It’s Week 12 and we are getting closer and closer to the fantasy playoffs.. No matter if you are a contender or a pretender, it’s always a great idea to keep your IDP portfolios trending up. 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. Let’s get right into it with three investments and three liquidations that can help you keep your IDP portfolios providing big returns.
Week 12 IDP Stock Market
Investments
David Long, LB, Detroit Lions
My first IDP Stock Market investment is a bit of a longshot but one that could be a short-term payoff stock. The Detroit Lions lost starting linebacker Alex Anzalone for six to eight weeks with a broken forearm and recently placed him on IR. Just a few days later the Lions signed free agent linebacker David Long to their practice squad. Long recently played for the Miami Dolphins this season before they released him a couple of weeks ago. The Lions are super thin at the linebacker position so there is a real chance that Long could be promoted and see a decent snap share very soon. Detroit has Malcolm Rodriguez inserted into Anzalone’s role for now, but Long should be able to surpass him on the depth chart. Long was averaging 6.33 tackles per game in his six starts with the Dolphins this year. If given the chance Long can fill the Anzalone role as good or maybe better. If you are looking for a true flyer to take a shot on, Long will cost you nothing with a potential high return.
Fantrax Rostership: 26%
Kwity Paye, DE, Indianapolis Colts
Are you looking for a solid investment at the defensive end position? Well, my next IDP Stock Market investment, Kwity Paye of the Indianapolis Colts, is one that you should be looking to add to your IDP portfolios. After a somewhat slow start to the season, Paye has started to shine the past few weeks, including his best performance of the year last week versus the New York Jets. In that game, he recorded seven total tackles, with six of them being solo stops, with two TFLs, two QB hits, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Paye will have a tough matchup this week versus Detroit but after that, the schedule is very favorable and that’s great when it comes to the fantasy playoffs. Paye seems to be heating up at the right time and should provide huge returns for those who invested in him.
Fantrax Rostership: 47%
Ugo Amadi, CB, New Orleans Saints
The cornerback position can be a difficult one to navigate and finding consistent top-end production can be tricky. Well, I have just the cornerback that you might want to look at investing in, Ugo Amadi of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have played musical chairs in the place of starter Paulson Adebo who they lost for the season due to injury. The last couple of weeks it’s been Amadi who has been given the opportunity to shine and he’s done just that. In the last two games, he has played a total of 144 defensive snaps (95%) and recorded 17 total tackles, with 12 being solo stops. A cornerback with a high tackle volume is golden in IDP fantasy football. He’s pretty much available in all leagues and is a cheap option that can give you a big return as we navigate through these bye weeks.
Fantrax Rostership: 9%
Liquidations
Sam Hubbard, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
There always comes a time with any player in any sport, is it time to move on from them? No matter how great that player is, there comes a time when your play begins to slip and that question gets asked. For my first IDP Stock market liquidation, DE Sam Hubbard of the Cincinnati Bengals, it may be time to start asking that question. Statistically, Hubbard is having the worst season of his seven-year career since his rookie season. Hubbard only has eight QB hits, three TFLs, and two sacks in 11 games played this season. His 3.36 tackle per-game average isn’t good enough to make up for the lack of impact plays. Combine those two things and it’s not providing the return that fantasy managers need. Until we can see an improvement, you have to look at unloading any shares you have of him from your IDP portfolios.
Fantrax Liquidation Rate: 16%
Jarran Reed, DT, Seattle Seahawks
I just talked about the drop-off for players at some point as their careers end and we continue that with my next IDP Stock Market liquidation, DT Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks. Reed is a nine-year veteran of the NFL and will be turning 32 in December. He showed he had something left in the tank last season (54 tackles/7 sacks) upon his return to Seattle, but this year the drop-off seems to have hit. Reed has just 28 tackles and two sacks this season, but none of the other impact plays that we had been getting. One reason for the drop-off is that the Seahawks moved him inside to nose tackle where he can eat up blocks for the rest of the team. Unfortunately, that isn’t worth anything in fantasy. Unless we see him switch back to DT or DE, the return on investment for Reed just isn’t worth the roster spot. I would much rather look for a younger option for that spot or even another position. There is already a noticeable drop rate for Reed and that trend will continue.
Fantrax Liquidation Rate: 12%
Willie Gay, LB, New Orleans Saints
It’s officially time to put an end to the Willie Gay experiment! He is in year five and he just hasn’t been what of us wanted him to be. If your team has been hit with injuries or brutal bye weeks, maybe he’s worth a weekly flyer, but overall he’s not going to make an impact for your fantasy teams. This has been his worst season since his rookie year in Kansas City. There are plenty more options at linebacker that can provide a better return than Gay and with that you should be liquidating your shares.
Fantrax Liquidation Rate: 12%
*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
Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!