New England Patriots Preseason: Week 2 Stock Report

With just two weeks until the start of the 2015 regular season, this is the last chance for everyone on the New England Patriots roster to make a first impression.

Some players will not have that opportunity because of injuries. Others are taking advantage of the opening created by their absence. Some players are already making the most of the summer by playing and practicing at a high level. Others are just now picking up the pace. 

One thing applies to all the players on the roster: With only one game remaining until rosters are cut down to 75 players, and only two until the 53-man roster must be finalized, now is not a good time to find yourself on the wrong end of the stock watch.

Here is a look at five players who are trending in one direction or the other.

Stock Up: Aaron Dobson

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Now in his third year, wide receiver Aaron Dobson is running out of chances to prove he is worthy of the second-round pick the Patriots used on him in 2013. A hamstring injury has held him out of practice lately, so it looks like he may not even have a chance to capitalize on his final opportunity.

The good news for Dobson is that his injury—and the fact that he's not practicing as a result of it—may not necessarily be bad news. 

A pair of tweets from Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald paint the picture that the Patriots haven't given up on Dobson just yet despite the injury. 

"Here's what I know on Dobson's hamstring: He feels ready to practice, but the Pats have opted to be overly cautious and kept him out," Howe wrote. "I'm led to believe that's a good sign for Dobson to make the team. If Pats were leaning toward cutting him, they'd have him on field."

Injuries have ravaged the Patriots depth at wide receiver. Brandon LaFell is still on the physically unable to perform list, and Julian Edelman has been missing from practice since August 2. Plus, both Brian Tyms and Brandon Gibson were placed on injured reserve on Monday.  

Tyms and Gibson were two of Dobson's nearest threats for a roster spot. With both of them out of action, Dobson's injury isn't quite as troublesome. That being said, the team signed wide receiver Reggie Wayne on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, so the Patriots are clearly not going to sit on their hands and wait for the injury bug to release its grip of the wide receiver depth chart. 

Stock Down: Brian Tyms

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One man's gain is another man's loss. 

Aaron Dobson may be temporarily off the hot seat, but it's only because of two season-ending injuries to wide receivers Brian Tyms and Brandon Gibson. 

The Patriots had quite a deep battle for roster spots at wide receiver. In the end, it appears the battle will not be won but lost. Tyms was poised to threaten for one of those roster spots, and he had put together some solid practices in training camp to make his case for the final cut. Not only had he made some impressive catches, but he was also getting work on special teams as a backup gunner.

But multiple injuries stymied his progress. First, he injured his shoulder in a practice early in August; then, shortly after returning to the field, he injured his foot in joint practices with the New Orleans Saints last week. 

As mentioned previously, the Patriots have signed Reggie Wayne to fill out their depth chart with a capable veteran. That being said, Tyms' experience in the Patriots offense made him an ideal fit as a backup receiver. Now, the Patriots will have to start from scratch in getting a new receiver acclimated to their complicated offense.

Stock Up: Jimmy Garoppolo

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Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be just fine.

There is still uncertainty as to whether the second-year backup will be starting for the Patriots in meaningful games this year, but his preseason performances have indicated he will be up to the task if he is needed in a starting role. 

Against the Green Bay Packers, Garoppolo played behind an offensive line comprised of rookies and backups and was sacked seven times, but he was still able to complete 20 of his 30 pass attempts. Against the New Orleans Saints, in similar circumstances, he hit 28 of his 33 pass attempts. That's a total completion tally of 48 out of 63 passes, or 76.2 percent.

Granted, most of Garoppolo's work has come while throwing to backup pass-catchers and against backup defensive backs, but he is showing the poise and wherewithal to hold his own in the pocket, read the defense, move around to evade pressure and get the ball out quickly once he finds an open target.

The early signs of progress are all positive from Garoppolo, and that should only continue if and when he is starting—when he will surely no longer be playing with the second-string offense. 

Stock Down: Michael Hoomanawanui

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Some players are able to capitalize on the absence of others who sit higher atop the depth chart.

Backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui has not had a lot of opportunities in the preseason, having played just 25 offensive snaps so far. That could be a good thing; the Patriots have been holding Rob Gronkowski out of action (in order to keep him healthy), and veteran Scott Chandler has been sidelined with an injury, so they may see Hoomanawanui as valuable depth too important to risk in the preseason.

That being said, it would be one thing if he was dominating during his time on the field. He's been targeted once in each of the Patriots' first two preseason games and has not hauled in either of those passes. In fact, he dropped his lone target on Saturday night against the New Orleans Saints. 

Hoomanawanui has been on the Patriots roster for a long time. His knowledge of the offense may be unbridled among tight ends (except for Gronkowski), but his career has been unspectacular to this point. There's always one surprise cut by the Patriots each year; Hoomanawanui will need to play better to keep himself out of that discussion. 

Stock Up: Dion Lewis

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With LeGarrette Blount suspended for the first game of the regular season, someone will get a chance to be the Patriots' starting running back. As the Patriots are wont to do, however, the backfield will most likely take a committee approach, which means the "starting" label means nothing.

Jonas Gray, James White, Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet and Dion Lewis have all been given an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of playing time, but on Saturday against the Saints, it was White and Lewis who made the most of them. 

"I thought Dion did a good job with his opportunities," coach Bill Belichick said in a conference call the day after the Patriots' win over the Saints. "He's had a solid spring and camp for us. He missed a few days there [because of injury], but I thought he ran well [Saturday] night."

Lewis was targeted five times and caught all of his passes, going 36 yards in the process, and he also took his three carries for 12 yards. That's the kind of versatility that a Patriots back needs to show in order to earn playing time. 

Unless otherwise noted, all practice and game observations obtained firsthand. All quotes obtained via team news release.