IDP Stock Market: Week 4

What's your favorite movie? Some of the best films start with one plot or story and end with a different outcome than expected. That's much like what we see in the NFL this season. We all had preconceived notions about who was elite, what teams were the best, and who to avoid. It's safe to say that through three weeks, we are experiencing the first plot twist of the season. Many new faces are on all three lists this week, but who are they? Are they long-term holds or short squeezes you can take advantage of? Here we go, folks, let's RING THE BELL!

Fortune 5

Stock up: Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota

This is a name you probably didn't expect to lead us off this week, but I can assure you that you need to take notice. Van Ginkel is proving to us that he not only is a startable fantasy player this season, but he may be one of the best in the league. Through Week 3, he is the second overall player (depending on format) in all IDP. If you don't believe me, let's look at the stats, shall we? He has 14 tackles, three sacks, an interception, and a touchdown in this young season. Yes, I know, the touchdown isn't something that can be relied upon, and I agree with you, but the sack production and the tackle consistency are enough for me to believe in him. Make sure if you have him, you're starting him. He's earned that nod.

Stock Up: Robert Spillane, Las Vegas

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Spillane has been an elite IDP option for the better part of two seasons, and he has started 2024 exactly how many expected him to do so. On a Las Vegas team that has better IDP options than offensive fantasy football options, he is standing on top currently. He is everything you want in a dynasty linebacker. He's in his prime at 28 years old, has high tackle floors (10+ in each of the first three weeks), and can give you that big play potential that is week-winning (has a sack or INT in 2/3 games). He's set-and-forget and bordering on dynasty LB1 territory early in this season.

Stock Up: Germaine Pratt, Cincinnati

This one may surprise some folks, but I think we are seeing a changing of the guard at linebacker in Cincinnati. Most people likely had Logan Wilson rated higher than Pratt, and while I was originally against Logan Wilson, I also folded to the pressures of the community. It appears to start that we were all wrong. Pratt is currently the best Cincinnati IDP to roster currently. He has 33 tackles through three weeks but also has two forced fumbles. He is coming into his own this season, and I think he is going to make some roster decisions that will be a bit more difficult with his emergence this season. I'll help you with one: start him. Even if this is a short-term window of opportunity, the point potential he is showing us week-to-week is too tasty to wait for it to end. This is an early-season decision you need to make, but one that I assure you will pay dividends.

Stock Up: Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans

There was a point when Mathieu was the most coveted defensive player on planet Earth. He has a rare ability to do everything on the defensive side of the ball. He can blitz effectively, cover receivers, or stay in the box and deliver the boom. He has a knack for being around the ball, and if you're watching a game he's in, don't be surprised if he is one of those guys who pops off the screen on almost every play. Unfortunately, he's not exactly been an IDP darling in his career, so seeing this start to the year excites me. He is doing everything I just described, translating to games' stats. He has two interceptions, a forced fumble, a subsequent recovery, and 14 solo tackles! Who knows when this ends, but while it is here, I would take advantage of this rise until we see the fall. Besides, who isn't a fan of the Honey Badger?

Stock Up: Eric Kendricks, Dallas

I was high on Kendricks in the first Stock Market Article, and I am back to take a victory lap. It appears we are finally seeing the dominating IDP linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys emerge again! It's not sexy, he hasn't had a boom play since Week 1, but he has a great tackle floor and the consistency we are seeing here helps managers sleep at night. Not a lot of players get 12 tackles in a game. When you have that type of volume, it doesn't matter whether they're assists or solos; you know you've got a guy who is a magnet for the ball. He's likely going to finish his career here, and he is a bit older than I would like to acquire in the dynasty, but at 32 years old, who's to say we don't get a few more good years for Kendricks before him riding off into the sunset?

Falling 4

Stock Down: Kyle Dugger, New England

Is there a more frustrating good player to roster in all IDP than Kyle Dugger? He is the epitome of boom-bust at a position that, quite frankly, we can get similar, if not more, point production in the aggregate. He has everything you want in a player; the problem is he can't put it together for long enough periods for him to be worth the risk. In week 1, he has six tackles, a defended pass, and a forced fumble. Week 2, he has 9 total tackles and a sack! Week 3, well, he had three tackles… WHAT IS THIS?!?! Last season, he had 10 games where he registered no stats other than tackles. In half of those games, he had five or fewer tackles. That's not going to cut it for me, and I'm tired of us acting like he's a difference-maker in the position. He isn't, and he needs to ride the pine on your team!   

Stock Down: Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville

Lloyd is no stranger to disappointing managers in his young career. I say this only half joking. He was the heir-apparent inside linebacker when he was drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft and burst onto the scene with a 115-total-tackle rookie season. Then came Foye Oluokun, who's the best there is, was, and ever will be. Lloyd made a 12-tackle improvement from his rookie season last year and everyone is expecting one more leap, it looked great to start the year, but despite an injury to Oluokun in Week 3, he managed just one solo tackle and three assists. It is not time to panic sell Lloyd, and maybe I am judging too harshly, but I expect more from a guy who was the main man in the middle. In mop-up duty for Oluokun, Chad Muma had a better game than Lloyd! Call me pessimistic, but I thought this felt like a red flag game for the Jaguars as a whole and Lloyd specifically.

Stock Down: Jaelan Phillips, Miami

If you follow any of my work, you'll know how much I love Jaelan Phillips. This is painful for me to say, but I believe the injuries have caught up to him. And despite being just 25 years old, I don't believe he is a dynasty-buy player anymore. Worst of all, it may be time to cut bait altogether and let someone else ride the beautiful hype wave that he leaves in his wake. He has everything you want for an edge rusher, but I believe since he suffered the devastating injury last season, he just can't win the 1-1 as effectively as he once could. He simply disappears in games, and he has become a sack-dependent player. Maybe when star Bradley Chubb gets back, he can benefit, but until then, I am completely off him in dynasty, and I am very sad about it.

Stock Down: Nick Bosa, San Francisco

It may be time for an adult conversation about our favorite star defensive players in the NFL. Last week, I was anti-Micah Parsons, and I stand by that, but I think we also need to start being real about what we see from Nick Bosa. Bosa is like a West Coast version of Micah Parsons. He is either going to win your whole weeks with a devastating performance on the field, or he will leave you cursing out your lineup when you see him get a goosed egg. Unless your league rewards QB pressures or hits, he is a boom-bust player who doesn't boom as often as he once did. Who wants to play in a league that rewards "almost" sacks?! He is another guy with the name recognition to get value for your roster and I suggest striking while the iron is hot and his body is still holding up!

Premiere Pennies

Stock Up: Derick Hall, Seattle

I sure hope you read the IDP Rebound series this preseason! In this article, I wrote about how Hall is getting an opportunity to shine in the absence of Uchenna Nwosu and how, if he performs well, he may not relinquish the snaps. Well, I believe he has done enough to continue playing for the team, and due to this, he needs to be rostered in all formats. He has nine tackles and three sacks and has been a great compliment to the team's other star pass rusher, Boye Mafe. He has tasty matchups against the Lions and Giants in the next couple of weeks and could add to this sack total. The best part about him, he's available EVERYWHERE. He has a 0% ownership percentage in MFL formats, and I'd bet no one is talking about him… Yet!

Stock Up: Chamarri Conner, Kansas City

Here's something I have routinely said since I was given this glorious platform. Safeties are the most underrated position on the defense! When you have a good safety in IDP fantasy football, it's like having an additional linebacker because of how they can impact the matchup. We look to be having another emerging star in Conner from Kansas City. You need to scoop him up while you can! He is getting heavy tackle volume, and he has just enough big plays each week to separate him from the good defensive backs who likely are on your roster instead. His 22 tackles, an Interception, and a sack this season have me trying to scoop him up in whatever leagues I can! You should do the same. Have I ever steered you wrong…?

Stock Up: Dennis Gardeck, Arizona

You probably have heard of this name but haven't trusted him until now. I can assure you that those doubts aren't unfounded, but we need to move past these preconceived notions and pony up to get Gardeck. He is playing what appears to be a dual defensive end, outside linebacker position, and he is scoring points in bunches to start the year. He is pacing for career highs in all major categories and has been a no-doubt week-winning player since last week. The issue is that he may not have been on any rosters to utilize these great weeks. So, get him while you can off waivers and be wary. He's been a sack-dependent player in the past, but this year, he's showing us a versatility that makes him rosterable at the bare minimum.