With the first round of the fantasy playoffs complete, let’s take a look at some players who had their stock rise/fall from their recent performances ahead of this week’s semifinal matchups.
Stock Up: QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Goff was unstoppable on Saturday against the Broncos, completing 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 278 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers. He has now thrown two or more touchdown passes in five of his last six games. He will look to continue this streak this week against the Vikings and is a must-start in all formats.
Stock Up: WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
McLaurin caught six of his 12 targets for 141 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Rams. This was his first 100-yard game of the season, and he is heating up at the perfect time for fantasy managers. He does have a tough matchup against the Jets this week, but he should still be productive enough to be a strong flex option.
Stock Up: RB Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks
Walker had one of his best games of the season on Monday night against the Eagles, carrying the ball 19 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also added three catches for 26 yards. Walker significantly out-touched rookie Zach Charbonnet and has reestablished himself as Seattle’s lead back. Walker is a low-end RB1 play this week against Tennessee.
Stock Up: WR Noah Brown, Houston Texans
Brown caught eight of his 11 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Titans. Brown’s 11 targets were a season-high, and he will be heavily involved for the remainder of the season with Tank Dell injured. Even if Nico Collins returns this week, Brown should still produce well enough to be a solid flex play against the Browns.
Stock Up: RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Cook had a career day on Sunday against the Cowboys, carrying the ball 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown while also catching two passes for 42 yards and another touchdown. Cook has been on fire lately, having scored over 20 PPR points two weeks in a row, and he hasn’t had less than 100 total yards since Week 9. He is a must-start this week against the Chargers.
Stock Down: WR DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Hopkins had a quiet game on Sunday against the Texans, catching just two passes for 21 yards. He did lead the Titans in targets with nine, but he was unable to convert his targets into production. Hopkins has seen nine or more targets in five of his last seven games but remains very boom or bust this season. He is a risky option this week.
Stock Down: TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce caught five of his seven targets for just 28 yards on Sunday against the Patriots. He produced his third-lowest yardage total of the season and has now not scored a touchdown since Week 11. He is a risky option for this week’s matchup against the Raiders on Christmas Day.
Stock Down: RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson saw only eight total touches on Sunday against the Panthers as he carried the ball seven times for 11 yards and caught just one pass for three yards. He also lost a fumble. The usage (or lack thereof) of Robinson this season has been extremely frustrating for fantasy managers. He will look to bounce back this week but remains a risky start against the Colts.
Stock Down: WR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Lockett was quiet on Monday night against the Eagles, catching just three of his nine targets for 21 yards. His nine targets led the team, but he was unable to turn them into production. He has a favorable matchup this week against the Titans but has scored 10 or more PPR points in just two of his last five games. Start Lockett with caution.
Stock Down: RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Henry was shut down on Sunday against the Texans, carrying the ball 16 times for just nine yards and gaining just one yard on four receptions. This was easily his worst performance of the season. Despite the poor game last week, he does have a favorable matchup against the Seahawks this week, who have a poor rush defense. Even with the favorable matchup, there are safer options at running back this week.
