WEEK 4 Waiver Wire Pick Ups
(don't forget about byes: Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Eagles)
DBs (Defensive Backs)
Chicago DB Zack Bowman made his first start Sunday in place of CB Nathan Vasher. He finished with a team leading 9 solos and 1 pd. I'll keep a close watch on this for you this week and let you know later in the week if he's starting again vs. Detroit who almost always has to throw to catch up in games. Teams will continue to pick on him because he's new and that's always good for FF #'s. I think chances are good that he will start again. Vasher is having a terrible year.
CB A. Henry & SS L. Delmas of Detroit are the REAL DEAL & should both be owned for the year.
I continue to like Oakland's SS T. Branch better than both of these guys for the year and even this week so I would target him first.
C. Woodson(GB) does not belong on a waiver wire pick up list, but amazingly he's on my wire so if he's on yours, he would be the highest target on my list out of anyone I talk about on this page. He's the most consistent high scoring IDP corner in the league right now. He's not a DB pickup of the week because this is a waiver wire specific column and, chances are, he's not on most people's wire.
Last weeks "call of the week" S Antoine Bethea(IND) is a steal off the waiver wire and will score many points for you as long as Manning keeps putting up crazy points and forcing opponents to pass in order to catch up. This week against Seattle for instance. Think Seattle will fall behind & need to pass? Me too.
My DB week 4 pick up of the week is SS A. Elam(CLE)! If he's still on your wire, get him! He's been extremely solid. He's putting up starting linebacker numbers from the SS position. They get inner Ohio & division rival Cincy next week and the D will be more fired up than usual for that matchup. The Browns D will also be on the field a lot. There offense looks pitiful. A strategy "Mad"gini might want to think about is punting on 3rd down to avoid throwing INTs. Play field position and let your defense try to win you the game. (I'm kidding about punting on 3rd down. That would be silly. Instead, take a kneel down on 3rd down and punt on 4th. Much better strategy. How bad do you feel for me that my 2 favorite teams are the Redskins and the Browns?)
Trend Watch
SS Brandon Meriweather(NE) vs. Baltimore this week. Many have dropped Meriweather due to his very slow start. 3solos 5assts 1st game, 2solos 2assts 2nd game, 3 solos 4 assts week 3. No sacks and no INTs. Yuck! However, let me tell you the stats of each SS that has faced Baltimore this year. Week 1 KC SS Mike Brown 8solos 4assts(not much since), week 2 SD SS Weddle 9solos 1 asst, week 3 SS A Elam 7solos 3assts.
Those guys are all great athletes that I listed but, Meriweather has been projected to be a top 10 SS this year by most IDP experts. He's going to bust out at some point. He's too good not to and chances are good that this could be the game where he does.
To put things in perspective, I'd still rather start potential waiver wire grabs like like SS T. Branch from OAK, SS Bryan Scott from Buf and SS Delmas(OaK) over him this week because they've proven to be more reliable. But if you're in a pinch for an SS and need a potential homerun guy who has the potential to get you 14-20 points this week. The odds are in his favor vs. the Ravens.
LBs (LineBackers)
Who is David Hawthorne(SEA)? He's the guy who just got 15 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, & 1 pd subbing for the injured Lofa Tatupu!!! What do you do with David Hawthorne this week? Nothing. Unless you have the room to store him and watch. Tatupu has an aggravated hamstring. That doesn't sound like a long-term injury to me. Will Hawthorne start again next week against the Colts? We don't know yet. Will he get the same production against the Colts as he did against the Bears? That depends. When Indy played the Dolphins, they threw every series and MLB Channing Crowder got 1 solo tackle. Against Arizona in week 3, they got so far ahead Sunday night that they ran the ball to control the clock. So Arizona LBs Dansby & Hayes ended the night solid. The Colts are far from a run first team though and there are just too many "ifs" in this scenerio to justify picking up Hawthorne. Not on my roster this week anyway. If you have the room, it's very tempting to grab a guy who just had a 40 point week in IDP.
D. Levy(DET) appears to be serviceable while Ernie Sims is out. He get's Chicago next week and Chicago desperately wants to get Matt Forte and their run game established. That equals lots of tackles for ILBs.
I'm jealous of K. Ellison(BUF) owners this week going up against the most run heavy team in the NFL, Miami. If you can get him. Do it and smile!
SLB Cushing(HOU) has some risk, but might be worth a spot on your bench if you have the room. He did get 6 assts, but only 2 solos week 3. Add in his 2 pass deflections and those are good numbers. He gets Oakland next week and I'm afraid his numbers will be low in that game. Although Oakland is a bad offense and that seems like a good thing, it also means Houston won't be on defense as often. When they are on D, Oakland could be throwing deep to catch up. So my recommendation is to continue to keep Cushing high on your "watch list" for now.
ILB Demorrio Williams(KC) is my LB Pick Up of the WEEK Why? week 1 vs. the run heavy Ravens, he got 7 solos 3 assts. Week 3 he got 8 solos vs. Philly. Week 4 he get's the 2nd most run heavy team in the NFL, the Giants. The most important point is it's rare to get a team's starting inside linebacker, let alone one on a bad defense that will be on the field ALL day vs. the Giants.
DLs (Defensive Linemen)
DE Elvis Dumervil(DEN) is an absolute stud! He is the top DE to target off the wire if he's on yours.
NT K. Gregg(BAL) continues to be consistently solid as a DT. He probably won't hit you a grand slam, but he has little risk of putting up a goose egg for you week to week.
DE Kiwanuka(NYG) goes up against KC week 4. If Tuck is still out and Kiwa is available on your wire, that's a good matchup.
DE A. Smith(HOU) is going against Oakland week 4. All DEs have a decent chance of having a good game against the Raiders and Smith has been productive this season.
DE Alex Brown(CHI) goes against division rival Detroit. You really want him in your lineup for that game. Watch the gimpy ankle he's trying to heal from though.
DE Ray Edwards(MIN) is my DE week 4 pick up of the week as he gets the very beat up Green Bay line in week 4. That is a great matchup for a defensive end who has 16 total tackles and 2 sacks in just 3 games.
Let's see last week's prediction recap. How'd I do in week 3?
DB Great Calls: Antoine Bethea(IND 1 INT 6 solos 2 assts 1 FR), A. Elam(CLEV 7 solos 3 assts), D. Manning(CHI 6 solos), T. Branch(OAK 8 solos 2 assts 1 pd), L. Delmas(DET 5 solos 1 pd), A. Henry(Det 5 solos 2 pds)
DB OK Calls: B. McDonald(Clev 3 solos 1 pd), S. Piscitelli(TB) 4 solos 1 asst
DB Bad Calls: M. Brown (KC 3 solos)
LB Great Calls: K. Ellison(BUF 5 solos 4 assts), Watch S. Nicholas(ATL 5 solos 4 assts)
LB OK Calls: G. Guyton(NE 3 solos 4 assts), Watch B. Cushing(HOU 2 solos 6 assts 2 pds)
LB Bad Calls: A. Jordan(PHI 4 solos), Andra Davis(DEN 2 solos 1 asst)
DL Great Calls: E. Dumervil(DEN 3 solos 2 sacks)
DL OK Calls: A. Carter(WAS 2 solos 2 assts), T. Tyler(KC 3 solos), R. Edwards(MIN 2 solos), A. Smith(HOU 2 solos), A. Odom(CIN 2 solos), G. Ellis(OAK 2 solos), Seymour(OAK 3 solos)
DL Bad Calls: none
17 comments:
I love the insight your blog provides. That said, I am getting increasingly disappointed with the production of one of my CBs, Leon Hall. It is lookoing more and more like he is entering Asomugha territory, exemplified by the 1 catch performance of Santonio Holmes this last Sunday. If he didn't make special teams tackles, I'd be furious. I think someone in my league is reading your blog because Tyvon Branch (listed as a CB in my league) and Anthony Henry were just picked up by him. My question is what other CBs have some great value this year? My league has Ron Bartell, Bryant McFadden, Jonathan Joseph, Ike Taylor, Rashean Mathis, Jabari Greer, Zachary Bowman, Antoine Cason and Domonique Foxworth as free agents. Also, someone also just dropped Quentin Jammer. Are any of these players a CB upgrade over Leon Hall if not for the season, for the next 4 or 5 weeks?
Thanks for the advice.
The order I would put those guys in this year are Ron Bartell, Jabrari Greer, Rashean Mathis, Quentin Jammer, Johathan Joseph, Ike Taylor, Domonique Foxworth, Antoine Cason
However, the interesting guy here that is hard to rank is Chicago's Zachary Bowman. Are his 9 solos last week a mirage or a trend? In week 2 vs. pitt he got 5 solos 2 assists. He's a bigger corner who loves to tackle.
So I guess you have to ask yourself if you need a potential homerun hitter or just a solid guy to round out your team. Maybe you already have a homerun hitter, but Ron Bartell is really solid and should produce consistently and well for you. In all probability, Bowman will come back down to Earth and his "shiny new toy" illusion will wear off.
Can you hold off on this and stick with Joseph for one more week? They have Cleveland this week who will throw interceptions and will have to pass a lot to stay in the game. Plus the rivalry will up the tempo of everyone playing.
Is Elam a better start this week over Delmas or Bethea?
Those are all so close and I think you'll be fine with any or all 3 this week. But Yes, I feel Elam is a better start this week over Delmas or Bethea? I only give him the nod above Bethea because Elam's a strong safety and that gives him a better chance of racking up tackles. I give him the nod over Delmas this week vs. Chicago because Forte has not been able to get on track so the running game might not be there. Cincy will hand it to Benson until the wheels fall off against Cleveland. Plenty of tackle, INT & blitz opportunities for Elam. Lastly, Cleveland looks so bad on offense that there defense will be on the field a ton!
Just found your blog. I LOVE IT! This is my first year in an IDP league so I really need all the help I can get.
My defense is not tremendous. However, I have good linebackers in Danbsy, EJ Henderson, Maulaluga and Larry Foote.
But my DL are Alex Brown and Greg Ellis, nothing to write home about.
So somebody wants to trade me either Julius Pepper or Suggs and Darren Sharper for Greg Jennings.
What do you think?
I have a good offense:
Rivers
Forte
Lynch
Ray Rice
Vincent Jackson
Mike Sims Walker
Mario Manningham
Vernon Davis
I would love your insight. Thanks again. By the way, I will be on here often.
@ Joe Thank you very much!
DON'T DO IT JOE! DON'T JUMP! ;^D (sorry, old Tom Hanks 'Joe vs. the Volcano' movie reference. Terrible movie, by the way)
Seriously though. Don't move a muscle. DLs Alex Brown and Greg Ellis are something to write home about in the DL world. They are solid and it's hard to ask for much more than that in the turbulent world of DLs where even Jared Allen can fall asleep for a couple weeks.
You can't give up Greg Jennings. Trust me, he will have a HUGE year and you don't want to put all your hopes into a rookie fill in like Manningham (Hicks & Hixon will be back soon to steal looks), and although he looks really good, Eli might not even bother throwing some weeks. Mike Sims-Walker has a very long history of injury. Not to mention, Garrard is being pounded into the ground weekly and it's only a matter of time before a backup QB comes in.
So, no. I would not give up Greg Jennings for either Julius Pepper or Suggs and Darren Sharper
However, I do worry about your running back core. Lynch look TERRIBLE in pre-season and Fred Jackson is not going back to the bench. I don't worry too much about Forte getting back on track, but Ray Rice is not the style of runner that Baltimore needs. McGahee fits that roll better and will continue to get all the goaline work.
So if you feel that comfortable with your WR core & you're willing to move Jennings, I would target Knowshon Moreno or try a package deal with the person who has Fred Jackson (especially if you're in PPR). Maybe the person who has Fred also has a defender to target and you can get a 2 for one there. It's a good time for a deal like that because that owner might be giving up on Fred Jackson. Which is completely wrong. I foresee Jackson ultimately being "the guy" there and not Lynch. Again, especially if your playing PPR. (Lynch will come out on 3rd down anyway)
I can see what your saying. But I have to be honest about Alex Brown. I just dont know if he's the same player anymore. But I will probably stick with him now.
As far as Jennings goes, I think the problem is that Rodgers is getting knocked on his ass soo often that he never has time to go deep. They have given up the most sacks so that doesnt bode well for a deep threat like Jennings.
By the way, my DB's are:
Quinten Mikell
Cortland Finnegan
Antoine Winfield
Tyvon Branch
What you do think? Do I need an upgrade?
Hey man,
Ok, I am tired of gabril wilson, and i read that he is about to lose his starting job so i have to replace him. so who do i pick up between...charles woodson, a. bethea, clements, or abram elam?????
also, i picked up s. cooper off the wire last week, should i stick with him even though some of the names you have mentioned are available (ellison, ej henderson, mike peterson, dj williams)
Thanks! Your help is always appreciated!
My league starts CB and S so with Kelvin Hayden looking doubtful for this week I need to pick up a CB to start. Which one of these guys do you think has the best matchup this week?
Zack Bowman
Jonathan Joseph
Jabari Greer
Tim Jennings
Hey Monk. Thanks for last week. I got some great advice from you.
I have James Harrison but Tulloch, Daryl Smith, David Hawethorne, Gerald Hayes, and a few others are available. Tulloch (and the other guys I named) have been tearing it up this year. Would you pick one up and start him in Harrison's place this week?
@ anonymous Cut Finnegan and pick up any DL on this list in that order this week:
3). Robert Mathis - IND vs SEA
4). Jared Allen - MIN vs GB
5). Terrell Suggs - BAL at NE
6). Antwan Odom - CIN at CLE
7). Adewale Ogunleye - CHI vs DET
8). Greg Ellis - OAK at HOU
9). Aaron Schobel - BUF at MIA
10). Mathias Kiwanuka - NYG at KC
11). Kyle Vanden Bosch - TEN at JAX
12). Will Smith - NO vs NYJ
13). Antonio Smith - HOU vs OAK
14). Andre Carter - WAS vs TB
15). Justin Smith - SF vs STL
16). Richard Seymour - OAK at HOU
17). Jason Hunter - DET at CHI
18). Patrick Kerney - SEA at IND
19). Albert Haynesworth - WAS vs TB
20). Ray Edwards - MIN vs GB
@ James That's great to hear. I'm glad I helped!
Lofa is probable so Hawthorne is out, Gerald Hayes is on bye this week. So that leaves Tulloch or Smith over Harrison.
It's close & I see exactly what you're doing. I'm going to say "no" and to give Harrison another shot this week vs. Detroit. London Fletcher racked up 15 solos on them last week. They have to run to protect their future franchise QB so whether it's working or not, they will still run with Maurice Morris if Kevin Smith is out.
@ anonymous with Hayden dilemma
I hate to make you my ginnea pig and feel free to come back next week and put all kinds of explotives in the comment next week if I do you wrong, but my gut says:
Bowman out of that list. I think Detroit will have to throw in this one to keep up and a smart Coach picks on the new kid. Thus lot's of tackles and lots of opportunities. What did Bowman have - 9 solos or something like that last week? Wow! Huge upside and he's a big guy who has always loved to hit all the way back to his Cornhusker days. So yeah, out of that list - Bowman this week
Hey man, thanks for this Blog. Because of you I've picked up players like Delmas and Akem Jordan and loving it.
Question for you this week.
Otogwe or Bethea for the start in the DB spot?
Thanks!!
@ anonymous That's great! I'm glad I helped.
As far as Otogwe or Bethea. That's a terrific question. As you know, I play the matchups and Bethea is the better matchup this week.
I think they're going to hand Coffee the ball 30 times and I don't see Otogwe being involved. And we saw what happened last week when Otogwe wasn't involved. One measily tackle. The only question in the Rams/49ers game is "Will Boller keep the Rams in the game enough to force Shaun Hill to put it in the air?" Boller's only reliable receiver besides SJax is Avery and we're not even sure how healthy he is.
But you know for a fact that Seattle will have to throw to stay in the game against the Colts. Unless you think Julius Jones is such a stud that he'll keep them in the game with the ground game. LOL
So, yup, the matchup says go with Bethea. If it makes you feel any better, I'm benching Otogwe this week for Charles Woodson & I think Bethea has a better matchup than Woodson so there ya go. We'll both go down with the ship together if Otogwe picks one off and takes it to the house. ;^D
Hey Monk, great work you're doing here....with Dansby off this week who'd you go with: Dumervil (counts as LB in Yahoo),Daryl Smith or your buddy Demorrio Williams. Thanks and keep up the great work. Skol Vikings!
@ sirtotes Daryl Smith is the man you want this week. He shouldn't be on the wire.
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