IDP Stock Market Week 2

When evaluating a market of any kind, the consumer must understand what they are looking to accomplish. Are you someone who wants to have a long-term hold? Are you looking for that penny stock to turn into the next Google or Apple? Maybe you are more of an investor in a known commodity looking for updates relevant to its future. No matter the reason, these principles and philosophies can be applied to Fantasy Football. Everyone talks about the offensive players making splashes after Week 1, and rightfully so, but we are going to show some defensive players the love they deserve this week. These will be divided into three tiers. The Fortune 5 represents our top five players of the week, The Falling 4 represents the four biggest disappointments of the week, and the Premiere Pennies features three sleepers to take note of before they pop! A market is only as good as its products and friends, we have a lot of great defensive players to choose from. So, sit back and watch as your IDP portfolio grows. Ring the bell!

The Fortune 5

T.J. Watt: It should come as a surprise to no one that Watt started the season off as explosive as we are used to seeing a player of his caliber be. Watt currently sits as the IDP1 after the first week of the NFL season with five tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles to boot. For those who were worried that he wouldn’t be as fit this season coming off his first injury-riddled year, he showed out in a big way, even in a game where the Steelers had virtually nothing go their way. Watt comes in as the number one player this week, but that’s par for the course for a player of his caliber.

Josh Allen: What if I told you the defensive end was the best Josh Allen of the week? He had an absolute monster of a game, tallying 10 total tackles and three sacks. Since being coded as a Defensive End, Allen has now been factored into the “must start” territory of IDP lineups. It’s important to note that he did face a rookie quarterback on a team loaded with ugly narratives and instability, but the results speak for themselves. His job is to see the ball hit the ball, and he was wildly effective in doing so. He has now matched half of his season sack total from last year and is just seven away from his career high. We are amid his greatest season yet. Hop on the bandwagon, folks!

Jessie Bates: Bengals fans, cover your eyes. The best performance arguably from a safety this week came in the Atlanta debut of Jessie Bates. Fans of IDP know that Bates has this in him. In his first three seasons in the league, he tallied 100 or more tackles. The last two seasons were less than ideal, and after a long and drawn-out contract dispute, he finally parted ways with the Bengals in hopes of greener pastures. It seems the decision has paid off, and we may be seeing the Bates we all have missed. With a 10-tackle and two-interception debut, beware of the Atlanta safety NFL teams. Bates is back, and in a big way.

Zaire Franklin: The Colts have always had great linebacker play despite the struggles and instability that seem to follow them around. This season, it was a question of who the man would be to step up. With the loss of Bobby Okereke to the New York Giants and questions surrounding the health and viability of Shaquille Leonard, someone had to step up and fill the void, and boy, did Franklin do just that. He was a monster on Sunday, compiling 18 total tackles and forcing a fumble. He is proving to us that last season was no fluke and achieved a career-high in tackles in Week 1. It is unrealistic to believe this will be a weekly occurrence, but he absolutely is a player that has league-winning ability, and if you were bold enough to draft or acquire him, the dividends are paying off immediately.

Roquan Smith: New year, same Roquan Smith. The Ravens' foundation on defense has picked up right where he left off as the focal point of the defense, and the stats show us that he is worth every penny of his large contract. As if the 16 tackles he had weren’t enough, he also added a sack as the cherry on top of his great Week 1. There really isn’t much else to say about Smith. He was likely one of the top 2-3 linebackers off the board, and he is just continuing to prove that he should be the dynasty LB1, seeing as how he is just 26 years old! He’s a player to build your IDP roster around.

The Falling 4

Jack Campbell: It is easy to point out rookies who didn’t perform well in their debut game, but I felt it necessary to point out that Campbell only played 38% of the total snaps and failed to compile meaningful stats when given the time. For context, former HBO Hard Knocks star Malcolm Rodriguez played 11 fewer snaps and had just one less tackle. Campbell has a long career ahead of him, but given his draft capital in IDP rookie drafts and the hype surrounding him this past offseason, this is a very deflating feeling. At this current junction, he needs to stay on the bench in dynasty leagues and the waivers in redraft leagues. He isn’t a guy to trust just yet, even if you aren’t one to overreact to Week 1.

Khalil Mack: The days of Khalil Mack being a must-start player are over. Gone are the days of his two positional All-Pro status. Instead, it seems we are getting a player in the twilight of his career who has had enough injuries to take away that explosiveness that we once saw. He was likely overdrafted due to his name recognition and understandably so. He isn’t doing bad enough to drop altogether, but he has no business being in a starting lineup outside of a spot start due to a matchup advantage or an injury or bye week situation. He is a prime candidate to try to trade while his name still means something.

Christian Wilkins: This one hurt the most to see. In a game that featured almost 1,000 total yards, one would think that there would be tackles and sacks galore. Maybe there were for others, but a player of Wilkins caliber only having one tackle and a couple of assists was flat-out disappointing. He was overshadowed by another lineman (who you will read about shortly) and seems to be still battling an injury. There’s no need to panic with Wilkins just yet, but we need to monitor his game usage as well as his stats in the spots he’s expected to produce. The panic meter isn’t quite a 10, but we are closing in on a 5-6.

Kyle Hamilton: This is the year that Hamilton is supposed to break out. He will be getting plenty of playing time on a team led by a defensive head coach, and he comes with a first-round capital tied to his name. He played 99% of the team's snaps and only produced three total tackles. Was this due to the Texans being such a bad team, or is this something deeper? I am very much a fan of Hamilton in the long term as a dynasty hold, but in redraft leagues, he probably should be on waivers. In dynasty leagues, keep him on your bench. Safeties tend to be picked up throughout the year and produced, so there’s no need to be burned by one when there are 3 to 4 each week who will pop up. DO NOT DROP HIM, but also make sure he isn’t a focal point of your team.

Premiere Pennies

Dennis Gardeck: Before we lose our collective minds that an Arizona Cardinal not named Budda Baker contributed in fantasy, I need to point out that Dennis Gardeck only played 39% of his team's snaps. Now, in this limited sample size, we saw him get four tackles and two sacks. There is a reason he is considered a penny stock, and that is due to him being a 29-year-old who we just saw get 1/3 of his career sack total in one game. He is someone to monitor, considering the Cardinals don’t exactly have a plethora of talent, and he just showed us an ability to contribute to limited playing time. Don’t be too scared away from the snap percentage, though. He was second among his position in snaps.

Jaelen Phillips: If you have been following me, you know that I have been high on Phillips since the offseason. He did exactly what he needed to do to become relevant at the position, so if he is available on your waivers or someone’s trade block, get him now. He is a dynasty darling at 24 years old. The former first-round pick seems to be acclimating well to the NFL, coming off a career year last season and immediately putting up 11 total tackles and a sack in the Week 1 thriller that was Dolphins vs. Chargers. He is absolutely a must-start, and he will no longer qualify as a penny stock from here forward. He is an ascending asset with a high ceiling. He is a player you need to familiarize yourself with; he is here to stay!

Reed Blankenship: The Eagles were very shaky at best this past Sunday, but one thing we learned was that even with a new crop of players in the secondary, they can contribute in a big way to your IDP rosters. Blankenship was second on the team in snaps only to Darius Slay and was a big factor in IDP this week. With 12 total tackles and two defended passes to his name, it may be a little while before we see the rookie Sydney Brown have an opportunity. Blankenship is a must-start until we see a change, and he is likely still available on your waivers!

There you have it. One week of knowledge to help you get to your championship matchup. There will be highs and lows, buys and sells, but most importantly, there will be weeks’ worth of data poured over and available to you. What you do with this information is ultimately what will win or lose your matchups. Do you agree with the market? Are you a sharp who knows when to go against the grain? Regardless of your position, these players were noteworthy performers, albeit not all were positive, and you need to be aware of them. So make those waiver moves and trades, and make sure you continue to follow me on Twitter (X) @mattmontyff for more IDP and fantasy football content, and as always, make sure you’re following @footballguys.