NFL Week 15 Rookie Stock Watch: Receivers Continue Their Dominance

Rashee Rice might be the best receiver on the Chiefs, Puka Nacua continues to have an incredible season and Zay Flowers had a big day against the Rams.

The rookies continue to roll this NFL season.

The receivers have been fantastic, and Week 14 was no different. The Chiefs saw Rashee Rice have another excellent game, while Puka Nacua continued his incredible campaign. The Ravens also got a quality game from Zay Flowers, who caught a touchdown in a key win over the Rams.

However, the quarterbacks had a tough week. C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young both struggled through defeats, and Stroud was placed in the concussion protocol.

Let’s look at who rose, who fell and who held steady in our NFL rookie stock watch.

Rising

Rashee Rice, WR, Chiefs

Rice had seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against the Bills on Sunday.

Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports

Last week: Rising

Rice has become the Chiefs’ top (only?) reliable receiver this season. A second-round pick from SMU, he has 59 catches for 663 yards and six touchdowns. On Sunday against the Bills, he had seven catches for 72 yards on 10 targets, albeit with a fumble.

Puka Nacua, WR, Rams

Last week: Rising

Nacua has already crossed the 1,000-yard threshold as a rookie, and he’s looking for more. In the Rams’ 37–31 overtime loss at Baltimore, Nacua caught five passes for 84 yards. He needs only 18 more receptions to hit 100 catches.

Calijah Kancey, DT, Buccaneers

Last week: Not rated

Kancey has quietly put together a terrific season at defensive tackle. The first-rounder from Pittsburgh had another sack Sunday in a 29–25 win over the Falcons, giving him four this season. If the Buccaneers end up grinding out the NFC South title, Kancey will be a big reason why.

Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens

Last week: Not rated

Flowers had quiet games against the Chargers and Bengals over the past few weeks, but he broke out last weekend against the Rams. With six catches, 60 yards and a touchdown, Flowers now has 64 receptions for 673 yards and three scores on the year.

Chase Brown, RB, Bengals

Last week: Not rated

Brown has largely sat and watched Joe Mixon in what could be his final season with the Bengals. But against the Colts, Brown became a factor in both the passing and rushing attacks. The youngster caught three passes for 80 yards and a touchdown to pace Cincinnati, while also totaling 25 rushing yards.

Holding steady

Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons

Robinson had 54 yards receiving and 34 yards rushing to go along with a touchdown against the Buccaneers.

Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

Last week: Holding steady

The Falcons leaned heavily on their young star trio of Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts this week in their 29–25 loss to Tampa Bay. But that group did its job, and Robinson piled up 88 total yards and a score.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks

Last week: Not rated

Charbonnet had 99 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys on Nov. 30, and he was productive once more facing the 49ers. The UCLA product carried only nine times against San Francisco with the Seahawks constantly in chase mode, but he had 44 yards on 4.9 yards per carry.

Falling

Bryce Young, QB, Panthers

Last week: Falling

The Panthers traded DJ Moore and multiple first-round picks to select Young, while bypassing C.J. Stroud. Through 12 games, Young has thrown for 5.3 yards per attempt and a paltry nine touchdowns, matching his interception total. Against the Saints, he was 13-of-36 for 137 yards. Ugly stuff.

C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans

Last week: Rising

It’s rare to see Stroud in this category, but he struggled through bad weather and against a tough defense in New York. The Jets knocked Stroud out in the fourth quarter with a concussion, but only after sacking him four times and limiting him to 91 yards on 23 attempts.

Jordan Addison, WR, Vikings

Last week: Not rated

Addison has been a stud this season, but the past few weeks have been a slog with poor quarterback play. The Vikings’ first-rounder has just 11 catches for 120 yards and zero touchdowns over the past three weeks on 19 targets. If Minnesota is going to make the playoffs, Addison and the passing game must get going.

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