Photo: Imagn Images

We are so back! It is finally time for us to start looking at the league's weekly IDP risers and fallers. Each week, we will have five top players from the week, four players who are seeing their stock fall, and three penny stocks that could turn into long-term superstars.  Week 2 is overreaction week. Don’t worry; the reactions here are measured, contained, and completely unbiased. We have some familiar names at the top of the mountain as we expected, a few players we should be worried about, and perhaps a few penny stock league winners for your viewing pleasure. So, sit back, soak in the information, and make the moves that win leagues. Week 1 may be the most crucial week on the waiver wire…

Fortune 5

These players are on everyone's radar but performing even better than expected.

Stock Up: LB Eric Kendricks, Dallas

Last season, Kendricks showed us regression from his previous two seasons, and was a player who likely aggravated you when you started him and made you downright angry when you sat him. He was the epitome of inconsistent, putting up big weeks in the midseason, only to disappoint managers with his lackluster playoff games. This season, we may have a new candidate for the dominant Cowboys linebacker. In years past we had Jaylon Smith, Sean Lee, and even a brief stint of Leighton Vander Esch, all showing us the monster numbers that can be put up at the position, but Kendricks came in with some questions surrounding his ability to be the main man in the middle. Those questions were answered big time, with 9 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in his Cowboys debut! If you have Kendricks on your team, you may have the best value in IDP currently and you deserve an “atta boy” for having the gall to buck the trend and get your guy!   

Stock Up: LB T.J. Edwards, Chicago

Any manager with at least one year of IDP experience won't be shocked to see that T.J. Edwards had a monster week to start the season. The man is a true gem for IDP. He is a talking machine and may be one of the best to do it. He doesn’t get all the hype that big names like Roquan Smith or Fred Warner get, but he is a true set-and-forget, league-winning type of player year in and year out. He starts his campaign for IDP1 with 15 total tackles and a fumble recovery. Not too shabby for a guy who doesn’t get any headlines. There isn’t much more to talk about here, he is likely your best player if you have him on your team.

Stock Up: S Julian Love, Seattle

We take the safety position for granted in IDP, but I can assure you that when you get one of the best on your team, it makes a difference on the scoreboard week-to-week. How often though is there a safety who leads his team in total tackles? Love did this to start the season, and he may continue to do so throughout the season. Not only can he impact the game by tackling the ball carrier, but he also had some playmaking moments in the game versus Denver. He had a forced fumble and an interception to go with a 12-tackle performance. If you ask me, safety is the most skilled position on the field. Julian Love is making a case to be the best at the position this season for IDP Fantasy Football.

Stock Up: EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, DeMarcus Lawrence made it to the QB multiple times in a game. If you're a regular reader of this fake football stock market, then you’re likely aware that I am very much not a Lawrence guy, but the numbers speak for themselves this week. He was a dominating force against the helpless Browns offensive line and had a monster week. I still think that eventually, his age will catch up to him, which is why, yet again, I am imploring you to trade him while he still has value you can capitalize on! I believe weeks like this will be few and far between for him, but having it happen in Week 1 is best best-case scenario. Don’t do the diamond hands thing here, dump him like a bad significant other immediately and get what you can before he becomes a roster clogger.

Stock Up: EDGE Joey Bosa, LA Chargers

It has been a while since we have seen Joey Bosa outperform his little brother Nick, but it happened this week in a big way. It’s one thing to get a big play at the edge rushing position, this is something that is at least halfway expected to be in your player's capabilities, but it is an entirely different thing to get consistent tackle floors. If you find an edge rusher who gets 5-7 tackles a game with a big play here and there, you can build a great defensive roster. Bosa this week had seven total tackles a sack and a forced fumble albeit against a bad Raiders team, but this is something noteworthy. Bosa has a dominating teammate alongside him in Khalil Mack and if he could stay healthy, it wouldn’t shock me if he did this consistently. He’s a Bosa, so you're playing him regardless, but I am very impressed with what he did this past week.