Cleveland Browns Week 5 Stock Report

The first quarter of the Cleveland Browns' 2015 season is over, and the team currently has a 1-3 record.

But it's not all doom and gloom for the team—there are players whose stocks are on the rise despite the win-loss record. With that said, there are also others whose stocks have taken dives over the last week.

Here's the Browns' stock report for Week 5.

Stock Up: RB Duke Johnson

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Rookie Browns running back Duke Johnson got his heaviest workload of the season in Week 4 against the San Diego Chargers, playing 45 snaps. And he made the most of them, proving to be the team's most valuable offensive chess piece of the game.

Not only did Johnson run eight times for 31 yards, he was also the team's leading receiver on the day with 10 targets and nine catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

The goal for Johnson this year was to use him in the same versatile way that Miami did in college. As a Hurricane, he was not only the school's all-time leading rusher but also caught 69 passes for 719 yards and four scores over three years.

And he clearly put that versatility on display against San Diego. Now, the Browns offense has another dimension for opponents to defend.

Though the sample size is small, Johnson looks as advertised, and his role in Cleveland should only expand from here.

Stock Down: CB Joe Haden

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Browns head coach Mike Pettine walked back from his Week 4 comments suggesting that cornerback Joe Haden didn't play because he specifically told Pettine he couldn't go just two days after Haden was listed as probable on the injury report.

"Joe made the decision based on he didn't feel he could be 100 percent, and he felt it would hurt the team if he played," Pettine said on Wednesday, per Mary Kay Cabot of Northeast Ohio Media Group. Following Cleveland's Week 4 loss, Pettine told reporters that Haden "didn't want to play."

Haden was sidelined with back and finger injuries.

According to Cabot, Haden said that he didn't let the coaching staff "know just how bad [the] finger was" and he pushed his decision "to the last minute" in the hopes that he could play.

Fingergate isn't the reason for Haden's stock being down, though it certainly doesn't help that injuries forced him to the sidelines for Week 4.

No, the reason is how he had been playing before that. Opposing receivers have tallied 15 catches on 21 targets in Haden's direction this year for 220 yards, 67 yards after the catch and two touchdowns.

Cleveland's secondary hasn't been living up to its 2014 standard, and Haden's play is one reason why. Until he can get back on the field and turn these numbers around, his stock will continue to be on the downslide.

Stock Up: QB Josh McCown

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Just two weeks ago, it seemed like Josh McCown's hold of the Browns' starting quarterback job was tenuous at best. But after his performance against the Chargers in Week 4, it looks like it's firmly his, with no direct pressure coming his way from backup Johnny Manziel.

Though the Browns fell to San Diego, it wasn't without a fight on McCown's part. He completed 32 of his 41 pass attempts (78 percent) for 356 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The only black mark on his day was the four sacks he took, bringing his season total up to nine.

The performance has McCown at a 66.3 percent completion rate, higher than his career average of 59.2 percent. On the year, he has 746 passing yards and has thrown four touchdowns to only one interception.

The Browns brought McCown on to be a competent game manager as well as a mentor and bridge to Manziel. But based on his previous stops around the NFL, it looked like McCown could be no better than just a guy and a liability at worst.

So far, though, he's been more than serviceable for the Browns. If he pushes an 80 percent completion rate on a weekly basis, the Browns will become a tough offense to stop.

Stock Down: WR Dwayne Bowe

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Browns receiver Dwayne Bowe's early part of the season was marred by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the first two games.

But he was active in both Weeks 3 and 4. Unfortunately, his impact was minimal. So far this season, he's seen just two passing targets with zero catches. Even though he's finally healthy, he's quickly being surpassed by other receivers on Cleveland's roster.

Bowe's snaps went down from eight in Week 3 to just four in Week 4 against the Chargers, and he again saw just one passing target. He's routinely being outplayed by Travis Benjamin, Taylor Gabriel, Andrew Hawkins, Brian Hartline and others—so much so that the Browns don't seem to need him on the field.

That's not what the Browns had planned for Bowe when they signed him to a two-year, $12.5 million contract that includes $9 million in guaranteed money during the offseason. Because of the expense, it's not good news that the Browns don't need him or that he's being outperformed by receivers the Browns had expected to take a backseat to an established veteran like Bowe.

Now, Bowe is just a very expensive benchwarmer rather than a centerpiece of the offense.

Stock Up: TE Gary Barnidge

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Browns receiver Travis Benjamin might be Mr. Explosive, what with his four touchdowns already scored this year and average of 20.5 yards per reception.

However, tight end Gary Barnidge has proven to be Mr. Reliable and will have more of an impact on the success of Cleveland's offense than almost any player.

So far this season, Barnidge has caught 16 of the 21 passes thrown his way for 235 yards and two touchdowns. According to ESPN.com, he also has 63 yards after the catch and is responsible for 10 first downs. In Week 4, he caught all six passes thrown to him for 75 yards and a score.

If there's one thing an NFL quarterback covets, it's a reliable pass-catching tight end who can move the chains on short throws by creating after the catch and work as a deep threat and end-zone target.

Barnidge is all of these things and is quickly becoming McCown's best on-field friend.

Unless otherwise noted, advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.