IDP Waiver Wire - Week 16 Targets

Dec 17, 2019

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Well, it’s finally here - 2019 Fantasy Football Championship week. Whether it was an excellently executed draft strategy, some shrewd waiver wire acquisitions, or just pure blind luck, none of that matters anymore - you’re in a one-week shootout to achieve your season-long goal of becoming the league champion. However, I can only assume there has been a minor hiccup in the last few weeks, such as Jamal Adams' ongoing absence, which has led you to read this article before the biggest fantasy week of the season.

Don’t despair though, the fact that you’re only looking for a one-week plug an play option broadens our options as the matchup itself takes on a much more important role in deciding your best options… On that basis, we will look to lean on the FFToday Points Against data, which is one of the few in the industry that actually includes IDP positions.

Linebackers

Recency bias is important when taking into consideration these Week 16 recommendations, as we’re a long way removed from the goings-on of Weeks 1 and 2, so with that in mind we’ll only be looking at the last five weeks of data.

There is a clear No.1 matchup over that span - opponents of the Houston Texans, which in Week 16 is Tampa Bay. Unfortunately for us, it’s unlikely Lavonte David, Devin White or Shaq Barrett will be available as all are desirable IDPs. If by some miracle one of them is available, they would be your priority pickup.

New Orleans Saints Linebackers

Thankfully, the second-best matchup, the Titans, play the Saints, who are likely to have some IDP assets on the waiver wire. Demario Davis is unlikely to be available but there are a few options to consider; A.J. Klein, Kiko Alonso and Manti Te'o. Klein and Alonso have both been dealing with injuries of late (hence the signing of Te’o) but Klein did suit up on Monday night, recording six total tackles and half a sack. Alonso, although expected to be back before the playoffs, hasn’t seen a snap since signing with the Saints so you’ll certainly want to be scouring the New Orleans injury reports if you want to take the plunge on him. Te’o also saw some action on Monday night but should only be considered in the deepest of leagues. Klein is your best bet of the Saints trio for some Week 16 magic.

Cody Barton - Seattle Seahawks

A third-round pick out of Utah who drew favorable comparisons with ‘over-achiever’, Joe Schobert, in the pre-draft process, Cody Barton is shaping up to be a Week 16 savior for fantasy gamers. The Seahawks are the beneficiary of a matchup with the Cardinals (fourth-best for linebackers) and Barton has been inserted into the lineup over the last two weeks with Mychal Kendricks (hamstring) sidelined. Barton parlayed that opportunity last week into 58 snaps, 10 tackles and 0.5 snaps last week, and with an additional injury worry over Bobby Wagner (ankle), Barton looks set to play another significant role for the Seattle defense in Week 16. You’ll need to check Kendricks’, and to a lesser extent Wagner’s injury status before setting your lineups, but Barton has huge appeal and LB2+ upside.