2010 Fantasy Football: NFL Player Stock Market Watch Leading Up to Week 6

Here's a look at the landscape of the rising and falling stocks of players around the league.

While some players did themselves favors with strong play, others have hurt their stock immensely with poor showings.

Now's the time to add some, trade for others, or cut ties completely as Week 6 of the NFL season approaches.

Archives: Week 4  | 5

Check out my Week 6 Start-Sit Open Advice Thread.

Quarterback

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterback David Garrard #9 of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles at EverBank Field on September 26, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars 28-3. (Photo by Dou

Stock Up:

Ryan Fitzpatrick, BUF: It appears that the Jacksonville secondary will be a godsend for quarterbacks everywhere.

While the Bills lost, Fitzpatrick threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He has a firm grasp on the starting job, and is starting to click with his offensive weapons.

With the running back fiasco cleared up a bit, the Bills' offense should at least put up respectable numbers.

Shaun Hill, DET: Until Matthew Stafford is ready to retake the reigns, Hill will continue to be a serviceable quarterback for those in need of a fill-in.

While Shaun was playing the lowly Rams, he still managed to throw for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He may not be the most accurate or smartest QB of the bunch, but he'll get the job done in fantasy land.

David Garrard, JAC: With talk of Garrard's starting position being in jeopardy, David responded by leading the Jaguars to two straight victories. Garrard has posted consecutive QB ratings over 122 and is playing smart, relatively mistake-free football.

Stock Down:
Sam Bradford, STL: With a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions, Bradford played terrible. He threw for 208 yards and two picks.

If Mark Clayton misses a significant amount of time—which is likely after early reports indicate it is a serious injury—Bradford’s production should take a serious hit going forward.

Running Back

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 10: Running back Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Stock Up:
Matt Forte, CHI: With Cutler out with a concussion, Forte stepped up in a big way.

Matt ran for 166 yards and broke the goal line twice. He showed an explosive burst on the ground, and demonstrated that he's a threat in the running game, and not just in the pass.

Whether or not he can keep up this production has yet to be seen, but owners are sure to be happy with his performance yesterday after suffering through some tough weeks.

Ray Rice, BAL: Coach John Harbaugh finally realized that when you give Ray Rice the ball enough, he will produce and is capable of carrying the team to victory.

After Willis McGahee was ineffective at the goal line, the Ravens looked to Ray. Rice answered Harbaugh's call with 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Cedric  Benson, CIN: Benson finally broke the century mark, recording 144 rushing yards on Sunday.

After breaking that plateau seven times last season, owners drafted Benson with high hopes. With a mediocre start to the season now behind him, Cedric may be ready to hit a midseason stride and start terrorizing defenses on the ground.

Brandon Jackson, GB: On only 10 touches, Jackson managed to compile 115 yards on the ground.

Everybody wrote Jackson off—myself included—after playing poorly since getting the starting nod. However, he played big in a tight game.

Steven Jackson, STL: Mired on a bad team, Jackson somehow manages to be productive. S-Jax managed 114 rushing yards, even with his rookie QB playing terribly.

Felix Jones, DAL: The Cowboys seem to be intent on making Felix their feature back.

He was the star of the backfield, gaining 109 yards on 15 carries. Jones has game-breaking speed, and Dallas may look to cash in on that as their season is in jeopardy.

Fred Jackson, BUF: Now that Marshawn Lynch has been shipped out of town, Fred Jackson will take on the main running back duties.

He was really productive last year when given the opportunity, and should be able to do the same this year going forward.

Even though he was only given 12 carries, he gained 73 rushing yards. 6.1 rushing yards per attempt is an impressive number—even though it was against the Jaguars—and it should at least get him more touches per game.

Stock Down:

Chris Wells, ARI: Against a Saints' defense that has been eviscerated on the ground over the early course of the season, Beanie was held to 35 yards on 20 rush attempts—that's a paltry 1.8-yard average.

Jonathan Stewart, CAR: The "Daily Show" may be getting cancelled soon after bombing once again. Stewart is averaging 23.8 rushing yards per game, and the Carolina Panthers offense is completely out of sync.

Marion Barber, DAL: It appears that the Barber-era may soon be coming to a close. Marion was only given six touches on the ground compared to Felix Jones' 15.

While Jones is an explosive talent, Barber brings a toughness to the Cowboys' offense that simply cannot be replaced. This will be an interesting situation to monitor as Dallas has a lot of question marks that need to be answered if they want to have any shot of making the playoffs.

All Tampa Bay RBs: The backfield in Tampa Bay is more clogged than Tony Siragusa's drainage pipe.

After starting the season as their main back, Cadillac Williams' job security seems to be in doubt. Now Blount and Earnest Graham are starting to eat into his carries.

Avoid this mess, if possible.

Wide Receiver

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO - AUGUST 21: Wide receiver Malcolm Floyd #80 catches a pass against Terence Newman #41 of the Dallas Cowboys during their preseason NFL football game at Qualcomm Stadium on August 21, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/

Stock Up:

Malcom Floyd, SD: 213 receiving yards and a touchdown is pretty much an automatic stock up.

While the Chargers still lost, Floyd absolutely decimated the Raiders' secondary with a career day.

I'm assuming everyone in San Diego has forgotten about Vincent Jackson by now.

Steve Smith, NYG: Fantasy owners can now breathe a sigh of relief after Smith finally caught his first touchdown of the season.

While Nicks will continue to be the Giants' big play threat, Smith should be a PPR machine as the Giants' offense looks to be clicking.

Steve Johnson, BUF: Five catches and 46 yards is nothing impressive, but Johnson managed to catch two touchdowns.

This is the third week in a row that Steve has caught a touchdown. It appears that Steve is Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target, and should continue to see looks in the end zone.

Michael Crabtree, SF: The only silver lining from last night's loss to the Eagles was the breakout game from Michael Crabtree.

After weeks of subpar performances, Crabtree flashed some of that first round potential with 105 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Roy Williams, DAL: No, that is not a typo.

Roy Williams had his second straight productive week, showing that his 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Houston was not a fluke.

Williams stepped up and had 87 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Titans yesterday, and may not be the afterthought in the Dallas offense many predicted after Dez Bryant was drafted.

Kenny Britt, TEN: This Rutgers product has reached the end zone in three straight games. After a slow start to the season, Vince appears to be developing some good chemistry with Britt.

Stock Down:

Mark Clayton, STL: Clayton appears to have injured his patella.

He was seen on crutches on the sideline after re-emerging from the locker room. While nothing is definitive, Clayton could miss a lot of time.

Anquan Boldin, BAL: Boldin decimated Cleveland in Week 3, but has fallen flat over the past two weeks.

Yesterday was a new low, as Anquan only caught one pass for eight yards as Champ Bailey blanketed him all game long.

Dwyane Bowe, KC: Bowe is in absolute mess right now.

Aside from a respectable performance against the 49ers, Bowe has had some serious problems with dropping passes. This appears to be a recurring issue, and it may be best to wait for him to turn in a decent performance and dangle him as trade bait to an unsuspecting owner.

Tight End

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 20: Vernon Davis #85 of the San Francisco 49ers runs on to the field for their game against the New Orleans Saints at Candlestick Park on September 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Stock Up:

Marcedes Lewis, JAC: It appears that David Garrard has a new favorite target in the red zone.

Lewis recorded four receptions, 54 yards, and two touchdowns yesterday against the Bills, and it is the second week in a row that he has reached pay dirt.

Vernon Davis, SF: Even though the 49ers' season is essentially over after yet another loss, Davis played big, particularly down the stretch, with the game on the line.

Davis abused the Eagles' linebackers and safeties throughout the game. Vernon also caught a nice touchdown pass in double coverage.

The highest-paid tight end in league history finally seems ready to pick up where he left off last year.

Stock Down:

Tony Gonzalez, ATL: Aside from his Week 3 explosion against the Saints, Tony has been anything but spectacular this season.

It appears anyone not named Roddy White is getting ignored, or simply can't get open.

Defense

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 10: Defensive end Julius Peppers #90 of the Chicago Bears salutes the crowd as he leaves the field after the Bears game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Pho

Stock Up:

Chicago Bears: After getting beat by the Giants last week, the Bears' defense responded by holding the Carolina Panthers to six points. They also recorded five sacks and a pick.

Stock Down:

Dallas Cowboys: Dallas may have the most overrated defense in the NFL.

Vince Young picked apart their secondary, while Chris Johnson flat-out embarrassed them on the ground. Dallas is now in a 1-3 hole, and their defense will certainly not be pulling them out of it.