Sometimes, in the unpredictable game that is IDP Fantasy Football, the biggest moves happen at the expense of someone else’s sorrow. The theme this week you will see is injuries and their dramatic effects on your waiver wire and rosters. Some people will capitalize on these opportunities and hop on the wire fast, effectively adding players who could be potential league winners. Others will wait and savor those FAAB dollars for more notable prospects and wait till the dog days of this season. Whatever your strategy may be, you must watch how the market ebbs and flows. Even if you choose to wait it out, it is important to see the heavy hitters and the players who are giving the analysts and team managers headaches trying to understand their value. It’s here, and it’s time! Ring the bell and get ready for Week 3 of the IDP Stock Market.
The Fortune 5
Micah Parsons: As of this writing, Micah Parsons is having the most dominant season of any player in the NFL. He has been an absolute menace to opposing team’s offenses and is quite literally unlockable. Even with his notoriety, teams can’t seem to stop him or the Dallas Cowboys pass rush. He is elevating players around him as well. The Cowboys have an NFL-best 10 sacks through two games. Through the first two games, Parsons has 3 sacks, pacing him for an NFL record 25.5! Now, it is early to start predicting NFL records, but he is absolutely the NFL’s best pass rusher and deserves to be the #1 player in this week’s market. Hopefully, you believed the hype, unlike this writer in the preseason…
Danielle Hunter: Hunter is back and is having arguably the best start to a season of his career. Not only is he getting to the opposing quarterback at a high rate, but he is also compiling tackles. His career high in sacks is 14, which he did in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. This season, in two games, he has four. He is on pace to shatter his career-high in sacks and tackles! He is the best defensive player on the Vikings and is challenging our top man for the sack crown early. If he wasn’t highly coveted in IDP, he should be now. Sit back and watch Hunter remind people why he is much more fun to watch being coded a DE!
T.J. Watt: Another year, another reason to love the explosive play of T.J. Watt. In standard-scoring PPR leagues that included standard IDP stats, Watt is currently the #1 player in fantasy football. Over the likes of Tyreek Hill and the darling of the year, Puka Nacua. There aren’t often players that can immediately change a game like Watt can so maximize the window you have him in. If you are a team in a rebuild, he is arguably the best defensive asset you’ll ever have. He will fetch a high capital, so I would look to move him at his current peak. If you’re in a win-now, have fun watching, friend!
Harrison Phillips: It’s not often that we show love to interior defensive linemen in standard IDP, but what we are seeing out of Phillips needs to be recognized. Through the first two games, he has 21 tackles and a half a sack. It’s a little early to crown him king of the defensive tackles, but this performance level must be documented. His career-high tackle total - set last season - is 59. He is pacing to shatter that and his career sack totals as well. In most leagues, he was likely a waiver-wire guy, but after Week 1, that probably changed. If he is somehow still available in your leagues, spick him up and start him immediately. You’ll be happy that you did.
Quay Walker: Is it fair to say that last season, Quay Walker was seemingly under the radar? He quietly accumulated 121 total tackles and forced three fumbles. He has picked up right where he left off and, through two weeks, has not only shown us his explosive playing ability in Week 1, where he scored a touchdown on a pick-six, but also had a 17-tackle performance in the very next game! So not only are you getting that consistent floor we all want from an inside linebacker, but he has that big play ability that can truly win a week. It’s safe to say that he is the best linebacker in Green Bay, and that is a lofty statement, considering his running mate is De’Vondre Campbell.
The Falling 4
C.J. Gardner-Johnson: One of the most deflating injuries of this young season (and there have been a lot, unfortunately) is that of Gardener-Johnson tearing his pectoral muscle. He has been a very vocal leader and has added a mentality to a defense that desperately needed that leader. In fantasy football, he was having a good start to his new year. With 13 tackles and two defended passes prior to the injury, he was not only performing in regular games but making managers who took the risk of a player on a new team look like geniuses!
Elandon Roberts: One of the most puzzling and disappointing IDP positions in the entire league is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers. As if it weren’t already muddy enough, Roberts goes down with a stinger this week and is likely out this upcoming week. They have already been a frustrating group to try to predict who is the must-start, and now that Roberts is out of the mix, we may see even more players mixed into the rotation. Despite his good tackle numbers Week 1 and a decent start to the game prior to injury, this was the second consecutive week that Roberts was the odd man out in snap counts. He is not much more than a bench filler, and if he’s out for an extended period, he may not be worth rostering.
Nick Bosa: Have your tomatoes ready to throw, but we need to keep an eye on Bosa. For whatever reason, he isn’t playing every snap and has yet to eclipse 80% of the defensive snaps. To be fair, he has played the second most total snaps amongst defensive linemen on this defense and is arguably the team’s best player, but when breaking down how they utilize pass rushers, it seems to be a 6–7-man rotation of credible players. He is still a Bosa and needs to be on rosters and in lineups. His snaps increased from Week 1 to Week 2, but we should tamper our expectations of his season’s production. Through the first two weeks, he’s likely lost you more points than he has contributed to winning weeks. No need to panic just yet, but make sure you monitor this usage.
Shaq Thompson: Thompson has always been a solid IDP starter and is coming off his career-high in tackles. This season was supposed to be the encore for that 135-tackle performance, and Thompson was likely drafted higher than many others. But alas, this league has a cruel way of humbling us at times. Thompson fractured his fibula and is likely out for the entirety of 2023. This bodes well for Frankie Luvu managers, and in the immediate short term, Kamu Grugier-Hill becomes a must-add at the position. It’s a shame that Thompson is out, but it gives us the ability to capitalize on the waiver wire and add a starting inside linebacker to our rosters. Get well soon, Shaq!
Premiere Pennies
Brian Branch: When players get hurt, someone has to step up. As mentioned previously in this article, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is going to be sidelined for a significant amount of time. This means that we will likely see Brian Branch play more of the position he was drafted to play. Previously, he has been playing a lot of cornerback due to his versatility and the Lions defense wanting to maximize their secondary’s talent. Due to this philosophy, Branch hasn’t had those nig numbers (although, to be fair, he did score a touchdown in his debut). Branch playing as a safety is great for his long-term scoring opportunities, and he moves into must-start territory.
Jalen Thompson: Thompson ended last season with 38 total tackles in his last four games of the season, leading many to believe he had accumulated the good graces of his coaching staff. This would then allow for him to be more consistent of a contributor in the season following. Week 1 was very average and objectively not worth writing about, but this past week was what we wanted to see. Seven total tackles to go with an interception is just the production you like to see from a 25-year-old coming off back-to-back career years. This should be the year Thompson takes the crown as the best safety in this defense, and since we are already seeing injury from Budda Baker, it may be sooner than we think!
Ivan Pace Jr.: The former UC Bearcat was speculated to be the odd man out of this linebacker corps all offseason but is making everyone eat those words in the immediate short term. He has had back-to-back eight-tackle performances and has a whopping 91 more snaps than preseason darling Brian Asamoah II. He started his first game in Week 2 and likely won’t look back because he has shown an ability to tackle and pressure the Quarterback. The undrafted rookie has a big career ahead of him and should be an asset to target in dynasty leagues if he is still available. In redraft leagues, he needs to be minimally on your bench but has a good case to be a starter for your team, depending on your depth at the position.
Isn’t it nice that we are finally able to digest a little bit of the information we have been given through two weeks? No one yet knows who the breakout players will be, but there has been some movement from the offseason narratives to the product unfolding on the field. It is important to look at your teams as an ever-changing entity and be willing to take your fair share of risks. Without risks, there is very rarely reward. 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. As always, make sure you’re following @footballguys to get all the great content from your favorite analysts!