Welcome to our fourteenth IDP Waiver Wire article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!
As I did for Week 13, I will use FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings to base my weekly recommendations for players to roster. I believe using this method of identifying waiver recommendations will benefit people in newbie leagues all the way through to the more advanced IDP-playing fantasy managers. Here are my IDP Fantasy Football Waiver Wire recommendations for Week 14 (2023).
*Advanced metrics courtesy of PFF.com, FantasyData, and Player Profiler*
Jonathan Cooper
Week 14 ECR Rankings: DL37
A DL4 in most leagues, this week against the Chargers, Cooper will lineup against Trey Pipkins, who, over the last three games, has allowed seven total pressures and two sacks.
Cooper has maintained an average of 14.4% in pressure rate during that time period, making him more than capable of getting to Justin Herbert in Week 14. On top of that, Cooper possesses a solid tackle floor, further elevating his fantasy floor if he were to log a sack, QB Hit, and TFL in any matchup!
Samson Ebukam
Week 14 ECR Rankings: DL33
Over the past month, Ebukam’s 16.5% pressure rate has coincided with his DL8 average of 12.2 PPG average in FantasyPros IDP scoring.
In Week 13, Ebukam posted a 20+ pressure rate and win rate against the Titans, and this week against the Bengals, he is in line for another quality matchup!
Yaya Diaby
Week 14 ECR Rankings: DL55
Diaby appears to have supplanted incumbent Joe Tryon-Shoyinka at EDGE for the Bucs.
Over the past four weeks, Diaby has averaged 2.2 solo tackles per game, which ranks him as the DL17 in that category, and has averaged one sack a game, ranking him as the DL6 in that category. In terms of fantasy production, that ranks him as the DL12 in PPG since Week 10, with an average of 11.3 fantasy points.
If he’s available on your waiver wire, I would pick him up as an insurance policy should one of your regular starters get hurt during the fantasy playoffs.
Mykal Walker
Week 14 ECR Rankings: LB62
Elandon Roberts left Sunday’s game versus The Cardinals with a groin injury and is questionable to play on TNF. Should he not be able to go, Mykal Walker would be the next man up.
On Sunday, Walker finished as the LB18 with seven solo tackles and 15.3 points, filling in for the injured Roberts.
This is a volume-based recommendation for Walker if Roberts can’t go.
Derrick Barnes
Week 14 ECR Rankings: LB40
Barnes finished as the LB30 on Sunday with 11.5 points on nine total tackles, although only three of which were solos.
Even with Alex Anzalone potentially returning this week, the snap% should still remain consistent for Barnes despite the ramp-up in snap% of rookie Jack Campbell on Sunday.
E.J. Speed
Week 14 ECR Rankings: LB32
E.J. Speed once again dominated LB2 snaps on the team for the Colts on Sunday, culminating in 8 total tackles (six were solos) and three TFLs for an IDP score of 18 points. With snap% on his side, Speed is a solid LB3 for your fantasy teams and a good depth piece to roster for the fantasy playoffs.
P.J. Locke
Week 14 ECR Ranking: DB45
The 4th year veteran, Locke, had his best game from a PFF grading perspective this past week versus Houston. He tallied eight total tackles (six solos), two TFLs, one QB Hit, and one sack, and finished as the DB2 in Week 13 in FantasyPros IDP scoring with 19.5 fantasy points.
With Kareem Jackson still dealing with his suspension, Locke should continue taking the majority of box snaps, putting him in a great playmaking position from week to week as long as Jackson is suspended.
Justin Reid
Week 14 ECR Rankings: DB31
The DB12 in Week 13 with 14.3 points, Reid has been the DB16 overall since Week 11 with a 12.5 PPG average. With his team-dominating box snap percentage being consistent over that period, Reid is someone you can trust heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Ryan Neal
Week 13 ECR Rankings: Not Ranked
Look, the main reason why Neal is on this list is the fact that the Bucs linebacking corps was dealt a huge blow with both their starters and one of their backups being unable to suit up. Therefore, Neal assisted as a de facto linebacker from the strong safety position. Should things not improve from a health standpoint for the linebackers for the Bucs, Neal should be in a great position for success in Week 14.
