It’s hard to believe that we are heading into Week 6, which is one-third of the way through the NFL season, but here we are. Every week I bring you the IDP stock market, where I help you navigate through which stocks to invest in and which ones to liquidate. No matter how your fantasy teams have started, I have something for all of you. Now is the time to get your IDP portfolios in order so that you don’t get left in the cold during playoff season. No matter what type of IDP format you play, I am here to guide you. Let's get right into it with three investments and three liquidations that can help you keep your IDP portfolios providing big returns.
Investments
Payton Wilson, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
My first IDP stock market investment is rookie LB Payton Wilson for the Pittsburgh Steelers. There has been a slight increase in playing time for Wilson the past two weeks, as he has gone from receiving roughly 40% of the defensive snaps the first three weeks to 57% the past two. With that increase in playing time has come a noticeable increase in his production on the field. Wilson had five total tackles (all solos) in the first three games but has 15 total tackles (9 solos) and his first career start in the recent two contests. That’s an indication of a fantasy stock trending in the right direction and now may be your last chance to grab him for a cheap investment. Wilson is currently rostered in only 38% of Fantrax fantasy leagues and after his nine-tackle (5 solo) performance last week, those rostership numbers will skyrocket.
Zach Allen, DT, Denver Broncos
My next IDP stock market investment, DT Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos, is an investment for those of you who play in position-specific leagues. Alle often gets overlooked when talking about defensive tackles but he has one of the more reliable and safer floors that you can find at the position. In five games this season (all starts), Allen has played 312 defensive snaps (93%), with totals of 21 tackles, 13 solo stops, five TFLs, 12 QB hits, three sacks, and a safety. He’s had a sack in three of the last four games and is on pace to set personal records in a lot of categories this season. Allen’s stock is starting to be noticed as he saw a 4% rostership increase last week and after his seven tackles, five solo, one TFL, two QB hits, and one sack performance last week that will continue. He’s currently rostered in 60% of Fantrax fantasy leagues.
Trevin Wallace, LB, Carolina Panthers
For my final IDP stock market investment for Week 6, rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace of the Carolina Panthers will be one of the hottest IDP investments this week. With the Panthers losing Shaq Thompson for the season and now Josey Jewell being hurt, they turn to the rookie. Wallace saw a small increase in snaps after Thompson went down and got his first start after the Jewell injury. Last week he played all 75 defensive snaps and recorded 15 total tackles, with ten of them being solo stops. With that type of production in his first start, fantasy managers are going to go crazy trying to make an investment in him. Wallace is rostered in 30% of Fantrax fantasy leagues with a 5% increase from the previous week. After his breakout last week, look for those rostership numbers to explode. This is possibly your last chance to invest in him cheaply.
Liquidations
Damone Clark, LB, Dallas Cowboys
For my first IDP stock market liquidation of the week, I want to look at linebacker Damone Clark of the Dallas Cowboys. Earlier I talked about Payton Wilson being a stock that’s trending up, well Clark is a stock that is dropping rapidly and one that you need to liquidate from your IDP portfolios. I have never been a big fan of Clark’s but I understood the volume he received due to the lack of talent at LB for Dallas. A year later all that has changed as Demarvion Overshown has stepped up, but more importantly the addition of Eric Kendricks has changed everything. Clark has played a total of 17 defensive snaps and his special teams snaps have been around 80% over the last three games tells me all I need to know. Find a desperate linebacker needy team and trade him or just cut your losses, are your only choices at this time.
Eddie Jackson, SAF, Baltimore Ravens
My next IDP stock market liquidation is safety Eddie Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. After seven seasons with the Chicago Bears where he started all 100 games he played in, he comes to Baltimore and plays more of a team role. In his five games with Baltimore, he’s made two starts, played 55% of the defensive snaps (personal low by 32%), with nine tackles, five solo stops, and one TFL. Those aren’t the numbers that you have come to expect from Jackson over the years. He went to Chicago in hopes of winning a championship but that isn’t helping you win yours. You want players that can help you win and Jackson just isn’t that player this season. There is a reason that he’s rostered in just 7% of Fantrax fantasy leagues and it shows.
Leo Chenal, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
My final IDP stock market liquidation is linebacker Leo Chenal of the Kansas City Chiefs. Chenal is in the same bucket as Jack Sanborn, who I mentioned a week or so ago in that there are just too many mouths to feed on their teams. Chanel has started four games this season but has seen both his snap count and production trend down. In the last three games, Chenal has only produced five total tackles, four being solos, with one TFL. That type of production just isn’t going to help you win unless you’re in some really super deep IDP leaagues. The position is too deep to hold on to underperforming stocks.
All stats provided by Pro Football Reference
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 email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
