IDP Stock Market Week 9

Photo: USA Today Sports

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.