Remember old cartoons or books depicting medieval times? There's a piece of that period that has stood the test of time as a symbolic metaphor for embarrassment. The man in the town square getting tomatoes thrown at him. Social media and the internet are essentially the modern-day version of this. Instead of physical tomatoes, it is usually negative tweets or messages. If you're like me, you have strong opinions about the NFL and share them with whoever will listen! There is no 100% correct opinion in the eyes of the internet; there are barely any facts anymore. One fact remains: we have all your IDP ups and downs ready to be dissected and digested by you! So, forget about what @Ballplayer487652 said about you! You read this article, so you are EDUCATED! Ring the bell; let's find some diamonds in the rough!
Fortune 5
Stock Up: Troy Andersen, Atlanta
We must start with the IDP MVP of Week 4. Andersen had a day that not many people will ever have, and if you had him, you're likely one win better than last week, and if you played against him, I'll bring flowers to your team's funeral. Where do we start? How about the 17 total tackle explosion that alone was likely a week-winning performance? If that doesn't do it for you, maybe a pick-six will do the trick. Congratulations, Andersen managers. He did both! He is 25 years old and has 44 total tackles through Week 4. He is beginning to challenge for a spot on the IDP Mount Rushmore this season, and this was the highlight of IDP so far this season.
Stock Up: Jaquan Brisker, Chicago
Brisker has been an IDP favorite since he burst on the scene as a rookie safety with over 100 tackles. In his career, he has been more of a tackle-dependent player than he has been a highlight reel of turnover plays. This can limit the value of the safety position unless you set yourself apart from the pack in that department. Brisker did so this past week with 12 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. Not only did he have a premiere tackle game, but he showed us an ability to do more in his third year! He's 25, arguably a top 5 player at his position, and on a defense we are seeing do well to start the year. He's slowly becoming one of my favorites to watch in this league, and he should be for you as well.
Stock Up: Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Are we seeing The Return of The King? Brooks had a chokehold on the IDP landscape during his run with the Seahawks before the major injury he sustained a couple of years ago. Since then, he hasn't exactly been a world-beater, but he is a starter in most leagues. This past week, we got a glimpse that the monster is still in him. 13 tackles and a sack is a big game, but it used to be a regular occurrence for him. We saw this uptick in production, likely because of the injury to David Long Jr., but circumstances don't matter when someone plays like this! Long Jr. doesn't appear to be injured too badly and could return as soon as this week, but I'm still very high on Brooks, considering we saw a return to the glory days. Can he remain atop the market?
Stock Up: Nick Bosa, San Francisco
I have always had a rule that if I am going to be hard on a player when they're bad, then I need to be equally as complimentary when they're good. While I am not a huge fan of Bosa's IDP value, I will say that when he is on, few players are better than him in the league. Bosa achieved every IDP manager's dream play sequence in the game Sunday. The holy grail! Sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery. It is the defensive equivalent of a 50-yard touchdown for an offensive skill player. He followed this with four more tackles and put together his best game of the season. I still stick to my guns here and believe he can be of more value being traded off your team for assets, but regardless of how I feel, if you kept him and played him, you have the galaxy brain!
Stock Up: Lavonte David, Tampa Bay
David has been a staple of IDP for the better part of a decade. He is getting up there in age, but that has nothing to do with how he is currently performing. He had his best game of the young season thus far in Week 4, compiling eight tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble. This gives him back-to-back games with eight tackles and a forced fumble. So, that's great, right? Well, I think we are at a crossroads here. If you are a contending team, you need to ride him into the ground, but if you are during a serious rebuild or even bordering on one, I would move him and get something while he still retains value. 34 is old, no matter the position, but linebackers can get away with it if they aren't injury-prone, and he has proven to be a bit of an ironman in his career. Get something for a good inside linebacker with high upside in a stable situation, and if you're a contending manager, don't be afraid to go get him for a title run!
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