IDP Stock Market: Week 2

We are so back! It is finally time for us to start looking at the league's weekly IDP risers and fallers. Each week, we will have five top players from the week, four players who are seeing their stock fall, and three penny stocks that could turn into long-term superstars.  Week 2 is overreaction week. Don’t worry; the reactions here are measured, contained, and completely unbiased. We have some familiar names at the top of the mountain as we expected, a few players we should be worried about, and perhaps a few penny stock league winners for your viewing pleasure. So, sit back, soak in the information, and make the moves that win leagues. Week 1 may be the most crucial week on the waiver wire…

Fortune 5

These players are on everyone's radar but performing even better than expected.

Stock Up: LB Eric Kendricks, Dallas

Last season, Kendricks showed us regression from his previous two seasons, and was a player who likely aggravated you when you started him and made you downright angry when you sat him. He was the epitome of inconsistent, putting up big weeks in the midseason, only to disappoint managers with his lackluster playoff games. This season, we may have a new candidate for the dominant Cowboys linebacker. In years past we had Jaylon Smith, Sean Lee, and even a brief stint of Leighton Vander Esch, all showing us the monster numbers that can be put up at the position, but Kendricks came in with some questions surrounding his ability to be the main man in the middle. Those questions were answered big time, with 9 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in his Cowboys debut! If you have Kendricks on your team, you may have the best value in IDP currently and you deserve an “atta boy” for having the gall to buck the trend and get your guy!   

Stock Up: LB T.J. Edwards, Chicago

Any manager with at least one year of IDP experience won't be shocked to see that T.J. Edwards had a monster week to start the season. The man is a true gem for IDP. He is a talking machine and may be one of the best to do it. He doesn’t get all the hype that big names like Roquan Smith or Fred Warner get, but he is a true set-and-forget, league-winning type of player year in and year out. He starts his campaign for IDP1 with 15 total tackles and a fumble recovery. Not too shabby for a guy who doesn’t get any headlines. There isn’t much more to talk about here, he is likely your best player if you have him on your team.

Stock Up: S Julian Love, Seattle

We take the safety position for granted in IDP, but I can assure you that when you get one of the best on your team, it makes a difference on the scoreboard week-to-week. How often though is there a safety who leads his team in total tackles? Love did this to start the season, and he may continue to do so throughout the season. Not only can he impact the game by tackling the ball carrier, but he also had some playmaking moments in the game versus Denver. He had a forced fumble and an interception to go with a 12-tackle performance. If you ask me, safety is the most skilled position on the field. Julian Love is making a case to be the best at the position this season for IDP Fantasy Football.

Stock Up: EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, DeMarcus Lawrence made it to the QB multiple times in a game. If you're a regular reader of this fake football stock market, then you’re likely aware that I am very much not a Lawrence guy, but the numbers speak for themselves this week. He was a dominating force against the helpless Browns offensive line and had a monster week. I still think that eventually, his age will catch up to him, which is why, yet again, I am imploring you to trade him while he still has value you can capitalize on! I believe weeks like this will be few and far between for him, but having it happen in Week 1 is best best-case scenario. Don’t do the diamond hands thing here, dump him like a bad significant other immediately and get what you can before he becomes a roster clogger.

Stock Up: EDGE Joey Bosa, LA Chargers

It has been a while since we have seen Joey Bosa outperform his little brother Nick, but it happened this week in a big way. It’s one thing to get a big play at the edge rushing position, this is something that is at least halfway expected to be in your player's capabilities, but it is an entirely different thing to get consistent tackle floors. If you find an edge rusher who gets 5-7 tackles a game with a big play here and there, you can build a great defensive roster. Bosa this week had seven total tackles a sack and a forced fumble albeit against a bad Raiders team, but this is something noteworthy. Bosa has a dominating teammate alongside him in Khalil Mack and if he could stay healthy, it wouldn’t shock me if he did this consistently. He’s a Bosa, so you're playing him regardless, but I am very impressed with what he did this past week.

Falling 4

The players are highly thought of, but we might need to be worried about their 2024 production.

Stock Down: LB Pete Werner, New Orleans

There was a time where I would have died on the hill saying that Werner was the dynasty IDP1 and at minimum, there was a case that could be made, but these last few years, I think we have seen him fall further than Humpty Dumpty. When you see his underwhelming stat line (two total tackles) there are a few things to research. Was he hurt, and what was his snap count? At this point in his career, Werner is consistently on the injury report but plays through them when he can. He also led his position in snap counts this week, which was only good enough for 69%. I fear it may be over for Werner as a long-term darling and we may need to begin treating him like a normal player who underwhelms, by benching him.

Stock Down: S Kevin Byard III, Chicago

While it was speculative to say Werner was the #1 player at his position back in the day, it was factual for Byard in that same time frame to be #1 at the safety position. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, and we are now seeing the journeyman version of Byard, and this week it wasn’t very good. Against a Titans team with less-than-ideal quarterback play and a defense that is filled with playmakers, Byard had just two total tackles despite playing 100% of the snaps in the game. Maybe it is too early to panic sell Byard, but when you play the entirety of your team’s snaps and fail to be a notable part of the game, that is a red flag that needs to be monitored. I think if you have Byard you need to play him, but he would make me squeamish to start him after what happened this week.

Stock Down: LB Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh

One of if not THE most hyped IDP players this offseason was Patrick Queen in his new role on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Expectations aren’t reality, and Queen proved this to be so in Week 1 against a Falcons offense that was abysmal. As an inside linebacker, you’re a focal point of the defensive assignments in most formations. He played more snaps than the other two linebackers did combined but was outscored by rookie Payton Wilson in his first career game! There are still plenty of games left, but this was the exact opposite of what IDP managers thought was going to happen. He had a very pedestrian two tackles in his Steelers debut and will need a bounce-back week before I would start to get on that hype train.

Stock Down: S Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore

One of the most disappointing efforts this first week was from arguably the league’s best safety. Fantasy Football is a game predicated on stats, so if you have them, you’re golden, but if you don’t, you’re considered “bad”. Hamilton may be one of these players whose talents may harm him in IDP Fantasy Football this season. The secret is out on him being a playmaker, which may alert coaches to scheme plays away from him which will impact his ability to score points. He had three tackles, but two were assists and he played nearly 100% of his team’s snaps against a Chiefs team known for offensive production. Did Andy Reid simply avoid Hamilton, or is there something more sinister here that we need to pay attention to? It is too early to panic, but early returns have been nonexistent.

Premiere Pennies

These players aren't highly thought of, but they should be.

Stock Up: LB Zack Baun, Philadelphia

I have been sounding the alarm this offseason to get Zack Baun and I fear this may be the last week for anyone to do so. If you take anything from this article, take my advice and empty the coffers for Baun. He has likely taken the job from Devin White barring unforeseen circumstances, and he popped off the screen in the Brazil game to open the season as inside linebacker for the Eagles. He played 100% of the snaps and had 15 total tackles and two sacks. This is like the gold rush during the Wild West days guys. Go get the guy and spend whatever FAAB you have or make him waiver priority one and remember this article for later!

Stock Up: EDGE Darrell Taylor, Chicago

It appears that Taylor has found a comfortable home in Chicago! The former Seattle Seahawks second-round pick had a great debut for his new team the Chicago Bears and showed that maybe the grass is a little greener for him here. Not only did he have the monster plays that everyone loves seeing (two sacks), but he also had eight total tackles and a forced fumble to boot! He felt DOA in Seattle especially when the team kept drafting and acquiring people to replace him or at least to take some time away from him. Now, Taylor looks like as good a waiver pickup as any and he is still at the ripe age of 27 and could be entering his prime years in Chicago. He is an immediate starter if you can get him out of free agency in your league.  

Stock Up: LB Darius Muasau, NY Giants

You guys want to get weird? Let's get weird! You must be a real sicko if you could have predicted that we would see a six-round rookie dethrone Bobby Okereke as the top point-getter for his team, but here we are. How often do you have an opportunity to get a starting inside linebacker on waivers? Now, add the odds of him being a rookie and we have ourselves a unicorn folks! He didn’t play 100% of the snaps, but he did play the second most behind Okereke and it was a stout 82%, so we should see him add on to this total and could see a blossoming IDP starter in the long term. All for the measly cost of paying attention to your waiver wire! What a steal!