Stock Up/Stock Down Report (8-28 through 9-3)

By Jared Smola 9:09pm EDT 9/3/21

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Stock Up: These players have moved up the Draft Sharks rankings over the past week.

Mac Jones, QB, Patriots

New England dumped QB Cam Newton after Jones turned in an excellent preseason, finishing 2nd among 79 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus passing grade. Jones probably won’t ascend beyond QB2 status this season -- but he’s good news for the Patriots’ skill-position players.

Gus Edwards, Ty’Son Williams and Justice Hill, RBs, Ravens

These 3 top Baltimore’s depth chart after J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending torn ACL. Edwards should be the clear lead ball-carrier and looks like a solid RB2. Williams is reportedly 2nd in line for touches and is a nice late-round flier.

Damien Harris, RB, Patriots

The move from Cam Newton to Mac Jones frees up a bunch of carries -- and, more importantly, goal-line work -- for Harris.

Wayne Gallman, RB, Falcons

Atlanta swapped out Qadree Ollison for Gallman this week. Gallman had a solid season for the Giants last year and is next in line for the Falcons if Mike Davis gets hurt or falters.

Patriots Pass Catchers

James White Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry all get a boost with New England’s move from Cam Newton to Mac Jones. The Patriots ranked 31st in pass rate last year but should be closer to league average in 2021.

Zach Pascal, WR, Colts

He’ll open the season as 1 of Indianapolis’ top 3 WRs with T.Y. Hilton sidelined by a neck injury. Pascal probably won’t be a redraft option but might emerge as a cheap DFS play.

Dawson Knox, TE, Bills

Buffalo dumped TE Jacob Hollister this week, leaving Knox as the clear top dog at the position. The strength of the Bills’ passing game could make him a spot-start option this season.

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers

After his 2-score outing in the 2nd preseason game, Freiermuth matched TE Eric Ebron in pass routes with the 1st-team offense in the 3rd. The rookie might have already worked himself into a significant role.

Tyler Conklin and Chris Herndon, TE, Vikings

These guys top Minnesota’s depth chart after Irv Smith’s (likely) season-ending knee surgery. Conklin figures to open the season as the Vikings’ starter, but Herndon’s role will be worth monitoring.

Tyler Kroft, TE, Jets

He’s left as the Jets’ top TE after Chris Herndon was dealt to Minnesota. Kroft isn’t an exciting talent but has a chance to hit the fantasy radar, at least in deeper leagues.

Jacob Hollister, TE, Jaguars

He was dumped by the Bills but signed with the Jaguars a couple of days later. With James O'Shaughnessy, Chris Manhertz and Luke Farrell the competition for snaps, Hollister could quickly emerge as Jacksonville’s starter.

Ryan Santonso, K, Panthers

Carolina traded for Santoso, who will open the season as the starter.

Quinn Nordin, K, Patriots

He beat out Nick Folk for the starting job in New England. Nordin connected on just 72% of his FG tries at Michigan and went 6 of 8 this preseason.

Tristan Vizcaino, K, Chargers

He beat out Michael Badgley for the Chargers’ starting job. Vizcaino has just 3 career NFL FG attempts.

Stock Down: These players have moved down the Draft Sharks rankings over the past week.

Trey Lance, QB, 49ers

Lance is sidelined with a small “chip” in a finger on his throwing hand. The ‘Niners are hoping to get him back on the practice field next week, but this injury likely killed any chance he had of winning the Week 1 starting job. Lance should still take over at some point this season, but fantasy owners will need to be patient.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans

Watson remains a Texan and reportedly might just be a healthy scratch all season. He’s not worth a roster spot right now.

Cam Newton, QB, free agent

Newton was surprisingly released by the Patriots and remains unsigned as of this writing. He figures to latch on somewhere -- but Houston looks like the only spot that’d give him a chance to start early this season.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens

Dobbins tore his left ACL in the 3rd preseason game and will miss the entire 2021 season.

Texans RBs

Houston kept 5 RBs (Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram, David Johnson, Rex Burkhead and Scottie Phillips) on their roster and will use at least 3 of them to open the season. Avoid this backfield.

Gio Bernard, RB, Bucs

Bernard is dealing with what NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero called a “mild” high-ankle sprain. We’ll see just how “mild” it is -- but Bernard is at least in danger of missing Thursday night’s opener vs. the Cowboys.

Tarik Cohen, RB, Bears

Cohen landed on the reserve PUP list, which means he’s out for at least the first 6 games of the season. He’s not worth stashing on fantasy rosters.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts

Hilton is out at least 3 weeks -- and “probably” longer -- after undergoing surgery to alleviate a disc issue in his neck. He’s not worth stashing in most fantasy leagues.

Irv Smith, TE, Vikings

Smith underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a meniscus injury. He’s expected to be sidelined for 4 months, which means he’ll likely miss the entire 2021 season.

Evan Engram, TE, Giants

Engram hurt his left calf in Sunday’s preseason finale. The Giants are reportedly still deciding whether to place him on short-term IR, which would cost him the first 3 weeks. At minimum, Engram seems unlikely to play in the opener.

Anthony Firkser, TE, Titans

Firkser played almost exclusively in 3-TE sets this preseason. If that usage continues into the regular season, he’ll be virtually impossible to trust in fantasy lineups.

Eric Ebron, TE, Steelers

Ebron might already find himself in a committee with TE Pat Freiermuth. The rookie’s role only figures to expand over the course of the season -- likely at Ebron’s expense.