Cincinnati Bengals Week 10 Stock Report

Sandwiched between games underneath the national spotlight, the Cincinnati Bengals sit at 8-0 with some of the NFL's highest-soaring stock.

After a cruise-control victory against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football, the Bengals next turn their attention to the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football—which comes less than a week before a flexed trip to Sunday Night Football against the Arizona Cardinals.

It's a lot to digest, as is the fact that the Bengals deserve the spotlight and then some after a franchise-best start.

As the Bengals prep for the middle leg of three nationally televised games, let's take the time to look at some of the notable stock changes surrounding the team and what they mean going into a key stretch of season.

Stock Up: Carlos Dunlap

Carlos Dunlap has been a rock for the Bengals for years, but this season he's doing something special as a healthy Geno Atkins terrorizes from the inside and Michael Johnson is back and disrupting things on the opposite edge.

To date, Dunlap sits tied with Houston's J.J. Watt for second place in the league at 8.5 sacks. The number puts him 4.5 sacks shy of the team's single-season record, which belongs to Eddie Edwards (13).

Dunlap continues to strive for an even higher mark each week—Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5.

"I'd rather shoot high and fall somewhere in between," Dunlap said, according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "I want to hit the ceiling, as well. But that record is something I keep reminding myself of so I can push for that."

Dunlap looks well on his way to Edwards' record and stands as one of the major reasons the team has 23 sacks through eight games this year after just 20 in 16 last year.

Stock Down: Andre Smith

It's been a brutal season for Andre Smith, who worked his way back from a season-ending injury this offseason only to miss last week's game against Cleveland thanks to a concussion.

He'll be back in time, of course, but the overarching theme of his season hasn't been pretty. Over at Pro Football Focus, he's currently one of just two Bengals starters with a negative grade on the offense, the other being center Russell Bodine.

Smith has allowed one quarterback hit and 12 hurries, tied for the team high. In an odd turn of events, he also has a negative grade in the run-blocking category, which is usually his strength.

It's a long season and Smith might still be working his way back into great form after rehabilitation, but right now he has some notable down stock on a roster full of upswings.

Stock Up: Adam Jones

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Adam Jones continues to fly under the radar nationally.

It's hard to name a player with higher stock than Adam Jones.

By far one of the league's most underrated players each year, Jones is once again putting together an elite coverage season, ranking as PFF's No. 5 corner in the NFL.

Jones shuts down most anyone he lines up against, and in Week 8, he was actually asked to follow Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown around the field instead of playing just one side.

Brown finished with six catches for 47 yards and a score. The score came on the game's first drive and the coaching staff made the adjustment, eliminating Brown from the game the rest of the way.

The national coverage might go to Jones' fiery antics, but he's a leader and quietly one of the best in the league at what he does.

Stock Down: Dre Kirkpatrick

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Dre Kirkpatrick's one of a few names struggling at times for the Bengals this year.

If one had to pick a weak point on the Cincinnati defense, it would still come in a secondary that has at times allowed the big play and suffered from miscommunications.

One of the reasons Jones had to move around and clean up against Brown in Week 8 was because the Steelers targeted Dre Kirkpatrick through the air and found great success on the opening drive.

Remember, though, that this is still Kirkpatrick's first season as a starter and opposing offenses would much rather target him than Jones or Leon Hall in the slot. These occurrences can and will happen, and as perhaps the most targeted player by season's end, Kirkpatrick's holding up well.

Unfortunately for Kirkpatrick, it's one of the notable recent lapses by a team off to a historically good start.

Stock Up: The Offense

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Andy Dalton's offense continues to soar.

The stock continues to go up, folks.

Thursday Night Football against the Browns was just the most recent example of how the Bengals can beat a defense in a variety of ways. There, tight end Tyler Eifert caught three scores.

It's funny because a week later, Eifert could catch no passes at all and the Bengals could still post plenty of points.

Houston coach Bill O'Brien wasn't shy about praising the Bengals, even pointing out to reporters who mentioned A.J. Green and others that they left out one name:

"

You didn’t even mention Andy Dalton. He’s playing as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. They’re very good. I think the one thing they do a great job of, and I have a lot of respect for their staff, Marvin [Lewis] and his staff ... Hue Jackson and Paul Guenther, on offense they’re running the ball, and they run the ball downhill. Their offensive line is big, strong, played together for a long time. That’s the key right now for them. They’re able to run the football and they’re in manageable down and distances, and that’s going to be a big challenge for us on Monday night. 

"

At this point, it wouldn't be wrong to classify the Cincinnati offense as an embarrassment of riches.

If the Bengals want to win via the ground game, they can lean on one of the best one-two punches in the league. If they want to air it out, there are four or five names who can take over a game based on the matchup.

The approach has carried Cincinnati so far. It doesn't show any signs of slowing, either—something the opposition seems to understand.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of November 10. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.