The NFL and fantasy football season is cruising right along which has fans, coaches, and fantasy managers believing that this is their year. Not to stress you out but this is already week three! After this week, we’ll be ¼  of the way through the fantasy regular season, so don’t wait to get your rosters in order. Each week I will bring you the IDP Stock Market to help you understand who you should be investing in, and liquidating on your IDP portfolios. So without any further delay let’s get started and away we go!

Investments

Byron Young, OLB, LA Rams

We all know that when Aaron Donald has some help on defense he can still be a monster. In the past couple of seasons, he hasn’t gotten that help, but there is a youngster on the rise that may be Donald’s saving grace. That youngster is a rookie Byron Young who was a star pass rusher at Tennessee. Three games into his rookie year he has made two starts while registering 14 total tackles, ten being solos, a 71.4% solo rate, seven QB hits, and two sacks. The Rams need Young to keep that pass-rush pace up and alleviate some attention off of Donald. Young has ten pressures on the season and leads the team with his two sacks. Invest in the rookie now and reap the rewards that he will provide for your fantasy teams.

Nate Landman, LB, Atlanta Falcons

My next IDP stock market investment is going to be one of this week’s hottest waiver wire investments. The Falcons lost starting linebacker Troy Andersen possibly for the season, so there is a big void there especially after they decided not to bring back free agent Rashaan Evans. When Andersen left the game in week two, it was Landamn who came in as his replacement, recording four tackles, three being solos, with one TFL. So it stands to reason that Landman will fill that role again. It remains to be seen if the Falcons will bring someone in, so until then Landman will see a lot of reps. I wouldn’t go spend a ton on Landman as he’s just a one-year rental, but if your team has been hit by the injury bug he could be serviceable due to the workload.

Josh Metellus, SAF, Minnesota Vikings

If you were one of the unlucky fantasy managers who has suffered some injuries on your fantasy teams and you need a solid scoring option at safety with a safe floor, then you should invest in Josh Metellus of the Minnesota Vikings. Superstar Harrison Smith is nearing the end and hasn’t been his normal self yet this year. They drafted Lewis Cine last year but injuries have gotten in his way, so it’s been Metellus who’s gotten the call. Metellus has started all three games, totaling 21 tackles, 14 being solos, for a 67% solo rate, and has had at least six tackles in each game. You could do a lot worse for a buy low investment option and this one is giving you a solid return.

Liquidations

Nicholas Morrow, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

When starter Nakobe Dean went down with an injury, everyone rushed to grab Morrow thinking he would be the play in place of Morrow. Unfortunately, for those who made that investment, you aren’t getting the return that you were hoping for. Morrow has started two games and played 102 defensive snaps (97%) which is great, but the production just isn’t there. In the two starts, he has a total of five tackles, all solos, two TFLs, one QB hit, and a fumble recovery. You were right in grabbing the replacement for Dean, but the player you should have invested in was Zach Cunningham. Linebacker is a deep position with plenty of investment options that can better help your IDP portfolio.

Frank Clark, OLB, Denver Broncos

Another stock that you should have already liquidated from your IDP portfolio like I have is veteran pass rusher Frank Clark. His best days are long in the rearview mirror and will miss his third consecutive game with a hip injury. There could be some value left in really super deep leagues that require you to start a lot of IDPs, but even then I’m just not counting on anything return from Clark. Even when he gets healthy, he’s nothing more than a situational pass rusher for the Broncos. Instead, I would rather invest in younger options with upside and let someone else worry about dealing with Clark. Maybe see if you can sneak him into trade offers for a late pick.

Chad Muma, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars

When trying to diversify your IDP portfolios don’t go chasing fool's gold, instead luck to dump any that you have. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost their starting LB Devin Lloyd for a couple of weeks and Chad Muma is expected to step into his role. I have been asked if there is any value in Muma and if will he eat into Lloyd’s reps. Yes, there is some value for the next week or so if he plays well, but no he will not take food off of Lloyd's plate. Muma has played 20 defensive snaps (10%) and 51 special team snaps (65%) and only has two tackles. He’ll get the volume with Lloyd out, so we’ll see how he does with that workload. In fact, I hope Muma does play well while Lloyd is away so that I can trade him at max value when Lloyd returns. 

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