Fantasy Football Stock Watch: Cooper Kupp Up, Davante Adams Down
This is a good week to make some trades. The teams at 3-0 can look at the 0-3 teams and try to get a good value on a struggling player as the winless team is close to a state of panic. They are willing to give up on underperforming players for an immediate fix. A team that is 0-3 shouldn't give up on the season. There's still time to turn it around (hello, waiver wire) and it can be done with some work. Here are some players with their stock rising or falling.
Stock Up
WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Kupp was one of fantasy's best receivers last season before his season ended early due to a torn ACL. It's clear Kupp is big part of the offense and a frequent target for Jared Goff as the Rams offense wasn't the same after Kupp got injured. There might have been some hesitation to take Kupp early since he was coming off the injury, but reports in the preseason were Kupp looked excellent and they were correct. He has at least nine targets in every game and is coming off his best game of the season with 11 receptions for 102 yards with two touchdowns against the Browns. It's the second consecutive week with a 100-yard game and he has 23 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Kupp leads the Rams with 31 targets.
QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Every year, Wilson finds a way to be productive in fantasy, despite being limited on his pass attempts. He hasn't topped 553 pass attempts in his career and only had 427 last season. The Seahawks want to be a run-oriented team, but the defense hasn't played well and Wilson is going to be forced to pass more, which is great for fantasy. Wilson had 20 pass attempts in Week 1, followed by 35 and 50. Wilson went 32-for-50 for 406 yards with two touchdowns and 51 rushing yards with two touchdowns. He has already displayed efficiency on limited opportunities to throw the ball and is on pace to throw more than he ever has.
WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins
It makes sense to give a rookie more than a game or two before trusting him fully. It's time to get McLaurin in the lineup every week. There aren't many positives when it comes to the Redskins, but McLaurin is a bright spot. He is the first player in NFL history to have at least five receptions and scored a touchdown in his first three career games. He has shown the ability to beat defenders deep and work the intermediate routes. McLaurin has 16 receptions for 257 yards (16.1 yards per catch) with three touchdowns. The Redskins are 0-3 and will be playing from behind often, leading to plenty of targets for the rookie from Ohio State.
TE Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders
Waller has been one of the best values in drafts, especially at a position as thin as tight end. He is tied for second in tight end targets with 29, one behind Evan Engram. Waller has at least seven targets in each game and had 13 receptions for 134 yards in Week 3 against the Vikings. While Waller hasn't scored a touchdown, he has 26 receptions for 267 yards. The Raiders are going to be trailing in most games and they lack depth at wide receiver. Waller will continue to get a huge target share and he's for real.
WR DJ Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chark has good speed and finds a way to get open. It's clear Gardner Minshew has a rapport with Chark, and looks for him. Chark has scored in all three games and caught 15-of-18 targets for 277 yards. Chark struggled last season as a rookie and has made improvements to turn into one of their top playmakers. The Jaguars had the lead throughout in Week 3 and Chark still managed to catch four passes for 76 yards with a touchdown.
Stock Down
WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Those with Adams are angry. They aren't getting the production they wanted from a first-round pick. Adams hasn't scored a touchdown in three games after reaching double-digit touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. After getting 17 targets in the first two games, Adams only had four against the Broncos, catching all of them for 56 yards. He reached double-digit points in PPR formats in every games last season and has fallen short of that mark twice in three games. Part of the reason is a tough schedule to start against the Bears, Vikings and Broncos and the Packers playing with leads and being more conservative on offense. Adams is seeing 23.6% of the Packers' targets and it will get better beginning this week in a great matchup against the Eagles. Buy low.
RB Sony Michel, New England Patriots
Michel hasn't looked good, breaking just one tackle on 45 carries. The Patriots have injuries on the offensive line, but Rex Burkhead has looked better than Michel. There's a low floor for Michel in PPR leagues since he isn't involved in the passing game at all. Michel, who is ranked last in Pro Football Focus' elusive rating, had 15 carries for 14 yards in Week 1 against the Steelers, 21 carries for 83 yards with a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 2 and nine carries for 11 yards with a touchdown last week against the Jets and played 22 percent of the snaps. He's always had knee issues and it seems to be limiting him. He is averaging 2.4 yards per carry.
WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
The situation has been a nightmare for Diggs's owners the first three weeks. The Vikings had easy wins in Weeks 1 and 3 and barely had to pass the ball. In Week 2, Diggs could have a bigger game and had a second touchdown nullified by a penalty review when it was determined that Dalvin Cook should have been called for offensive pass interference. This isn't about Diggs's talent. He's still excellent, but the Vikings are a run-oriented offense. The Vikings are averaging 21 pass attempts per game, including 10 in Week 1, and this low pace won't continue to this level. Diggs has six receptions on 12 targets for 101 yards and one touchdown. A lot of people want to cut Diggs, but don't do it. Depending on the depth of format, he can be benched.
TE T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
Many thought an every week tight end was born in Week 1, when Hockenson went off against the Cardinals. It's rare to rely on a rookie tight end, but Hockenson caught six of nine targets for 131 yards with a touchdown in his NFL debut. That was a game that went overtime and was played at a high pace since the Cardinals run a lot of plays. Stafford attempted 45 passes in that game and the Lions won't be that pass heavy often. Stafford has attempted 32 and 30 passes the last two weeks and Hockenson has two receptions for seven yards on eight targets the last two games.
QB Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
The offensive line is a major problem for the Browns. Mayfield is under constant pressure and the Browns aren't adjusting the play calling. The offense looks out of sync and needs changes. Mayfield has completed 56.9% of his passes for 805 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. He has been sacked 11 times. It should get better as long as adjustments are made and the schedule gets better.
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