Week 1 has arrived and there are numerous players that have unknown potential for 2024, whether it be good or bad. Let’s tackle some IDP Buy/Hold/Sell players that can make or break your first game of the season. We have waited over 6 months for this weekend, and we cannot afford to flop.
IDP Buys-
LB – Zack Baun – Philadelphia Eagles
Drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints, Baun was a backup all four years. He posted 88 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 interception over his 62 games played with the Saints. Baun became a free agent after this past season and signed a 1-Year, $3.5 million contract with the Eagles. The Eagles also signed Devin White. However, White is listed out for Week 1 with an ankle injury and is not traveling with the team down to Brazil. Baun will be the instant benefactor of this news. The LB unit for the Eagles was not good last year as they only averaged 6.85 tackles per game. The leading tackler on the year was Safety – Reed Blankenship, which means runners were making it to the second level often. If you need LB help in Week 1, Baun is an option.
LB – Kyzir White – Arizona Cardinals
White is going into his second year with the Cardinals. 2022 had him playing DB with the Eagles. His defensive coordinator was Jonathan Gannon. Gannon was hired as the Cardinal’s head coach in 2023 and brought White with him to head the LB room. White answered by delivering 90 tackles in 11 games played which also included 9 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. For 2024, the Cardinals signed Mack Wilson to play next to White. Wilson had a combined 73 tackles in the 34 games played over the past 2 years with the Patriots. White will be the tackle leader again for the Cardinals and should approach a new career high of 145 tackles if he plays all the games. Last year were the first games missed in his last three years playing.
DE – James Houston – Detroit Lions
Houston was a sixth round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Jackson State. It took him until Week 12 to get on the field, but when he finally made it, he produced like a first rounder. In 140 total defensive snaps over the final 7 games of the Lion’s season, Houston delivered 12 Tackles (11 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 11 QB hits, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery, He played 21 snaps in the opener of last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Houston earned his first start in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. On the 11th defensive snap, Houston suffered a pedal ankle fracture which required tight rope surgery. His second season was lost. Houston has been forgotten in many leagues, but will be a double-digit sack producer when 2024 is said and done.
Safety – Antonio Johnson – Jacksonville Jaguars
Johnson was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft last year out of Texas A&M. He immediately opened some eyes in his rookie training camp but did not really see the field on the defensive side of the ball until Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Over the final six games, he increased his defensive snap percentage from 26% all the way up to 67% in Week 17 and started the final three games. In those limited snaps, Johnson recorded 14 tackles, 1 sack, 2 passes defended, 1 interception, and a forced fumble. Rayshawn Jenkins has moved on in free agency to the Seattle Seahawks. The Jaguars signed Darnell Savage in free agency to help fill the void. Both will see the field, but Johnson should out snap Savage by year end.
IDP Holds-
LB – Alex Singleton – Denver Broncos
Singleton will once again lead the middle of the Broncos defense. This is the first time he has been elected Captain. This will be his third year with the team and has averaged 170 tackles a season in his first two years with the Broncos. Cody Barton was brought in the fill the void of the Josey Jewell departure in free agency. Singleton has the opportunity to lead the league in tackles this year and is somehow ranked the #26 LB on IDPPlus.com because he is 30 years old. You need to hold him because you will never get the value in return for a Top 10 scoring LB. He ranked #10 in 2022 and #5 in 2023 in LB scoring. He is a start and forget player.
DE/Edge – Rashan Gary – Green Bay Packers
Gary was returning from an ACL tear in November of 2022. He did not hit 60% of the defensive snaps until Week 7 of the 2023 season. Gary still posted 9 sacks to go with his 44 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Being another year removed from his ACL surgery, Gary is prime to put up double-digit sacks along with 50+ tackles. The 26-year-old has the confidence of the Packer coaches as they did not bring any draft picks or free agents to compete for a spot.
CB – Trent McDuffie – Kansas City Chiefs
McDuffie will be the sole owner of the title of #1 CB for the Chiefs as L’Jarius Sneed has moved on to the Tennessee Titans. Sneed has been Top 10 in CB scoring in each of the past two years. McDuffie was #11 last year, and now will claim Sneed’s spot in the defensive alignment which will have him Top 10 for 2024. The opposing offenses will have to play catchup a lot, which will increase McDuffie’s scoring chances for your team. Sneed was #1 in 2022 and McDuffie has that upside with this defensive unit.
LB – Ernest Jones – Tennessee Titans
Jones has found a new home after last week’s trade from the Los Angeles Rams to the Titans. The Titans sent a 3rd Round pick to the Rams, so Jones will see the field sooner than later. Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbens will not keep Jones off the field. After spending 2022 playing with and learning from Bobby Wagner, Jones took the lead role of the Rams defense. Jones played 15 games and produced 145 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. The Titans will be in some tight games, which will produce more tackle opportunity for him. His value just might have gone up, so hold him on your roster.
IDP Sells-
LB – Lavonte David – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
David has been a leader for years in the scoring category for LBs. This will be his 13th year for the 34-year-old with the Buccaneers. He has hit triple digit tackles in 11 of those years. David has missed seven games in his last three years. He only missed seven games in his first nine years in the league. You cannot beat father time, and especially at the most physical position on the field. Use his numbers to your advantage as you place him on your trade bait. 258 tackles in his last 32 games played. He is the perfect LB piece for a win now team. Don’t wait too long to sell.
LB – Patrick Queen – Pittsburgh Steelers
Queen has a new home in Pittsburgh after playing his first four seasons in Baltimore. He never lived up to his first-round draft capital, and the Ravens showed it by not offering the 5th Year option to the first round LB. Queen had his career best season last year with 133 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. This was achieved with Roquan Smith next to him.
Keep in mind that the year before Smith joined the Ravens mid way thru the 2022 season, Queen was in the lead role and produced just 98 tackles. He played all 17 games and the Ravens were a solid defense. The Steelers do not have another LB remotely close to Smith, so expect Queen’s numbers to regress substantially. Sell him now based on his career year in 2023.
LB – Devin White – Philadelphia Eagles
White signed a 1 Year deal with the Eagles after playing his first 5 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The deal was for $4 million. That was the best deal he could get. He would be the leader for the Eagles as the other starter was Baun and the backup was Nakobe Dean. Dean has produced just 42 tackles combined in his first two years after being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Now, White has an ankle injury and did not even travel with the team to Brazil. This screams of trouble and the future of White this year is in question. His name still has value, and it would be wise to have another owner in your league deal with this story that has not yet played out.
Safety – Josh Metellus – Minnesota Vikings
Metellus had a breakout year last year with 116 tackles as a DB. He ended up being the #6 scoring safety for 2023. Metellus played every defensive position on the field for the Vikings last year. He probably will not get the same opportunities this year as the Vikings brought in multiple free agents and have five rookies on their defensive roster.
The Vikings brought in Blake Cashman to team with Ivan Pace at the LB spot. They brought in free agents Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkle and then drafted Dallas Turner in the first round to play the DE/Edge spots. Camryn Bynum and Harrison Smith are returning in the Safety position. Metellus will see significant regression this year and he still has major value that you can get for him. Do not wait though for the snaps to be shared with the IDP community and then his value goes 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!
