IDP Stock Market Week 9

Well, Halloween has passed, but there is nothing scarier than a team you're managing that just isn't cutting it. Whether it is due to a bad draft early in the fall or poor management decisions by you (which I am sure would never happen!), you must be able to move on and move upward. How do you do that? By consuming copious amounts of information expertly broken down by the Footballguys family! Here is yet another edition of your favorite IDP article of the week! The IDP Stock Market. Ring the bell, and let's find those diamonds in the rough.

The Fortune 5

EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants

We may have finally gotten the breakout we have been waiting for with Thibodeaux this week. The former Top 5 pick had a modest but promising rookie year, with 49 tackles and four sacks. This season, he has been producing solidly but had his best game as a pro last week. He had a staggering nine tackles with three sacks and a forced fumble. This brought his season totals to 25 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He is well on his way to a career year in tackles and double-digit sacks, which is exactly what the Giants and fantasy managers wanted to see out of the promising young edge rusher.

LB Logan Wilson, Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have the least noteworthy star defensive players of any team in the NFL. There may be no greater player on this defense currently than Logan Wilson. Wilson was a highly debated player this offseason as a regression candidate coming off a 120-tackle season but will seemingly put up similar, if not greater, numbers this season. When you have games like last week (11 tackles, two defended passes, and an interception), it's hard to debate against Wilson being the top dog in Cincinnati. This writer must take an L for his preseason hate of Wilson!

S Reed Blankenship, Philadelphia Eagles

The rumor of Blankenship's demise has been overhyped! Since the Eagles traded for safety Kevin Byard, it was easy to get little panicky when evaluating the safety position in Philadelphia moving forward. While one week is too early to make a clear-cut evaluation, it was nice to see Blankenship wasn't a forgotten man. He still played 100%, which was equivalent to what Byard played, and played well in all 72 of them. Nine tackles and an interception are a great way to stay in the good vibes of your coaches and your fantasy coaches.

EDGE Boye Mafe, Seattle Seahawks

This is the biggest risk on the list, but it is important we make note of what we are seeing. Last season, there was a stretch with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that was so fun to watch we couldn't ignore it. While Mafe hasn't had nearly as many statistics as Hargrave, he has now a five-game sack streak. Last week was his greatest game of the year: an eight-tackle performance with a sack. If he can continue putting this talent together with this result, he is a candidate to be a league winner down the stretch.

EDGE Harold Landry III, Tennessee Titans

Here is a random name you probably wouldn't associate with fantasy relevance. Landry has quietly put together a solid year, and he is likely still available in your league or buried on someone's bench. He, too, is risky. Defensive end is a deep position, but this season, we have seen the top-tier guys break away from the pack. If you're looking for a guy who has a good couple of weekly matchups coming up, Landry faces Kenny Pickett and Baker Mayfield in the next two games he plays. He has three sacks in his last two games, and my money is on him having at least one more in the next two games.

The Falling 4

EDGE Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers

When Gary went down last season, it was a bummer considering the talent and the transformation from that to on-field production. Through just nine games, Gary had 32 tackles and six sacks before being put on season-ending IR. We are going into Week 9, and Gary has 4.5 sacks and 15 tackles. Maybe he is still recovering from the surgery, but he isn't a player I would put much faith in until we see something different. He is a long-term hold, however, considering the Packers just signed him to a four-year extension this week.

EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys

Stop me if you have heard this before, but it is time to move off Lawrence while he still retains value. He isn't getting any younger, and we are starting to see statistical regression. He has 18 tackles and two sacks through the first seven games he has played. He's pacing for less than six sacks and 40 tackles. The Cowboy's defense is a great asset in fantasy, and the players are the reason. But some have more value than others. Move off Lawrence and get what you can while he still has the name recognition.

S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers

The worst players to evaluate are the good ones who just too often get hurt. Fitzpatrick is a guy who can't stay healthy for a full season, and it may be time to utilize his value for greater asset potential. What I mean by that is, trade him and try to get some high-upside players or picks. He is, without doubt, a must-start player when he is healthy and should fetch a pretty penny for his services on your team, so do not sell low. Get who you want for him, but hold him if you can't. He is too good to sell low.

LB Henry To'oto'o, Houston Texans

There was a nice stretch mid-season where we saw what the world would look like with To'oto'o as a starter and prominent player on the Texans defense. He was producing at a nice clip and was pacing the Texans linebackers in snap counts, but this past weekend, he played a mere 33% of the snaps. With Denzel Perryman back and the emergence of Blake Cashman, To'oto'o may be relegated back to your bench, but he is worth a spot in dynasty leagues. He is too productive to drop and too young to move off for now.

Premiere Pennies

LB Drue Tranquill, Kansas City Chiefs

This season has been a weird one for Tranquill, but we may be seeing a consistent performer now that Nick Bolton has been placed on the IR. Tranquill has three straight games with sacks and will see an influx of playing time with the injury to Bolton. In just one game Bolton hasn't played, Tranquill had 11 stops and a sack. He has back-to-back high-profile games coming up with a bye week splitting them, so be sure you pay attention to what Tranquill does in these. He is worth a spot start until Bolton returns.

S Xavier Woods, Carolina Panthers

Woods was a good fantasy performer when healthy, but his downfall has always been not getting an opportunity to play. It appears we will see a lot more of Woods at the expense of Vonn Bell or Sam Franklin for the rest of the season. Woods returned to play this past week, had eight tackles, and played 100% of snaps. He will be a good pot starter until Bell returns, and when that happens, we will have many questions we need answered before moving forward with him in the season. If you need help this week, he is a guy to pick up and play.

S Keanu Neal, Pittsburgh Steelers

With the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Minkah Fitzpatrick, there is now a position open that we have a track record of success. It appears the first man to get the opportunity to play this position is Neal. In his first action in Fitzpatrick's absence, Neal had eight total tackles. Neal saw his most snaps of the season and put up the stats fantasy managers love to see. Fitzpatrick is definitely out for Week 9, and those soft tissue injuries tend to linger. In the meantime, Neal is more than capable of helping your team produce no matter how long it takes for Fitzpatrick to recover.

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.