Welcome to the Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire Report and there's plenty to talk about despite there being just a handful of games left.
In particular—and I talked about this in my Week 13 Cheat Sheet—you should implement a "stick with the one who brought you" mentality in these closing weeks. Injuries happen, matchups can feel like opportunities; however, assuming there are no playing time concerns, you shouldn't tempt fate and start backup IDPs over starters. Always follow the points. Is it disappointing that Derwin James only had three solos and three assists in Week 13 against the Raiders? Or Maxx Crosby only had two solos and a FF? Of course! Can you bench either of them? Of course not. You may be saying, “Well what kind of manager would ever bench those guys at this time of year?” Trust me, you should see my DMs (follow me on Twitter @mattkdelima). I get wilder questions every week and I try to offer my steady hand whenever possible.
Another bit of feedback I often receive is "all the guys in your article are already rostered in my league." Listen fellas, I hear you. I see you. I appreciate you. But I can't write articles that go beyond 60 deep at any given IDP. While some of the top players listed per position are usually very obvious for serious IDP leagues, I do try to go another 5-10 deep in the "More" sections after each position group.
The wide variety of IDP leagues makes it difficult to pinpoint roster percentages, so not every recommendation may be a good fit for your league. Generally, if you play in a shallow format with a total of 24 or fewer IDP starters across the league (two per team), these recommendations are at least a layer too deep for you. I'm not going to say it doesn't matter what's in this article, but if you're playing in that more shallow IDP format, you can just head over to FantasyPros consensus IDP rankings and that should be plenty. That's all you need. Their rankings are more geared toward a tackle-heavy scoring system. For specifics, it's always best to consume a lot of IDP content to get a feel for the landscape from multiple points of view.
Finally, I'd like to recommend avoiding DT and CB players unless your league specifically requires them as starters. Generally, defensive ends are more productive than defensive tackles. Generally, safeties are more productive than cornerbacks. There are exceptions but they are very limited in number. There's maybe a half dozen DTs I would consider to be among the top 50 defensive linemen. There's maybe 10 CBs I would consider to be among the top 50 defensive backs.
If you have any IDP waiver or lineup questions, I'm happy to help and you can contact me on Twitter @mattkdelima. Before I offer the latest IDP information, please go back and check the names on the Week 13 IDP waiver wire list.
Note: For each player, I provide a rest of season (ROS) ranking and their percentage of defensive snaps played in their most recent game. For example, Derwin James would be a DB1+, meaning a defensive back ranked 1-12 (DB1) and the plus sign meaning on the high-end (1-4). DL3- would be a defensive lineman ranked 25-36 (DL3) and the minus means on the low-end, specifically 33-36. Recommendation thresholds based on MFL data: DL (less than or equal to 8% rostered), LB (less than or equal to 11% rostered), DB (less than or equal to 7% rostered).
