For this week's article, I wanted to switch it up and give you some names that can help your IDP Devy portfolios in the future. As we all know players graduate or leave for the NFL and it can be hard to find quality and youth at the same time. In IDP Devy the trick to contending year in and year out is being able to find players in their early years they will produce all the way through their senior year. Easier said than done but here are a few players that you can invest in now and will pay dividends for multiple years. These IDP devy stocks are not just long-term options, as they can help you win games this season as well. Let’s take a look at a group of cheap investment options that I have selected for you.
Pryce Yates, DT, UConn (R-FR)
This week we start the IDP Devy Portfolio with red-shirt freshman defensive tackle Prince Yates of the UConn Huskies. He is not a big name in the IDP devy fantasy world but he should be. He is having a terrific freshman season so far and is getting better week to week. Yates is coming off the biggest performance of his young career, in last week’s 13-3 win over Boston College. In that game, he recorded six tackles, three TFLs, 1½ sacks, and one QB hit. This marked the second consecutive week in which he had six tackles and one QB hit. On the season Yates has registered 28 tackles, eight solos, five TFLs, three sacks, four QB hits, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Not eye-popping numbers but for a defensive tackle they are pretty decent, especially for a freshman. Yates has three years of college eligibility after this season and that’s big for fantasy managers. He’s a penny stock that you can pick up for free off the waiver wire and he’s rostered in only 2% of Fantrax leagues. Yates's best value is in IDP Devy position-specific leagues.
Peter Manuma, S, Hawaii (FR)
For our next IDP Devy Portfolio investment, we have freshman safety Peter Manuma of the Hawaii Rainbows. The percentage of players that start as true freshmen is minimal, even for some of the best. However, when a team doesn’t have the roster talent overall, it makes it easier to start early. For Manuma this is the perfect opportunity. He started out the season slowly but as he received more playing time, he began to stand out from the rest. In the first five games of the season, Manuma had a combined eight tackles. In the next four games, that is his average per game, and have two games with ten stops. As you can see Manuma has excelled in his expanded role. On the season he now has 40 total tackles, 26 being solos, two TFLs, one sack, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, that he’s returned for 20 yards, and two PBUs. Just like Yates above, Manuma has three years of college eligibility left. He is currently rostered in less than 1% of Fantrax leagues. An up and coming player that won’t be unknown for long.
Van Fillinger, DE, Utah (SO)
We continue the IDP Devy Portfolio with sophomore linebacker Van Fillinger of the Utah Utes. This is Fillinger’s second season with a significant role. Last season he finished in the top ten of the Pac-12 Conference in both TFLs (9½/7th) and sacks (5½/6th). For an encore, he picked up right where he left off, as he has produced five TFLs and five sacks through eight games played so far. Fillinger is one of the best young pass rushers in college right now and is an investment that you should be adding to your IDP Devy portfolios. He is rostered in just 12% of Fantrax leagues which is too low for a top-end pass rusher. Fillinger has two more years of college eligibility left. Fantasy managers are beginning to wise up on Fillinger and his rostered rate will quickly rise. Invest in him now for your IDP Devy portfolios before it’s too late.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPDevy
