NFL's Stock Up, Stock Down Week 5: Whose Value Is Plummeting After Week 4?

There were some outstanding performances in Week 4: Aaron Rodgers accounted for six touchdowns, Matt Forte rushed for 200 yards and Calvin Johnson once again hauled in two touchdowns. 

But isn't it more fun to criticize than praise?

A handful of players were electrifying in Week 3 only to follow that up with a sharp drop off and a very disappointing Week 4.

It's that type of sharp decline—and apparent inconsistency—that drives coaches and the fans crazy. Maybe we are all too prone to snap judgments and too quick to build up players only to tear them down, but that's just the nature of the sports world today. 

And considering how quickly the fortunes of a team can turn in the span of one game, it's only fair that each game basically be considered a must-win situation. With those types of stakes, players are going to rise fast when they excel and tumble even faster when they don't. 

Here are 10 such examples. 

No. 10: Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers

The signature play of the Steelers win in Week 3 at Indianapolis was Troy Polamalu returning that Curtis Painter fumble for a touchdown.

The signature play of the Steelers loss in Week 4 at Houston—and perhaps the play that best summed up the first month of the 2011 season for Pittsburgh—was Arian Foster's 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. 

Polamalu completely whiffed on Foster's touchdown, which proved to be the game-winning score.

Of course Polamalu is still one of the best defenders in the NFL, so his stock is not worthless: far, far from it. 

But he was a much more disruptive force against the Colts than he was against the Texans. Several times on Sunday he looked out of position and didn't make the plays they needed him to given how much the front seven struggled against Houston's zone blocking scheme.

Sure the Colts offense is light years behind the Texans, but the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year will never get a pass simply because of that criteria. 

No. 9: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, New York Jets

A week ago in Oakland, LaDainian Tomlinson had a brilliant game.

The Jets may have lost to the Raiders, but with Tomlinson rushing (six carries for 38 yards) and once again being a threat out of the backfield (five catches, 116 yards, one TD) they kept it close through three-and-a-half quarters.  LT looked like the LT of old, a duel threat. 

But against Baltimore, Tomlinson (and the entire Jets offense) were basically invisible. 

Now, say what you will about Mark Sanchez's poor performance, the Jets problems on the offensive line and the fact that they were playing Baltimore.

But for LT to have one catch for four yards, and three rushes—only one of which gained positive yards—is the very definition of a plummeting stock. 

No. 8: Ahtyba Rubin, DT, Cleveland Browns

Someone has to be blamed for the Browns poor effort Sunday against Tennessee, and while Rubin isn't the only one who struggled against the surprising Titans, he still deserves a spot on this list. 

Rubin really showed promise in the Week 3 victory over Miami. Not only did he rush the passer with great consistency (1.5 sacks) but he was a significant force in defending the run, recording a tackle-for-loss and eight solo tackles in all.

But Sunday, the revamped and now largely underrated Tennessee offensive line handled the Browns front seven and especially Rubin. 

Tennessee didn't allow a sack and Chris Johnson ran for over 100 yards.

They always say the game is won or lost in the trenches. Well, with Rubin shinning a week ago against Miami, Cleveland won, and with him not standing out a week later against Tennessee, they lost. 

No. 7: Pat Angerer, LB, Indianapolis Colts

Part of the reason why Angerer earned a spot on this list was purely because of the statistics. He recorded 21 tackles (10 solo) a week ago against the Steelers. So, by comparison, his performance against the Bucs (10 tackles and six solos) was a major drop off.

But that wasn't the biggest reason why his stock plummeted a bit this week.

After the way Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney played in the narrow loss to Pittsburgh, the Buccaneers focused so much attention on those two defensive ends that it should have allowed a linebacker like Angerer plenty of opportunities to make plays. And he really didn't. 

Josh Freeman scrambled all over the field, LeGarrette Blount racked up huge yards on the ground and the Buccaneers made play after play through the air, especially in the intermediate passing game.  

No. 6: Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills

Again, as was the case with Troy Polamalu, I'm not suggesting that it's time for the Bills to look for a new quarterback. Fitzpatrick has solidified himself as worthy of the "franchise quarterback" label in Buffalo...at least for now. 

But he still had a pretty big drop off in production from last week to this week.

Fitzpatrick was electrifying and so sharp in that great comeback win over the Patriots. But he did not play well in Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Sure he completed 20 passes, but he really struggled to get the ball downfield and it helped cost the Bills in a game most expected them to win. 

That offense looked so fluid against New England, then managed just three points in the second half and ultimately the blame for that falls on the quarterback's shoulder.

No. 5: Jason Campbell, QB, Oakland Raiders

With their running attack—arguably the best in football—and a collection of really talented, fast and young wide receivers, the Oakland Raiders don't need Jason Campbell to play quarterback like Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. He doesn't have to rack up 400 yard games or throw three touchdowns each week.

All they need from him is to not turn the ball over or make mistakes. And (partly) because he did that last week against the Jets, Oakland won and improved to 2-1. And (partly) because he didn't do that this week against the Patriots, Oakland lost and fell to 2-2. 

Campbell's interception to Vince Wilfork (shockingly the big defensive lineman's second of the season) got most of the negative press, but by then the game was all but decided. It was the earlier pick that really put the Raiders behind the eight ball. 

Late in the first half, behind 14-10, the Raiders advanced inside Patriots 10-yard line thanks to their fine running game, but Campbell was picked off (who was he throwing to!?!?) costing them any chance of points. The Pats went right down and scored a field goal for what was probably a 10-point momentum swing. 

No. 4: LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Granted the Eagles lost in both Weeks 3 and 4, but McCoy's stock certainly took a hit in between.

Aside from that poor effort on 4th-and-short, Shady had a great individual game against the Giants, rushing for 128 yards on 24 carries. But Sunday against the 49ers he was not a factor at all on the ground, carrying the ball nine times for 18 yards.

Forget the overall stats for a minute and consider this: in the second half, when the Eagles really needed him to make plays to salt away the clock as they held a 20-point lead, McCoy had four rushes for three total yards. 

Criticize Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg for the play selection if you like, but if they had more faith in McCoy's ability to hit the holes, they might have turned to him as the game wound down. 

No. 3: Michael Jenkins, WR, Minnesota Vikings

It's hard to imagine anyone with the 0-4 Vikings (except for maybe Adrian Peterson) having a high enough stock at any point in this season for it to have plummeted significantly, but that's the case with Jenkins.

A week ago as the Vikings nearly pulled out their first win of the season against Detroit, the former Falcon first round pick caught nine passes for 88 yards, easily one of the best performances of his eight-year career.

But he followed that up with a one-yard, one-catch effort against a depleted winless Chiefs defense that was missing their best secondary player in Eric Berry and had allowed the most points in the NFL coming into Week 4. 

That one catch and one yard may have been for a late fourth-quarter touchdown, but it was the only time McNabb targeted Jenkins, meaning he was not able to get open when the Vikings needed him to earlier in the game. 

No. 2: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Flacco's team may have beaten the Jets in Week 4—making him the only player to earn a spot on this list in a winning effort—but it was certainly in spite of him...or maybe just due to some combination of the Ravens dominating defense and the Jets sputtering offense. 

A week ago in St. Louis, Flacco looked like an All Pro candidate, carving up the Rams secondary for 389 yards and three touchdowns. 

But against the Jets he was horrible, completing less than one-third of his attempts and throwing a pick-six to David Harris (way off target) that helped the Jets get back in the game late in the first half. 

The Jets secondary is outstanding, so Flacco wasn't going to light the stat sheet up even on his best day. But for a starting NFL quarterback—particularly one touted as a potential franchise player—to complete just three passes to wide receivers in 60 minutes of football is baffling. 

No. 1: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Was there any surprise to this choice? 

Romo was showered with such praise and adoration a week ago following his performance on Monday Night against the Redskins. Not only did he play through the pain of the broken rib and punctured lung, but he hit Dez Bryant on that momentous 3rd-and-21, setting up the game-winning field goal. 

Countless talking heads declared that a defining moment for his career and expected him to finally ascend to that elite status he's seemingly flirted with for years. Translation: his stock was bordering on Brees, Brady, Manning, Rodgers-like status. 

But Sunday against the Lions the bubble burst thanks to three picks, including two that were returned for touchdowns, as Dallas squandered a 24-point second half lead at home.

It was a textbook case of going from hero to goat practically overnight, and, ironically enough, a textbook example of Tony Romo's quarterback play in general.