We are past the quarter mark in the fantasy season so you probably want to start making some trades right? Yes, it’s that time. A lot of things can still change, but now we have a little bit of a sample size to start making reasonable (and not long-term) proclamations. The fantasy world has been down on quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields and Dak Prescott. They probably should’ve had their attention on guys like Kenny Pickett, Mac Jones and another quarterback who I will speak about later on in this article. Nonetheless, there are ups and downs to the NFL season, so let’s check out who’s up and who’s down.
STOCK UP
QB - C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
We are now four games into the regular season so it’s about time we talk about Stroud as a weekly fantasy starter. He’s currently QB10 (MNF pending) on the season (or QB12 on a points-per-game basis) and because of the lack of an efficient running game, the passing volume is there. Not only is Stroud passing almost 38 times per game, he’s completing over 62% of those passes and playing great football for fantasy. While he’s lost two fumbles on the season, he has yet to throw an interception and has the Texans in the thick of the AFC South race. The Texans have their guy, but he could be the guy heading your fantasy team.
WR - Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Palmer usually steps up whenever Keenan Allen or Mike Williams miss time and that was no different in Week 4 against the Raiders. Palmer finished with three receptions for 77 yards, but the kicker was that he led the team in targets by far with eight. Allen came in at five targets after a career day in Week 3. Many felt like (and it could still happen) rookie Quentin Johnston would be next in line after Williams’ injury. It seems like it’ll take some time before Johnston plays a more significant role so Palmer was always the right Chargers’ receiver to pick up off waivers. Being tied to Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense, Palmer is hovering around the WR3 range.
TE - Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys seem to have found their tight end in Ferguson. Dak Prescott has a history of connecting with his tight ends and making them fantasy relevant, dating back to Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz. Coming off a game where he caught 7-of-7 targets for 77 yards, Ferguson has established himself as a solidified weapon in the Cowboys’ offense. He’s currently TE8 on the season and second behind CeeDee Lamb in receptions for the Cowboys with 17 (for 147 yards and a touchdown). He may not be, but if he’s still on waivers in your league get after him because he’s a weekly starter in fantasy.
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STOCK DOWN
QB - Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
You know we can’t get through this without having a discussion about Burrow right? It’s one no one wants to have, but if you drafted him to be your starting quarterback I imagine it’d be tough to get a win in your league. Burrow is currently QB31 in fantasy folks, behind Zach Wilson, Desmond Ridder and Kenny Pickett and it’s really hard what to make of it. You can say his calf injury is lingering, but he’s out there and he’s shown he can still make plays. Burrow looked good in both second halves against the Ravens and Rams. To this point he’s thrown only two touchdown passes and two interceptions while averaging 182 passing yards per game with a 57.6% completion rate. Many wondered if you should be benching Justin Fields in your fantasy leagues when it’s Burrow we should have to make that tough decision about.
RB - Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Stevenson being RB23 certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s not the best. He’s averaging 2.7 YPC and has yet to have a game over 60 yards rushing. In fact, his running mate Ezekiel Elliott had an 80-yard rushing game in Week 3 which is the best for the Patriots this season. Outside of Week 1 where Stevenson caught 6-of-6 targets for 64 yards, he hasn’t been involved in the receiving game much either. The offense, led by quarterback Mac Jones (who was benched after the Cowboys steamrolled the Patriots in Week 4), isn’t good and it’s leading to a dark cloud over the whole team. The thing about Stevenson, there doesn’t seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. There are no major players hurt or missing who could help him, yikes.
RB - Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
For fantasy purposes, it’s now clear that David Montgomery was the better value as he went three rounds behind Gibbs during draft season. What’s not clear is, how long will this continue? With Montgomery out in Week 3, Gibbs had a solid showing on the ground going 17-80-0 and it seemed to point towards better days for the first-round rookie. There is plenty of season left and I expect Gibbs to have great games, but the early results aren’t pretty. Remember people, fantasy football is very different from actual football and people tend to forget that. After being out-touched by Montgomery 34-12, the fantasy world was fuming on both sides. With all that said, he’s still RB26 on the young season, buy low and win.