2023 NFL Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire Adds

So as you all know by now, I missed another week of this article posting to you fine folks. I am not one to try and make excuses, I have missed the article more times this year than the rest of the years I have done it combined. But I was in no place to get what I had started finished last week.

I have never been your quintessential dog person. I like dogs, but never had one as a pet growing up. My dad’s hunting dog (Bullet) died before I was two years old. Once my brother and I were old enough for pets we had a cat (Smokey) that lived 12-13 years and passed away when I was in college. We also had turtles, fish, gerbils, a praying mantis, and even a squirrel (Trogdor) that our dad saved when he fell out of his nest as a baby and his mom no longer wanted him.

When I met my now wife years ago she had a golden retriever puppy named Riley. He became our family pet when we got married and was around for the births of all five of our kids. Riley passed away in June of 2020 due to old age. It was rough on us all, but we saw the writing on the wall with how old he was and how he was fading. We got to say goodbye and spend time with him. A month or so after his passing we got an English labrador our kids first named Henry, and later changed it to Finneas.

Finneas was the opposite of Riley. Even when he was a puppy, Riley was calm, relaxed, and got along with everyone, especially our kids. Finneas was full of energy and a wild one. He would chew on anything and everything. He destroyed chew toys and teething devices. He would eat anything you left lying around. But he was loved just the same, especially by our four-year-old.

Finneas started acting sick around Thanksgiving. Nothing unusual compared to what he had once or twice. With eating anything, you can imagine it didn’t always agree with him. He’d cough up the odd part of a toy or his food when he ate to fast. This was different though. His bowel movements were off and he wasn’t waiting to go outside to do his duty. He was throwing up, but after a day or so there was not much to throw up. He wasn’t his normal, wild self. He would wag his tail and come to you for petting, but was not jumping, playing games, etc.

I took him to our vet and they knew something was off, just like we did. They ran blood tests and X-rays. Blood tests were fine other than dehydration. There appeared to be a blockage in his intestines though. They did a test barium test and confirmed via x-rays that the barium was not making it through. We elected for surgery and there was no blockage. What there was though, was about four feet of dead/dying intestines. His intestines had gone through intussusception which we didn’t even know was a thing until this happened. They did not know how this happened to him, they found no foreign objects in his digestive system. What this meant though was that they were not able to save Finneas and he died that day. We were, and still, are devastated. I’ve dealt with pets dying before and it hurts, but the suddenness of this, and seeing how it has affected the kids is the hardest part. We are still working through it, but now you know why last week was missing. We miss you, Finneas.

As always, these waiver additions are mainly redraft focused and looking at deeper leagues; if you have questions for shallow leagues, where you start 2 DL/2 LB/2 DB many of these are likely a bit deeper than you need. All statistics are courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted, and the base scoring we go off of you can find here. Please feel free to reach out to us for questions on any specific league; the more info you have the better!

And now, let’s go to a clip.

Bye Weeks: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders

2023 NFL Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire Adds – Linebackers

J.J. Russell, Linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rostered: ESPN .1%, Yahoo 0% Sleeper 0%

Lavonte David and Devin White missed Week 13 against the Panthers, so J.J. and K.J. Britt got the start for the Buccaneers. K.J. left the game early in the first quarter with a back injury. With all the uncertainty and injuries ahead of him J.J. has the feel of someone who will get another shot in Week 14. Yes, it is speculative, but he performed well on a 99% snap share to go with 6 solos, 1 assist, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. The Tampa Bay injury report will tell us more as the week goes on, and he isn’t worth a start in most leagues, but he’s a fine add at this point in the season for deep leagues.

EJ Speed, Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: ESPN 3.7%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 4%

EJ has had a 93.5% snap share in the two games since Shaq Leonard was released. He has 11 solos, 3 assists, and 3 TFL. The Colts’ Zaire Franklin is still the linebacker you want to roster if you can, but he is rostered in most IDP leagues. EJ has shown himself to be a viable fantasy play when starting as a fill-in for prior years and he should maintain that if he continues to be the LB2 for the Colts going forward.

Shaq Leonard, Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered: ESPN 22.1%, Yahoo 13%, Sleeper 30%

Speaking of the Colts, former Colt Shaq Leonard has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have needed linebacker help all this year with Nakobe Dean injured for most of it, and Zach Cunningham/Nicholas Morrow/Christian Elliss being largely ineffective. He may not step in this week and be up to speed, but Shaq could pay dividends to end the season for managers behind that Eagles defensive line. Even if he is not the All-Pro we saw earlier in his career, he showed this year with the Colts he can still get you tackles.

Mykal Walker, Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: ESPN 1%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 1%

Mykal Walker came into the Week 13 game against the Cardinals after Elandon Roberts suffered a groin injury. Elandon tried to play more later that game but had to leave again. If Elandon is out, it is down to Mark Robinson, Mykal Walker, Myles Jack, and Blake Martinez as inside linebackers. Myles Jack retired at the end of August and was recently waived by the Eagles, but the Steelers signed him their practice squad for potential depth.

Blake retired in November 2022, but unretired and signed with the Panthers earlier last month, before the Steelers signed him to their 53-man roster at the end of November. This looks to be an outright mess, but given his production last week (7 solos, 3 assists, 1 TFL on a 96% snap share) and the short turnaround to play the Patriots on Thursday, I expect Mykal to get the shot this week.

2023 NFL Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire Adds – Defensive Backs

Mike Edwards, Safety, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered: ESPN .3%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 1%

Mike had not gone above a 68% snap share this year until Bryan Cook was injured against the Packers, and Mike ended up with an 81% snap share to go with 2 solos and 4 assists. Cook was carted off with an ankle injury, and while he appears to have avoided a broken ankle he is likely out for a few weeks at a minimum. Mike has plenty of prior starting experience with Tampa Bay and he is a viable DB 3 going forward if Bryan is out.

Jordan Battle, Safety, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: ESPN 1.5%, Yahoo 7%, Sleeper 13%

Jordan is likely not available in dynasty leagues, but he has been a name to watch in redraft leagues the past few weeks. After a 24% snap share in weeks 1- 10, Jordan had 84.5% snap share combined in Weeks 11 and 12. In those two games, he had 13 solos and 7 assists. The Bengals have a lot of middle-of-the-road to poor matchups for safeties left this year, but with an offense that has not looked good since Joe Burrow was hurt, they are likely to be on the field a lot.

P.J. Locke, Safety, Denver Broncos
Rostered: ESPN .6%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 3%

Kareem Jackson is still suspended for another two games, and when healthy P.J. has been Kareem’s direct backup for the games Kareem has missed. In the past two weeks, with Kareem out, P.J. has an 86.5% snap share to go with 11 solos, 4 assists, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflection, and 1 forced fumble. With the Broncos offense having signs of life in the second half of the year to keep them in games, P.J. is a good add for depth or as an injury replacement.

Alontae Taylor, Cornerback, New Orleans Saints
Rostered: ESPN 5%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 2%

The Panthers are playing the Saints in Week 14, and the Panthers are a top-five team in points allowed to opposing cornerbacks. Despite an 84.70% snap share, in games where Marshon Lattimore or Paulson Adebo do not play, Alontae has a 98.25% snap share. Marshon is on injured reserve, which means more snaps for Alontae. In terms of just tackles, Alontae is having a better year than Paulson as well, who has a higher rostership anyway.

Alontae: 40 solos, 12 assists, 10 pass deflections, 5 TFL, 1 sack
Paulson: 37 solos, 11 assists, 14 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Jameis Winston seems likely to start for the Saints this week, which is good for their passing game. This would also put pressure on the Panthers to throw, rather than run in a slugfest.

2023 NFL Week 14 IDP Waiver Wire – Defensive Linemen

Zach Sieler, Defensive End/Defensive Tackle, Miami Dolphins
Rostered: ESPN 11.8%, Yahoo 10%, Sleeper 6%

Already having a career year for sacks, Zach has continued to accumulate tackles for us as well. 23 solos, 17 assists, 8 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1 pass deflection, and 1 fumble recovery is a good year for many defensive tackles (which he mainly plays). We still have five games left to play in the regular season. A 75.35% snap share is fantastic for us and the Titans this week are a good opponent for Zach too.

Andrew Van Ginkel, Linebacker/Edge/Defensive End, Miami Dolphins
Rostered: ESPN 11.8%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 6%

Andrew stepped on for the injured Jaelan Phillips to have his second-highest snap share of the year (84%) in Week 13. Andrew ended the week with 4 solos, 1 assist, 2 QB hits, 2 pass deflections, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown. Andrew has been adept at getting to opposing quarterbacks when used in a pass-rushing role which he should be going forward. In Week 14 the Dolphins face the Titans, who are a good matchup for edge rushers. Just be wary as his position varies a lot by league platform.

Preston Smith, Linebacker/Edge/Defensive End, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: ESPN 4.1%, Yahoo 0%, Sleeper 6%

This is a sack/TFL play, so consider it more for big-play or balanced-scoring leagues. Even counting the game where Tyrod Taylor left injured and Tommy DeVito came in for him, Tommy has been sacked 5.6 times a game over his five games in the NFL. Preston averages 3.3 combined tackles a game to go with 5.5 sacks, 3 TFL and a 66.59% snap share. The Packers’ defense has been improving as of late and I see them getting to Tommy Cutlers quite a few times on Monday Night Football.

Jonathan Ledbetter, Defensive Tackle, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: ESPN .9%, Yahoo 1%, Sleeper 0%

The 49ers are in the top three in terms of tackles allowed to opposing defensive linemen. Jonathan has at least 4 combined tackles every week this year except Week 2, when he had 2. In games he has played, he leads all Arizona defensive tackles with a 65.4% snap share. San Francisco is likely to get an early lead and cruise to victory here, which means more tackle opportunities for the defensive linemen when the 49ers go run-heavy in the second half.

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