Cincinnati Bengals Preseason: Week 4 Stock Report

The Cincinnati Bengals enter the fourth and final game of the 2015 preseason on a high note. 

Andy Dalton and the team turned things around Saturday with a 21-10 victory against the Chicago Bears, although more important than the mark in the win column was the performance of notable players.

Of course, this came with some bad. As a whole, it mixes into one difficult pot for the front office to sort out on the way to meeting the league's 53-man requirement.

Within, let's take a look at some of the players undergoing the most notable stock movement as of late, from starters right on down to reserves.

Stock Up: Greg Little, WR

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Right now, it looks like Greg Little is out of the woods.

Going into the preseason, it was easy to figure either Little or Denarius Moore would stick on the roster, but not both. They aren't similar players, but they did get in each other's way if one felt the team wanted to keep a veteran-upside balance on the depth chart.

"Did" because Moore wound up as one of the team's early releases. Little played a part because he's shown improvement in most areas this preseason and has six catches in three games.

It doesn't sound like much, but Little continues to prove he's quality depth who can come in and make an impact.

Stock Down: Russell Bodine, C

Al Behrman/Associated Press

The issues for Russell Bodine seem to continue each week.

Whether it was snap issues in practice or simple underperforming on the field, the North Carolina product continued the trend against the Bears. Bodine found himself thrown around by Eddie Goldman and others, hurting both pass and rush plays and a large reason the team needed many tries to punch into the end zone from a few yards away near the start of the game.

Over at Pro Football Focus, Bodine ranks as the 65th center in the league on a list grading 73 players through three games.

If there is a starter position still up for grabs after the fourth game, it figures to be at center.

Stock Up: Chris Carter, LB

Quick, name the Bengals' sack leader through three exhibitions.

It's Chris Carter, the 2011 fifth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers who just joined the team. He's been an absolute force when it comes to getting to the quarterback, and the coaching staff continues to line him up at linebacker and defensive end.

Recording sacks was the biggest issue for the Cincinnati defense last year. Carter's an unexpected development and pushes someone else off the roster if the Bengals keep him, but it's hard to see how the team doesn't.

Coach Marvin Lewis loves his versatile defenders who can rush from multiple spots. Remember the Dontay Moch experiments? Carter might be what Lewis was looking for all along.

Stock Down: Jake Fisher, OT

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Bodine wasn't alone in his struggles along the line this past weekend.

Rookie Jake Fisher received some large playing time, too, and struggled on a consistent basis. He saw some time as an extra blocker with the first-team offense before seeing regular action with the backups.

By day's end, Fisher wound up with a minus-8.5 grade at PFF and committed three penalties while allowing two quarterback hits and three hurries.

Any rookie experiences growing pains. With any luck, Fisher got them out of his system against the Bears, but it's something to watch.

Stock Up: AJ McCarron, QB

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Two games into his pro career, there's little doubt AJ McCarron is the backup the Bengals wanted.

Against the Bears, McCarron stepped in for Dalton early due to the starter leaving the game in precautionary fashion.

The Alabama product responded by looking sharp and leading the first-team offense down the field for a touchdown. He finished with a 12-of-17 mark for 149 yards and the score.

Besides the numbers, which aren't the most important thing in the world, McCarron eased minds just by making quality NFL throws all over the field. There's no longer a backup question in Cincinnati as a result.

Stock Down: Margus Hunt, DE

Al Behrman/Associated Press

Time might be running out for Margus Hunt. 

The Bengals can only keep so many defensive linemen. Behind the starters, the team will want to keep Wallace Gilberry and Will Clarke, who has shown improvement since he showed up heavier this summer. Sprinkle in Carter's emergence and things get murky for Hunt.

Hunt has struggled to make an impact most of the preseason and ranks as the 45th 4-3 end in the league at PFF. He hasn't generated consistent pressure and seems to wind up on the ground often.

There's still time for Hunt to turn things around, especially because his upside remains some of the most attractive on the roster. But the roster squeeze at the position seems to have arrived earlier than anticipated, and right now, Hunt may be on the outside of things.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of September 1. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.