Fantasy Football: 2010 NFL Player Stock Market Watch Leading Up To Week 8

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 8 of the NFL season approaches.

Archives: Week 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Quarterback

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CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 10: Quarterback Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals sets up to throw against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Stock Up

Carson Palmer, CIN

Carson Palmer can still get it done through the air when he needs to. While it probably would have been nice if he did it early in the game when they weren't down by 21 points, he led a valiant charge in an attempt to make a comeback. He threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns as he spearheaded a 22-point third quarter comeback.

Palmer has all the weapons to put up elite numbers, but he has yet to do so with any consistency. This may be a sign of things to come or could be just a tease. Only time will tell.

Matt Ryan, ATL

Matt Ryan has been solid all year, but he hadn't had any standout games until the Bengals came to town.

The Ryan-Roddy White duo has become the most dangerous in the league, and their rapport was on full display. Two-thirds of Ryan's yards and touchdowns went to White, as he threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, BUF

This is a true shocker. Playing one of the best defenses in the league, Ryan threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns. He led the charge as the Bills fell short of their first win in overtime.

Ryan has posted back-to-back 100-plus QB ratings as he's been on a tear since being named the starter for the Bills. If he can do it against the Ravens, who's to say he can't continue his strong play down the stretch?

Matt Moore, CAR

Moore lost his starting job to rookie Jimmy Clausen early in the season, but he was inserted back in for Week 7. He responded by throwing for 308 yards and two scores.

With Steve Smith healthy and the possible emergence of David Gettis, Moore could be in line for some more productive weeks ahead.

Jason Campbell, OAK

After throwing for a pitiful 83 yards and two picks last week, Campbell bounced back as he helped lead the Raiders' offense to a record day.

While his status as QB for the Raiders could change if and when Bruce Gradkowski is healthy, Campbell at least showed that he can run the offense successfully.

Stock Down

Kevin Kolb, PHI

The Kolb era is over once again in Philly.

There was talk of yet another QB controversy with Kolb playing so well since returning back under center. However, Kevin made the decision easy and squashed the debate, as he had an abysmal day.

Michael Vick will be back at QB next week, and unless you own Vick and want insurance, feel safe to drop Kolb.

Jay Cutler, CHI

Apparently Cutler thought DeAngelo Hall was a member of the Bears' receiving corps, as he completed four passes to him on Sunday—one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Cutler was the big surprise of the season early on until he ran into the Giants' pass rush. He's either not ready mentally or defenses have found out how to exploit Mike Martz's no-protection offensive system to their advantage.

Tom Brady, NE

After starting the year strong, Brady has put up less than stellar numbers in the last three weeks.

Now that Randy Moss is in Minnesota, Brady does not have a true deep threat he can rely on to find his way into the end zone.

Wes Welker is not the same player he was last year after his injury, and while Deion Branch appears to be a solid addition, the offense is just not the same.

Drew Brees, NO

Even though Brees threw for 356 yards and two scores, he was picked off four times as the Saints fell to the Browns.

Drew has a 7:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he's sporting the lowest QB rating he's had in three years.

The Saints are not executing on offense like they were last year, and it appears they Saints miss the presence of Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush badly.

Running Back

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DENVER - OCTOBER 24: Running back Darren McFadden #20 of the Oakland Raiders runs against the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field at Mile High on October 24, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Stock Up

Darren McFadden, OAK

McFadden wasn't even sure he was going to play this Sunday. Not only did he play, he absolutely eviscerated the Broncos' defense on the ground.

Run DMC piled up 165 yards and four touchdowns as the Raiders essentially scored at will against their division rival.

Knowshon Moreno, DEN

While his team was absolutely manhandled all game, Moreno was the lone bright spot for the team. After missing three weeks and recording a dud against the Jets last week, Moreno put up 90 yards from scrimmage and hit pay dirt twice.

Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC

MJD had a solid, if unspectacular day, compiling 121 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.

What makes his stock go up—aside from his second receiving touchdown—was the fact that he had a productive day against a stout Chiefs run defense and with Todd Bouman behind center.

You may be asking yourself, who is Todd Bouman? Exactly.

Michael Turner, ATL

Cincinnati has a solid defense that has underachieved this season, and Sunday was no different.

After matching a season-low 49 total yards from scrimmage last week, Turner ran through the Bengals all day on his way to 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Willis McGahee, BAL

Reports of his demise may have been premature. While his 64 rushing yards and a touchdown are not eye-popping numbers, he took the reps he received and made the most of them.

Coach John Harbaugh is a bit unpredictable with his backs, but it appears that McGahee has once again reclaimed goal-line duties.

LeGarrette Blount, TB

On only 11 touches, Blount managed to rack up 72 rushing yards. He seems to have finally taken over the backfield in Tampa Bay, as the coaching staff has been raving about him.

If he can continue to carve out a larger role and bump his touches up near 20, he could end up paying off huge dividends for the year.

Stock Down

Matt Forte, CHI

Matt continues to do what he does best—be an enigma to fantasy owners. The roller coaster ride continues as Forte was once again anemic, tallying only 73 total yards from scrimmage.

Michael Bush, OAK

With the return of Darren McFadden, it looks like Bush will be relegated to a backup role once again. I wouldn't recommend you dropping him with Darren an injury risk, but don't expect much out of him from here on out.

Ray Rice, BAL

On top of a very pedestrian day, news gets worse for Ray. Much to the chagrin of fantasy owners, McGahee has been revived once again, and Rice may have lost goal-line carries to the dreaded touchdown vulture.

Christopher Ivory, NO

Ivory appears to have been a one-week wonder. With Pierre Thomas and/or Reggie Bush set to return soon, Ivory will be relegated to backup with little to no touches going his way.

Wide Receiver

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 24: Kenny Britt #18 of the Tennessee Titans catches a touchdown pass while defended by Ellis Hobbs #31 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL game at LP Field on October 24, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans won 37-19.

Stock Up

Kenny Britt, TEN

After sitting out for nearly the entire first half, Britt came into the game and absolutely torched the Eagles' secondary.

Britt caught three touchdowns and had a career-high 225 receiving yards.

Coach Jeff Fisher may have to encourage Britt to get into more altercations if it can motivate him to play like that.

Roddy White, ATL

Call me crazy, but move over Andre Johnson. Roddy White has officially planted himself firmly atop the wide receiver charts as No. 1 in fantasy land.

Lee Evans, BUF

The highly overpaid wide receiver from the Bills decided to make his second straight appearance on the radar of fantasy owners everywhere. This is the second game in a row that Evans has had a strong day, as he recorded 105 receiving yards and three touchdowns—against the Ravens, no less.

Steve Johnson, BUF

Against one of the best defenses, Steve Johnson did his best impression of another Johnson (Andre), as he caught a career-high 158 yards and a score on Sunday.

This is the fourth week in a row that he's caught a touchdown, and he appears to have a strong rapport with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Hines Ward, PIT

Hines Ward ran circles around the Dolphins' secondary on the way to 131 receiving yards and a touchdown. He had four of his receptions exceed 20-plus yards. The old man continues to get the job done.

David Gettis, CAR

Gettis is a fairly unknown name in fantasy football circles. However, he made his mark as he caught two touchdowns and racked up 125 receiving yards.

It's better to be cautious with Gettis, but he is at least on the radar and will at least be worth a tentative add from the waiver wire this week.

Marques Colston, NO

Colston recorded two firsts for the season. He broke the century mark for reception yards, and he also caught his first touchdown of the season.

Even if this production came in a loss, it shows that Colston is not an afterthought in the offense and that he can still be a beast when given the opportunity. Colston has had some monster second halves of the season, and the trend may potentially continue this year.

Chad Ochocinco, CIN

It looks like Chad decided to finally show up, as he broke the century mark and caught a touchdown in a loss to the Falcons.

Davone Bess, MIA

Bess is no longer just a PPR option. He's gone into the end zone in three straight weeks, and it's apparent that Chad Henne loves to throw to him when Brandon Marshall is double covered.

Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon, IND

It may be odd seeing these two on the list since they were on a bye, but that's what happens when two of the most important weapons in the Colts' arsenal go down to injury.

Dallas Clark is out for the season, and Austin Collie just underwent surgery and should miss a few weeks.

Automatic bump in targets and stock.

Stock Down

Michael Crabtree, SF

Crabtree was finally showing signs of life until Alex Smith went down to injury.

If Smith misses any time and David Carr continues to start, don't expect much out of Crabtree. Carr will most likely be used as a "game manager," handing the ball to Frank Gore and checking down passes to Vernon Davis.

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

You have to feel bad for Fitzgerald. He's one of the most talented skill players in the game, and he goes from a Hall of Fame quarterback in Kurt Warner to Max Hall and Derek Anderson.

You likely paid WR1 price for Fitzgerald, but he's nothing more than a WR3 for the year.

Lance Moore, NO

Moore had a couple nice games early on, but he's back to being an erratic performer week in and week out.

With Reggie Bush coming back soon, Moore should be even more unpredictable, as his boost in production has been tied to Bush's absence in the past.

Tight End

Larry French/Getty Images

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 10: Todd Heap #86 of the Baltimore Ravens runs in the backfield during the game against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. Players wore pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness

Stock Up

Todd Heap, BAL

Todd Heap's role with the Ravens continues to expand, as he caught three passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns. This was arguably his best game as a pro in nearly six years.

Zach Miller, OAK

Jason Campbell may not be the death knell for Oakland receivers. Miller had his second most productive game of the year, as he caught three passes for 65 yards and a score.

He's topped his touchdown total from last year already, and he's on pace to surpass his receiving total too. Zach is living up to the sleeper tag he had preseason, and I, for one, am glad that I waited in the late rounds to snatch him up in all of my drafts.

Stock Down

Brent Celek, PHI

With DeSean Jackson out of the game, Celek was supposed to be one of the main beneficiaries of his absence due to the increased looks he was sure to get.

However, he never capitalized on his opportunities, finishing with a season low of eight yards as he failed to even break into double digits.

Jeremy Shockey, NO

After finding some success in Weeks 3 to 5, Shockey has been in a free fall along with the Saints. His last two games have been two-reception, sub-30 receiving yard days.

With Pittsburgh up next, expect more of the same from Shockey.

Defense/Special Teams

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 24: David Bowens #96 of the Cleveland Browns returns his second interception of the day for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on October 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Grayth

Stock Up

Cleveland Browns

This is another shocker that most would have never expected to see in this column.

However, when you beat the defending Super Bowl champs mostly on the effort of your defense, you deserve a nod.

The Browns held the Saints to 17 points as they recorded three sacks and picked off Drew Brees four times.

Chicago Bears

The Bears may have lost the game, but that was almost entirely Jay Cutler's fault. The Bears defense bounced back after a putrid performance against the Seahawks.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins only allowed eight points, and they sacked Cutler four times and picked him off four times too. The offense was mediocre once again, and their defense won this game.

Stock Down

Baltimore Ravens

Facing the Buffalo Bills, this game was widely written off as a potential blowout win for the Ravens. Instead, the Bills would dominate the first half and hold on to force overtime. While the Ravens eventually won the game, they were manhandled as the Bills' offense had their way with them.

Anytime you make the Bills' offense look good, you know you played an absolutely horrible game.

Cincinnati Bengals

Atlanta practically scored at will against the Bengals' defense on Sunday.

Roddy White and Michael Turner both broke the goal line twice as the Falcons put up 39 points against a respectable Bengals defense.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos' defense had absolutely no answer for the Oakland Raiders.

Darren McFadden ran through and around them, while Jason Campbell threw over them pretty much at will.