Every dog has his day. A blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. Lightning in a bottle. These are figures of speech that mean relatively the same thing. Sometimes you just get lucky. When it comes to fantasy football, there’s no question that it sometimes comes down to dumb luck. When you prepare your team for the ups and downs of the season, you may find that your luck could be up to the decisions you made and the trends you jumped on… or stayed away from! Same simple setup with some different names and familiar ones. It’s important to note that some players may find themselves in mix-matched tiers week-to-week while others may just be high performers year-round. Worried about the hours and hours of research it takes to find these league-changing players?! Have no fear, Football Guys are here!
High Dollar Stocks Trending up
S Minkah Fitzpatrick: He moves to the No. 1 performing stock this week in the entirety of IDP leagues. The dude is an absolute menace out there. He followed his Week 1 dominance with six more tackles and another pick putting him at 20 tackles and two picks through two weeks played. He’s 25 years old and was just given a long-term contract to stay in Pittsburgh, so get used to the production because he likes where he is and the stats speak for themselves. More safety love for the best current safety in the league.
LB Devin White: Although he makes a case for the number one spot, White comes in at number two this week, but the way he’s trending, it won’t be long till he’s number one. He actually scored more this week than he did in his two-sack performance in Week 1. He had 11 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in Week 2, putting his numbers to 19 total tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble through two weeks. He’s putting together a strong case for LB1 this season and even could contend as defensive player of the year if he keeps this output continuing. Keep your eye on White.
DE Aidan Hutchinson: When using the term “High Dollar Stocks,” it is defined as someone who would cost a lot to acquire via trade or had a lofty draft spot in IDP Dynasty drafts. Hutchinson had a case to be a top edge rusher/defensive end taken in rookie drafts, and Week 2 was exactly why he was. He posted a career day for most people in his second game ever tallying six tackles and three sacks. This came after he seemingly was invisible in Week 1 so this had to make managers happy to see the upside show itself. This won’t be the last time we see Hutchinson change a game, but it was the first time! Rookies are viable options too!
S Harrison Smith: Depending on your format and preference, Harrison Smith was likely one of the top 3 safeties taken in redrafts and is consistently around the top of the league year after year in points at his position. In case you fell asleep during the blowout or excitement of two Monday night football games, Smith had 13 solo tackles. 13! He’s making a case that age is just a number at a position that we think has to have athleticism to be tops in the league, but Smith proves all you have to do is have a nose for the ball. See ball, tackle ball, and Smith does just that!
LB Devin Lloyd: Rounding out the top five is yet another rookie who garnered a top draft spot in IDP rookie drafts and was likely not available long in redrafts. Lloyd has been a quiet yet consistent part of the recent successes of Jacksonville. He currently sits as LB5 in standard leagues and has 17 total tackles, three defended passes, and one interception. He is proving to be a great pickup in the first round by a Jags team that needs all the playmakers they can get regardless of the side of the ball they play on. He is also the only rookie linebacker in the top 40, including those classified as outside linebackers. Lloyd is going to make noise in this league for a long time.
High Dollar Stocks Trending Down
LB Eric Kendricks: It’s been two weeks, and we aren’t seeing anything worthy of hyping up Kendricks. This has been a surprise to many IDP managers. Kendricks is currently trending to the first sub-100 tackle season of his career. This is in part to the switch up at the head coaching position but also due to the emergence of Jordan Hicks as the go-to player at this position for the team. This isn’t a “bad” year per se, but likely not the year managers were expecting when utilizing ADP in redrafts or capital in trades to acquire. Sell your Kendricks stock while he still has a higher value.
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LB Cole Holcomb: While he had a better Week 2 than he did Week 1, Holcomb still sees himself outside of the top 65 linebackers. If you haven’t already tried, it’s time to move on at linebacker if you have Holcomb. He has a stud up-and-comer coming off a four-tackle and one-sack day in Week 2 on his tail (Jamin Davis) and a defense loaded with all kinds of other talents. He’s the odd man out here and if you can, get something for him now. He finished above expectations last year with 141 tackles. He was drafted in leagues to achieve this feat, which even some of the best haven’t achieved. Don’t chase last year’s points. Get out while you can here.
DE Demarcus Lawrence: Weekly readers will note that he was the only trade candidate written about last week. This should still be top of mind when evaluating Lawrence, but he did have two more tackles this week than last. Dallas currently has only one real pass-rushing threat, and it’s Micah Parsons. Everyone else on the defensive line should be used as a trade piece, whether a throw-in to get top talent or a sell-off to acquire something in the future via picks. Lawrence will garner the most talent, although it may now be too late to move.
LB Deion Jones: Jones was once THE linebacker to have in IDP. He since has seen the shine fade to all but a glimmer. He has yet to play a snap (IR) but what is important to note is that even with the loss of Foye Oluokun, Jones still hadn’t been signed to a new deal or traded. He now has structured a deal that included three voided years and less salaried money, meaning it’s likely he’s traded soon. This always is cause for concern, but he’s likely someone you shouldn’t build around any longer. This could change depending on the team, however.
DT Aaron Donald: The NFL’s greatest interior pass rusher ever, Donald was likely your first defensive tackle off the board, but he’s having a pedestrian year by his standards. This comes after a Week 1 story about him failing to retire as he previously was supposed to due to being talked out of it by the organization. Is this another example of the age-old story of once you think of retirement, you’re already retired? He’s currently DT16, but he was drafted to be higher than the top 3 in most redrafts, and in dynasty, he’s been a set-and-forget guy. It’s time to start looking at plan b here if he’s in your lineups.
Middle of the Pack Trending Up
LB Jordan Hicks: Hicks is one more solid week away from being a top guy in these articles. He’s all but taken the stats away from counterpart Eric Kendricks in Minnesota, but what is even more surprising is he does it on his third team. He’s bucking the trend of a new team equaling bad stats which is all but a formality in some cases. He has seemingly found his new home, and we have seen with him in the past that he can produce when given the opportunity.
LB Myles Jack: Jack is another guy whom we were unaware of how the new team would benefit him. It has been a beauty to watch. The current LB11, Jack has been a tackling machine for the Pittsburgh defense that has proven to be difficult for teams through two weeks. He has 23 tackles and is pacing for over 150 total tackles. Now it’s safe to say that would be an unheard-of feat to accomplish in a player’s first year with the team, but either way, he has been a great value buy for managers who took the chance to acquire him.
LB Cody Barton: Now a top ten linebacker, Barton picked up where he left off last week with another 11 tackles. Seattle has always been known to have two viable linebackers in IDP fantasy, and this year is no different. While Barton is the lesser of the two, he was likely added for value as opposed to his counterpart Jordyn Brooks who was drafted or acquired to do what he’s doing. Great job to the fans who took a shot at Barton and are proven right.
S Marcus Williams: In what seems to be out of nowhere, the current IDP fantasy top scorer is Williams. He has 22 tackles, three interceptions, and three defended passes in two games. Maybe the drafting of safety Kyle Hamilton this offseason has motivated the young safety to step up his game. Maybe the Ravens as a whole are just in a better spot this season than last. No matter what you believe, you need to take note of what Williams is doing. He is a candidate for trade bait as these totals likely aren’t sustainable.
LB Mykal Walker: Walker has taken the position of linebacker in Atlanta and run with it. It used to be Deion Jones, then it was Foye and now it appears this is the man to have in Atlanta. We have seen top fantasy production at this position for this team, and he’s no exception to the success currently. Walker seems likely the future at 25 years old after the team has restructured the Jones contract in what appears to be the latest attempt to trade him away. Buy buy buy on Walker moving forward.
Penny Stocks with a Chance to Succeed
S Talanoa Hufanga: The current fourth-ranked safety, Hufanga had another good week for the 49ers. He had six tackles and two defended passes putting his totals at 17 tackles and three defended passes through two weeks. He is a clear playmaker proving he’s worth the playing time. One of those defended passes was a tipped ball that led to an interception. Plays like that get you noticed, and he was likely acquired cheaply. If not, get him now!
LB Rashan Gary: Another week, another sack for Gary. He has nine tackles and two sacks through two weeks. He will likely be a sack-dependent start, but we have seen sack-dependent edge rushers produce and he’s young enough in dynasty for the stash bench option. When Green Bay ultimately has to pony up, they likely will let Preston smith go and give him the generational money.
S Jonathan Owens: Owens is the starting safety for the Texans and has not yet had less than double-digit tackles. With 25 tackles and a defended pass, Owens is on a team that likely will have lots of yards gained on them, which is a recipe for success in IDP for a safety. He’s another relative unknown who is making the most of his opportunity. One more note, he is the NFL’s leading tackler through two weeks.
CB Derek Stingley: Maybe this isn’t what you want to see, but it’s important to note that some of the highest-scoring defensive backs are corners. There are usually more of them, and the top-tier ones are hard to find. Stingley is CB9 currently, and outside of the crazy Thursday night game Jaylen Watson had, he would be the top rookie defensive back in the league. Five tackles to pair with three defended passes are a great way to start your NFL career, and Stingley will likely be a name to continue monitoring for all football fans.
LB Frankie Luvu: Luvu may be the IDP surprise of the year on the positive side of things. He has 16 tackles on the year for the panthers and is having a career year. His 43 tackles last year were his career high, and he’s now pacing for over 120 tackles. If he can even sort of keep this pace up, he will be a darling IDP guy for the remainder of this year.
Closing bell. Hopefully, your waivers just keep getting better. Buy low, sell high, right? Why not just track the trend? Follow me on Twitter @Steakspeare for more content with Footballguys!