Each week I will be discussing the fantasy stock watch. The stock watch article will help the fantasy owner decide who they should be looking to clear room for and who may be on their way out the door. Each player has a grade and definition.

Stock risers will be graded from bottom to top in this format: Advancing, emerging, mounting, and soaring. For those players that find their stock decreasing, they will be graded in this order from bottom to top: Drop, fade, slump, and lessen.

Stock Rising

Josh McCown (Emerging).

McCown defines inconsistency. He either is going to blow up the competition or blow up his team. This season he seems to have not been the cause of losing games; he has done all and more what a quarterback can be asked to do. For instance, he has just one interception and has thrown six touchdowns in the four games played. He has three straight games of throwing over 350+ yards and has a 67.8 percent completion rate. It’s ime to recognize Josh McCown and the job he is doing in Cleveland.

Devonta Freeman (Mounting). It’s not that Devonta Freeman has busted on the scene and taken everyone by surprise, including those that drafted him (me). He has done it with dominance. Since week two where he received 30 carries and rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns to go along with five receptions for 52-yards, he hasn’t looked back. Tevin Coleman has become a non-factor and what was supposed to be at least split time has turned into a full-time role for Freeman. The topping on the sundae? He plays in what could be the worst division for defenses in the NFC South. Freeman rocked the Saints for his fourth straight monster game: 13 carries for 100-yards and a touchdown, adding eight catches for 56 yards and another touchdown. Both his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter.

Doug Martin (Mounting). If you are new to the fantasy world, you may not remember a running back who was perceived as a first-round talent after he broke through in his rookie season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He rushed for 1454 yards and 11 touchdowns that season and also caught 49 passe with another touchdown. Unfortunately, that was the best it got for Martin, who has dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness when healthy. This season the “Muscle Hamster” has been able to rebound. He is carrying the rock nearly 20 times a game this season and is averaging over 80-yards a game. He has scored in the last two games and is pushing Charles Sims out of passing down duties.

DeAndre Hopkins (Soaring). It’s amazing what DeAndre Hopkins can do with such a horrible quarterback. In the last two games, he has 20 receptions for 326 yards and has a streak of 100+ yards for three straight games. He has only scored once in those three games but he makes up for it in receptions and yards gained. He is just one of those players that gets himself open and takes advantage of every opportunity.

Odell Beckham (Emerging). Beckham is still waiting for that breakout game. Not that he has had any clunkers. He is like the player stuck on the 7 ½ floor (Being John Malkovich movie reference). Odell Beckham has not grabbed more than seven passes and hasn’t caught less than five. He has two 100+ yard games and three where he hasn’t gone over 80-yards. Beckham has scored three touchdowns in three different games, in two he has zero. The seven receptions for 121-yards and a touchdown is a very solid game, yet it was against the San Francisco 49ers defense that are ranked 30^th against the pass.

Gary Barnridge (Emerging). Gary Barnridge has made a name for himself this season. Many didn’t know where the tight end production was going to come from when Jordan Cameron joined the Miami Dolphins. The question is no longer lingering, as Barnridge has 20 receptions 219-yards and three touchdowns in the last three games. He has over 100+ yards receiving in two of the last three games. The only question that remains is will he continue to keep the success rolling, the first two games this season kept his name unknown. Gary Barnridge only caught four passes for 55-yards and zero touchdowns in his first two starts.  

Stock Decliners

Peyton Manning (Fade). I am a huge Peyton Manning fan, but there is no doubt in my mind that Peyton Manning needs to retire. He now has six touchdowns and seven interceptions through five games, a stark contrast to his previous seasons in Denver. The running game isn’t helping him at all, and the offensive line is below average. Manning can hit multiple receivers and is completing a high amount of his passes. The issue is he is not throwing touchdowns and is throwing interceptions.  He only has one game where he has passed over 300-yards, and has thrown an interception in each game played. In four of his five games, he has just three touchdowns, and if it wasn’t for the three, he threw against Kansas City his stats would look ugly. The week seven bye week can’t come soon enough.

Melvin Gordon (Fade). Melvin Gordon rushed 15 times for 42 yards and caught seven passes (on nine targets) for 52 yards while also losing a fumble. Interesting that he did better in the receiving column than the rushing category. Gordon is sitting at a 3.8 yards per carry average (ypc); it would be a lot worse if he didn’t have that 5.5 ypc against Cincinnati. Here is a guy that hasn’t reached 100-yards rushing and hasn’t scored a touchdown. What’s worse? He has two fumbles on the season. Taking out the Bengals game, Melvin Gordon has rushed for 51, 38, 42 yards. It’s hard to say if it will get any better for at least this season.

Arian Foster (Slump). Arian Foster ran for 41 yards on 19 carries and had 77 yards on nine receptions (10 targets). He has struggled to get it done on the ground. He has moments where he is looking like the Arian Foster we know of, and then he disappears. At this time, I almost can’t recommend him in standard leagues unless he is your flex. The good news is that I don’t think it will take him long to get it going on a permanent basis. His next opponent will be another test to see his progress. The Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who rank 16^th in the NFL against the run.

Calvin Johnson (Slump). Calvin Johnson had five receptions on seven targets for 67 yards against Arizona. Johnson has struggled this season; he is not getting his typical deep ball, as he only has three catches of 20+ yards. Megatron entered Sunday’s game with a mediocre 5.7 YPT, easily the worst mark of his career. He has placed an average reception of less than 10 in three of the five games and had just one touchdown. Johnson’s lack of performance can be contributed to the horrible offense and poor play of Matthew Stafford. He has not had a 100+-yard game this season and is averaging just over six catches a game.

Julio Jones (Less). Julio Jones exploded in his first three games against Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys. Against those three teams, he finished with 34 receptions for 440-yards and four touchdowns. In his last three games, Jones has 15 receptions for 198-yards and zero touchdowns. He did see a bit more action against the Saints as he had this best of his last two games catching six passes for 93-yards. Jones hasn’t seen the end-zone since week three. Most of this because of his injury that he sustained as he has been in a battle with them most of his career. The Falcons take on the Titans next Sunday, and Jones will have a long rest.

Rob Gronkowski (Less) Rob Gronkowski caught 4 of 5 targets for 67 yards. He was on lockdown for the most part as the athletic Byron Jones made sure he had coverage of him at all times. At half-time Gronkowski only had one reception for six yards. He made up for it in the second half as New England pulled away. Gronkowski had his first bad game of the season, he should rebound nicely against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Stock Rising Definitions

Advancing-Player has a good performance one week, but could go either way

Emerging-Steady production but may be in a time share or limited for a reason

Mounting-Has proved his worth and in-line to take over a starting role

Soaring-Has taking over starting role and proven his worth

Stock Declining definitions

Drop- Player has fallen and should not be on your roster

Fade- Getting closer to the drop zone, but need to see more, or has value somewhere

Slump- Has had several disappointing weeks in a row, but is too good to drop or is talented enough to move away

Less- A bad game, but nothing too concerning as of yet