Box scores never tell the whole story, so which fantasy options are rising and falling heading into Week 10? If you want to completely dominate your league, consider Fantasy Consigliere for premium analytics and next-level advice for all your leagues, all year long.

 

Quarterback

 

Stock up: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

Facing the Ravens in Baltimore hasn’t been easy for Ben Roethlisberger throughout his career, but he was able to throw for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions last week while boosting his numbers with a rushing score. Now, Pittsburgh is in the driver’s seat in the AFC North with some potential high-scoring games for the fantasy playoffs (@ OAK, v NE, @ NO, v CIN), so Big Ben should be an excellent QB1 when it matters most. Plus, JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t really breakout until the turn of the calendar from October to November last year, so perhaps second-round pick James Washington can do the same and add another dimension to the offense after they tried getting him involved early last week.

 

Stock down: Matthew Stafford, DET

The first game without Golden Tate didn’t go according to plan for Detroit, as they were held out of the end zone in a 24-9 loss to Minnesota, and Matthew Stafford has his worst performance since the season opener when he tossed four interceptions against the Jets. I expect Stafford to be a low-end QB2 the rest of the way with one of the toughest second-half schedules in the league, including no favorable matchup in the fantasy playoffs (@ ARI, @ BUF, v MIN, @ GB). Owners that have stuck with Stafford should start looking ahead.

 

Running Back

 

Stock up: Tevin Coleman, ATL

It’s hilarious that after Devonta Freeman was placed on IR, a bunch of people thought a) Ito Smith would take over the lead role for the Falcons, and b) Tevin Coleman wasn’t an elite talent at the running back position. Both have proven false over the past two games, as in Week 7, we saw Coleman outrun the Giants defense for a 30-yard score, and he looked even more explosive coming out of the bye when he shredded Washington for 156 total yards and two touchdowns. If an owner in your league still isn’t viewing Coleman as a high-upside RB1/RB2, he needs to be aggressively targeted in a trade.

 

Stock up: Elijah McGuire, NYJ

Hopefully people picked up Elijah McGuire before he was activated last week (which Fantasy Consigliere members might have known to do), as he immediately became a factor for the Jets in his season debut, turning ten touches into 67 total yards. I think it’s only a matter of time before the 24-year-old takes over for Isaiah Crowell as the starter, and 15-20 weekly touches should be a real possibility, which would put him squarely on the RB2 radar in all formats.

 

Stock down: Derrick Henry, TEN

I was as high on Derrick Henry as anyone was coming into the season, so it’s been tough to watch him fall out of favor with Tennessee’s new coaching staff. Stangely enough, he’s coming off his best two fantasy performances of the year, but Henry is just a touchdown-or-bust FLEX option after Dion Lewis handled 23 touches on Monday night. That said, I wouldn’t drop the monster runner, as all he needs is an extended opportunity to turn into a fantasy star; and for what it’s worth, Lewis has only played 16 games in a season once since entering the league in 2011.

 

Stock down: Adrian Peterson, WAS

If there’s anyone that saw their stock decrease more in Week 9 than Derrick Henry, it’s probably Adrian Peterson. The 33-year-old entered Sunday’s game as an RB1, but Trent Williams (thumb) remains week-to-week after surgery, and Washington lost both starting guards—including two-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff—for the season in their loss to Atlanta. Part of the reason for All Day’s resurgence in 2018 was a dominant offensive line, and that unfortunately won’t be the case anymore.

 

Wide Receiver

 

Stock up: John Ross, CIN

The No. 9 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, John Ross has undoubtedly been a disappointment as he’s battled injuries over the past year-and-a-half, but if there’s a silver lining to A.J. Green missing at least the next couple games, it’s that the speedster might be able to reach his potential in a featured role. Tyler Boyd is obviously the guy to own, but Ross—who is more than a one-trick pony deep threat—can hopefully gain some confidence to become a fantasy contributor.

 

Stock up: Keenan Allen, LAC

He should already be viewed as a consensus WR1 in all formats, but I think Keenan Allen is on the brink of another white-hot stretch like we saw last year around this time when he went for lines of 12/159/2, 11/172/1, and 10/105/1. The 26-year-old is flying under the radar a bit due to the fact that he’s only found the end zone once this season, so now is the time to invest in Philip Rivers’ No. 1 receiver.

 

Stock up: Amari Cooper, DAL

It didn’t take long for Amari Cooper to get involved in Dallas, as he caught five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown last night against the Titans. I don’t think it’s crazy to believe that the organization might want to feed the Alabama product so he can put up big numbers and change the perception around the trade, but just as promising was how Cooper looked, as he ran crisp routes and showed courage over the middle. Also, his on-the-ground game meshes well with Dak Prescott, which boosts Cooper’s stock in dynasty leagues.

 

Stock down: Jordy Nelson, OAK

Jordy Nelson came alive with lines of 6/173/1, 5/48/3, and 4/43/1 from Week 3 to Week 5, but since then, he’s totaled just five receptions for 36 scoreless yards. The biggest issue is Oakland’s inability to protect Derek Carr, as Nelson doesn’t have time to get downfield and find windows at the intermediate level of the defense. I’m holding onto Jordy for now, but that past couple weeks in particular have been somewhat demoralizing, and it’s definitely understandable if fantasy owners want to cut bait.