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As we come upon the unofficial end of the first quarter of the football regular season, it is time to evaluate what we have seen thus far. There are the no-doubt players who have fallen off the map, and there have been surprise stars who have become must-start players. While there will never be a fantasy football crystal ball, there are trends and metrics to follow that help to predict these trends. It is also important to follow the risers and fallers in the sport regardless of whether they are on your team or on waivers. At this point, a new fantasy season begins. Are you a contender or a pretender? Is it time to blow it up or secure the foundation? Whatever stage of the game you are in, I am here to help you win your week and build your team! So, without further stalling, RING THE BELL!

The Fortune 5

Khalil Mack: Was there any better defensive player this week than Mack? An ABSURD performance from a guy who is likely on waivers. He had an incredible ten tackles and six sacks with two forced fumbles. This was a candidate for defensive game of the year, and who better to do it than the former two-position All Pro. Will this be something he can replicate? No. Prior to this game, Mack was having a subpar season start, but he has some sneaky games against bad offensive lines down the stretch. Patriots, Broncos, and Raiders again in weeks 13-15. Mack may be worthy of a stash if you have the spot. Regardless, what a day for Khalil Mack!

Bobby Wagner: Bobby Wagner is quietly trending toward career highs. His illustrious career in not only IDP but the NFL has been wildly successful, and this season is no different. His career high was 172 total tackles just two years ago, and he is pacing currently to eclipse that high mark. At 33 years old, Wagner came into the season as a depth fill while Jordyn Brooks was recovering, but then it broke that Brooks would return extremely fast from his ACL repair. This left a lot of uncertainty about what Wagner would contribute. It is quite apparent he is still a man to be feared in lineups across IDP!

Maxx Crosby: Mad Maxx is back in the fold as a top player. While there have been players with more POP weeks, Crosby has been putting together a consistent season of production for fantasy teams. Through the first four weeks, he has 23 total tackles and four sacks, pacing him for over 80 tackles and 15+ sacks! There may have been some fear associated with him prior to his game last Sunday due to the injury designation, but Crosby, when he plays, is a must-start. If you didn't sweat it, you were rewarded with a game that featured eight tackles and two sacks. Crosby is here to stay and should be a top-three dynasty defensive end on your boards.

Jordyn Brooks: While I do love me some Bobby Wagner, we can't just ignore that his counterpart in the Seattle Seahawks linebacker corps is a great player in his own right. Brooks is simply a tackling machine. Last we saw him in the 2022 season, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 17. Many were speculating if he would miss the entire year or if he would be available for a potential Seahawks playoff run. I don't believe anyone outside of him saw this coming, and he deserves a victory lap for sure. Through 4 games, he has 41 tackles and two sacks. Congrats to this Man of Steel!

Andrew Van Ginkel: If you had suggested to me that through four weeks, Andrew Van Ginkel would be a viable every-week option for your team, I would have looked at getting you some counseling! He is getting a unique opportunity since the injury to Jaelen Phillips and is making the most of it! He has 19 tackles and three sacks in the young season, but the great thing about it is that it is spread out almost evenly through the games. It would be one thing to get these numbers in one week, but the fact he is averaging nearly five tackles and a 0.5 sack a game is just mind-boggling. Van Ginkel needs to be in your lineup minimally until Phillips is healthy and needs to be considered even after the fact.