Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Kyler Murray Up, Melvin Gordon Down
Chargers RB Melvin Gordon has just 49 rushing yards on 20 carries since making his return.
Kelvin Kuo/AP/Shutterstock
Things change quickly in the NFL. After three games, the Rams, Chiefs and Cowboys were soaring. Three weeks later, the confidence in those teams isn't as high. Adjusting to the landscape and figuring out what trends are real or flukes are key to fantasy football success. Here is the Week 7 stock watch.
Stock Up
QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have moved the football extremely well but have settled for a lot of field goals in the red zone. As expected, Murray produced touchdowns last week against a weak Falcons defense. Even coming into last week's game with four touchdowns and four interceptions, Murray was still a top-10 quarterback due to his rushing. Murray passed for 340 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 32 yards against Atlanta. Murray has topped 300 passing yards three times and has 21 rushing attempts the last two games. After taking 20 sacks in the first four games, Murray has been sacked once in the last two outings. With a high-paced offense and a bad defense, Murray is a QB1 the rest of the way with a high ceiling.
RB Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll spoke highly of Carson in the offseason and said he would be more involved in the passing game. Some thought Rashaad Penny would cut into Carson's touches, and when Carson lost three fumbles in the first three games, the path to it happening seemed possible. Penny missed time while dealing with a hamstring injury, and Carson has taken over the last three games and hasn't fumbled. Carson has 22, 24 and 27 carries the last three games and has at least four receptions in two of those contests. He has caught 19 of 21 targets and scored four touchdowns. Carson has rushed for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games.
WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins
On a bad football team, McLaurin is one of the bright spots. The rookie wide receiver continues to put up numbers each week. McLaurin missed one game with a hamstring injury and has had at least 50 yards receiving every time he suits up. His worst game came against the Patriots in which he saw a lot of cornerback Stephon Gilmore and managed to catch three passes for 51 yards. He has scored in the four other games and leads the team with 38 targets, 408 yards and 17.7 yards per reception. McLaurin has at least seven targets in each game and caught four passes for 100 yards with two touchdowns last week against the Dolphins.
WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
Everyone in the Jets' offense is thrilled to see quarterback Sam Darnold back. Among the happiest is Crowder. Darnold tends to look at the slot receiver often and it's a big part of the Adam Gase offense. Crowder had 17 targets in Week 1, catching 14 passes for 99 yards. The next three games he couldn't be used in starting lineups. He had 14 targets, catching eight for 75 yards. With Darnold back in Week 6 against the Cowboys, Crowder caught six of nine targets for 98 yards. After the tough matchup against the Patriots on Monday, the Jets' schedule is excellent.
TE Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
So much for being limited. Reports were Henry would play limited snaps upon his return from injury, and it didn't happen. Henry looked excellent and played like the top 5 tight end many drafted him to be. He played 66% of the snaps and had eight receptions for 100 yards with two touchdowns. In the first game of the season, Henry caught four of five targets for 60 yards. He will be one of the top tight ends the rest of the way.
Stock Down
QB Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
It was an ugly day for Jared Goff against the 49ers in Week 6. He went 13-for-24 for 78 yards and took four sacks. The Rams were 0-for-13 on third and fourth downs. Goff has been erratic with three games of multiple touchdowns and three games with one touchdown or fewer. He has seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. The offensive line has struggled badly and it's not helping Goff, who is second in the NFL in passing attempts. As bad as it has been, Goff has two good matchups ahead against the Falcons and Bengals. He has struggled against the better defenses and has become a matchup play.
RB Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
It's difficult to figure out the Chiefs' backfield. Kansas City only had the ball against the Texans for 20 minutes, 12 seconds, so that has to be considered. Still, the Chiefs barely ran the ball in a competitive game. LeSean McCoy played 50% of the snaps and Williams 38%. McCoy had eight carries for 44 yards and caught two passes, while Williams had one carry for six yards and caught a 14-yard pass for a touchdown. In the week prior to returning from injury, Williams had nine carries for 23 yards and three receptions for 15 yards. He has 32 carries for 63 yards and 13 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in four games.
RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Mixon is in a really bad spot. The offensive line has been derailed by injuries and the Bengals are constantly playing from behind and giving up on the run. When the team goes pass-heavy, Gio Bernard is cutting into Mixon's snaps. Mixon has been held to 1.7 yards per carry or fewer in three of six games. He is averaging 3.4 yards per rush and has yet to score a rushing touchdown. Mixon isn't even compiling receptions, with 14 catches for 97 yards and one touchdown. Last week against the Ravens, Bernard played 53% of the snaps, while Mixon played 48%.
RB Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
Gordon came back from his holdout earlier than some expected, and those who drafted him were celebrating. After the first two games, they are disappointed. Missing training camp and the first four games usually don't help, but Gordon has looked bad. He had eight carries for 18 yards and three catches for 30 yards against the Steelers last week. In his first game against the Broncos, Gordon had 12 carries for 31 yards and four catches for seven yards. The offense has scored 30 points in the two games Gordon has played. The offense ran better with Austin Ekeler as the lead back.
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers
The hope was Valdes-Scantling could become more involved in the offense and get more targets with Davante Adams out due to injury. In Week 5 against the Cowboys, the Packers relied more on the run and built a big lead and Valdes-Scantling had one catch for 18 yards on four targets. He left the game briefly on Monday against the Lions due to injury but played 77% of the snaps. In a game where the Packers trailed most of the way, Valdes-Scantling was quiet, catching both of his targets for 48 yards.
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