IDP Stock Market: Week 5

Remember old cartoons or books depicting medieval times? There's a piece of that period that has stood the test of time as a symbolic metaphor for embarrassment. The man in the town square getting tomatoes thrown at him. Social media and the internet are essentially the modern-day version of this. Instead of physical tomatoes, it is usually negative tweets or messages. If you're like me, you have strong opinions about the NFL and share them with whoever will listen! There is no 100% correct opinion in the eyes of the internet; there are barely any facts anymore. One fact remains: we have all your IDP ups and downs ready to be dissected and digested by you! So, forget about what @Ballplayer487652 said about you! You read this article, so you are EDUCATED! Ring the bell; let's find some diamonds in the rough! 

Fortune 5

Stock Up: Troy Andersen, Atlanta

We must start with the IDP MVP of Week 4. Andersen had a day that not many people will ever have, and if you had him, you're likely one win better than last week, and if you played against him, I'll bring flowers to your team's funeral. Where do we start? How about the 17 total tackle explosion that alone was likely a week-winning performance? If that doesn't do it for you, maybe a pick-six will do the trick. Congratulations, Andersen managers. He did both! He is 25 years old and has 44 total tackles through Week 4. He is beginning to challenge for a spot on the IDP Mount Rushmore this season, and this was the highlight of IDP so far this season.

 Stock Up: Jaquan Brisker, Chicago

Brisker has been an IDP favorite since he burst on the scene as a rookie safety with over 100 tackles. In his career, he has been more of a tackle-dependent player than he has been a highlight reel of turnover plays. This can limit the value of the safety position unless you set yourself apart from the pack in that department. Brisker did so this past week with 12 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. Not only did he have a premiere tackle game, but he showed us an ability to do more in his third year! He's 25, arguably a top 5 player at his position, and on a defense we are seeing do well to start the year. He's slowly becoming one of my favorites to watch in this league, and he should be for you as well.

Stock Up: Jordyn Brooks, Miami

Are we seeing The Return of The King? Brooks had a chokehold on the IDP landscape during his run with the Seahawks before the major injury he sustained a couple of years ago. Since then, he hasn't exactly been a world-beater, but he is a starter in most leagues. This past week, we got a glimpse that the monster is still in him. 13 tackles and a sack is a big game, but it used to be a regular occurrence for him. We saw this uptick in production, likely because of the injury to David Long Jr., but circumstances don't matter when someone plays like this! Long Jr. doesn't appear to be injured too badly and could return as soon as this week, but I'm still very high on Brooks, considering we saw a return to the glory days. Can he remain atop the market?

Stock Up: Nick Bosa, San Francisco

I have always had a rule that if I am going to be hard on a player when they're bad, then I need to be equally as complimentary when they're good. While I am not a huge fan of Bosa's IDP value, I will say that when he is on, few players are better than him in the league. Bosa achieved every IDP manager's dream play sequence in the game Sunday. The holy grail! Sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery. It is the defensive equivalent of a 50-yard touchdown for an offensive skill player. He followed this with four more tackles and put together his best game of the season. I still stick to my guns here and believe he can be of more value being traded off your team for assets, but regardless of how I feel, if you kept him and played him, you have the galaxy brain!

Stock Up: Lavonte David, Tampa Bay

David has been a staple of IDP for the better part of a decade. He is getting up there in age, but that has nothing to do with how he is currently performing. He had his best game of the young season thus far in Week 4, compiling eight tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble. This gives him back-to-back games with eight tackles and a forced fumble. So, that's great, right? Well, I think we are at a crossroads here. If you are a contending team, you need to ride him into the ground, but if you are during a serious rebuild or even bordering on one, I would move him and get something while he still retains value. 34 is old, no matter the position, but linebackers can get away with it if they aren't injury-prone, and he has proven to be a bit of an ironman in his career. Get something for a good inside linebacker with high upside in a stable situation, and if you're a contending manager, don't be afraid to go get him for a title run!

Falling 4

Stock Down: Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati

The Bengals have some serious defensive issues as a team, but one of the main reasons for that is the poor play we see from the team's (and one of the NFL's) best pass rushers. Hendrickson has had a decent start as far as sacks go, but he is turning into a sack-dependent player in IDP. Players like this make me nervous because you don't expect every game to have a sack, but every game tackles should be expected and are normally planned for with the elite players in this position. This past week, he was saved from a bad performance with a deflected pass and left early due to the injury he suffered, but he doesn't have 10 tackles in four games played and may be the microcosm for the Bengals' slow start on defense.

Stock Down: Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati

The Bengals' slow start isn't all on Hendrickson. The pass rush simply must be better with all players on the field. The opposite problem is happening for Hubbard than for Hendrickson. Hubbard isn't getting sacks, and his tackle numbers aren't good enough to be relied upon by themselves. It's one thing to get solo tackles to carry the load when combined tackles aren't there, but this past week, he had two assisted tackles. That isn't going to cut it if you want to remain a starter. He's starting to get up in age, and the stats have fallen off a bit. I am not big on Hubbard moving forward and believe he needs to ride the pine on IDP rosters.

Stock Down: Jaelan Phillips, Miami

As much as this pains me, we need to move on from the expectations of Phillips as a player we hope will take the next step. He has proven that he cannot take the physicality of the league for extended periods, and this past Monday Night, we saw him go down again with a knee injury. There is early speculation that he won't play in Week 5, with the looming concerns of further absence due to this injury. At some point, we must move off our preconceived notions about a player. Phillips is young and has proven when he is on the field, he can impact both games and fantasy matchups, but he can't string along enough on-field games to justify his spot-on rosters. We likely need to move off him altogether.

Stock Down: Matthew Judon, Atlanta

One of the most high-profile IDP moves this preseason was Atlanta acquiring Matthew Judon from the Patriots, giving their defense one of the premiere pass rushers in the entire sport. The expectations were high, and to Judon's credit, he was electric throughout the first two weeks! Twelve tackles with 1.5 sacks is a great start to the season, but since then, he has just four total tackles. We are seeing now that his matchups in Week 1 and Week 2 were against subpar offensive line play, while his past two matchups featured lines that showcased an ability to slow him down. Next week, he has a favorable division matchup against the Buccaneers, who are currently ranked 25th in the league in points allowed for defensive ends. Don't panic about Judon; keep an eye on him and start him if you've got him.  

Premiere Pennies

Stock Up: Ventrell Miller, Jacksonville

There are a lot of different scenarios that can play out when a team loses a star player for extended periods. Some teams try to capture the production in the aggregate, utilizing rotations with multiple players to piecemeal the production. Others, if they're fortunate enough to have a player who can do so, will try the plug-and-play approach. Miller is the latter of the two scenarios, and in this increased role (84% of the defensive snaps), he shined for Jacksonville. 11 tackles is a great way to show the coaching staff that you will impact the game when you are given the opportunity, so dynasty managers take notice! We may be seeing the blossoming of a future star. Either way, you have three more weeks to take advantage of this production regardless of format, and that is real value in the middle of the season on your waiver wire.

Stock Up: Tyler Nubin, NY Giants

Let's talk rookies, shall we? Many notable IDP rookies play sexy positions like edge rushers or linebackers. As much as I love those players, there's something about Tyler Nubin I can't get out of my head. Maybe I am romanticizing the days when Landon Collins was dominating IDP as a rookie, but I get a similar vibe from Nubin. Through four games, he has 21 total tackles, which isn't exactly world-beating, but in the last game, we saw eight total tackles and a forced fumble. He leads the entire defense in snaps with a remarkable 100%, so clearly, the coaching staff has a plan for him. With more game experience, we will see more plays that benefit rosters. If he isn't already on a roster, go get him. If he is rostered, look to acquire him while he is still relatively unknown.

Stock Up: Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit

Rodriguez is another player you need to familiarize yourself with in the short term. With the injury to Derrick Barnes, Rodriguez has an opportunity to be a bigger part of the defensive rotation and in the first game with this action, he excelled. The team is on a bye week in Week 5, but there will be additionally at least two more weeks we will see him get a greater opportunity to play, and I am of the mindset that he will do well in this spot. He has shown us an ability to produce when he plays, albeit the playing time hasn't been consistent, so while this brief window of opportunity is open, managers should get him on waivers and look at potentially starting him over the next month of the season until the Lions ramp up for Barnes return.