Only four teams on bye this week, but losing the Buffalo and Oakland IDPs, and to a certain extent, Detroit, is painful. I will try to get you through Week 10, though, do not fret and stew.
There are some nice options at all the IDP slots this week, and not that many to avoid or consider dropping. Unless your studs are now injured, of course, then you need to make a difficult decision about cutting someone you have relied upon for the past nine weeks or so. One bit of advice: there are always new IDP to add to your roster if your top guys are out for a week or longer. Just read these articles (maybe go back a couple of weeks for additional suggestions, as I do not repeat recommendations except in rare instances), and grab the IDP flavor of the week to keep your team rolling forward towards the playoffs.
And, as always, do not be shy about e-mailing me your specific questions. I am back from my yearly sojourn to the desert to watch Arizona Fall League baseball, and will be keeping a closer eye on my inbox going forward through the NFL season.
Bye Weeks coming up:
Week 10: Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Oakland
Week 11: Atlanta, Denver, New York Jets, San Diego
Week 12: None
Week 13: Cleveland, Tennessee (and we are done with the bye weeks)
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Jamie Collins CLE -- It is clear to see why the Browns traded for Collins, as he has stepped in and immediately had an impact on the defense. He played every down on defense in Week 9, and racked up eight total tackles (five solo), and playing on a defense that sees a lot of time on the field should keep his numbers high going forward.
Ryan Shazier PIT -- Shazier is a player that may be readily available in your leagues, due to his recent status as a non-starter, but he should be a huge target off the wire this week, coming off a nine tackle effort (six solo, one for a loss). He also picked up half a sack, a QH (QB hit) and forced fumble against the Ravens in Week 9. Grab him immediately, as he has been a productive LB 2 in the past and should be again.
Thomas Davis CAR -- Davis was someone I was snagging last week due to bye week issues, and he came through big time: 11 total tackles (10 solo), a sack, a QH, an INT, a PD (pass deflection) and a forced fumble. His Week 10 opponent, the Chiefs, are not a bad matchup in terms of LB points allowed, so he should continue to be a valuable asset on IDP rosters.
Gerald Hodges SF -- Hodges plays on a defense that sees plenty of snaps every week, and he was an every down LB in Week 9 against the Saints. He put up a fine stat line for his owners: 11 total tackles (nine solo), a sack and a QH. He sees plenty of action in the middle of a defense that has a tough time against the run, and he gets to face the Cardinals who will be looking to rack up yards on the ground in Week 10.
Jake Ryan GB -- Ryan was a player I was ecstatic to draft in a rookie draft a couple seasons back, and he is now coming into his own. Against the visiting Colts, he had a QH, a PD, and 12 total tackles (11 solo, one for a loss). Beware, though, as he has typically been a two-down LB, and gets to go sit on the sidelines when facing a team that is passing on third down. Still, after last week's performance, he may be in line for additional playing time.
Korey Toomer SD -- Toomer was someone I wanted to watch for a week before recommending him to my readers. He stepped up nicely, leading the Chargers in tackles against the visiting Titans, and collected eight solos and one assist, as well as forcing a fumble that was returned for a TD. So long as the Chargers are beat up at LB, he will be in line for a productive game.
Defensive Linemen
Cameron Wake DE MIA -- I will avoid the obvious pun, but Mr. Wake did look again like himself in Week 9. Collecting two sacks, two QH and two forced fumbles, to go with four solo tackles shows me he is ready to step up his production to prior levels again.
Matt Judon DE/LB BAL -- Judon has dual eligibility on Yahoo, where you can plug a linebacker into a DL slot and reap the rewards (not so on ESPN, unfortunately). He put up a three solo tackle/one sack effort against the visiting Steeler offense in Week 9, and he gets to take on the Browns in a Thursday night game in Week 10 (which has the potential to be good or bad, as you know if you subject yourself to those early contests).
Kerry Hyder DT DET -- Hyder is on a bye this week, but would be someone to target when the Lions return to action in Week 11. He managed to snag two sacks, two QH and three total tackles (two solo, two for a loss) against the Vikings, albeit in an overtime Week 9 game. He now has seven sacks on the season, not too shabby for an undrafted free agent, and would be a good add in a DT-mandatory league.
Defensive Backs
Andrew Adams S NYG -- Adams, an undrafted rookie, was on the field for nearly every defensive snap, and as a result had a great stat line: nine solo tackles, an INT and two PDs. He is widely available, but that may not last for long if he keeps up this level of production.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S GB -- Clinton-Dix has been a relative disappointment this season, but that is at least partly due to the injuries the Packers have had to deal with in their secondary. He showed his value in Week 9, however, grabbing two interceptions, causing two pass deflections, adding in a QH, three total tackles (one solo) and half a sack. If you already own him, congratulations but be aware that he is being used in deeper coverage, which limits his playmaking/tackling opportunities.
Shawn Williams S CIN -- Williams gets a great matchup against the Giants in Week 10, a team that gives up serious points to safeties on a weekly basis. He should be available on your waiver wire, so go snap him up and use him for the balance of the season as matchups indicate.
Darian Stewart/Bradley Roby DB DEN -- Stewart and Roby are a couple of Denver secondary players you should be looking at if your DBs are giving you headaches. The Saints are a great matchup for DBs, and Roby is especially interesting as teams continue to test him as he fills in for the injured Aqib Talib. Roby has collected 16 total tackles over the past two weeks (12 solo), with two PDs, a pick-six INT and a sack. So long as Talib is out, he is extremely valuable. Stewart is coming off an eight solo tackle effort, and as noted above, gets to face a New Orleans team that is very generous to opposing DBs.
Phillip Gaines CB KC -- Gaines is playing opposite Marcus Peters, which means teams are targeting his side of the field. I personally love to find the DB that teams want to attack, as the tackle numbers improve tremendously. He did have a forced fumble and a PD in Week 9, to go with his seven solo tackles. If your league requires a CB slot to be filled, slot Gaines in there and smile as the points accumulate.
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Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
No one of note, except for those on the Injury Report, as set forth on the next page.
Defensive Linemen
See the note for linebackers an inch above or so.
Defensive Backs
Same as with linebackers and defensive linesmen… no one of note except those with injury concerns in Week 10.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, under this new procedure, you want to use the team that is playing against the first team listed in the list. For example, New England is a good bet to allow fantasy points to Seattle linebackers, based on their prior weeks' performances. Do not just blindly grab any Patriot LB, of course, you still need to make wise decisions and not trust some LB5 to put up big numbers for you.
Linebackers
New England vs Seattle
Baltimore vs Cleveland
Jacksonville vs Houston
New York Jets vs Los Angeles
Defensive Ends
San Diego vs Miami
Arizona vs San Francisco
Defensive Tackles
San Diego vs Miami
Washington vs Minnesota
New Orleans vs Denver
Safeties
San Diego vs Miami
Washington vs Minnesota
New Orleans vs Denver
Cornerbacks
Arizona vs San Francisco
Tampa Bay vs Chicago
Jacksonville vs Houston
New Orleans vs Denver
Carolina vs Kansas City
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Waiver Wire Targets
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 I comment on are here, however, as I am not going 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
Jamie Collins CLE (owned in 46.9% of ESPN leagues, 29% of Yahoo)
Ryan Shazier PIT (43.8% ESPN/15% Yahoo)
Thomas Davis CAR
Jake Ryan GB
Korey Toomer SD
Defensive Linesmen
Cameron Wake DE MIA
Matt Judon DE/LB BAL
Kerry Hyder DT DET
Defensive Backs
Andrew Adams S NYG
Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix S GB (33.4% ESPN, 18% Yahoo)
Shawn Williams S CIN
Darian Stewart S DEN
Bradley Roby CB DEN
Phillip Gaines 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
Alex Okafor ARI calf
Elvis Dumervil BAL (Do not expect him back this season)
Kamalei Correa BAL thumb
Jamari Lattimore BUF nose
Shaq Thompson CAR knee
Jackson Jeffcoat CLE hamstring
Ryan Davis DAL hamstring
DeAndre Levy DET knee
Clay Matthews GB hamstring
Brian Peters HOU quadriceps
Chris Carter IND hamstring
Myles Jack JAX hip
Jelani Jenkins MIA concussion
Eric Kendricks MIN concussion
Dannell Ellerbe NO quadriceps
Bruce Carter NYJ quadriceps
Josh Martin NYJ concussion
Darron Lee NYJ ankle
Kamu Gugier-Hill PHI hamstring
Jeremiah Attachou SD ankle
Denzel Perryman SD hamstring
Jatavis Brown SD knee
Aaron Lynch SF ankle
Kwon Alexander TB shoulder
Aaron Wallace TEN shoulder
Defensive Linemen
DE
Ed Stinson ARI toe
Dwight Freeney ATL quadriceps
Wallace Gilberry CIN abdomen
Derek Wolfe DEN elbow
Kendall Langford IND knee
Henry Anderson IND knee
Jared Odrick JAX quadriceps
Kerry Wynn NYG concussion
Stacy McGee OAK ankle
Michael Bennett SEA knee
DT
Marcell Careus BUF groin
Corbin Bryant BUF shoulder
Vernon Butler CAR ankle
Eddie Goldman CHI ankle
Vince Wolfork HOU groin
Sharrif Floyd MIN knee
Woodrow Hamilton NE shoulder
Bennie Logan NYJ groin
Taylor Hart NYJ ankle
Clinton McDonald TB hamstring
Defensive Backs
S
Tyrann Mathieu ARI shoulder
Barry Church DAL forearm
Micah Hyde GB shoulder
Chris Banjo GB hamstring
Quintin Demps HOU calf
Lonnie Ballentine HOU groin
Mike Adams IND groin
Carian Thompson NYG foot
Terrence Brooks PHI hamstring
Jordan Dangerfield PIT groin
Jahleel Addae SD collarbone
Kam Chancellor SEA groin
Rashad Johnson TEN neck
Kyshoen Jarrett WAS shoulder
Will Blackmon WAS thumb
Duke Ihenacho WAS concussion
CB
Tharold Simon ARI ankle
Desmond Trufant ATL shoulder
Shareece Wright BAL thigh
Bryce Callahan CHI hamstring
Deiondre’ Hall CHI ankle
Jamar Taylor CLE groin
Morris Claiborne DAL sports hernia
Aqib Talib DEN back
Kaynon Webster DEN hamstring
Darius Slay DET hamstring
Nevin Lawson DET calf
Damarious Randall GB groin
Jalil Brown IND ankle
Tevin Mitchel IND hamstring
D.J. White KC hand
Chimdi Chekwa MIA hamstring
Bobby McCain MIA concussion
Xavien Howard MIA knee (meniscus)
Captain Munnerlyn MIN ankle
Marcus Sherels MIN ankle
Marcus Williams NYJ ankle
Sean Smith OAK shoulder
Craig Mager SD concussion
DeAndre Elliott SEA hamstring
Rashard Robinson SF knee (MCL)
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, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.