NFL Barometer: Time to Downgrade Rodgers?

RISING

Tavon Austin, WR, STL

It seems almost too good to be true given the two busted seasons leading up to this year, but Austin seems to have turned a corner as a fantasy asset. After totaling just 239 yards and no touchdowns on 45 targets last year, Austin is already up to 300 yards and four touchdowns on 46 targets in 2015. That's an enormous improvement, and it leaves him on pace to finish with 600 yards and eight touchdowns. That figure itself is obviously not going to do much in most fantasy leagues, but another 207 yards and two touchdowns on the ground (8.3 YPC) has Austin's production closer to WR2 territory than WR3. He'll likely regress to more of a WR3 finish, but the 2013 eighth overall pick appears to be less of a bust than what was feared.

Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN

Even if we think of his Week 9 boxscore as 310 yards, three touchdowns and an interception instead of 371 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, Mariota has still been remarkably promising through his first six starts. Completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,610 yards (8.0 YPA), 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, Mariota's in the midst of one of the best rookie quarterback seasons ever despite dealing with an MCL sprain and a trainwreck of a roster. Mariota's passing numbers likely will regress a bit -- his current 16-game pace of 4,293 yards and roughly 35 touchdowns just doesn't seem sustainable -- but the real treat for Mariota's fantasy owners will be when he finally shows off the wheels. Mariota is obviously committed to proving himself as a pocket passer, but his average of 11 carries for every 200 pass attempts has to surge upward eventually.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN

One of the reasons for optimism with Mariota is Green-Beckham, as the rookie second-round pick is showing signs of developing into an upgrade over the likes of Harry Douglas and Justin Hunter. Green-Beckham had what was by far his most active day as a pro against the Saints on Sunday, leading Tennessee with 10 targets, catching five for 77 yards. Kendall Wright's absence with a knee injury certainly was a major reason why Green-Beckham's workload escalated, but even if Wright returns this week against Carolina, the Titans have reason to increase Green-Beckham's snaps at the expense of Douglas and Hunter, who respectively have played roughly 50 and 65 percent of Tennessee's snaps.

Danny Woodhead, RB, SD

As Melvin Gordon continues to disappoint, Woodhead should stand to benefit. After running for 31 yards on 11 carries against Chicago on Monday, Gordon is up to just 413 yards on 114 carries (3.6 YPC), with no touchdowns but four fumbles. Woodhead's 230 yards and two scores on 58 carries (4.0 YPC) is a better return, as is Woodhead's receiving production, where he's averaging more than twice as many yards per catch (11.6 to 5.6). Especially with Keenan Allen out for the year, the Chargers have to lean on Woodhead consistently both as a runner and receiver, and he saw double-digit targets for the second time in three weeks Monday.

FALLING

Eddie Lacy, RB, GB

Lacy seemingly should have recovered by now from his Week 2 ankle sprain, yet his production in his last four games is awful. He has just 78 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries over that span while fumbling three consecutive weeks. James Starks has clearly been more effective this year. While Lacy has 308 yards and two touchdowns on 83 carries (3.7 YPC), Starks has 334 yards and a touchdown on 78 carries (4.3 YPC). Starks has also been the more explosive receiver, catching 19 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. While the chatter of Lacy being overweight might have been a bit excessive in past years, Lacy appears to be in worse shape than ever. Now he's dealing with a groin injury. It's hard to see how Lacy might generate much momentum from this point.

C.J. Spiller, RB, NO

Spiller was originally part of the theoretical replacement for Jimmy Graham -- him, and Brandin Cooks -- but the impact just hasn't been there. He finished Sunday's game against Tennessee with just two carries and one reception, showing that his place in the gameplan could be removed any given week, and his season-long numbers are disappointing, too. As it turned out, Willie Snead and Ben Watson had more to do with replacing Graham than Spiller, who has just 86 rushing yards to go with 24 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB

Rodgers is nearly beyond criticism as a quarterback, and his numbers this year are still excellent, but there are signs of fraying in the Green Bay offense. Even aside from the well-publicized struggles of Lacy, Rodgers has had to deal with weak pass blocking and receivers who don't get enough separation. The eventual return of Ty Montgomery will help add some explosiveness, but the Packers might also want to consider giving Jeff Janis more snaps to put more speed on the field.

Antonio Brown, WR, PIT

Just when Ben Roethlisberger shook off the rust from his knee injury and put Brown back in a position to be a fantasy force, a foot injury struck Roethlisberger against the Raiders on Sunday, and now Brown will be stuck with production-tanking quarterback play for at least one week. It's possible Roethlisberger will be ready to return Week 12 after Pittsburgh's bye, but a week with Landry Jones at quarterback figures to limit Brown's opportunity somewhat.