Fantasy Football 101: Post-Pre Season Risers and Fallers

As a general rule of thumb one needs to take preseason play and stats with a grain of salt, but they can be a valuable tool for evaluating a player's overall talent, and more importantly his role on the team. Below we take a look at some of the players whose stock is rising and falling as the pre-season nears its close.

Quarterback:

Rising: 

Matthew Stafford, Detroit - Stafford has shown good poise in the preseason and with Megatron looking healthy and Jahvid Best as electric as advertised, the Lions offense could put up some serious points.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore - If I am investing in a quarterback beyond the top seven, Flacco is my guy. He has weapons for the first time and Cam Cameron will find ways to allow Flacco to take advantage of the talent around him. Take Flacco ahead of Favre.

Trent Edwards, Buffalo - Edwards has solidified his hold on the Bills quarterback job and the addition of CJ Spiller could open up opportunities in the passing game.  Also, don't forget coach Chan Gailey made Tyler Thigpen fantasy relevant back in KC. Edwards could prove valuable in two quarterback leagues and a guy to watch early in the season in standard leagues.

Falling:

Jay Cutler, Chicago - Getting sacked 10 times through three games in limited action is scary. The upside remains, but counting on Cutler as a fantasy starter is getting scary.

Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia - Andy Reid went all in on Kolb when they traded Donovan McNabb, but Kolb has struggled behind spotty protection, completing just 53% of his passes and failing to throw a single touchdown pass in the preseason. The talent is there but expect some growing pains.

Derek Anderson/Matt Leinart, Arizona - Unlike Brett Favre, Kurt Warner was very upfront and steadfast in his retirement decision, yet these guys are the best the Cards have to offer.  The Cards could actually be looking for a starting quarterback in the trade/free agent market.

Brett Favre, Minnesota - He's a warrior but the 41 year old is not moving well on the ankle and injuries to his top targets make a repeat of last season's numbers unlikely. Look for the Vikes to lean on Adrian Peterson early as Favre works his way back into form.

Running Back:

Rising:

CJ Spiller - Injuries have given Spiller a chance to showcase his playmaking ability this preseason. Despite a crowded backfield, the Bills will find ways to get the ball into the hands of their best offensive threat. Think Chris Johnson as a rookie.

Ahmad Bradshaw - The buzz in New York is Bradshaw will get about 2/3 of the workload for the G-men this season. Bradshaw has big play ability and don't be surprised if the Giants get him more involved in the passing game as well.

Arian Foster - No player's stock has risen more this preseason than Foster's. With an injury to Ben Tate and sluggish play by Steve Slaton, Foster should be in line for a feature back role. The only concern is his stock may have increased too much.  Be careful not to overdraft him.

Kareem Huggins - If no player's stock has risen more than Arian Foster's then no player has come out of no where more than Huggins. He is slightly built at 5'9 198, but he has burst (rumored 4.28 40) and has shown good vision this preseason. After the release of Derrick Ward, the backup job to injury prone Cadillac Williams is Huggins' to lose. Opportunity knocks. A Mr. Irrelevant type to use your last positional player pick on.

Falling:

Beanie Wells - The Cardinals offense has looked miserable in the preseason and Wells has not been able to pull away from Tim Hightower as many expected. He will be better than a year ago but is unlikely to play like a 2nd round fantasy pick.

Rashard Mendenhall - The Steelers offensive line has failed to gel in the preseason, especially with the loss of OT Willie Colon. Combined with the eight man fronts he will likely face in the first four weeks, Mendenhall will struggle to live up to his RB1 hype. 

Michael Bush - Early word is the broken thumb will keep Bush out until at least October.  Prior to the injury he looked to have a stranglehold on the number one running back job. 

Wide Receiver

Rising:

Mike Williams, Seattle - The man who once ate himself out of the league has been re-born under former coach Pete Carroll. Arguably the team's best red zone option, Williams is slated to play a major role in the Seahawks offense.

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay - It is rare for a 4th round pick to receive as much preseason buzz, but Williams has displayed the "it" factor you look for in a young receiver this preseason. Talent has never been Williams' problem. As long as he finds ways to attend all the team meetings and stay out of trouble off the field, Williams should be the Bucs No. 1 receiver and challenge for most valuable rookie receiver.

Johnny Knox, Chicago - The Bears offense has hardly showcased the Martz Magic this preseason, but Knox has appeared to emerge as the team's top target entering the season. If the Bears can find a way to keep Jay Cutler upright, Knox could have a breakout season.

Laurant Robinson, St. Louis - A deep sleeper of mine the past couple of years, Robinson has his best opportunity yet after the Rams lost Donnie Avery for the season. Robinson has a good combination of size and speed and will look to be Sam Bradford's favorite target this season.

Falling:

TJ Houshmandzadeh, Seattle - Mike Williams and Golden Tate are the starting to look like the present and the future which could cut into Housh's role.

Chad Ocho Cinco, Cincinnati  - The addition of TO and emergence of TE Jermaine Gresham means Chad could make more big plays but may struggle to find consistency and 1,000 yards in 2010.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona - This is not a knock on Fitzgerald as much as it is against the Cardinals quarterback situation. Expect Fitzgerald to have a hot and cold season and struggle to live up to his WR1 talent.

Brandon Marshall, Miami - Marshall has struggled to develop chemistry with quarterback Chad Henne and the Dolphins run-first attack probably put Marshall's catch total ceiling at around 90 with 80-85 most likely.

Tight End:

Rising:

Zach Miller, Oakland - Miller has put up solid receiving numbers in the past, but the Raiders #1 receiving target should push his numbers up a notch this season and benefit from increased red zone opportunities.

Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez, New England - Both of the Patriot rookie tight ends have performed well this pre-season. Whichever one earns the starting job could be a valuable fantasy contributor. 

Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati - With TO and Ocho being primarily perimeter targets, the Bengals will look to Gresham to keep defenses honest over the middle and making plays down the seam. The Bengals have gone out of their way to get their tight ends involved this preseason.

Falling:

Owen Daniels, Houston - Coming off ACL surgery, Daniels has been limited during the preseason making him a gamble as a number one tight end.

Greg Olsen, Chicago - The talk entering the season was how Mike Martz's offense was going to limit Olsen's opportunities but abysmal play by the offensive line play will cause them to play Brandon Manumaleuna more.

Defense:

Rising:

Oakland - Playing in the AFC West and playing the NFC West along with solid play this preseason makes the Raiders defense a surprising sleeper option.

San Francisco - Mike Singletary has the attacking unit he likes and playing the AFC West as well as six games in the offensively challenged NFC West should make them a top five defense.

Falling:

New England - Lacking a dominant pass rush, now features one of the league's youngest secondaries making one of fantasy's better defenses a question mark entering the season.

New Orleans - With Darren Sharper slow to recover from microfracture surgery, the Saints will struggle to duplicate the 39 turnovers from a year ago and the overall talent is unlikely to keep opponents under 20 points a game making this a hit or miss unit.

Be sure to check out NFLDraft101's rankings, sleepers, busts and preseason thoughts about all 32 teams.

Chris Maier is Senior Editor for NFLDraft101.com.  He can be reached at [e-mail].  Follow me on twitter: nfldraft101