2019 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 15
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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.
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Let’s start things off by going through some IDP news, notes, and commentary from Week 14 of the NFL season.
Injuries
Marcus Davenport suffered suffered a “significant” foot injury and will be out the rest of the season.
Dee Ford re-injured his hamstring and will be out the remainder of the regular season (i.e. three weeks).
Roquan Smith suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the remainder of the season. This is a striking blow for the Bears as they were already down Danny Trevathan at the position. Kevin Pierre-Louis would take over as a starter on the inside if both players are OUT.
Jarrad Davis suffered an ankle injury and his status for the Lions’ Week 15 game is currently up in the air.
Pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan left the game mid-way through with a calf injury and has already been ruled out for this week.
Richard Sherman was diagnosed with a hamstring injury that is likely going to keep him out for the remainder of the fantasy season.
Taco Charlton was a healthy scratch last week which doesn’t bode well for his long-term status with the Dolphins. After fizzling out with two teams already in his short career, one has to wonder how long he will survive in the NFL.
For the second straight week, Drue Tranquill led Chargers’ inside linebackers in snaps played. Meanwhile, Thomas Davis has become a part-time player over those weeks as a result.
Marquel Lee knocked Nicholas Morrow out of his starting role last week. Neither player is an every down backer right now though.
Now onto The Guru’s IDP waiver wire selections for Week 15!
Defensive Linemen
(Previously recommended DLs: Sam Hubbard, Nick Bosa, Quinton Jefferson, Denico Autry, Chase Winovich, Robert Quinn, Brian Burns, Stephon Tuitt, Josh Allen, Robert Quinn, Ezekiel Ansah, Vic Beasley, Takkarist McKinley, Nick Bosa, Robert Quinn, Matt Ioannidis, Mario Addison, Jarran Reed, Jerry Hughes, Jarran Reed, Taco Charlton, Jabaal Sheard, Jeffery Simmons, Jason Pierre-Paul, DeMarcus Walker, Jason Pierre-Paul, Bruce Irvin, Yannick Ngakoue, Frank Clark, Jabaal Sheard, Leonard Williams, Clelin Ferrell, Derek Wolfe, Jordan Phillips, Maxx Crosby, Jarran Reed, Chad Thomas, Carlos Dunlap, Jabaal Sheard, Lawrence Guy, Derek Barnett, Olivier Vernon, Tanoh Kpassagnon)
DT Jarran Reed (SEA) – Reed has been up and down this year since returning from a suspension in Week 7. However, he’s had a couple nice games and his down performances were largely tied to injuries. He has a “get right” matchup this week against the Panthers who have been giving up sacks by the boatload as of a recent. I like him for 3-4 solos and a sack this week.
DE Alex Okafor (KC) – Okafor has been an underrated player throughout much of his career and barely owned in leagues this year as he’s battled injury for most of the season. He was back on the field last week and played 81% of the defensive snaps in route to notching a sack. He gets divisional rival Denver this week who have been an above average matchup for opposing defensive ends. I like his chances of extending his sack streak to two games.
DT Sheldon Richardson (CLE) – Richardson has been the Browns’ best source of pass-rushing pressure since Myles Garrett got suspended and is coming off a 5-2-1 performance last week. He has the Cardinals this week who have given up the fourth most sacks in the league, so he makes for a decent DL3 option in most IDP leagues.
Linebackers
(Previously recommended LBs: Jordan Hicks, Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Kyzir White, Blake Cashman, Zach Cunningham, Quincy Williams, Mark Barron, Kevin Minter, Anthony Walker, Bobby Okereke, Shaq Barrett, Mack Wilson, Ryan Connelly, Todd Davis, Devondre Campbell, Nicholas Morrow, Nick Kwiatkoski, Vince Williams, A.J. Johnson, Ben Niemann, Troy Reeder, Rashaan Evans, Wesley Woodyard, A.J. Johnson, David Mayo, Nate Gerry, Najee Goode, Bernardrick McKinney, Lorenzo Alexander, Blake Cashman, Rashaan Evans, Blake Cashman, Austin Calitro, Sean Lee, Wesley Woodyard, Brandon Copeland, Nick Kwiatkoski, Jerome Baker, Drue Tranquill, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Neville Hewitt, Clay Matthews, Bernardrick McKinney, Drue Tranquill, Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Sean Lee, Anthony Walker, Donald Payne, Joe Walker)
ILB Donald Payne (JAX) – Payne has been an absolute tackling machine since taking over for the injured Myles Jack in Week 13. Over those two weeks, he’s racked up an astounding 29 total tackles and a sack to boot. He was mentioned in this column last week, but deserves another callout as both Myles Jack and Jake Ryan were put on injured reserve on Monday which clears the way for Payne to continue his every down role for the remainder of the season. Additionally, he squares off against the Raiders this week who have been one of the absolute best matchups for inside backers. For these reasons, Payne could be a late season add that helps many IDP teams win their leagues.
ILB James Burgess (NYJ) – Burgess has unexpectedly found himself in an every down role for the second part of the season and has quietly developed into an attractive fantasy play at the position. His tackle rates have increased with each week he’s started and crescendoed last week where he put up an impressive 10-3-0, 1 FF, 1 PD stat line. He’s now become the linebacker to own in New York and has a tasty matchup in Week 15 against the run-heavy Ravens. Consider him a strong LB2-LB2+.
ILB Nick Kwiatkoski (CHI) – I’ve recommended Kwiatkoski in this column in previous weeks this season with mixed results. But with both Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith out now, Kwiatkoski will assume a true every down role and have very little tackle competition. His 8-2 stat line last week against the Cowboys is a good indicator of what we can be expecting out of the former fifth round pick out of West Virginia moving forward (as long as Smith and Trevathan are out).
LB Jahlani Tavai (DET) – Typical Lions starting MLB Jarrad Davis hurt his ankle in last week’s contest against the Vikings which opened the door for Tavai to assume more of an every down role. The increased snap counts helped him compile 11 total tackles. We need to watch Davis’ injury status for this week, but if he’s unable to suit up, Tavai becomes a serviceable LB3 option with upside.
ILB Craig Robertson (NO) – For those in deeper IDP leagues where the above linebackers may not be available, I wanted to throw out an option that was likely still available for pickup. Robertson has had flashes of fantasy prominence throughout his career, but has strictly been a reserve player this year. That changed last week with both A.J. Klein and Kiko Alonso inactive. He played every snap in Week 14 and responded with 8 total tackles, an INT, and a PD. If he gets the start again in Week 15, he makes for a nice streaming option against a Colts team that has been a top 10 matchup for opposing linebackers.
Defensive Backs
(Previously recommended DBs: Juan Thornhill, Jordan Whitehead, Xavier Woods, Ronnie Harrison, Terrell Edmunds, Tracy Walker, Darnell Savage, Kemal Ishmael, Roderick Teamer, Tre Flowers, Reshad Jones, Khari Willis, Dre Kirkpatrick, Eric Weddle, Isaiah Oliver, Eric Reid, Byron Murphy, Maurice Canady, Jermaine Whitehead, Taylor Rapp, Marquise Blair, Ken Crawley, Morgan Burnett, Darnell Savage, DeAndre Baker, Taylor Rapp, Tavon Wilson, Patrick Peterson, Erik Harris, Morgan Burnett, Khari Willis, Reshad Jones, Kenny Moore, Adrian Amos, Derwin James, Adrian Phillips, Adoree’ Jackson, Julian Love, Malcolm Jenkins, Tre Boston, Andrew Wingard)
SS Khari Willis (IND) – Willis has had a couple of “splash” games this year as a rookie but injuries and inconsistency have made him a somewhat risky week-to-week play. However, he’s coming off his best performance of the year in which he racked up 11 total tackles. The matchup against NO is mediocre but the Saints put up a lot of points last week and I expect them to do this same this week which should bode well for Willis who has taken over the starting strong safety role from Clayton Geathers.
CB Tye Smith (TEN) – Since taking over for the injured Adoree Jackson, Smith has gone 5-2, 1 FR and 5-3, 1 FR. He has matchups against the Texans and Saints over the next two weeks, so should continue to see a lot of throws his way as long as Jackson remains out. I’d value him as a CB2+ right now.
SS Sheldrick Redwine (CLE) – Redwine seems to have taken over the starting strong safety role from Justin Burris in Cleveland as he saw 87% of the defensive snaps in Week 14 despite the return of Damarious Randall. He performed well in the box scores with 8 total tackles (6 solo) and could be a serviceable plug in option at the position for those looking to fill their third defensive back spot in deeper leagues.
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Last Updated: December 10, 2019