughty is an IDP you always want to have in the back of your mind. When he plays, he produces. And with both LaRon Landry and O.J. Atogwe struggling with injuries, Doughty has a good chance of starting another game or two before the season is over. Watch the injuries status of the Redskins safeties closely and if Doughty is gonna get the start, pickup him up and start him as your DB2-/DB3+.

RCB Antwaun Molden (NE) – Molden is gonna be starting for the injured Devin McCourty and you can bet teams are going to test him early and often. This should translate to a very healthy amount of tackle opportunity and a chance for a pick for Molden. He has very limited NFL playing experience and should allow quite a few receptions to opposing wide receivers. He’s a high risk/reward start in CB-required leagues.

LCB Josh Gordy (STL) – Although his matchup isn’t ideal, expect Gordy to put up fairly solid tackle numbers for a CB this week. The Rams cornerback crew has been absolutely decimated by injuries this season and Gordy will be forced into starting action opposite Justin King for the remainder of the season as Al Harris is out for the season. He’s a solid CB2+ .

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: November 16, 2011