2010 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups – Week 10

Sorry about the lateness of this article. I was in Chicago the last two days interviewing for a job and just didn’t have the time to do anything for the site. Fear not however, as I am back and ready to deliver to great waiver wire advice for Week 10.

Here are a few IDP news tidbits from Week 9:

With the season-ending injury to Dan Connor, Jon Beason is moving back to his original position of middle linebacker. This is good news for Beason owners as his value should improve with this switch. Jordan Senn will get a shot at the starting WLB role and may him some value against run-heavy teams.

It looks like the Texans were experimenting a bit on defense as they had Brian Cushing line back up on the outside with Zac Diles in the middle for a few snaps. They also showed some 46 defense.

DeAndre Levy had his best performance of the year (9-1-0) and looked as though he was close to regaining his pre-injury form when he ran down Santonio Holmes in overtime. His schedule isn’t the the greatest moving forward, but he’s still going to be a very solid option.

Roman Harper had his best game of the season with 9 solos and a sack against the Panthers. This was a result of the Saints becoming more healthy in the secondary thus allowing defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to use Harper more as an in-the-box safety. Buy now on Harper.

With Gary Brackett getting injured late in the 4th quarter of last week’s game, Pat Angerer moved into the middle and had a monstrous quarter of production. This is a situation to keep a close eye on since if Brackett misses anytime, Angerer’s value skyrockets.

Rolando McClain was injured in last week’s game against the Chiefs and Ricky Brown came in to replace him in an every-down capacity. It has yet to be determined if McClain will miss any time with this hip pointer issue, but if he does, Brown may be worth a look in very deep leagues if you are desperate.

Here are the waiver wire suggestions for Week 10:

1. RDE Chris Clemons (SEA) @ ARI – This guy seems to make my waiver wire article every week (probably because he plays divisional opponents that surrender a lot of sacks). He has a great matchup this week against Arizona and therefore I expect his solid sack production to continue this week.

2. RDE Stylez G. White (TB) vs. CAR – Before the season started, I bet that White would have 8 or more sacks. He currently has 3 at the half way point in the season so he’s slightly off pace to reach that number. However, he has Carolina this week and could easily put up 1 or 2 sacks.

3. RDE Haloti Ngata (BAL) @ ATL – Ngata has been quite studly so far this season. He’s had 32 solo tackles, 11 assists, and 5 sacks. He’s probably not available in your waiver wire, but just in case he is, I will mention him since he’s a fantasy play this week against the ball-controlling Falcons.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

DEs Jared Allen/Ray Edwards (MIN) @ CHI – I recommended Allen last week against the Cardinals and my advice paid off as he had 2.5 sacks. This week’s matchup against the Bears is a fantasy owner’s dream. The Bears are giving up 4 sacks per game and will probably give up more than that to the Vikings this week. Allen and Edwards are both must starts in Week 10.

1. WLB Justin Durant (JAX) vs. HOU – I mentioned Durant in last week’s waiver wire article (even though he was on bye) and I just wanted to mention him briefly again this week as a reminder to pick him up as your LB3 or flex linebacker if you need one. He’s a three-down linebacker on a bad offensive team and he seems to be motivated as of late.

2. SLB Gerald McRath (TEN) @ MIA – As a two-down linebacker, McRath’s production is going to be spotty throughout the season. It’s very important to look at his weekly matchup when determining his value. This week he has an excellent matchup in the Miami Dolphins as they rarely use spread offensive formations and they run the ball quite a bit. McRath should have one of his better games this week.

3. ROLB Scott Fujita (CLE) vs. NYJ – Fujita has quietly become a solid linebacker flex play this season. He’s got a great matchup against the Jets this week and has shown that he can put up 5-6 solo tackles in favorable matchups. Plus, he has been pretty good in the big play column this year as well (3.5 sacks, 2 FFs, 1 INT).

4. ILBs Keith Brooking/Bradie James (DAL) @ NYG – Dallas sucks. And their defense is going to be on the field all day against the Giants who just got done destroying Seattle on their home turf. The Giants are a top 10 matchup for opposing fantasy linebackers and I expect Brooking and James both to have solid games.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

WLB Stephen Nicholas (ATL) vs. BAL – Nicholas has filled in amazingly well for the injured Sean Weatherspoon. He’s averaging over 7 tackles per game in games that he starts and he has a fantastic matchup against the Ravens who are currently giving up the most points to opposing linebackers. Assuming Sean Weatherspoon is out this week again, Nicholas becomes one of the best waiver wire linebacker options this week.

NOTE: Make sure that Sean Weatherspoon is inactive for this Thursday’s game before starting Nicholas.

1. SS William Moore (ATL) vs. BAL – Moore is still quite wet behind the ears and is continuing to learn the defensive system. With this being said, he’s going to have inconsistent performances throughout the season (like last week). However, he’s got a great matchup this week against the Ravens and has one of his highest probabilities of a good tackle performance this week.

2. LCB Brandon Flowers (KC) @ DEN – All Denver does is throw the ball. This is bad news for opposing fantasy linebackers, but great news for opposing fantasy cornerbacks. The Broncos are currently giving up the most points to opposing fantasy cornerbacks. Flowers is developing into one of the best all around cornerbacks in the league (coverage, hands, tackling) and should be in for a solid game.

3. SS Aaron Francisco (IND) vs. CIN – Francisco’s season is shaping up to look quite similar to that of Melvin Bullitt’s last year when he filled in for the injured Bob Sanders. Following this line of thinking, Francisco should continue to average 4-6 solos per game with an assist or two thrown in along the way. This makes him a good flex/matchup play moving forward. He has the Bengals this week which is a solid matchup.

***THE GURU’S LOCK OF THE WEEK***

SS Courtney Greene (JAX) vs. HOU – I mentioned Greene along with Justin Durant last week even though they both were on bye because I felt that it was important to keep them fresh in your minds. Greene is in a good fantasy position as the strong safety on a pretty poor offensive team. He’s played well since becoming the full-time starter and he has a great matchup this week against the Texans.

NOTE: Greene is classified in some fantasy leagues as a cornerback. If you’re in one of these leagues, I would scoop him up as he is probably going to be a low-end CB1 or high-end CB2.

Thanks a bunch for reading and feel free to ask me any specific questions. I want to help you dominate your fantasy leagues!

Until next time, this is The IDP Guru signing off.

Last Updated: November 10 , 2010