NFL Fantasy Stock Report, Week 1: Who Is on the Rise?
Stock Up
Joshua Kelley: The Chargers debuted their new offense under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and despite the loss, looked really good. Kelley ran for 91 yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown. Good for 5.7 yards per carry and he evenly split carries with Austin Ekeler with 16 each. Ekeler reportedly came out of the week with an ankle injury and is looking iffy for practice the rest of the week. Kelley looks to provide stand-alone value as Kellen Moore has been known to utilize two backs and he provides truly elite upside if Ekeler misses any time. Kelley is likely on your waiver wire and he should be your number one priority.
Puka Nacua/Tutu Atwell: Go buy all the lottery tickets if you predicted this one before Sunday. The Rams' offense showed they can still score some points with Sean McVay scheming things up and Matthew Stafford showed he can still sling it. Puka Nacua made his NFL debut and racked up 10 catches for 119 yards on 15 targets. Fifteen targets is no fluke. McVay clearly loves this kid and I expect him to be a valuable asset to this Rams offense moving forward. Tutu Atwell also had himself a day catching 6 balls on 8 targets for 119 yards. He’s got big play potential as he had a 44-yard play and clearly McVay has a plan for him. If I had to choose to pick one on waivers it would be Nacua.
Tyreek Hill: I’m not quite sure how Tyreek’s stock could get higher but it did. He destroyed the Chargers for 215 yards on 11 catches and 2 touchdowns. His speed is 100% still there and McDaniel continues to disguise their formations and alignment with the best of them. He said himself he feels like his release game at the top of his routes is better than ever. Combine that with McDaniels scheming/play calling and Hill is a true nightmare. If you wanted Tyreek on your team, good luck trading for him now.
Stock Down
Drake London: Arthur Smith truly might be the fun monster. He’s halfway to ruining Kyle Pitts, refuses to pass more than 20 times a game it seems like, and already gave Tyler Allgeier more carries than number 8 overall pick Bijan Robinson. Atlanta is the wild west for offensive football as there are no rules and anyone can die. Drake London saw one target in the season opener in his goose egg performance. The Falcons are going to continue to spread the ball around and Desmond Ridder averaged 3 air yards per attempt. Not great for a big-bodied, down-the-field receiver like London. I don’t see a path moving forward where London merits his draft position.
Antonio Gibson: Despite having all the tools you want in a modern NFL running back, the Commanders seem to hate giving him the ball. They constantly forced the ball to Brian Robinson Jr. last year, and after a second-quarter fumble, Gibson ended the season opener getting out-snapped by Robinson Jr. 43-25. They got drafted in similar draft spots and Gibson only caught one pass on one target for 10 yards. Receiving is where he’s supposed to lead this backfield and Robinson Jr. had two targets himself.
Raschaad Penny: After an up-and-down tenure with the Seahawks that showcased true talent but was also marred by injury, Penny signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Eagles. They were thin at running back and have a great offensive line. It seemed like a great match. Unfortunately for him, they traded for D’Andre Swift on draft night before Penny could even hit the practice field. Going into camp it still looked like Penny would be the lead guy in the backfield but that status slowly lowered as camp and the preseason progressed. Heading into the regular season, it was presumed we would see somewhat of a three-way timeshare. Not even remotely ideal for fantasy purposes. Well Sunday morning we find out Penny is a surprise healthy scratch. A healthy scratch! The Eagles have shown they are great at self-scouting and will field the best players on game day even if it means benching a free-agent signing. They must be seeing something behind closed doors in Penny they don’t like and the healthy scratch leaves me very glad I have no shares of him.
