Eric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments".
Seven weeks down and for many of you this fantasy football season, that might be halfway through the proceedings before the playoffs begin. Trades remain an important part of fantasy season and while the NFL deadline is fast approaching next week, fantasy managers get more time. Still, act now! Do not wait! Enjoy extra weeks of whomever you trade for. Anyway, now it is time for the latest rest-of-season rankings, with one analyst's opinions that could help with trades, as well as the latest Stock Watch!
QB Stock Up
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: A lack of a running game has forced this rookie to throw more, and he has done so with surprising aplomb, featuring three consecutive outings of three or more touchdown passes. He also rushed for 66 yards and scored another touchdown with his legs in Week 7. This has to be a fantasy starter at this point.
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles: He remains a turnover machine, and hardly a lock to play in all 16 games due to a checkered health history, but look at what he is doing with his legs. Wentz has rushing touchdowns in five of the past six games, after entering the season with three rushing touchdowns in four seasons. Perhaps the next injury is merely an inevitability, but this current version is teeming with value, too.
QB Stock Down
Cam Newton, New England Patriots: Speaking of quarterbacks using their legs to aid their fantasy numbers, Newton remains a major threat in that area, but five interceptions with nary a touchdown pass the past two games overshadows everything. Newton just looks different throwing the football. Is he hurt? Perhaps he is and Jarrett Stidham moves up the depth chart.
Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars: Rumors abound that Jacksonville's depth chart could alter at any minute now that Minshew has led his team to defeat in six consecutive games. Thing is, no Justin Herbert awaits in the wings; the backups here are Mike Glennon and rookie Jake Luton. Minshew is doing fine in fantasy, scoring 18 or more points in six of seven, but then again, Ryan Fitzpatrick was doing fine further south in Florida, too, and he had to step aside for Tua Tagovailoa.
RB Stock Up
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals: Edmonds figures to start and see heavy volume in Week 9, right after the team's bye week, now that Kenyan Drake is out a few weeks with an ankle injury. Frankly, as theorized in this column more than a month ago, Edmonds should have been starting all along. He is simply the better player for this offense, and Drake fooled us by running all over the pathetic Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 6. Alas, Cardinals personnel probably do not read this column. Get Edmonds quickly, for he already shot up into RB2 territory in these rankings.
Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills:Devin Singletary averaged 5.1 yards per rush as a rookie, and produced seven runs of 20-plus yards. This season, Singletary is not doing that. He has 86 rushing yards on 29 carries the past three weeks, while Moss took advantage of his chances versus the Jets on Sunday, and it included a 26-yard jaunt. Perhaps neither of these fellows can aid a fantasy team, but add Moss in case he can.
JaMycal Hasty, San Francisco 49ers: The revolving door keeps turning! Frankly, nobody knows who will get the chances in this offense. We do know that Raheem Mostert is hurt and Jeff Wilson Jr. joined him after a three-touchdown performance Sunday. Jerick McKinnon is still here, but it has been hard to tell lately. Tevin Coleman? Roger Craig? Why not Hasty, who looked great in brief work versus New England.
RB Stock Down
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys: As noted in the Sunday night blog entry previewing Week 8, Elliott has had consecutive games with fewer than 50 rushing yards. Perhaps he deserves the proverbial asterisk for the disappointing play because the team lacks a competent offensive line and, now, a reliable quarterback, but there are no asterisks in this business. Elliott remains a RB1 here but others in better situations have become more valuable.
Joshua Kelley/Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers: Well, neither player enjoyed Sunday statistically, combining for 41 rushing yards on 17 carries. Jackson looked good in Week 5, before the bye week, but now it appears fantasy managers should avoid Herbert's running backs until Austin Ekeler returns. Jackson averages 3.4 yards per rush this season; Kelley is at 3.1 yards per rush. You would throw the football all the time, too.
WR Stock Up
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers: Fantasy managers probably entered the season a bit skeptical because Teddy Bridgewater became his quarterback, and then Moore reached double digits in PPR scoring only once the first four games. That is not good. In the past three games, however, Moore has landed on 93 receiving yards each time, and scored three touchdowns. That is good! All is well again for this WR2.
Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Well, his stock is up because he found employment, and did so with a winning team and a Hall of Fame quarterback, but do not misread this as a hearty recommendation for fantasy goodness. Brown makes the top 100, but Tom Brady has Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski and a running game, and those fellows are playing in Week 8, too. Brown is not. Add him to rosters but relying on him in November is actually a tad risky.
Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders: The former Eagles underachiever did not figure to play a large role for his new team, but then Tyrell Williams got hurt, Hunter Renfrow has disappointed and hotshot rookie Henry Ruggs III has all of eight receptions all season. Agholor has scored touchdowns in three consecutive games and looks like a matchups play.
WR Stock Down
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints: Things are not improving for last season's record breaker. First, it was a high ankle sprain, then a team-ordered suspension for a week and now it is a hamstring injury. Thomas has three catches for 17 yards all season, and word is he could miss at least another week. Yeah, you bet the likes of A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs and Calvin Ridley look better today. For those thinking his teammate Emmanuel Sanders is worth a look, think again; he tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss at least two games.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers: The fact that he was active in many more ESPN standard leagues than teammates JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson feeds into the narrative about how everyone loves the rookies. Claypool scored three touchdowns in Week 5. He has seven touches in two games since then. Keep him rostered but this is why we remind that rookies break fantasy hearts.
TE Stock Up
Noah Fant/Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos: We still like Fant more and think he can help a fantasy team, but Okwuegbunam, a rookie from Missouri, saw just as many targets in Week 7 and did more with them. This is a situation to pay attention to for sure because the Broncos boast a pair of intriguing, young tight ends.
TE Stock Down
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers: Oh, how we all wanted to believe that Aaron Rodgers could turn this third-year player from Indiana State into a TE1, but in the two games since the three-touchdown effort against the Falcons, Tonyan has five receptions for 57 yards and no scores. That does not mean to drop him in deeper formats, but the targets just are not there.
