Fantasy Football 2020: Stock Up, Stock Down Heading into Week 1

The frenzy that is Week 1 of the fantasy football season is arguably only eclipsed in difficulty by a fantasy draft itself.

A final sprint to the kickoff of the regular season is brutal for fantasy managers. They don't just have to juggle typical injury reports in Week 1. There's also the fact that every team in the NFL cut rosters down to 53 and then formulated 16-man practice squads. That could impact not only the stock of potential lineup players but the strength of the opposition too.

Complicating matters is the lack of a preseason and the secretive nature of franchises. When formulating stock reports for managers to lean into while making lineup decisions, it's best to take a close look at reports around teams and the moves they're making.

As the season kickoff approaches, these are some of the biggest stock movers to know.

Stock Up: James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner was one of the more interesting fantasy football question marks heading into 2020.

He only appeared in 10 games last season, rushing for 464 yards and four touchdowns on a 4.0 average, and he caught just 34 passes. Pittsburgh also has Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland Jr. on the depth chart.

But Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin soothed any unease managers might have about Conner even though other backs were getting plenty of work in training camp, telling reporters: "There is no question about who our bell cow is. It's James Conner and he's our primary toter."

If Conner can get back to his 2018 form—973 rushing yards and 12 scores with 55 catches—he'll feature in an offense led by Ben Roethlisberger. Not a bad get for managers, who've nearly dropped Conner's average draft position (ADP) out of the top 15 running backs.

Stock Down: D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

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It was all looking so good for Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift.

Swift rushed for 2,885 yards and 20 touchdowns on a 6.6 average with 73 catches over three seasons at Georgia, and he went 35th overall to Detroit in the second round this year. The Matthew Stafford-led Lions attack was desperately missing a reliable three-down back.

But Swift's stock has swung south. He battled a minor injury near the end of August and was listed as the fourth back on the team's official depth chart after the Lions' signing of reliable veteran Adrian Peterson. The 35-year-old ran for nearly 900 yards on a 4.3 average last season on an arguably worse Washington team.

Owners who invested in Swift did so at an ADP in the sixth round and were hoping for a breakout, at least in weekly matchups. Now he's looking like a no-fly zone.

Stock Up: Will Fuller V, WR, Houston Texans

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There is a DeAndre Hopkins-sized hole in the Houston Texans offense, and fantasy managers have been monitoring the situation closely all summer.

The saga took another twist Tuesday with Brandin Cooks out of practice, creating a poor outlook for a wideout who's nursing a quad injury before a Thursday kickoff.

This equates to a bigger snap percentage for Will Fuller V, who has been flying under the fantasy radar given his ADP of 6.10 (10th pick in the sixth round), which is 29th among wideouts.

Last year, Fuller had 670 yards and three scores over just 11 games. With Nuk gone, Cooks hurt and Randall Cobb not major competition for Deshaun Watson's attention, he could end up as one of the top scorers at his position as the Texans engage in a likely shootout with Kansas City.

Stock Down: Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Ronald Jones II didn't light the fantasy football world on fire last season, rushing for 724 yards and six touchdowns on a 4.2 average and registering 166.3 points.

Despite big additions like Tom Brady for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fantasy managers haven't responded with hype, slotting Jones 35th in ADP at his position.

Notice a theme? The Buccaneers signed LeSean McCoy in July and added Leonard Fournette last week too. While one could presume Jones won't have a problem out-snapping either of those guys, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians seemed to go out of his way to say Fournette will have a notable role in Week 1.

While the Buccaneers could be trying to confuse opponents, it's not a gamble fantasy managers should take. It smells bad, and even worse, the outlook wasn't great to begin with. A date against Drew Brees and New Orleans could mean limited back usage as it is.

Stock Up: Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington

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Sometimes it's best to believe NFL teams when they say something.

So it goes with Washington running back Antonio Gibson.

Washington coaches seemed to talk up Gibson, a third-round rookie, all summer. He received first-team reps even before the release of Adrian Peterson, and reporters suggested he was a lock to fill Derrius Guice's role.

So much for that 27th-ranked positional ADP in the fifth round.

Gibson, who also played wideout in college and was a force as a special teams returner, seems ready to play an immense role for the Washington offense as a versatile weapon. The clouds have parted for him before what could be some good usage in an NFC East showdown with Philadelphia.

Stock Down: Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

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Deebo Samuel looks like one of the most notable fades in Week 1.

The San Francisco 49ers' second-round pick in 2019 burst onto the scene with 802 yards and three touchdowns over 15 games, scoring 189.1 fantasy points and hitting double-digit production in nine games.

But Samuel has been dealing with a foot injury. While the team activated him from the non-football injury list Saturday, he'll likely be on a snap count and have a hard time breaking past a deep wideout corps that features names like Trent Taylor and Dante Pettis.

Considering the 49ers use plenty of fullbacks and two-tight end sets and have to deal with a Patrick Peterson-led Arizona defense, the short time frame for prep could mean a muted start to the season for Samuel.

Scoring info courtesy of ESPN. ADP info via Fantasy Football Calculator.