STOCK UP:
1) John Ross – He’s teased us before, but what a performance by John Ross (minus a bad drop). He had 7 catches for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. He should continue to be heavily targeted until AJ Green comes back.
2) John Brown – We’ve tried to hype Brown all offseason and for good reason. He was having a good year in Baltimore before Lamar Jackson took over and the Ravens decided to run the ball almost every play. He’s now the unquestioned #1 target for Josh Allen in the Bills offense and a weekly flex play.
3) Marquise Brown – Week 1 was the the week of the blazing fast WRs apparently. Brown only played 12 snaps but made them count. He should start to get more snaps each week.
4) Lamar Jackson – Another guy we continuously hyped all offseason. The practice reports were validated with Jackson’s monster performance against the hapless Dolphins.
5) Michael Gallup – Gallup was the camp MVP for the Cowboys and showed why in week 1. His connection was often off with Dak Prescott in 2018, but they look like they are on the same page now.
6) Austin Ekeler – Melvin Gordon did not make himself any money this week.
7) Dak Prescott – Dak was throwing dimes all day against a bad Giants secondary. He’ll have a tougher test in Washington this week.
8) Sammy Watkins – We’ve seen this before with Sammy, but something about Sunday’s performance seems different. He looked quicker and faster. Now he takes over as the Chiefs #1 WR with the Tyreek Hill injury. He’ll get the opposing team’s top coverage now, but Andy Reid is so good at scheming guys wide open.
9) The Tight End Renaissance – Tight Ends were a wasteland in 2018. It looks like it’ll be a different story in 2019 with the emergence of Mark Andrews, TJ Hockenson and Darren Waller. Chris Herndon will be added to this list when he returns in week 5.
10) Marlon Mack and TY Hilton – No Luck, no problem… so far.
STOCK DOWN:
1) OJ Howard – The Bucs offense was bad as a whole, but Howard didn’t impress and also had a fumble.
2) Joe Mixon – The Bengals offensive line is not good. Add in an ankle injury and Mixon’s season outlook is looking pretty bleak right now.
3) Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, and Baker Mayfield – Newton hasn’t been the same since his MVP year. Winston looked the exact same. Goff is a checkdown artist and was off target when throwing semi-deep. Mayfield has the best chance to turn it around, but he got kicked in the mouth.
4) Devonta Freeman – It was probably the Minnesota defense, but Freeman did not look good. There should be better days ahead.
5) Miami Dolphins
6) Derrius Guice – Guice couldn’t get anything going on the ground AND hurt his non-ACL knee. He’s apparently going to be out a while. He’s droppable in redraft leagues.
7) Dante Pettis – Two Snaps. Two. Some people blame an injury, but he practiced in full all week.
8) Robby Anderson – The Jets offense, sans Le’veon Bell, was stifled. Anderson also quit on a route, drawing the ire of Adam Gase. Had he made an effort, the Jets are likely 1-0 instead of blowing it against the Bills.
9) Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks, and Stefon Diggs – You are starting these guys, but you aren’t going to be comfortable doing it.
10) Corey Davis – Davis just isn’t getting it done. He dominates practice every offseason. Then the season gets here, the Titans barely throw it, and Davis disappoints. Now AJ Brown is doing what Davis should be doing.