IDP Stock Market Week: 10

The NFL Trade deadline has come and gone. We are seeing a true picture of the league now. Teams that identified opportunities to acquire talent and have made moves to do so. Now is the time to react to this by being as aggressive as the NFL managers and make your team better! Who do we look for? Are there certain players trending up and down? Of course, the answers are here, that's why you come back! So get ready to win your league and ring the bell! Another market is coming!

Fortune 5

Stock Up: Travon Walker, Jacksonville

Walker hasn't exactly lived up to the billing of the number one overall pick in the NFL draft, but there are moments recently that we have seen the vision. Last week was a perfect example of why he was so lauded back in 2022. Seven total tackles and a touchdown. Touchdowns are an anomaly, of course, but the real story is that he is in a career-best year. Halfway through the season, he is pacing for a career-high in sacks and tackles. If he is available in dynasty leagues on waivers, he is worth a stash on the bench until we see more consistent play. However, he is ticking up and had a great week. Don't sleep on him.

Stock Up: Nick Cross, Indianapolis

When opportunity knocks, you better answer the door. Cross is in the middle of his greatest opportunity as a professional, and he is crushing it. He has played all but one snap this season for the Colts, has already achieved career highs in all major categories, and is young enough to be considered a dynasty darling. The 23-year-old safety is having his coming out party in the league. If you were savvy enough to get him after the 14-tackle game in Week 1, you are likely as deep at the safety position as anyone playing the game currently.  Sometimes safeties are overvalued, but the ones who are undervalued win you leagues. Cross won't be undervalued next season, that's for sure.

Stock Up: Kerby Joseph, Detroit

The sexy name for the Detroit Lions at safety is Brian Branch, and you won't hear me denying that. Even Batman needed Robin, and in Detroit, Robin is Kerby Joseph. Joseph has been a good player since he entered the league in 2022, and this season, even with the emergence of Branch as a top player in the league, Joseph has quietly been an elite option at safety. He currently is tied for the lead league in interceptions with six and has a great schedule upcoming against teams who aren't afraid to pass in Houston, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis. Two defenders at the same position on the same team can be good; don't worry about who is No. 2.

Stock Up: Logan Wilson, Cincinnati

I have been a staunch supporter of Germaine Pratt being the No. 1 linebacker on the Bengals, but this week, we saw a significant shift in that assessment. Wilson had his best game of the season, padding the already great stats he's had this season, with a nine-tackle game. He also recovered two fumbles, adding icing to the cake. There's not much to go over here; Wilson is a tackling beast! He doesn't often get other stats, but the consistency with which he gets tackles is always going to make him a safe and viable fantasy option. This season, he has taken a step into the top 8 dynasty linebackers for me, and as long as the health stays the way it is, he is a must-start each week.

Stock Up: Kaden Elliss, Atlanta

We need to quit pretending that Kaden Ellis isn't an elite linebacker option. I understood our hesitancy to crown him as the next big thing, considering he came over from the Saints, where he played a role that wasn't exactly full of stats. That reputation has come and gone. The Elliss we see in Atlanta is a lot like last week's version: 13 total tackles and a sack is a stat line that wins weeks. He's only 29, so don't worry, you ageist fans! He has a quality 3-4 years left, and he's in a role that we've seen players age well in. He's currently pacing for over 150 total tackles and has very favorable matchups down the stretch this season. 

Falling 4

Stock Down: Will McDonald IV, NY Jets

Will McDonald IV is having a great season, so take this with a grain of salt. Something has changed in the last two weeks. The snap count has remained the same, but he has had back-to-back dud weeks. He has eight sacks this season and as I mentioned previously, he's still playing consistent snaps, but for how well he played up to Week 7, he has been very disappointing since. I believe he will right the ship with matchups against Arizona and the Colts in the next two weeks before his bye. It's too early to panic, but we need to pay attention in the next couple of weeks and potentially reevaluate.

Stock Down: Tyler Nubin, NY Giants

Rookies have ups and downs, so this is another example of grounding oneself as opposed to making a move due to panic. Nubin has arguably been the defensive rookie of the year in IDP, but we can't ignore the negative when it rears its ugly head. To be fair to the player, he's had nine tackles the last two weeks combined, and under normal circumstances as a rookie, we would be happy with that. When it follows performances of back-to-back games with nine tackles each, we begin to raise an eyebrow and wonder what happened. I still have faith that he will get back to those explosive games, but it's the Giants, so would we be shocked if the defense just wasn't good in fantasy?

Stock Down: Matthew Judon, Atlanta

One of my favorite moves this season was when Judon went to the Falcons, but I am here to say this has been a complete bust. Judon has always been a sack-dependent player, but it was easier to swallow when he achieved sack numbers of 12 and 15 in back-to-back seasons. We are halfway through this season, and he has 1.5. he achieved those in Weeks 1 and 2. He's 32 and not getting tackle numbers or sacks anymore. It would be one thing if we had a bad stretch of 2-3 games, but this has been a season-long problem. I am afraid it's over for Judon as a player you play or roster in fantasy. Let someone else dream about the good old days.

Stock Down: Nick Bolton, Kansas City

Bolton, by all accounts, is having an okay season; the problem is his value at the beginning of the year was at levels of the top three at his position. There has always been a discourse over what Bolton's value could or should be, but this season, the haters seem to be winning. He's a player who is young enough that this could be a forgotten season. Still, for a guy who many believed (myself included) to be a top dynasty linebacker, he's currently sitting outside the top 32 linebackers in IDP. The vibes are low, and this could be a rare lose-lose situation for your roster. He's good enough to be an LB2 for your team, but you didn't draft or acquire him to be that man.

Premiere Pennies

Stock Up: Tuli Tuipulotu, LA Chargers

Tuipulotu is having a sneaky good season. He got some extended opportunities with the injury to Joey Bosa earlier in the season and, as expected, did well in those opportunities. It is normally safe to assume that when a Bosa level player returns to the lineup, the lesser players will regress to what they were. Tuipulotu has gotten better. Since Bosa's return in the last two weeks, Tuipulotu has had eight tackles and 3.5 sacks! The 22-year-old is the heir apparent to the edge rushing duo of Khalil Mack and Bosa, so there is some long-term holding that will take place, but he's proven that given the opportunity, he can and will impact not only his game but your fantasy matchups too.

Stock Up: Trenton Simpson, Baltimore

There's a reason that people will pay top dollar for aged wine. Sometimes, the best flavors take a little time to develop, like Simpson at linebacker. Many people thought that he would immediately take the job and run with it after the departure of Patrick Queen, but it took some time. The time is now for us to start calling him up from taxi squads and even potentially putting him in lineups. He's had increased stats in three straight games and an increased snap count. These are major positives in IDP, specifically for managers who were patient with the young linebacker.

Stock Up: Demani Richardson, Carolina

Richardson is probably my favorite sleeper this week. He has seemingly come out of nowhere and is lighting up the IDP world! You likely don't pay attention to the personnel moves and decisions of the Carolina Panthers. But if you've been watching the waiver wire enough, you're likely seeing an uptick in Richardson's rostership percentage. Maybe it's because he's getting an opportunity due to the injuries to Nick Scott and Jordan Fuller, or maybe it's because, in those opportunities, he's had 23 tackles in two games. Either way, until one or both injured players return, he's a must-roster in all formats and should start if the situation remains this stable.