With there being three games on Thanksgiving and thisarticle being posted Friday morning, the pickings are a bit thin this week. Nonetheless, we here at 53-Deep worked tirelessly to findsome deep sleeper options to help secure that coveted playoff spot for IDPowners. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Cory Redding, DE,IDIANAPOLIS vs. Washington (44): Redding has been credited with nine QBhurries and one hit over his past five games and has the perfect matchup to seehis efforts come to fruition. Washington allows pressure on 15.5% of their dropbacks and has given up 15 sacks to defensive linemen over the last four games.Newly named starter Colt McCoy is in for a long day. Clinton McDonald, DT,TAMPA BAY vs. Cincinnati (53): Ride the hot hand here as McDonald hasracked up a sack in three consecutive games. He's also put up six solo tacklesin that time frame with a fumble recovery as well. The Bengals have struggledat times to handle interior pressure and have allowed 3 ½ sacks to the tackleposition. Mike Daniels, DE,GREEN BAY vs. New England (45): Daniels is averaging 43 snaps per game andhas been credited with seven QB hurries and three hits in the last three games.He did rack up a sack last week against Minnesota and stands a good chance at gettingto Tom Brady this week. New England has allowed 11 sacks to defensive linementhis season with 10 of the 11 going to defensive ends. Damontre Moore, DE,NEW YORK GIANTS at Jacksonville (60): Moore snagged his third sack of theseason last week while playing merely six snaps. Look for an increase in hisworkload this week against a Jaguars offense that has given up 43 sacks on theseason. This is a confidence building game for Moore as he gets to BlakeBortles at least once. LINEBACKERS David Hawthorne, WLB,NEW ORLEANS at Pittsburgh (62): The Steelers run the ball an average of 27times per game and that has Hawthorne written all over it. Always a solidtackle producer, Hawthorne has played 119-of-122 possible snaps since returningfrom injury and is primed for a big week. In their last two games, Pittsburghhas given up 28 total stops to inside linebackers along with 2 ½ sacks. Craig Robertson, ILB,CLEVELAND at Buffalo (52): Since Karlos Dansby went down, Robertson hasassumed a full-time role on the defense and racked up 20 total tackles in thelast two games. Buffalo runs the ball 50% of the time and has given up 34tackles to linebackers in the last two games. Teams are averaging 49.6 tacklechances per game against the ...

If you're reading this, odds are your most important fantasy game of the season is on tap. In the vast majority of Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues it's championship week, and if you're still perusing the information superhighway for IDP tips, you're probably one of two teams still standing. However, you'll get no congratulations here. First, you haven't won anything yet. Second, I don't want to throw the reverse bad juju funky monkey hex on your team in Week 16 by patting you on the back prematurely. Besides, if you're looking for waiver help in the title game, you've already got problems. With that in mind, enough of my blathering. Let's get to it with a look at the top IDP Waiver Wire targets for championship week. PICKUP OF THE WEEK Justin Tuck, DE, New York Giants This season has been an absolute nightmare for batterymate Jason Pierre-Paul and the rest of the Giants, but Tuck has quietly had a rebound season this year, especially in the last month or so. Tuck's 55 tackles are his most since 2010, the 30-year-old has at least half a sack in four straight games, and over that stretch Tuck has reached the passer 7½ times. At this late juncture in the season Tuck is still available in many shallow IDP formats, and he's about as good as it's going to get where help up front is concerned. WEEK 16 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS Cliff Avril, DE, Seattle On one hand, Avril's paltry 19 tackles and rotational role make him the definition of a boom-bust pick on the defensive line, and in a must-win game there's substantial risk involved in rolling such a player out there. However, Avril does have eight sacks in his first season in Seattle, he played the most snaps of any Seahawks' defensive lineman in last week's win over the New York Giants, and this week's home tilt with Arizona is very nice from an IDP perspective. Brian Robison, DE, Minnesota Don't look now, but with two sacks against Philadelphia in Week 15, Robison now has as many sacks in 2013 (nine) as Jared Allen . It's a career-high for the hirsute seventh-year pro, who unlike Allen has already been inked to a contract extension. Robison has a sack in three straight games and four in his past three games, and while this week's matchup with Cincinnati isn't especially favorable, neither was Philadelphia. David Hawthorne, ILB, New Orleans It's happened with very little fanfare, but, if Hawthorne can average eight total stops a game over the last two weeks of the year, the sixth-year veteran ...

Cue Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" because it is time for some playoff football, folks! If you are unfamiliar with the song then we'll take a second and let you Google it. Go ahead ... we'll wait. Nice, eh? Now you know the actual name of a song you've always liked. Speaking of liking things. Nothing fires up the crack staff of the '53 Deep' article like playoff football. Well, we do get pretty excited about custard filled donuts with chocolate on top and catching the occasional mouse but playoff football still rules the roost. With that in mind we steam ahead into the fantasy football playoffs with a "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." mentality (what can I say, I still miss Friday Night Lights). Here we go ... LINEBACKERS Craig Robertson, ILB, Cleveland at New England: The Patriots have been very generous in allowing fantasy points to linebackers of late. Over their last four games New England has allowed 130 total tackles (73 solo), five sacks and four forced fumbles to linebackers. Robertson has practiced on a limited basis this week and is hopeful to play in this juicy matchup. Robertson is solid against the run (65 total tackles) and has also racked up three sacks, flashing some big play potential. If Robertson can't go this week, grab and insert teammate Darius Eubanks, who is likely to get the start in his place. Manti Te'o, ILB, San Diego vs. New York Giants: Te'o has played 80 percent of the defensive snaps the last three games and faces a Giants team that is very fantasy friendly. Over the past three weeks the Giants are the fourth-most generous team in giving up points to linebackers. Te'o has put up six solo stops in the last two games and will have plenty of tackle opportunities. New York has allowed 51 solo tackles and five sacks in their last three tilts. As always there will be the chance for big plays as quarterback Eli Manning has turned the ball over 20 times. David Hawthorne, ILB, New Orleans vs. Carolina: Throw out last week's debacle against Seattle as the Saints defense was a dumpster fire. They are back at home this week and facing a Carolina offense that has given up very nice numbers to linebackers. Tampa Bay linebackers Lavonte David and Mason Foster combined for 18 tackles last week, and two weeks ago Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe had 15 combined stops. Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton will both post excellent fantasy totals this week and deserve a start. Jason Worilds, OLB, Pittsburgh vs. Miami: Ride the hot hand ...

For most fantasy leagues, this is the final week before the playoffs begin. Teams are scratching and clawing for every advantage to get to the big dance. With three games taking place on Thanksgiving and this article not being published until the Friday after Thanksgiving, the talent pool was definitely compromised. That's why I love my job so much, as finding these sleeper candidates was by no means easy, but it was a ton of fun! Without further ado ... LINEBACKERS Pat Angerer, ILB, Indianapolis vs. Tennessee: Angerer struggled mightily in coverage last week against Arizona and played the lowest amount of snaps he's registered in the past five games (36). Look for a bounceback week against a Titans team that he racked up nine tackles (eight solo) against two weeks ago. Tennessee will look to establish running back Chris Johnson on the ground, leading to more playing time and production for Angerer. Brandon Spikes, MLB, New England at Houston: Spikes totaled nine tackles last week and also recovered a fumble in the comeback victory over Denver. This week he has a prime matchup to reach double-digit tackles. Jacksonville middle linebacker Paul Posluszny racked up 15 total stops last week against Houston. Where does Spikes line up? In the middle, baby, and he belongs in starting lineups this week. David Hawthorne, ILB, New Orleans at Seattle: The Seahawks have not been an ideal matchup for allowing points to linebackers but have given up the occasional big week. Atlanta's Paul Worrilow went off for 19 tackles against them in Week 10 and Tampa Bay's Lavonte David also reached double-digit stops in Week 9. The weather is shaping up to be nasty on Monday night and that could mean a lot of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch. Hawthorne has put up 14 tackles in his last two games and 61 for the season. He also brings big play potential and has three sacks and a forced fumble through 11 games. Darryl Sharpton, ILB, Houston vs. New England: Sharpton has 25 total tackles over the past three weeks, with 17 of those being solos. In each of their past two games the New England Patriots have seen a pair of opposing linebackers reach double-digit stops against them (Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in Week 11 /Danny Trevathan and Wesley Woodyard in Week 12). Sharpton is an excellent start this week on a defense that will be on the field a lot. Aldon Smith, OLB, San Francisco vs. St. Louis: Smith did not play in the Week 4 matchup between the teams and the ...

They didn't make it easy on Individual Defensive Player (IDP) owners in 2013. By this time of year, many fantasy owners are already in scramble mode. Playoff dreams are circling the drain. Injuries and a bad beat here or there have conspired to leave teams with precious little margin for error. So, of course now is the perfect time for back-to-back six-team bye weeks. Those byes may be a much-needed break for NFL players, but they're a real pain in the butt in IDP leagues. With that in mind, here's a look at some Week 9 waiver options on defense that may help take some of the sting out of your backside. PICKUP OF THE WEEK Bruce Carter, OLB, Dallas Carter was a highly-touted fantasy linebacker heading into 2013, as many a pundit expected him to thrive as the weak-side linebacker in Monte Kiffin's 4-3 in Dallas. That hasn't come to pass, and with only five total stops over the past two games, the third-year pro has likely been shown the door in many leagues. Carter is also losing nickel snaps, but this week the Cowboys face a Minnesota Vikings squad that isn't exactly renowned for spreading opponents out. There's more than a little risk involved with starting Carter this week, but there's also more than a little upside for teams in a bind at linebacker. WEEK 9 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS Chris Long, DE, St. Louis After a start to the season that saw Long amass only 2½ sacks in seven games, the 28-year-old was cut loose in many IDP leagues. However, Long exploded in the Rams' Week 8 loss to Seattle, racking up more sacks of Russell Wilson than he had all season long. You can't expect Long to have another three-sack outing this week in a bad IDP matchup with the Tennessee Titans, but the sixth-year veteran's outburst has Long back on the IDP map. Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami The second-year pro has been a pleasant surprise for both the Dolphins and IDP owners in 2013, but despite 4½ sacks on the season (including one in each of the past three games) Vernon is still available in many leagues. This week's matchup with a Cincinnati Bengals team allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to defensive linemen this year isn't favorable, but a lot of IDP owners are grasping at straws in Week 9. As straws go, you could do a lot worse than Vernon. David Hawthorne, ILB, New Orleans It wasn't that long ago that Hawthorne was a reliable IDP asset, with the 28-year-old tallying more than 100 tackles three straight years from 2009-11. Injuries last year and a new ...

Here we go! Week fourteen kicked off Thursday night and so do the fantasy football playoffs. There can be only one and this week begins the thinning of the herd. Lineups are being tweaked and re-tweaked as fantasy owners everywhere are wringing their hands in anticipation of this week's action. Paralysis by over-analysis runs rampant this time of year and has cost many a fantasy owner an opening round victory. Start your studs, they are studs for a reason and unless an injury is going to prevent them from playing they belong in the lineup. Don't get cute and start trying to outmaneuver talent with ‘gut feelings.' If your usual starters are nicked up, game time decisions or have already been declared out for this week then let '53 Deep' offer up some solutions to that dilemma with this weeks dose of sleepers. LINEBACKERS David Hawthorne, SLB, NEW ORLEANS, at NEW YORK GIANTS: Hawthorne is still a part-time player on the Saints defense and logged only 31 snaps in the week twelve loss at Atlanta. A hamstring injury has really limited him this season (he has 24 total tackles in seven games) but he did manage three solo tackles last week and the Giants are an above average matchup for linebackers from a fantasy standpoint. If they are going to get their moneys worth out of Hawthorne then the Saints are going to play him more down the stretch and that will start this week against New York. Nick Roach, MLB, CHICAGO, at MINNESOTA: Roach is expected to move into the middle of the Bears defense with the news that Brian Urlacher could miss three weeks or so with a hamstring injury. Roach will be sliding over from the strong-side position, where he has amassed 35 total tackles, one forced fumble and a sack and a half. He's averaged 36 snaps a game to date in 2012 and that number will increase dramatically as he fills in for Urlacher. The Vikings are a decent matchup from a fantasy perspective as they will be feeding running back Adrian Peterson the ball plenty this week. Roach has excellent value as a fantasy sleeper while manning the middle for Chicago. Don't'a Hightower, SLB, NEW ENGLAND, vs. HOUSTON: Hightower managed two solo tackles last week against the Dolphins while playing the highest number of snaps (42) that he had played in a game since week three. The Texans allowed 17 combined tackles to Tennessee linebackers Tim Shaw, Zach Brown and Will Witherspoon in week thirteen. Hightower still struggles in coverage but does have three sacks on the season and ...

As sure as every Arian Foster owner is looking to add Ben Tate later in their fantasy draft as his handcuff, so too must the savvy Individual Defensive Player (IDP) owner back up his studs with their potential replacements. With the rash of preseason injuries to-date in 2012, it is more important than ever to make sure that our IDP handcuffs are in place. Unfortunately, it is not quite as defined on the defensive side of the ball as to who the next man up may be, and often times a defense may look for a multi-headed solution to their injured stars. Here is a look at some names to definitely monitor as replacements for the No. 1 man at their respective positions. Some of the names will be familiar and some of them will be from deeper down the depth charts as we look for IDP handcuffs. DJ Smith, ILB, Green Bay: This one is as simple as it gets. Smith has now assumed the position formerly held down by Top 5 fantasy linebacker, Desmond Bishop, who has undergone surgery to repair a damaged hamstring. Smith stepped in for an injured Bishop in 2011, amassing 57 total stops and an interception in nine games played. While he may lack some of the big play potential that Bishop brings to the table, he is an immediate three-down player on the Packers defense and a must have for Bishop owners. Barrett Ruud, ILB, New Orleans: While "Bounty Gate" rocked the Saints defense in the offseason with the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, it is a rash of injuries to the linebacker position that continues to plague them in the preseason. Newly acquired Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne and Chris Chamberlain have all gone down with one ailment or another, forcing the Saints to trade for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Tennessee Titan. Ruud was languishing in Seattle as the backup to rookie Bobby Wagner and now has new life with the Saints. Hawthorne (meniscus) and Lofton (high-ankle sprain) will both make it onto the field in 2012, while Chamberlain (torn ACL) has already been placed on Injured Reserve. Ruud was a fantasy beast from 2007-10 for Tampa Bay, and while he won't be asked to carry the load for New Orleans as much as he did back in his time with the Buccaneers, he will have fantasy value from the middle of the Saints defense in 2012. Chris Carter, OLB, Pittsburgh: While Smith and Ruud are somewhat known commodities at their positions, Carter is a wild card for the Steelers. With James Harrison iffy for the start of the season, Carter has been taking ...

The New Orleans Saints and unrestricted free agent linebacker David Hawthorne agreed to terms on a five-year contract on Tuesday.

It's Week 17 of the 2011 National Football League season, and while the majority of IDP leagues were wrapped up a week ago there's still one more game to go in some leagues, and it's for all the proverbial marbles. To help you prepare for this very important week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week Seventeen of the 2011 season in IDP leagues. These rankings are based on Default IDP Manor Scoring, which awards 1 point for solos, .5 points for assists, 2 points each for fumbles forced and recovered, 4 points for interceptions, sacks, and safeties, 6 points for defensive touchdowns, and 1 point for passes defensed. It's a balanced scoring system, so if your IDP league is especially tackle-heavy or big play-heavy some players may move up (or down) a few spots. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG vs DAL 2.) Jared Allen - MIN vs CHI 3.) Terrell Suggs - BAL at CIN 4.) Jason Babin - PHI vs WAS 5.) Julius Peppers - CHI at MIN 6.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN vs KC 7.) Trent Cole - PHI vs WAS 8.) Justin Tuck - NYG vs DAL 9.) Chris Clemons - SEA at ARI 10.) Justin Smith - SF at STL 11.) Robert Mathis - IND at JAX 12.) Calais Campbell - ARI vs SEA 13.) Chris Long - STL vs SF 14.) Will Smith - NO vs CAR 15.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX vs IND 16.) Cliff Avril - DET at GB 17.) Greg Hardy - CAR at NO 18.) Haloti Ngata - BAL at CIN 19.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE vs PIT 20.) J.J. Watt - HOU vs TEN 21.) Darnell Dockett - ARI vs SEA 22.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET at GB 23.) Ndamukong Suh - DET at GB 24.) Brandon Deaderick - NE vs BUF 25.) Michael Johnson - CIN vs BAL 26.) Charles Johnson - CAR at NO 27.) Israel Idonije - CHI at MIN 28.) James Hall - STL vs SF 29.) John Abraham - ATL vs TB 30.) Geno Atkins - CIN vs BAL LINEBACKERS 1.) London Fletcher - WAS at PHI 2.) Derrick Johnson - KC at DEN 3.) Ray Lewis - BAL at CIN 4.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE vs PIT 5.) Navorro Bowman - SF at STL 6.) James Laurinaitis - STL vs SF 7.) Curtis Lofton - ATL vs TB 8.) Nick Barnett - BUF at NE 9.) Pat Angerer - IND at JAX 10.) Colin McCarthy - TEN at HOU 11.) Daryl Washington - ARI vs SEA 12.) Jerod Mayo - NE vs BUF 13.) Karlos Dansby - MIA vs NYJ 14.) Desmond Bishop - GB vs DET 15.) David Hawthorne - SEA at ARI 16.) Sean Lee - DAL at NYG 17.) Paul Posluszny - JAX vs IND 18.) Chad Greenway - MIN vs CHI 19.) DeMarcus Ware - DAL at NYG 20.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at MIN 21.) Sean Weatherspoon - ATL vs TB 22.) David Harris - NYJ at MIA 23.) James...

undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined IDP CHEATSHEET: Week Sixteen Week 16 of the 2011 fantasy football season has arrived, which means that in the majority of IDP leagues one more game remains to determine who is crowned king of the league...it's Championship Week. To help you prepare for this most important week's action here's a look at my Top 30 defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs for Week 16 of the 2011 season in IDP leagues. These rankings are based on Default IDP Manor Scoring, which awards 1 point for solos, .5 points for assists, 2 points each for fumbles forced and recovered, 4 points for interceptions, sacks, and safeties, 6 points for defensive touchdowns, and 1 point for passes defensed. It's a balanced scoring system, so if your IDP league is especially tackle-heavy or big play-heavy some players may move up (or down) a few spots. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 1.) Terrell Suggs - BAL vs CLE 2.) Jason Pierre-Paul - NYG at NYJ 3.) Jared Allen - MIN at WAS 4.) Jason Babin - PHI at DAL 5.) Chris Clemons - SEA vs SF 6.) Trent Cole - PHI at DAL 7.) Julius Peppers - CHI at GB 8.) Justin Smith - SF at SEA 9.) Chris Long - STL at PIT 10.) Kyle Vanden Bosch - DET vs SD 11.) Justin Tuck - NYG at NYJ 12.) Elvis Dumervil - DEN at BUF 13.) Haloti Ngata - BAL vs CLE 14.) Jeremy Mincey - JAX at TEN 15.) Cliff Avril - DET vs SD 16.) Will Smith - NO vs ATL 17.) Greg Hardy - CAR vs TB 18.) Dave Ball - TEN vs JAX 19.) J.J. Watt - HOU at IND 20.) Charles Johnson - CAR vs TB 21.) Jabaal Sheard - CLE at BAL 22.) Calais Campbell - ARI at CIN 23.) Mark Anderson - NE vs MIA 24.) Robert Mathis - IND vs HOU 25.) Israel Idonije - CHI at GB 26.) Ndamukong Suh - DET vs SD 27.) John Abraham - ATL at NO 28.) Marcell Dareus - BUF vs DEN 29.) Lamarr Houston - OAK at KC 30.) Ahtyba Rubin - CLE at BAL LINEBACKERS 1.) D'Qwell Jackson - CLE at BAL 2.) Nick Barnett - BUF vs DEN 3.) Navorro Bowman - SF at SEA 4.) London Fletcher - WAS vs MIN 5.) Derrick Johnson - KC vs OAK 6.) David Hawthorne - SEA vs SF 7.) James Laurinaitis - STL at PIT 8.) Pat Angerer - IND vs HOU 9.) Sean Lee - DAL vs PHI 10.) Curtis Lofton - ATL at NO 11.) Paul Posluszny - JAX at TEN 12.) Ray Lewis - BAL vs CLE 13.) Daryl Washington - ARI at CIN 14.) Brian Urlacher - CHI at GB 15.) Colin McCarthy - TEN vs JAX 16.) Chad Greenway - MIN at WAS 17.) Karlos Dansby - MIA at NE 18.) Jerod Mayo - NE vs...