IDP Report Week 14

This is it, the end of bye week miseries. Plus, we head into the fantasy playoff season anon. Time to shore up those rosters with players that are trending upwards, and to cut loose those IDP who have ceased to provide value to your squad(s).

Bye Weeks coming up: Week 14-Indianapolis, Miami, New England, Philadelphia

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

Germain Pratt CIN

With Logan Wilson on IR due to shoulder issues, Pratt slides in to a potential three-down role in the Cincy defense. He collected nine total tackles (TT) in the Week 13 matchup against the visiting Charger offense, three of those being solos. He also picked up a forced fumble (FF) and fumble recovery (FR) last week. If he is a starter for the near future, his value goes up dramatically and he becomes a must add.

Blake Lynch MIN

Lynch put up a huge stat line against the Lions in Week 13: nine TT (six solo), with one for a loss of yards (TFL), two sacks, a QB hit/hurry (QH), and mimicking Pratt above, a FF and a FR. This burst of IDP goodness could be short lived, as he saw a steep increase in defensive snaps played due to Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks being sidelined, so keep an eye on the injury front plays out heading into Week 14 in the Thursday night game.

C.J. Mosley NYJ

Collecting a whopping 13 TT in Week 13 against the visiting Eagles puts him square in the sights of waiver wire shoppers. Beware of the back injury that is limiting his practice through Wednesday, so that if you pick him up, be ready to zag after that zig move and find a replacement LB to swap in before Sunday’s kickoff.

Christian Kirksey HOU

Kirksey returned to action as though he had not missed a few games due to injury. He was a full-time participant on the field for the Texan defense, racking up seven TT (five solo) with yet another pass deflection/defense (PD), his sixth on the season, a career high. He is a fine hybrid LB, as he offers decent tackle production with big play potential tossed in.

Defensive Linemen

Quincy Roche DE NYG (Qualifies as LB in Yahoo)

Roche is being used as an edge rusher by the Giants, and has collected two sacks in his last four games, along with 19 TT (12 solo). Not overwhelming numbers but being able to get LB type production out of a DL in ESPN leagues has value.

Chris Wormley DE PIT

Wormley is an average tackle producer, but has put up 3.5 sacks over the past two weeks. He gets to face off against the Vikings and then the Titans over the next couple of weeks, which provides him with an extended opportunity to shine for the Steeler defense.

Ndamukong Suh TB DT

The Buccaneer tackle is not much use if your league values tackle production from the DL slot, but the increased sack totals this year for the veteran do carry some cachet in big play scoring schemes. He was credited with another pair of sacks against the host Falcons last week, as well as a couple of QH. Tag on four TT (two solo, two TFL) and he is redeveloping a useful IDP presence. 

D.J. Jones DT SF

Jones is certainly not as visible as Arik Armstead, and certainly not at the level of Nick Bosa on the DL for San Fran, but he is quietly and unobtrusively becoming a value at DT in leagues that mandate using a defensive tackle in your IDP lineup. He has 12 TT over his past two contests and forced a fumble in his last game against the host Seahawks. 

Defensive Backs

Jayron Kearse S DAL

Kearse should easily eclipse 100 TT this season, barring anything unforeseen occurring in the final contests of the 2021 season. He added nine TT (eight solo, two TFL) against the host Saints in Week 3, along with an INT and a PD. His production continues to improve as the weeks flow along, so this would be a fine time to consider adding him to replace an underperforming DB. 

Ryan Neal S SEA

Neal was called upon to fill in for an injured Jamal Adams, and with Adams now out for the season, look for him to build on the five TT effort he put up against the 49ers in an expanded role.

Devine Deablo S LV (LB only in ESPN leagues, dual LB/S on Yahoo)

He is coming off a fantastic 11 TT effort against the visiting Washington Football Team. There is some doubt that kind of value will carry forward, but a LB that qualifies as a DB is an asset to consider adding for depth, if not as a guaranteed starter going forward. Another double digit tackle effort…maybe that makes for starter material.

Chavarius Ward CB KC

The Chief defense has been playing better lately, and Ward has been a part of that resurgence. He amassed eight TT against the visiting Broncos, along with a PD. He has been mostly a full-time DB in four of the last five KC games, and in those efforts, has accumulated 27 TT over that period, with 5 PD and an INT.

Escalator Going Down

Linebackers

Alec Ogletree CHI

Ogletree’s utility took a major downturn with the return to action of Roquan Smith. His playing time took a hit, even with his starting status in place, and he was credited with a mere single solo tackle against the visiting Cardinals. The Bears also seem intrigued with the play of Joel Iyiegbuniwe in the linebacking corps.

Von Miller LAR

Miller was seen as an important pickup by the Rams for their playoff run. Instead, he has gone three contests without a sack registered to his credit. He also has picked up a mere nine TT over his time with LA. The writing was sorta on the wall before the trade, as he was not rolling up huge tackle numbers and had dried up in the sack category, too. Name recognition is no reason to afford him a continuing roster spot on your fantasy squad.

Defensive Linemen

Josh Allen DE JAX

Allen has recently cooled off, going without a sack for the past four games, and having three of four games with limited tackle production. One or two off games can be overlooked but this speaks of a trend that does not bode well for fantasy playoff success.

Defensive Backs

Malcolm Jenkins S NO 

Jenkins’ star has certainly dimmed of late, which could just be due to his 33-year-old body wearing down with continued weekly action. He has put up more than four TT just once over the past six weeks, with minimal big play action during that time. He has not been much of a big-play league target over his recent history, in any event, so the lack of tackles makes him a liability for fantasy owners.

Matchups to Exploit

Remember, the first team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Bengals or Lions but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB, DE or S on the Browns, or a leading DE or S on the Ravens that you can plug in this week, for the most part.

Inside Linebackers

Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Minnesota

Outside Linebackers

Detroit Lions @ Denver

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Buffalo

Houston Texans vs Seattle

Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina

Defensive Ends

Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams

Washington Football Team

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland

San Francisco 49ers @ Cincinnati

Defensive Tackles

Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville

New Orleans Saints @ New York Jets

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta

Safeties

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland

Denver Broncos vs Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona

Washington Football Team vs Dallas

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina

Cornerbacks

Los Angeles Chargers @ New York Giants

Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington

Buffalo Bills @ Tampa Bay

 

Waiver Wire Targets

This section is intended to serve as a shortened cheat sheet listing those waiver wire targets you should be considering if you need to plug a hole in your starting lineup. All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.

Linebackers

Germain Pratt CIN

Blake Lynch MIN

C.J. Mosley NYJ

Christian Kirksey HOU

Defensive Linemen

Quincy Roche DE NYG

Chris Wormley DE PIT

Ndamukong Suh TB DT

D.J. Jones DT SF

Defensive Backs

Jayron Kearse S DAL

Ryan Neal S SEA

Devine Deablo S LV

Chavarius Ward CB KC

 

Ouch (My Aching Roster)

All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff.  Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.

Linebackers

Zeke Turner ARI shoulder IR

Tanner Vallejo ARI knee IR

Kylie Fitts ARI concussion IR

Steven Means ATL knee IR

Deion Jones ATL shoulder

Daren Bates ATL groin IR

Patrick Queen BAL ribs

Daelin Hayes BAL ankle IR

Pernell McPhee BAL knee IR

L.J. Fort BAL knee-ACL IR

Roquan Smith CHI hamstring

Danny Trevathan CHI knee IR

Khalil Mack CHI foot IR

Jeremiah Attaochu CHI pectoral IR

Akeem Davis-Gaither CIN foot IR

Jordan Evans CIN knee IR

Jacob Phillips CLE biceps IR

Montrel Meander CLE Achilles IR

Jabril Cox DAL knee-ACL IR

Andre Mintze DEN hamstring IR

Micah Kiser DEN groin IR

A.J. Johnson DEN pectoral IR

Josey Jewell DEN pectoral IR

Natrez Patrick DEN leg IR

Trey Flowers DET knee

Jalen Reeves-Maybin DET shoulder

Romeo Okwara DET Achilles IR

Shaun Dion Hamilton DET undisclosed IR

De’Vondre Campbell GB illness IR-COVID

Jonathan Garvin GB illness IR-COVID

Chauncey Rivers GB knee-ACL IR

Za’Darius Smith GB back IR

Randy Ramsey GB leg IR

Hardy Nickerson HOU concussion IR

Damien Wilson JAX ankle

Dylan Moses JAX knee

Nick Kwiatkoski LV ankle

Nicholas Morrow LV ankle IR

Darron Lee LV undisclosed

Patrick Onwuasor LV hamstring

Justin Hollins LAR pectoral IR

Travin Howard LAR hamstring IR

Brennan Scarlett MIA knee IR

Anthony Barr MIN hamstring

Cameron McGrone NE knee-ACL

Terez Hall NE undisclosed PUP

Anfernee Jennings NE undisclosed IR

Harvey Langi NE knee-MCL IR

Josh Uche NE ankle IR

Jamie Collins NE ankle IR

Raekwon McMillan NE knee-ACL IR

Kaden Elliss NO hamstring

Quentin Poling NO undisclosed

Andrew Dowell NO concussion

Carter Coughlin NYG ankle IR

Justin Hilliard NYG ankle IR

Trent Harris NYG ankle

Blake Martinez NYG knee-ACL IR

T.J. Brunson NYG knee-ACL IR

Quincy Williams NYJ calf 

Blake Cashman NYJ groin IR

Jamien Sherwood NYJ Achilles IR

Davion Taylor PHI knee IR

T.J. Watt PIT illness IR-COVID

Robert Spillane PIT knee

Fred Warner SF hamstring

Dre Greenlaw SF abdomen

Marcell Harris SF concussion

Ben Burr-Kirven SEA knee-ACL IR

Devin White TB hip

Monty Rice TEN ankle IR

Rashaan Evans TEN ankle

David Long TEN hamstring

Ola Adenlyi TEN hamstring

Bud Dupree TEN abdomen IR

Rashad Weaver TEN lower leg IR

B.J. Bello TEN ankle IR

Jared Norris WAS shoulder IR

Jon Bostic WAS pectoral IR

Defensive Linemen

DE

J.J. Watt ARI shoulder IR

Jonathan Bullard ATL ankle

Calais Campbell BAL concussion

Derek Wolfe BAL back IR

Bryan Cox BIF Achilles IR

Austin Larkin CAR groin

Darryl Johnson CAR hamstring IR

Mario Edwards CHI ribs

Akiem Hicks CHI ankle

Joseph Ossai CIN knee-Meniscus IR

Wyatt Hubert CIN pectoral

Randy Gregory DAL calf IR

Demarcus Lawrence DAL foot IR

Shelby Harris DEN ankle

Michael Brockers DET knee

Joel Heath DET knee-ACL IR

Whitney Mercilus GB biceps IR

DeMarcus Walker HOU hamstring

Jordan Jenkins HOU knee-PCL IR

Tyquan Lewis IND knee IR

Joshua Kaindoh KC ankle IR

Malik Herring KC knee-ACL

Carl Nassib LV knee

Everson Griffen MIN personal

Danielle Hunter MIN pectoral IR

Janarius Robinson MIN lower body IR

Henry Anderson NE pectoral IR

Tanoh Kpassagnon NO ankle

Marcus Davenport NO shoulder

Payton Turner NO shoulder IR

Bryce Huff NYJ back IR

Vinny Curry NYJ illness

Carl Lawson NYJ Achilles IR

Brandon Graham PHI Achilles IR

Calvin Taylor PIT undisclosed

Stephon Tuitt PIT undisclosed IR

Tyson Alualu PIT ankle IR

Dee Ford SF back IR

Chase Young WAS knee-ACL IR

Montez Sweat WAS jaw IR

Jalen Jelks WAS undisclosed IR

DT

Rashard Lawrence ARI calf IR

Jack Crawford ARI undisclosed IR

Xavier Kelly BAL Achilles IR

Justin Zimmer BUF knee-ACL IR

Daviyon Nixon CAR knee IR

Brent Urban DAL triceps IR

Neville Gallimore DAL elbow IR

Jashon Cornell DET illness

Vincent Taylor HOU ankle IR

DeForest Buckner IND knee

Rob Windsor IND hip IR

Jay Tufele JAX hand IR

Khalen Saunders KC undisclosed IR

Darius Philon LV ankle IR

Gerald McCoy LV knee IR

Linval Joseph LAC illness IR-COVID

Sebastian Joseph-Day LAR pectoral IR

Michael Pierce MIN elbow IR

Dalvin Tomlinson MIN illness IR-COVID

Jaylen Twyman NIM pelvis

Byron Cowart NE undisclosed PUP

Malcolm Roach NO knee IR

Jalen Dalton NO triceps IR

Sheldon Rankins NYJ knee

Carlos Davis PIT knee IR

Maurice Hurst SF calf 

Javon Kinlaw SF knee-ACL IR

Marcus Webb SEA undisclosed IR

Sam Renner TB undisclosed

Teair Tart TEN ankle

Trevon Coley TEN foot IR

Defensive Backs

S

James Wiggins ARI knee 

Charles Washington ARI hamstring IR

Kendall Sheffield ATL hamstring

Ar’Darius Washington BAL foot IR

DeShon Elliott BAL pectoral IR

Khalil Dorsey BAL undisclosed IR

Brandon Wilson CIN knee IR

Donovan Wilson DAL shoulder IR

Kareem Jackson DEN neck

Terrence Brooks HOU hamstring

Khari Willis IND calf IR

Julian Blackmon IN Achilles IR

Kelsean Nixon LV ankle

Tyree Gillespie LV hamstring IR

Alohi Gilman LAC quadriceps 

Mark Webb LAC knee IR

Dayan Ghanwoloku LAR undisclosed

BranDon Jones MIA elbow 

Trill Williams MIA hamstring

Elijah Campbell MIA toe IR

Jason McCourty MIA foot IR

Camryn Bynum MIN ankle

Jonathan Jones NE shoulder IR

Joshuah Bledson NE wrist

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson NO foot IR

Nate Ebner NYG ankle IR

Jabrill Peppers NYG knee-ACL IR

Joshua Kalu NYG pectoral IR

Marcus Maye NYJ Achilles IR

Lamarcus Joyner NYJ triceps IR

Tarvarius Moore SF Achilles PUP

Tavon Wilson SF foot IR

Jason Verrett SF knee-ACL IR

Marquise Blair SEA knee IR

Curtis Riley TB Achilles IR

Kevin Byard TEN undisclosed IR-COVID

Maurice Smith TEN undisclosed

Chris Jackson TEN foot IR

Dane Cruikshank TEN knee IR

Landon Collins WAS foot

CB

Isaiah Oliver ATL knee IR

Kevon Seymour BAL undisclosed IR-COVID

Chris Westry BAL thigh

Jimmy Smith BAL neck

Iman Marshall BAL knee IR

Marcus Peters BAL knee-ACL IR

Tre’Davious White BUF knee-ACL IR

Donte Jackson CAR groin IR

Stantley Thomas-Oliver CAR toe IR

Jaycee Horn CAR foot IR

Troy Pride CAR knee-ACL IR

Duke Shelley CHI hamstring IR

Trae Waynes CIN hamstring IR

Nahshon Wright DAL illness IR-COVID

Maurice Canady DAL concussion

Reggie Robinson II DAL toe IR

Michael Ojemudia DEN hamstring IR

Bryce Callahan DEN knee IR

Bobby Price DET shoulder

AJ Parker DET ankle IR

Jeff Okudah DET Achilles IR

Kevin King GB hip

Jaire Alexander GB shoulder-AC joint IR

Shaquill Griffin JAX concussion

Rashad Fenton KC knee

Damon Arnette LV groin

Brandon Facyson LV concussion

Trayvon Mullen LV toe IR

Asante Samuel Jr. LAC concussion

Ryan Smith LAC knee-ACL IR

Donte’ Deayon LAR thigh

Jamal Perry MIA knee IR

Patrick Peterson MIN illness IR-COVID

Paulson Adebo NO concussion

Keith Washington NO wrist

Darnay Holmes NYG ribs IR

Adoree’ Jackson NYG quadriceps

RoDarius Williams NYG knee-ACL IR

Quincy Wilson NYG ankle IR

Brandin Echols NYJ thigh IR

Zane Lewis NYJ knee-MCL IR

Tay Gowan PHI quadriceps

Joe Haden PIT foot

DeMarkus Acy PIT knee-ACL IR

Tre Brown SEA knee IR

Jamel Dean TB shoulder

Carlton Davis TB quadriceps IR

Richard Sherman TB calf IR

Rashard Robinson TB hamstring IR

Janoris Jenkins TEN ankle

Greg Mabin TEN ankle

Caleb Farley TEN knee-ACL IR

Benjamin St-Juste WAS concussion

Darryl Robers WAS quadriceps IR

Greg Stroman WAS undisclosed

Torry McTyer WAS knee-ACL IR

As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, you can also send a message to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a personal response from the writer of this article. Naturally, the more detail you can send about your league, such as number of teams, platform you play in (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.), scoring and roster system, the better the ability to provide accurate advice.