This article is part of our NFL Barometer series.
RISING
Mark Sanchez, QB, PHI
With Nick Foles out with a broken collarbone, Sanchez should immediately push for fantasy QB1 status in Chip Kelly's scheme. Foles was not playing at a high level prior to suffering the injury, averaging just 6.9 yards per pass, yet he entered Sunday's game against Houston on pace for 4,660 yards through the air. Sanchez should come close to that same pace and perhaps even exceed it, and his superior running skills could make him the clearly better fantasy option of the two. Foles had just 67 yards and no touchdowns prior to Sunday after running for 221 yards and three scores last year, but Sanchez ran for 12 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons.
Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
Bryant has only been active for the last three weeks, but the rookie fourth-round pick looks like the sort of player who will be on plenty of championship-winning fantasy squads at the end of the year. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound speedster has gone from an interesting waiver wire consideration to a must-own player verging on WR2 status in less than a month. After catching three of five targets for 44 yards and two touchdowns against Baltimore on Sunday, Bryant has a three-game total of 10 catches for 167 yards and five touchdowns, and his role could continue expanding as he further demonstrates his superiority to incumbent WR2 Markus Wheaton. It's probably not a coincidence that Ben Roethlisberger caught fire once the Steelers activated
RISING
Mark Sanchez, QB, PHI
With Nick Foles out with a broken collarbone, Sanchez should immediately push for fantasy QB1 status in Chip Kelly's scheme. Foles was not playing at a high level prior to suffering the injury, averaging just 6.9 yards per pass, yet he entered Sunday's game against Houston on pace for 4,660 yards through the air. Sanchez should come close to that same pace and perhaps even exceed it, and his superior running skills could make him the clearly better fantasy option of the two. Foles had just 67 yards and no touchdowns prior to Sunday after running for 221 yards and three scores last year, but Sanchez ran for 12 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons.
Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
Bryant has only been active for the last three weeks, but the rookie fourth-round pick looks like the sort of player who will be on plenty of championship-winning fantasy squads at the end of the year. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound speedster has gone from an interesting waiver wire consideration to a must-own player verging on WR2 status in less than a month. After catching three of five targets for 44 yards and two touchdowns against Baltimore on Sunday, Bryant has a three-game total of 10 catches for 167 yards and five touchdowns, and his role could continue expanding as he further demonstrates his superiority to incumbent WR2 Markus Wheaton. It's probably not a coincidence that Ben Roethlisberger caught fire once the Steelers activated Bryant.
Odell Beckham, WR, NYG
In addition to Bryant, Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, Beckham is yet another rookie wideout poised to provide top-25 fantasy value at receiver to close out the year. The Giants badly lack receiver depth with Victor Cruz out for the season, and even year-long starter Rueben Randle has proven incredibly inefficient, totaling just 370 yards and two touchdowns on 69 targets. By sharp contrast, Beckham has 18 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns on just 26 targets. With 18 targets in his last two games, Beckham is looking like a must-own player in formats with 12 or more teams.
Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
Peterson's exact status remains unclear, but by pleading no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge, Peterson will avoid jail time and will actually have no conviction on his record if he meets the terms of his two-year deferred adjudication. Although the NFL has shown no regard for precedent or procedure in its handling of Peterson in the midst of its domestic violence PR nightmare, Peterson's lightened legal situation paves the way for him to return to the field if the Vikings and the NFL determine that Peterson's monetary and competitive upside outweighs the hassle posed by his problematic PR.
Corey Washington, WR, NYG
While Odell Beckham will deservedly get most of the hype among Giants wideouts, Washington is another rookie wideout who appears to be surging for the Giants. Washington (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) was undrafted out of Newberry, but he had an enormous preseason, catching 10 passes for 155 yards and four touchdowns. With Rueben Randle and Preston Parker combining for just five catches for 56 yards on 17 targets against Indianapolis on Monday, the Giants turned to Washington later in the game. The rookie responded with four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Parker (ankle) was wearing a boot after the game, so Washington has a good chance to continue auditioning as the Giants' third wideout. Early indications are that he deserves at least that much on merit alone, regardless of Parker's health.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN
Rudolph is aiming to return from his groin injury in Week 11, making him worth an add in many or most formats as he prepares to retake the starting tight end role in Minnesota. Rudolph received 17 targets on the year before suffering the injury in Week 3, and backup Chase Ford has been regularly targeted by new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the last two weeks, resulting in Ford catching 11 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets.
FALLING
Nick Foles, QB, PHI
Foles is expected to miss at least six weeks with the broken collarbone he suffered Sunday, which puts him out until at least Week 16. After a remarkable 2013 season in which he threw 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions, Foles crashed back to earth in emphatic fashion this year, totaling just 13 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. His YPA averaged dropped from 9.1 in 2013 to just 6.9 this year, too. After setting the bar so low, Foles might not get his starting role back from Mark Sanchez even after he regains his health.
Doug Martin, RB, TB
Even after he returns from his current ankle issue, it's hard to see why Martin would see more than a handful of carries the rest of the year. He has just 166 yards and a touchdown on 58 carries this year, which gives him just 622 yards on 185 carries over the last two years (3.36 YPC). Bobby Rainey is the better player, and rookie third-round pick Charles Sims ought to play ahead of Martin as well once he makes his return from an ankle injury, probably this week against Atlanta.
Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
Bernard is still a very valuable fantasy asset – probably even an RB1 in PPR formats – but by missing Sunday's game against Jacksonville with a hip issue, Bernard allowed rookie second-round pick Jeremy Hill to get his foot into the door of the Cincinnati running back rotation. Hill burned the Jaguars for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, giving him 349 yards and two touchdowns on 74 carries this year (4.7 YPC). It's looking like Hill might be the better pure runner than Bernard, the owner of an unimpressive career rushing average of just 4.1 yards per carry, so Bernard might see a few less early-down snaps once he returns from his injury, probably after this week's game against Cleveland.
