Fantasy Football Rankings: Preseason Stock Up, Stock Down Watch

Nobody wants to be the owner with Ben Tate on their team. Sure, three weeks ago he looked like a sound sleeper with limitless upside, but now he's on injured reserve. The preseason is an open battlefield where fantasy dreams can come crashing down to reality with a swift blow to the helmet, so owners have to stay prepared for just about anything. 

With the start of the NFL season right around the corner, it's about time for owners to begin checking in on their favorite fantasy targets and see how they are performing thus far. 

With some tough decisions beginning to loom, these rankings should provide a better idea of who to target and who to let pass. This is not a draft guide, but rather a supplementary aid designed to give owners a leg up on the competition. Let's get started...

Stock Up: Matt Schaub, QB Houston Texans

Often overlooked by many owners, the former Falcons’ backup is an absolute gunslinger & a legitimate QB1.

 After leading the league in passing yards in ’09-’10, his preseason play thus far (13/16, 195 yds, TD) has indicated that he’s ready to pick back up right where he left off.

With the number one wideout in the league on his team, the 29-year-old will look to elevate himself into the elite status of fantasy quarterbacks.

Stock Up: Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

After playing last season on two bad feet/ankles, Bradshaw is finally healthy and looks better than the team could have expected so far in camp.

Despite running mate Brandon Jacobs reportedly showing the burst that he lost last season, Bradshaw is the one in camp that continues to turn heads.He’s been getting a ton of work with the first unit and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play more of a feature back role than Jacobs.

Even if it winds up being a 50-50 timeshare, Bradshaw’s upside is almost limitless and could very well be a strong RB2 sooner rather than later. 

Stock Up: Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders

In the same offseason that Oakland admitted one huge mistake in QB JaMarcus Russell, it seems that they’re finally doing the same at the running back position.

After taking Darren McFadden fourth overall in 2008, the Raiders have tried to find a role for Bush on the team with little success. Now that the coaching staff has finally realized what many owners have known for a while (Bush is the better back), the bruiser could be in line for a quiet, productive season behind a re-built offensive line.

As long as new QB Jason Campbell proves capable of connecting more often than Russell, there should be some nice holes to plow through in Oakland. 

Stock Up: Malcom Floyd, WR San Diego Chargers

Someone has to catch the ball in San Diego, right?

While it’s true that TE Antonio Gates will emerge as QB Phillip Rivers’s favorite target this season, I don’t think Floyd will be too far behind. With WR Vincent Jackson holding out and no resolution in sight, teams will be constantly throwing double coverage at Gates, leaving Floyd free to roam the sidelines.

According to those at Chargers camp, Floyd has been one of Rivers's favorite targets in practice and could be in line for a very productive year. With fellow WR Buster Davis & WR Legedu Naanee as his only competition, the 6’5'' wideout from Wyoming could surprise a lot of people. 

Stock Up: JerMichael Finley, TE Green Bay Packers

It’s clear that Finley wants to be one of considered one of the elite fantasy TEs beginning right now.

Through two preseason games, the Rodgers-Finley connection has been unstoppable and looks just as impressive as it did toward the end of last season. Despite the team liking to spread the ball around to different receivers, Finley has a legitimate chance of eclipsing 80 receptions this year while approaching double-digit scores.

He’s the number one target for those in Dynasty leagues & should be considered a top-5 option for those in re-draft formats.  

Stock Up: Matt Forte, RB Chicago Bears

Maybe a little competition is exactly what the doctor ordered for Forte.

The team brought in Chester Taylor from Minnesota after Forte’s lost season, but if the incumbent from Tulane keeps running like he has this preseason, Taylor may have a tough time finding PT.

Showing his 2008 form, Forte looked explosive in his most recent preseason game rushing for 5 times, 109 yards, and a TD.

Owners should feel better than comfortable selecting Forte as an RB2 in any format with as much upside as any other back. His ADP is incredibly low right now and he can be drafted for 50 cents on the dollar.  

Stock Up: Zach Miller, TE Oakland Raiders

Miller was able to be a productive TE last season with Russell under center, so that makes me very excited about his potential production in ’10-’11.

Jason Campbell loves to dump off to his big target, and it seems that the two already have a clear connection. The WR situation in Oakland is anything but stable with Chaz Schillens out indefinitely and Darrius Heyward-Bey has his head firmly implanted up his behind. Louis Murphy is the only wideout with a legitimate chance of production for the black and silver, but I expect Miller to put up gaudiest numbers of any receiver on that team.

Miller is the sleeper of all sleepers at the position and has the talent to establish himself as a top-flight option for years to come. 

Stock Up: Kareem Huggins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite a plethora of running backs on the roster that are supposed to be better than he, Huggins is quickly endearing himself to the coaching staff & establishing his role as the clear-cut number two back.

Derrick Ward hasn’t looked very good at all to this point and with Cadillac Williams having little chance of staying healthy throughout a full season; Huggins could emerge with serious fantasy value.

He’s been playing lights out this preseason and has racked up 99 yards on just 15 carries. If you’re looking for a late-round flier at RB, Huggins could be the steal of the draft. 

Stock Down: Matt Leinart, QB Arizona

As soon as Kurt Warner retired after the year, fantasy owners cringed as they knew that it would soon be Leinart throwing the rock to Larry Fitzgerald.

Halfway done with preseason and it doesn’t look any more promising for the former first-rounder. Not only is he gaining a reputation for immediately checking down if his primary receiver isn’t open, he’s also done nothing to cement his role as a starter since the job was handed to him.

Free agent pickup Derek Anderson has been even less impressive and that’s pretty much the only reason that Leinart still has a firm grip on the job. He really needs to pick it up soon if he hopes to make it in the league. 

Stock Down: Jamaal Charles, RB Kansas City Chiefs

Maybe coach Todd Haley has a fetish for keeping his best players in the doghouse. Last year it was WR Dwayne Bowe, now in 2010 it’s Charles.

After displaying flashes of brilliance last season and proving to be a dynamic playmaker, Charles is still listed as the number two back behind veteran Thomas Jones. In addition to all of that, the speedster is being limited as he continues to get back into the swings from offseason shoulder surgery.

I still think that Charles has a good season despite a woeful offensive line & passing game, but I wouldn’t make him my RB1—that’s for certain. 

Stock Down: Chad Ochocinco, WR Cincinnati Bengals

Let me preface this with the following: I am a HUGE fan of # 85. After a dismal 2008 campaign that had many questioning whether he had lost his thirst for the game, Ocho bounced back triumphantly last season that saw him eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.

However, Ocho may not even be the best WR on the team anymore after the late addition of opposite flanker Terrell Owens. Through two exhibition games, it certainly looks like the enigmatic WR is playing the “Robin” to TO’s “Batman” quite well. He’s been nothing more than a sidekick and Owens owns the better stats of the two.

With a strong running game and exciting newcomers WR Jordan Shipley and TE Jermaine Gresham, Ocho could most certainly see a decrease in targets and a slight drop off in production. 

Stock Down: Golden Tate, WR Seattle Seahawks

When you’re a rookie, it’s never get when the most publicity you get in your first training camp is for breaking into a doughnut shop at 3 a.m.

Enter Golden Tate, an electrifying talent from Notre Dame that was supposed to step in and help solve the woes at WR for the Seahawks. It’s been anything but a seamless transition as Tate has really struggled to pick up the offense at the professional level, getting outplayed by almost every other wideout in camp.

He even admitted he’s having trouble on the field because the game is played at such a faster pace, which certainly doesn’t help his chances of claiming a starting gig.

He’s currently no better than fourth or fifth on the depth chart but could begin to make an ascension up the depth chart in the early part of the year. It’s not like he’s battling against future Hall of Famers out there. 

Stock Down: Greg Olsen, TE Chicago Bears

I don’t care what kind of preseason Olsen has had—he’s a tight end in a Mike Martz offense. Martz’s offenses are designed for big, vertical, down the field plays, not crossing patterns over the middle.

Olsen looked like a prime candidate to breakout last year but disappointed owners miserably as it seemed that he and QB Jay Cutler were never on the same page. Heading into the year, Olsen may not even be a top eight option at the position and has very little upside.

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and let’s just say that Martz isn’t exactly a young pup anymore. 

Stock Down: DeSean Jackson, WR Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson is the poster boy for boom-or-bust fantasy players. Having said that, this year is looking more and more like a bust year for the exciting speedster out of Cal.

With cannon-armed QB Donovan McNabb now in Washington, Kevin Kolb will be slinging it in Philly these days and does not have the same connection with Jackson that McNabb did. Pair that with the fact that Kolb likes to spread the ball around to different receivers, and we could see a lot less of Jackson on the Monday morning SportsCenter Top 10 this year.

I expect Jackson & Maclin to produce about evenly, limiting both of their appeals in fantasy circles. With his ADP sitting much higher than it should, I’m going to let another owner take a gamble on draft day.  

Stock Down: Felix Jones, RB Dallas Cowboys

Despite the fact that the Cowboys' rushing attack is a three-headed monster, Jones was labeled the starter this offseason, even if it is only nominal.

So far this preseason, it certainly looks as if MBIII is entrenched in that role and that Jones is being used to spell him rather than vice versa. Jones has great potential, but that doesn’t win fantasy championships—production does. The speedy back from Arkansas gets injured far too frequently (and easily) for my liking, making him a poor bet to last through the entire season.

At this point, Jones has some appeal as a (poor) flex play, but he’s looking like an RB3/RB4 at best to begin the season; that’s probably not the outlook owners were hoping for entering the year, but so goes life in the fantasy world.