Week 3 Stock Watch
Stock Up
Quarterback
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills second-year passer is currently QB8 on the year thanks to starting the season with at least 250 passing yards and a TD in Week 1 and Week 2. Add in a rushing touchdown in each of those games and Allen is suddenly an excellent replacement for anyone that lost Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger. His schedule is very appealing with only the Patriots looking like a tough defense over the next 10 games.
Running Back
Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos
Heading into the season the thought regarding the Broncos backfield was that Phillip Lindsay would get the lion’s share of the work in the passing attack and Freeman would do most of the heavy lifting on the ground. That wasn’t the case in Week 2 where Freeman received the same amount of targets (seven) as Lindsay, but out produced in both yardage categories with 48 receiving and 54 rushing (compared to 30 receiving and 36 on the ground for Lindsay). Freeman hasn’t found the end zone yet but his 5.2 yards per carry is significantly better than Lindsay’s 3.2 YPC average, so while they are dead even in snap counts (73) Freeman is performing much more efficiently.
Darwin Thompson, Kansas City Chiefs
Both LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams may be ahead of the rookie on the Chiefs’ depth chart for now but both the veteran rushers got banged up in Week 2. Williams suffered a knee injury and McCoy hurt his ankle. Neither are expected to miss any long-term action but take this as a sign of things to come. McCoy is now 31 years old and missed 14 games due to injury a year ago. Thompson will eventually have this role all to himself, it’s only a matter of time. Great stash and comes cheap considering he hasn’t produced much.
Wide Receivers
Mecole Hardman/Demarcus Robinson, Kansas City Chiefs
Notice a trend with the three of the four players I already discussed. Yep…they’re on the Chiefs. It’s not often you get a chance to grab players on the league’s best offense without drafting them. Yet here we are after just two games and Kansas City’s playmakers are not the players we believed in just three weeks ago before the start of the season. But that’s what injuries will do.
With Tyreek Hill out for about seven more weeks, both Hardman and Robinson will have plenty of opportunity to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes and that’s exactly the kind of opportunity we love in fantasy football. Both players went off in Week 2 and are this week’s hottest waiver commodities. If you managed to grab (or draft) either of them, pat yourself on the back…you just got a tremendous playmaker on the most explosive offense in the league.
Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
With 10 touchdowns as a rookie, the Falcons second-year receiver is picking up where he left off in 2018…and that’s in the end zone. Ridley scored in each of the team’s first two games and just broke the 100-yard mark in Week 2. Matt Ryan has full confidence in this young playmaker, often throwing to him despite double coverage. You should be just as confident going forward and firmly plant Ridley in your starting lineup.
Tight End
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
The best tight end in fantasy football through two games is NOT Travis Kelce, nor George Kittle, nor Zach Ertz. Instead it’s the Ravens top performer in the passing attack. You can’t ask for better stats from your tight end and if you did you’d be selfish. Two games in the books and Andrews has two games of over 100 yards, two games with eight catches, and two games with a TD. He is by far turning out to be the best value pick of the entire 2019 fantasy drafts.
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Stock Down
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
98 yards and one TD in Week 1 followed by another single touchdown performance to go along with two interceptions in Week 2 puts Cousins at QB25 for the year… Eli Manning has more fantasy points than the Vikings passer and he just got benched. If you drafted Cousins as your QB2 (hopefully not your QB1) then it is time to find a replacement. The Vikings are focused on running the football and they are doing it well with a healthy Dalvin Cook.
Running Back
Joe Mixon, Cincinatti Bengals
Pop Quiz Hot Shot…with just 27 yards on 17 carries, what 2nd-round pick is absolutely destroying your starting lineup. Well it’s not exactly a quiz since I already gave you the answer on the player blurb, but this quiz comes courtesy of Adam Ronis who asked me the same question on his FNTSY radio show (everyday 2-4 pm est). I didn’t get the right answer but unlike you, it wasn’t staring me in the face when I was asked. Back to Mixon. Just six attempts in Week 1 and 11 in Week 2 is not enough volume for a back we all expected to act like a workhorse. To make matters worse, he’s not involved in the passing attack with just five catches in two games. Making matters even more worse, he’s dealing with a low ankle sprain. To make matters even more worse than before, he just lost another starting offensive lineman (Guard Michael Jordan).
Wide Receiver
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
A disappointing start for the 2017 5th overall pick should come as no surprise. We ranked him outside of WR3 territory in the preseason and have dropped him even further on our Rest of the Way Rankings. Davis has just three catches in two games coming off eight targets. He’s droppable!
Tight End
Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers
If it wasn’t for a touchdown in Week 1, Graham wouldn’t be on the fantasy radar. He has just three catches on the season with eight targets. No you aren’t having deja vu…that’s the same stat line as Corey Davis but with the added touchdown. The Packers utilize their wide receiver and even running backs in their passing attack more than their tight end, making Graham an afterthought for his QB Aaron Rodgers and your fantasy team.
Stock Down Due to Injury
- Ben Roetlisberger
- Drew Brees
- LeSean McCoy
- Damien Williams
- Michael Gallup
- DeSean Jackson
- Alshon Jeffery
Stock Down Due to Collateral Damage From Injuries
- Alvin Kamara
- James Conner
- Michael Thomas
- JuJu Smith Schuster
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