Week 6 is here and not only do the injuries keep stacking up, but the byes have started. Let’s tackle some IDP dynasty buy/hold/sell players that can make or break your sixth game of the season. You need to stay hot or get hot. The choice is yours.
IDP Dynasty Buys
LB – Dorian Williams – Buffalo Bills
This second-year player is not playing every snap, but he is outscoring a lot of those 100% snap LBs. Williams seems to be getting more and more comfortable with each passing game. His tackles started with 9 in Week 1 and has blossomed to 12 tackles in each of his last 2 games. The encouraging part is Terrel Bernard returned to the field this past week, after missing Weeks 3 and 4 and Williams had his best game of the season yet. Bernard played 100% of the defensive snaps and Williams played 78% of those snaps but it was still the most snaps Williams had played this year at 53 total. Williams finished the Week 5 game with 12 tackles (11 solo) and a fumble recovery. Bernard had 5 tackles (2 solo), 1 pass defended, and 1 interception.
DE/Edge – Travon Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars
Walker was the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Georgia. He had all the tools but needed them sharpened to reach his potential. Thus far in his third year with the Jaguars, Walker has two multiple-sack games. He has had just one multiple-sack game in his entire first two years. Walker has never had a three-sack game until last week against the Indianapolis Colts. He is playing roughly 75% of the defensive snaps which is about the same as his first two years. This shows his tools are getting sharpened and he is delivering now on that draft capital. He is on pace to set new career highs in tackles and sacks in 2024.
CB – Jaylon Jones – Indianapolis Colts
Even if you are not in a CB-required league, Jones is someone who is scoring a consistent amount of points that you want on your roster. After playing 90% or more of the defensive snaps in 8 of the final 10 games last year, Jones has locked up a 100% snap position in 2024. He is the #2 overall scoring CB in IDP leagues thus far in 2024. Jones has already passed his entire 2023 statistics in interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, and tackles for a loss. He should set his career high in tackles within the next two games. Don’t let him slide for another week without being on your roster. Make sure you get the Colts CB and not the Bears CB of the same name.
Safety – Kevin Byard – Chicago Bears
It is not very often that a 31-year-old player would be a buy in an IDP Dynasty league. There are exceptions every once in a while and Byard will qualify as one of those exceptions. Byard has been with three different teams over the last 21 games he has played. In 2023 with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles, he produced 122 tackles which tied his career high from 2022. If you take away his very first game as a Bear, he is on pace to set a new career high in tackles this year. Byard is actually getting better and producing greater numbers now than at any time before in his career. This is the type of consistent player on your squad that takes you to the playoffs and beyond.
IDP Dynasty Holds
Safety – Budda Baker – Arizona Cardinals
Baker has always had the name value because of his history of scoring well for your IDP team. He has made the Pro Bowl in the last five straight seasons. Baker had a career-best of 147 tackles in one season back in 2019. He has produced 100+ tackles in 4 of his 7 years to date. Baker is another Safety that is a little bit older at 28 years old. He will turn 29 in January. 2024 has him on pace to set career highs in tackles as he already has 52 tackles in his first 5 games this year. Do not let him get away because he is now considered old.
Safety – Camryn Bynum – Minnesota Vikings
Bynum had a season to remember in 2023 and he would be expected to have some regression for 2024. Last year, Bynum posted 137 tackles at his Safety position which was #1 for all Safeties. 2024 has him on pace to deliver 105 tackles which would be a drop of almost 2 tackles a game. However, Bynum already has more than half of his 2023 total in passes defended, has matched his interceptions, and has a fumble recovery. He is only averaging one less point per week compared to last year. He is squarely in the Top 10, and those are the players you need on your IDP rosters.
DE/Edge – Maxx Crosby – Las Vegas Raiders
Some of you might have been considering selling Crosby now as he looked like he may have lost a step. He missed his first game in his entire career in Week 4 with an ankle injury. Crosby only has 17 tackles in his four games played. That pace is well below his 90 tackle numbers of the past two years. 2024 has Crosby with 5 sacks in 4 games and half of his games have multiple sacks. His best sack total for a season thus far was the 14.5 sacks he posted last year. Crosby is on pace for his new career-high of 20 sacks this year. He is just getting warmed up and the 27-year-old needs to stay on your IDP roster.
LB – Nick Bolton – Kansas City Chiefs
After suffering a wrist injury that cost him more than half of his 2023 season, Bolton went through rehab and seems to be fully back to his old self after five weeks of the season. Bolton played nearly every snap in 2022 and posted 180 tackles which is 10.59 tackles per game. He had his first double-digit tackle game last week with 11 tackles against the New Orleans Saints. Bolton is back and needs to stay on your IDP roster after you showed patience so he can have the time to get better. It is paying off for you now and in the future. When you add in the 6 tackles for a loss and the 2 passes defended, you have a Top 18 scoring LB with better numbers to come.
IDP Dynasty Sells
Safety – Xavier McKinney – Green Bay Packers
The #7 scoring safety on the year for 2024 is McKinney of the Packers. However, when you look a little deeper into the numbers, you see that he only has 20 tackles on the season which is just 4 tackles a game. That would be a new career low for seasons that he played the entire season. He is recording his points from the interceptions he has, which is one in each of his first five games. Five interceptions are his career high. He will drop in the rankings like a rock when the interception per game quits happening. Sell him before that happens and cash in. Most will not be aware of these statistics and will buy.
LB – Quay Walker – Green Bay Packers
Walker has the name recognition and the draft capital that makes him a wanted commodity. The first-round pick from the 2022 NFL draft has not really delivered the impact that the Packers were hoping for. He doesn’t leave the field on defense and still has not posted another double-digit tackle performance since Week 1. Walker is ranked as the #23 LB in scoring thus far in 2024. He has played 386 plays on defense and gets a tackle one time in every 10 plays. The splash plays are not there either as he only has 3 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks with zero passes defended, zero interceptions, zero forced fumbles, and zero fumble recoveries. Sell him now while you can. Edgerrin Cooper’s snap count is increasing every week.
DE/Edge – Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns
The Browns are a mess right now and Garrett seems to be following suit. He turns 29 in December and just delivered a big goose egg on 78% of the snaps, 52 opportunities to make a play, in Week 5. Garrett posted a solid one tackle on 42 snaps in Week 3. He does have 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles to his credit this year which you can use to your advantage when selling him to some unknowing individual for a nice package of much more consistent IDP players.
DT – Zach Sieler – Miami Dolphins
The dream story of Sieler is coming to a crashing stop and he needs to be sold for some value now before it goes to zero. It was a very nice run for the 29-year-old as he posted 62 or more tackles in each of the last three seasons as a DT. He even posted 10 sacks in 2023. If not for an interception in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, he would be closer to the #30 overall scoring DT instead of the #12 he is currently. Since he is a legitimate DT1 with this ranking, sell now before others figure out he isn’t legitimate in that ranking.
CB – Devon Witherspoon – Seattle Seahawks
Witherspoon was all the talk last year as a rookie while he was making play after play. He ended his rookie season with 79 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 16 passes defended, and 1 interception for a TD. This was all done in 14 games as he missed three games with a hip pointer. In his 5 games to date this year, Witherspoon has 28 tackles, 1 QB hit, and 1 pass defended. He may just be too good to where the opposing team just avoids him at all costs. His name value and draft capital still have him as a nice value so it may just be time to take advantage of that value before it is shut down.
Thank you for checking out my Dynasty Friday – Buy/Hold/Sell article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
