IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 14

Fantasy regular seasons will come to a close in week 14, and the week 13 injury implications for playoffs are brutal. Granted it is Sunday evening as I write this, but potentially losing the likes of Lamar Jackson (knee), Tua Tagovailoa (ankle, although it doesn’t sound serious), Jimmy Garoppolo (broken foot – done for the regular season) and Kenneth Walker (ankle) for any amount of time during the crucial final week or first round will be crippling for many. It’s doubly difficult in leagues where trade deadlines have passed, or future draft picks or quality depth pieces have already been traded to shore up other positions.

In addition to some high-profile injuries, we had to suffer through a couple of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad offensive games in Baltimore and Houston, with just two offensive touchdowns combined for the Broncos, Browns, Ravens and Texans.

If your roster is now suffering and in need of a pick-me-up, consider this week’s dynasty IDP waiver wire!

Keep in mind when reading:

• This advice is geared more toward 14- and 16-team dynasty setups, or 12-team setups with fairly large roster limits (65 spots or so). My goal is to write this for managers who must dig deeper on the wire in order to stay ahead for both this season and future years.
• I’m not listing IDPs you can find in my top 150 rankings.
• Not everyone I list is a recommended add. Sometimes I may just want to write up a player to convince you not to waste your FAAB or a roster spot.

Edge Rushers

Michael Hoecht, LAR

What the Hoecht? The former Brown Bear did his best Aaron Donald impression with two sacks (one of which caused a fumble) on three quarterback hits to go along with three solo tackles. He’s an interior defensive lineman (with defensive tackle size at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds) playing edge right now, and the snap counts have been strong the past two games. While I want to say this seems like a true outlier game (and it is) I’m intrigued enough to take a flier in deep leagues.

Romeo Okwara, DET

The Lions activated Okwara from injured reserve on Saturday, but on Sunday had him on the inactive list. He’s more than a year removed from an Achilles tear, but it’s still fair to wonder what he’ll be able to offer in 2022 – or 2023 for that matter. He did of course hit the ten-sack mark in 2020, and he’s still just 27, so for dynasty he’s worth a roster spot if he was left for dead following the injury. I like John Cominsky and James Houston, both of whom are benefitting from the lack of an established presence opposite Aiden Hutchinson, but a healthy Okwara should play over either.

Josh Uche, NE

Uche turned in a monster stat line on Thursday Night Football with two sacks (one that forced a fumble) on three quarterback hits plus six solo tackles and an assist. Unpredictable as he is talented, the former second-round pick is a lottery ticket in any lineup right now. As a Patriot, I’ll believe Uche can have a consistent and meaningful snap role when I see it, but he’ll be a free agent after the 2023 season. From a dynasty perspective, he could find a major value bump if he’s playing elsewhere starting in 2024. Granted I’ve always been a bit of an Uche stan, but it’s hard for anyone to deny his upside vs. anyone else you could have at the back end of your dynasty roster.

Food for Thought

• Chandler Jones, LV – Jones has been miserable this season, and surely given his age (32) he’s been cut loose in more than a few dynasty spots. Sunday was a reminder of just how frustrating – and rewarding – Jones can be with a seemingly out-of-nowhere three-sack extravaganza that included five total quarterback hits, a pass defensed, five solo tackles plus an assist. Sure, scoop him up where available, but it’s going to be hard most weeks to check that box with any confidence.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

• Jonathon Cooper, DEN – Randy Gregory isn’t that close to returning from injured reserve with a knee injury, and until then you can consider Cooper (a sack on two quarterback hits, plus a solo tackle and four assists on Sunday) to be a viable streaming option.
• James Houston IV, DET – He wasn’t quite as efficient as he was in week 12 when he turned five defensive snaps into two sacks, but a sack plus a second quarterback hit on a dozen snaps ain’t too shabby. Trevor Lawrence is just lucky he wasn’t officially broken on Houston’s sack. It can’t last, but make sure Houston is rostered.

Interior Defensive Linemen

Perrion Winfrey, CLE

The rookie saw a season-high 37 defensive snaps and parlayed it into two solo tackles and four assists against an inept Houston offense. He’s not worthy of starting consideration right now even in defensive tackle-premium formats, but as discussed in past waiver wire articles, he should easily rise above the likes of Taven Bryan (if he returns in free agency), Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai to start in 2023.

Food for Thought

• Davon Godchaux, NE – Don’t get me wrong, Godchaux is a fine depth defensive tackle. And he’s coming off a very productive outing with ten combined tackles (three solo) and one quarterback hit. But keep in mind he played more snaps than usual, Buffalo had 37 rushing attempts, and Godchaux mostly plays the nose. Desperation aside, you’re never going to feel good about starting him.

Off-Ball Linebackers

Tony Fields, CLE

The hits keep on coming in the Cleveland linebacker corps. Sione Takitaki had to be carted to the locker room following a late-game special teams injury, opening the door moving forward for more time for Fields as the No. 2 linebacker. The sophomore was a playmaker against Houston, corralling an interception and returning it for a touchdown, forcing a fumble that resulted in another defensive touchdown, and making four combined tackles (three solo). Deion Jones is a possibility for snaps next to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but the former Falcon seems to have already worn out his welcome as a Brown.

Monty Rice and Joe Schobert, TEN

The hamstring injury that knocked David Long out of Sunday’s game sounds like a multi-game downer. And with Zach Cunningham on injured reserve, we’re down to the likes of Dylan Cole, Rice and Schobert. Cole is playing more than either of the former right now, but he’s just not a productive player (just three solo tackles on 56 snaps vs. Philadelphia). Schobert (four solo tackles and two assists on Sunday) or Rice (six combined tackles – one for loss) are preferred, with Schobert pretty clearly the better of the two, at least in my mind.

Food for Thought

• Micah McFadden, NYG – I don’t think as highly as many apparently do about McFadden, but he is running as the Giants’ second linebacker. He tallied four solos, five assists and a forced fumble against Washington, but it all came in a five-quarter game with inflated snap counts for New York defenders.

Safeties

Tony Jefferson, NYG

The Giants have tried rookie Dane Belton as a third safety playing in the box, and have apparently tired of it. Enter Jefferson, the veteran who was activated from injured reserve over the weekend. He didn’t see a massive snap count – even in an overtime game with lots of snaps to be had – but what he did play came in the box. Should his role grow, he’ll be worth nabbing given the state of the Big Blue linebacker unit.

Food for Thought

• Andrew Wingard, JAC – Anytime Wingard (seven solo tackles, two assists) sees a full workload, he’s a threat for double-digit tackles. It’s too bad for him that he’s not quite starting NFL safety material, and only played a big role against Detroit due to Andre Cisco’s shoulder injury. If you have an extra roster spot and need a safety, Wingard’s not a bad add in case Cisco misses another game.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

• DeAndre Houston-Carson, CHI – If you were relying on Eddie Jackson, DHC isn’t going to ease your pain, but he’ll at least be a respectable lineup fill-in. He had five combined tackles (three solo – one in the backfield) against Green Bay, and that’s good for S3 numbers. I see that as a likely floor for him the rest of the way once Chicago emerges from its week 14 bye.

Cornerbacks

Nate Hobbs, LV

Hobbs, one of the NFL’s top young corners, returned from injured reserve after a six-game absence and posted a strong eight solo tackle effort with a fumble recovery. In leagues with shallow injured reserves, Hobbs could be available. I think he’s a “leave him in your lineup” type at a position without many of those options, so he even makes for a good dynasty keeper in start-11 formats where two cornerbacks are required.

Marcus Jones, NE

With Jalen Mills inactive, Jones tied his high mark for snaps on defense, but that’s not why he’s listed here. If you tuned in Thursday night, you saw Jones’ jets on one of his three snaps on offense when he took a screen pass 48 yards to the house. Jones was touted as the best returner in the 2022 NFL Draft, and it was easy to see why on the touchdown; he simply moved at a different speed than everyone else on the field. Jones is a desirable addition this week, especially in any league that provides points for kick or punt returns. If we can somehow get those defensive snaps up to provide a floor, he would be worth starting due to big play upside as a gadget guy on offense, or for the return value.

Tre’Davius White, BUF

The former All-Pro is back for Buffalo, and White saw his snap count rise to a respectable level in his second game of the season. Consider there weren’t a lot of snaps to be had on defense against the Patriots on Thursday night, and the stat line was modest with four total tackles and a pass defensed. But the former stud corner, who had been on the shelf since Thanksgiving 2021 with a torn ACL, could be a useful play down the stretch, especially for any teams reaching a week 17 championship when the Bills play at Cincinnati.

Food for Thought

• Jerry Jacobs and Jeff Okudah, DET – They’re coming off a quiet week against Jacksonville, but Minnesota looms in week 14, and SKOL translates to points for opposing corners. Either makes for a great play this week.
• Danny Johnson, WAS – With Benjamin St-Juste missing a second consecutive game due to an ankle injury, the Commanders rolled with the little-used Johnson opposite Kendall Fuller, and the Giants liked what they saw. Johnson registered six solos (four in overtime), one sack and two passes defensed. Keep in mind this was a high-volume game, and St-Juste could return soon. I’d dismiss any notion of adding Johnson.
• Marcus Peters, BAL – If you’re into streaming corners – and why wouldn’t you be – Peters (if available) is a strong pick-up-and-play against Pittsburgh. The Steelers are tops among offenses yielding fantasy production to fantasy corners, and Baltimore plays Pittsburgh in both weeks 14 and 17.

Revisits from Recent Weeks

• Michael Carter, NYJ – From one good matchup to another! Carter posted four solo tackles (one for loss) and a pass defensed against Minnesota. The Jets now travel to Buffalo, so keep Carter in those lineups, assuming his ankle injury checks out and he’s good to go for week 14.
• Jonathan Jones, NE – He’s been fantasy gold lately, and saw a career-high seven defensive tackles against Buffalo. Keep rolling with him this week at Arizona.