NFL

Plugging the Gaps: IDP Waiver Wire for Week 14

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​Kony Ealy, Defensive End

Carolina Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy was the defensive hero of Super Bowl 50. Had the Panthers won the game, it’s likely that the disruptive Ealy would have taken home MVP honors. Instead, the Panthers lost and have been sent into a 2016 tailspin, just as Ealy himself has slipped from playoff marvel to regular season mortal once more.

He has the 10th-lowest quarterback hit rate among 64 defensive ends this year, a middling 31st-best tackle rate, and the 37th-highest sack rate. Ealy -- along with the rest of the Panthers defense -- just hasn’t been the same this season.

Week 14 presents a get-right game for him, though: the San Diego Chargers allow the 14th-highest sack rate in the league, as well as the 6th-highest stuff rate. With Ealy’s production somewhat lacking without big plays, just one disruptive play will cement Ealy’s status as a strong Week 14 IDP option.

Ealy is available in 96.6% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we project him for 2.22 tackles, 0.29 sacks, and a total score of 3.39 fantasy points in Week 14.