Week Five of the 100th season is officially in the books. It brought us unexpected MVP candidates, another disappointing Browns’ loss, a matchup between conference contenders, and some strong statements by multiple teams. You can make a firm argument that this was the best week of football yet. Nevertheless, I return with the Week Five edition of my NFL stock market. Whose stock rose from last week and whose performance dropped-off?
Stock Up: Christian McCaffrey vs. Jaguars
Week 5 Stats: 19 carries, 176 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 6 receptions, and 61 receiving yards.
It’s time to put Christian McCaffrey in the MVP conversation. At this moment, he’s the best running back in the NFL. He had the most impressive performance of the week both on the ground and on my fantasy team (74.5 points). His talent is undeniable, and at this point, every time he touches the ball, opponents fear what’s about to come.
McCaffrey has the speed, strength, and athleticism to get it done on the ground. That’s shown with his 176 rushing yards. The fact that he’s able to be a receiver for the Panthers, with a backup QB, is just insane. The Jaguars are (or at least were) regarded as one of the best defenses in the league. That didn’t mean much for McCaffrey.
He’s third on the MVP ladder for me, and if his performance in Week 5 didn’t show it, I don’t know what will.
The Panthers are currently without starting QB Cam Newton. It’s less of a problem than initially anticipated because they have the best RB in the league, hands down. If they want to keep pace in the division, all I have for them is to keep giving the ball to McCaffrey. Make him be the offensive outlet that wins you football games because, looking at it now, he’s the league’s most dominant player.
Carolina faces the constantly up-and-down Buccaneers in Week 5 whose defense gave up 371 passing yards to back-up QB Teddy Bridgewater. If I had to make a prediction, I’d say to bet heavy on another big game by Christian McCaffrey.
Stock Down: Baker Mayfield vs. 49ers
Week 5 Stats: 36.4 completion percentage, 100 passing yards, 2 interceptions, and a 13.4 passer rating.
I just want to mention now that I never saw the greatness in the Browns this season. The Steelers were my pick to win the division, and that may still happen. Looking at the Browns, though, they’ve been the most disappointing team considering the hype they had going into the season. Yes, the Browns (and Mayfield) shut their doubters up. But, that was only for one week.
The Browns have a whirlwind of problems and that begins with the play of Baker Mayfield. As a former number one pick, Mayfield is playing like nothing of the sort. From what I’ve seen, Mayfield is one of the more disliked players in the league. His play doesn’t seem to reflect that five weeks into the season. He had a beyond disappointing 36.4 completion percentage with players that should warrant a high-powered offense.
I don’t know what’s going on with the Browns. All I know is that Mayfield probably should’ve been ranked lower in my preseason quarterback rankings. He’s unable to build a chemistry with either Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry. On top of that, his head coach, Freddie Kitchens, isn’t a head coach. My doubts for the Browns were sparked because Freddie Kitchens just isn’t suited to coach this team.
All of those factors combine to create the season that is Baker Mayfield’s. With the out-going, sometimes controversial personality that Mayfield has, he needs to at least be a decent quarterback going forward. However, that need quickly turns into being an elite quarterback because his next two games are against the Seahawks and Patriots.
Stock down for Mayfield because he just isn’t a good quarterback right now. He’s on the lower-end of NFL quarterbacks and rightfully so.
Stock Up: DeShaun Watson vs. Falcons
Week 5 Stats: 84.8 completion percentage, 426 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 4 carries, 47 rushing yards, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Deshaun Watson has to be one of the most secretly great quarterbacks in the league. Once again, if we’re not talking about Patrick Mahomes, we’re probably talking about Deshaun Watson. Watson literally dominated the Falcon’s secondary in what was an impressive performance in all facets.
It’s not often we see a quarterback with 28 passes completed, 425+ passing yards, 5+ touchdowns, and zero interceptions. In fact, Watson was the first player in NFL history with such stats. And, while I thought McCaffrey was the best player this past week, Watson wasn’t far behind.
For me, this game showed me how dangerous of a player Watson can be. The Texans don’t have the best offensive line in football by any means. However, when they do have their stuff together, Watson is as dynamic of a quarterback as anyone in the league. He thrived in desperate situations. On the flip side, the Atlanta Falcons aren’t the best defense.
What’s clear is that when Watson gets his fair share of time in the pocket, he’s pretty much unstoppable. And, when he’s unstoppable like he was last Sunday, it only means good things for the players around him. Proof of that was clear in Will Fuller’s 14 reception, 217-yard game.
Watson and the Texans have the Chiefs next which will be a huge game for both teams. He’ll have much to prove going into this matchup against the defending MVP Patrick Mahomes. Let’s hope he can have another huge game.
Stock Up: Russell Wilson vs. Rams
Week 5 Stats: 73.9 passer rating, 268 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 8 carries, 32 rushing yards, and a 151.8 passer rating.
The second MVP candidate we have on this list is Seahawks QB Russell Wilson who’s playing out of his mind. Wilson’s performance against division foe and defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams has warranted him to be put ahead of Mahomes on some MVP rankings.
After his excellent performance, Wilson has now tallied 1,409 passing yards (tied-seventh), 12 passing touchdowns (first), zero interceptions (first), and a 126.3 passer rating (third). On top of that, he’s led the Seahawks to a 4-1 record, first in the NFC West.
When I look at Russell Wilson’s career, he’s someone who’s been a top-five quarterback in recent years. This year, though, he’s shown to take it up a notch. What better way to legitimize yourself than against the defending conference champions?
On a team where the running game is heavily emphasized, Wilson remains on pace for the most passes of his career. MVPs usually come from teams who put wins up on the board. If Wilson can keep this up, he may end the season with a very strong argument for the award.
Wilson earned himself a stock up because he took down the defending NFC champs, continuing his MVP campaign. I expect it to continue against the Browns.
Stock Down: Ezekiel Elliott vs. Packers
Week 5 Stats: 12 carries, 62 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, and 29 receiving yards.
Once again Ezekiel Elliott sold out. Yes, he scored a touchdown. However, he doesn’t look like the same player he once was, and that is a fact. Elliott, as I have stated before, got his new contract and simply disappeared. For almost anybody else, these stats would be acceptable. But, for a player who’s led the league in rushing two of the past three seasons, his performance was not.
Granted, the Packers defense is one of the league’s best this year. However, in the past, Elliott has shown he can pound the ball on any defense he faces. What drops his stock even lower is the rippling effect his performance has on the rest of the Cowboys.
Amari Cooper had a career day, Dak Prescott threw for 463 yards, and the Cowboys still lost by 10 points. One can always ask themselves what if Elliott was the player we’re all used to seeing? It may have resulted in a 5-0 Cowboys team instead of the 3-2 team.
Stock Up: Aaron Jones vs. Cowboys
Week 5 Stats: 19 carries, 107 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns, 7 receptions, and 75 receiving yards.
On the opposing sideline, we had a running back who looked like Elliott should’ve. Aaron Jones had a career day torching the sixth-ranked defense in the NFL.
When you have Aaron Rodgers on your team, the focus usually isn’t pounding the ball on the ground. Nevertheless, Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur had Jones going all game long, and it worked out just fine.
Jones was a large part in the Packers’ 31-10 halftime lead, led by his four first-half rushing touchdowns. Jones showed me that he can potentially be a huge part of the Packers’ hunt for a Super Bowl ring. The win alone solidified the Packers as one of the NFC’s elite teams. Jones, for at least one week, showed he’s a player the Packers can somewhat lean on in tough spots. Of course, Green Bay was never in a tough spot this entire game, but you get the point.
The Packers have a passing presence and what looks like a running game. Do I expect Aaron Jones to be on the stock up again? No. However, this was still an impressive outing against my NFC favorite.
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