For most fantasy leagues, this is championship week. If you happen to be in a league that runs through the last regular season game, fret not, this article will be back for Week 17 (But seriously, change your league settings to wrap up the season before Week 17). The best advice for those of you playing for all the marbles, however, is to rely on those IDP that brung ya to the dance, and not to get too cute now. If you are dealing with injuries, though, read on to discover the limited gems that you can potentially snap up off the wire for your final push to victory.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Leonard Floyd CHI
Floyd has been on a sack tear of late, amassing four in his last six games played. He had a big fantasy production effort against the Packers in Week 15, with six solo tackles, two of which were for a loss of yards (TFL), a pair of sacks and three QB hits (QH). He is seeing plenty of playing time, and with teams keying on Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks , he is left free to wreak havoc on defense.
Elijah Lee SF
Lee has been inserted as the starting weakside LB for the 49ers the past two games, and his tackle production is benefitting from that new role. He had 10 total tackles (TT) against the visiting Seahawk offense in Week 15 (seven solo, one TFL), and gets to play at home in front of a generous stat crew in terms of awarding solo tackles.
Defensive Linemen
Henry Anderson DE NYJ
Anderson is coming off a strong three sack effort against the Texans, and now gets to face another good matchup with the Packers coming to town in Week 16. He had four TT in Week 15 (three solo, three TFL), to go along with four QH to fill up the stat sheet.
Adam Gotsis DE/DT DEN
Gotsis qualifies as a DT on ESPN, but only as a DE on Yahoo. He has a tasty matchup with the Broncos taking on the Raiders on Monday night, wherever he qualifies as a DL for fantasy. Coming off a stat sheet filler of a Week 15 effort, with six TT (five solo, one TFL), a sack, a forced fumble (FF) and QH and a pass deflection (PD), plug him in if you need to fill a hole at DL.
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
Jarrett is another DL that had a big Week 15 for fantasy purposes: seven TT (four solo, two TFL), two sacks, two QH and a FF. While the Panthers have not been especially generous to opposing DTs this season, their offense is questionable with Cam Newton ’s shoulder hurting his production. If you need to roster a DT in your IDP league, this is a player to consider picking up off the wire.
Defensive Backs
Josh Jones S GB
Jones is a reliable source of tackles, and plays a significant number of snaps at strong safety, especially with Kentrell Brice banged up recently. He is averaging 5.3 total tackles over the past seven games, although he is not a great source of big plays. He has more value in tackle-heavy leagues as a result.
Curtis Riley S/CB NYG
Riley has dual eligibility in Yahoo, making him a tempting add on that platform. He is listed solely at safety on ESPN, and he is another DB that has utility in tackle-oriented IDP leagues. He is averaging 4 solo tackles per game, and while he does toss in the occasional big play (three INT, four PD on the season), you want him for the tackle points.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Terrell Suggs BAL
Despite seeing significant time on the field in Week 15, Suggs put up a huge goose egg against the Buccaneers last week. He is getting long in the tooth at 38 years of age, and has contributed only 1.5 sacks over the past seven contests. Avoid the name recognition and move on from the Baltimore LB.
Defensive Linemen
Chandler Jones DE ARI
Jones has been struggling to provide any IDP value the past two games with just three TT and no sacks. The current week’s opponent, the Rams, are a poor matchup, too, and you do not need another sub-par effort in Week 16 when fighting to win a championship.
Jerry Hughes DE BUF
Hughes also has cooled off considerably recently, with no tackles against the Lions in Week 15, and the absolute worst matchup possible against the Patriots in the upcoming contest. There are far better options available to rely on and you are urged to cut him loose.
Defensive Backs
No one to speak of, save for those listed below in the injury report.
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 Colts, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Raiders, Giants or Green Bay that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
New England Patriots vs Buffalo
Miami Dolphins vs Jacksonville
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco
Defensive Ends
Denver Broncos @ Oakland
Philadelphia Eagles vs Houston
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco
Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay
Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit
Defensive Tackles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco
Kansas City Chiefs @ Seattle
Safeties
Oakland Raiders vs Denver
New York Giants @ Indianapolis
Tennessee Titans vs Washington
Cornerbacks
Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta
New Orleans Saints vs Pittsburgh
Dallas Cowboys vs 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
Leonard Floyd CHI
Elijah Lee SF
Defensive Linemen
Henry Anderson DE NYJ
Adam Gotsis DE/DT DEN
Grady Jarrett DT ATL
Defensive Backs
Josh Jones S GB
Curtis Riley S/CB NYG
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
Matthew Judon BAL knee
Aaron Lynch CHI elbow
Malik Jefferson CIN foot (IR)
Vontaze Burfict CIN concussion
Jordan Evans CIN ankle
Shaquil Barrett DEN hip
Skai Moore IND neck (IR)
Leon Jacobs JAX quadriceps (IR)
Jeremiah Attaochu NYJ concussion
Kyle Wilber OAK hamstring
Jordan Hicks PHI calf
K.J. Wright SEA knee
Mychal Kendricks SEA lower leg (IR)
Adarius Taylor TB personal
Brian Orakpo TEN elbow
Sharif Finch TEM shoulder
Shaun Dion Hamilton WAS shoulder
Ryan Anderson WAS hamstring
Defensive Linemen
DE
Da'Shawn Hand DET knee (IR)
Kerry Wynn NYG undisclosed
Jurrell Casey TEN knee
Matt Ioannidis WAS shin
DT
Terrell McClain ATL toe
David Irving DAL ankle
Al Woods IND foot (IR)
Ziggy Hood MIA hamstring
Timmy Jernigan PHI back
Defensive Backs
S
David Amerson ARI concussion
Anthony Levine BAL toe
Eddie Jackson CHI ankle
Marcus Cooper DET back
Charles Washington DET hamstring
Kayvon Webster HOU quadriceps (IR)
Mike Mitchell IND calf
Ronnie Harrison JAX knee (IR)
Jarrod Wilson JAX ankle
T.J. McDonald MIA ankle
Devin McCourty NE undisclosed
Patrick Chung NE shoulder
Jaquiski Tartt SF shoulder
K'Waun Williams SF knee
Maurice Alexander SEA concussion
Bradley McDougald SEA knee
Justin Evans TB toe (IR)
Kenny Vaccaro TEN concussion
Montae Nicholson WAS personal
Danny Johnson WAS finger
CB
Ryan Lewis BUF concussion
Bryce Callahan CHI foot (IR)
KeiVarae Russell CIN finger
Denzel Ward CLE concussion
Phillip Gaines CLE knee
Chris Harris DEN lower leg
Isaac Yiadom DEN shoulder
Jamar Taylor DEN undisclosed
Brendan Langley DEN concussion
Kendall Fuller KC wrist
Trevor Williams LAC knee (IR)
Xavien Howard MIA knee-meniscus
Antonio Hamilton NYG quadriceps (IR)
Gareon Conley OAK concussion
Sidney Jones PHI hamstring
Ahkello Witherspoon SF knee-PCL (IR)
Logan Ryan TEN lower leg (IR)
Joshua Holsey 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. FANation Chat is now live on the site, to help you work through your fantasy football dilemmas. Or 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.