STOCK UP
Khalil Herbert - RB, Bears
FINALLY Herbert has come back to our fantasy lineups (The Rock’s voice)! The best thing about Week 8 is that we didn’t need a David Montgomery injury for Herbert to showcase his skills. Herbert is currently RB20 on the season compared to Montgomery’s spot at RB32 (one game missed). It’s still fair to ask, has the wrong Bears running back been getting more touches? The answer is yes if you ask me. Despite being out-touched by Montgomery 36 to 49 over the past three games, Herbert has out-gained him 260 yards to 217. Herbert also has also scored two touchdowns over the last three weeks. With matchups against the Dolphins, Lions, Falcons and Jets up next, Herbert is officially a weekly flex play with this usage.
Rondale Moore - WR, Cardinals
One down game in his past four shouldn’t have stopped you from believing in Moore. In the Cardinals’ Week 8 losing effort, Moore put it together and showed why he’s a focal part of the offense. His 7/92/1 stat line included a 38-yard touchdown where he displayed his run after the catch ability. Without Marquise Brown, Moore will battle with Zach Ertz to be the second option in the receiving game. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals love to trail in games, and their next four matchups are against the surprising Seahawks, Rams, 49ers and Chargers, all games in which they could be trailing. If that’s the case, expect to see DeAndre Hopkins and Moore filling up the stat sheets. Moore has seen at least eight targets in three of his last four games.
Jerry Jeudy - WR, Broncos
Jeudy has come on as of late whether the quarterback is Russell Wilson or Brett Rypien. He’s WR14 over the last three weeks despite news getting out that he wanted to be traded. Greg Dulcich has come on the scene and hit the ground running as a top-three fantasy tight end the past three weeks, but Jeudy is still thriving. While his stock is on the rise, it’ll still be hard to predict what you’ll get out of Jeudy because you don’t know what you’ll get out of the Broncos’ offense. At the beginning of the season Jeudy’s success was directly tied to a big play or a touchdown. Over his past four games, he’s averaging 8.2 targets per game so you can hang your hat on that now.
STOCK DOWN
Jonathan Taylor - RB, Colts
It is what it is. The reality is that Taylor is currently RB33 in fantasy. That’s not bad for any other Joe Schmo, but as your number one over pick? It’s gut wrenching. It’s the equivalent of drafting a tight end in the third round of fantasy drafts and expecting him to perform every week (Kyle Pitts). Dealing with a bum ankle, a line that has gotten worse and a quarterback shuffle hasn’t helped either. When guys like James Robinson, Kareem Hunt and Michael Carter are ranked ahead of you for the season, it’s not good. Taylor is averaging a pedestrian 11.9 fantasy points per game and has only one 20-point game (Week 1). Obviously, you cannot bench him, but you have to tough it out in hopes he can turn things around.
Diontae Johnson - WR, Steelers
Despite being third in targets (76) in the entire NFL, Johnson is currently WR34 in fantasy. Choosing a Steelers receiver to put in your fantasy lineup has been a crap shoot as evidenced by the fact that in Week 8 none of them reached 50 yards receiving. The inconsistent play of Kenny Pickett doesn’t help either, throwing one touchdown and four interceptions over his last two starts. What’s real is that there are four Steelers’ pass catchers that have between 300 and 375 receiving yards, and it’s looking like it’s going to cause stress for the rest of the season. At this point you may have to sell low or try and squeeze out that last drop of name value that he has.
Courtland Sutton - WR, Broncos
It shouldn’t be this way, but if Jerry Jeudy‘s stock is up, Sutton’s has to be down right? Unfortunately that is the case as the Broncos currently don’t have an offensive identity. Sutton started the season nicely as WR11 in fantasy through the first four weeks. The past four weeks have been brutal for him coming in at WR68 in that span. There’s really no true rhyme or reason, but Sutton’s not that guy. Despite the emergence of Greg Dulcich, Jeudy has been able to thrive whereas Sutton is looking like a bench candidate. At this point, Gabe Davis seems like a better option, at least he’s attached to an elite offense. Sutton has averaged 2.7 receptions and 31 yards per game over the last four weeks! The Broncos will have a bye in Week 9, but no one will be stressing over missing Sutton.