Fantasy football stock watch: Rankings for the rest of the 2020 NFL season

Welcome back to another season of the weekly Stock Watch combined with the much-debated rest-of-season rankings, as it seems like nearly everything we thought we knew before the first weekend of the season has already changed before the second week begins!

OK, that's some hyperbole, but it is certainly true that fantasy managers are a rather impatient lot and one great game in the opening weekend can alter perspective, as can a poor one, or an injury or even the hint of a newfound position battle. We try to cut through all of that in the season debut of these rankings, which aim to tell a story of order from this point forward, sans too much overreaction.

QB Stock Up

Cam Newton, New England Patriots: Well, that was quick, but it was also against a terrible team, so while Newton forces his way into the top 10 at quarterback, it would be nice if he played well in Week 2 at Seattle to justify the move. Frankly, some of the back-end options among QB1 options struggled a bit, including the one Newton replaced in Massachusetts, and that really opened the door for us to trust Newton more than perhaps we should.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Again, part of the reason he creeps back into the top 10 at the position is because others dropped, but Allen did perform well against a clueless Jets team, surpassing 300 passing yards for the first time in his young career and rushing 14 times for 57 yards and a score. He also missed a wide-open end zone target, reminding us he is far from accurate as a passer. Be careful here. Fourteen rushes is a lot, probably too many, and that is a major part of his value.

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears: As with Newton, here is another fellow whose career can still turn in another direction rather quickly. Trubisky thrived in Week 1, as he did at times last season before he lost his grip on the starter role. Nick Foles still lurks, and nobody thinks Trubisky is close to QB1 territory, but his play deserves a deep-league look.

QB Stock Down

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles: Tom Brady is the obvious choice to lead this section, but I tore apart his value in my Sunday night column previewing Week 2, and then ranked him ahead of the wildly inconsistent Wentz, who threw Sunday's game away in Washington. Wentz needs better protection and more weapons, neither of which might occur any time soon, but his decision-making confounds, too. With durability questions as well, those in deep leagues should stash rookie Jalen Hurts just in case.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: What a mess. Sure, he had to face a top defense, but he still looks nothing like the Heisman winner or promising rookie, and if I had drafted Odell Beckham Jr. in any leagues -- I did not -- I would already be trying to trade him.

RB Stock Up

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs: Nobody rushed for more yards than he did in Week 1, and it sure looks as if touchdowns will not be a problem. I hedged just a little in the preseason rankings, but he really is a candidate for the top overall spot now. For now, he makes the top five.

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: Another first-year player, Taylor looked fine catching passes in his debut, and now that Marlon Mack is done for the season, Taylor's role should expand, even more so than Nyheim Hines. The Colts will likely sign a free agent such as Lamar Miller for depth, but Taylor is ready to star.

Malcolm Brown, Los Angeles Rams: While everyone gushed over rookie Cam Akers and sophomore Darrell Henderson Jr., the Rams relied on the 27-year-old Brown for 21 touches and a pair of touchdowns. It hardly means the younger fellows cannot help your fantasy team this season, if you keep them rostered, but Brown is a potential RB2 until further notice. Not all breakouts are young players!

Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers: It is premature to call this rookie a safe flex option, but he sure looked better than Justin Jackson and then he split the carries in the second half with Austin Ekeler. Kelley is no pass-catching option, but he could flirt with double-digit rushing touchdowns.

RB Stock Down

James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers: It was just one game, but it was a really bad one for Conner, who sprained an ankle and watched Benny Snell Jr. run for 113 yards. Perhaps Conner remains the starter when healthy, but Snell simply looks like the better player, so opportunity should be forthcoming.

Mark Ingram II, Baltimore Ravens: Perhaps Ingram averaging a paltry 2.9 yards per rush while rookie J.K. Dobbins scored a pair of goal-line touchdowns is no big deal and the value reverses moving ahead, but I would not bet on that. Dobbins is clearly the future here. Wow, so many young running backs to love!

Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets: Sure looks like Year 2 in North Jersey is not going to fare better than the first season, thanks to the mess around him, including the coaching. Bell turned six carries into 14 yards while nursing a hamstring injury and now figures to miss several weeks. Many fantasy managers will aggressively dump him for Peyton Barber or Adrian Peterson, and while I would not, I have moved on from Bell providing RB2 numbers in 2020. Frank Gore probably gets first shot over Josh Adams and La'Mical Perine, but these are the Jets. Can anyone succeed?

D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions: He rushed for a short touchdown in his debut, but everyone will remember him dropping the wide-open, would've-been-game-winning touchdown in the final seconds in the end zone instead. With Peterson handling most of the carries and Kerryon Johnson still here, it appears a swift move into fantasy glory is not imminent for the rookie. I still believe he stars for dynasty leaguers later this season, though.

WR Stock Up

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers: Well, at least Ben Roethlisberger remains upright and healthy enough to keep playing, because if he goes down again, so does the value of the receivers. Smith-Schuster looked terrific on Monday and vaults into near WR1 range.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants: I suppose I can see why some still trust Sterling Shepard more for fantasy, but young quarterback Daniel Jones just looks more comfortable finding Slayton, who scored twice on Monday and gets open down the field. This is a potential WR2 at some point. I do not think Shepard is.

WR Stock Down

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins: Others in the WR1 and WR2 range are hurting and could miss games, but nobody is dropping Kenny Golladay or Courtland Sutton, at least I hope not. With Parker, dealing with a hamstring injury, we loved his 2019 season but few have forgotten his struggles prior to the breakout. Keep him rostered if you can, but many will not.

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers: Still a very promising fantasy option if he can get on the field, Samuel had a setback in his recovery from foot surgery and now hopes to return in Week 4. Look, be optimistic if you can, but Week 4 is no lock and this is not a high-powered passing offense to start with. Again, try to keep him rostered, even as he misses games.

TE Stock Up

O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Philly's Dallas Goedert moved up more spots, and I discussed him in this video about his value in connection with Zach Ertz, but Howard versus Rob Gronkowski is another interesting battle. Howard not only caught one of Brady's touchdowns, but he had twice as many targets as Gronk, albeit with fewer snaps. Howard is so talented, and perhaps this is his breakout season.

TE Stock Down

Evan Engram, New York Giants: The narrative on him is he would generally play well when healthy, but he caught only two of seven targets on Monday. Do not drop him yet, or Cleveland's Austin Hooper, who similarly was quiet in Week 1, but fantasy managers are not patient!