This article is part of our NFL Barometer series.
RISING
DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
Parker went into the season as one of the most heralded receiver prospects after Miami selected him 14th overall in the most recent draft. An offseason foot surgery delayed his debut, and from there he was invisible to an extent that made it unclear if the foot was still an issue. He had just four catches for 49 yards and no touchdowns in his first eight games, so it was fair to wonder whether Parker just wasn't showing anything on the field. After Parker found the end zone while catching four passes for 80 yards against the Jets on Sunday, it gave new reason to think that Miami's wide receiver depth – Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews, Kenny Stills, and Greg Jennings all played ahead of Parker at various points – along with the general political instability of the Dolphins organization, were the actual reasons behind Parker's invisibility. Either way, broken ribs will keep Matthews out for some time, and Parker should get a shot to build on his breakout game.
David Johnson, RB, ARZ
Chris Johnson reportedly suffered a broken tibia against the 49ers on Sunday, and Andre Ellington is dealing with turf toe. No one is playing on a freshly broken tibia, and a case of true turf toe all but rules out Ellington for at least one game. Assuming both are out, that would push David Johnson into the starting lineup for the Cardinals. His role has been
RISING
DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
Parker went into the season as one of the most heralded receiver prospects after Miami selected him 14th overall in the most recent draft. An offseason foot surgery delayed his debut, and from there he was invisible to an extent that made it unclear if the foot was still an issue. He had just four catches for 49 yards and no touchdowns in his first eight games, so it was fair to wonder whether Parker just wasn't showing anything on the field. After Parker found the end zone while catching four passes for 80 yards against the Jets on Sunday, it gave new reason to think that Miami's wide receiver depth – Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews, Kenny Stills, and Greg Jennings all played ahead of Parker at various points – along with the general political instability of the Dolphins organization, were the actual reasons behind Parker's invisibility. Either way, broken ribs will keep Matthews out for some time, and Parker should get a shot to build on his breakout game.
David Johnson, RB, ARZ
Chris Johnson reportedly suffered a broken tibia against the 49ers on Sunday, and Andre Ellington is dealing with turf toe. No one is playing on a freshly broken tibia, and a case of true turf toe all but rules out Ellington for at least one game. Assuming both are out, that would push David Johnson into the starting lineup for the Cardinals. His role has been limited, both due to Arizona's running back depth and coach Bruce Arians' apparent general mistrust of rookies. Nonetheless, the rookie third-round pick out of Northern Iowa has consistently impressed, running for 139 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries, with 19 receptions for 241 yards and another three touchdowns. He also has a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, giving him eight total scores. Although a matchup with St. Louis isn't ideal, Chris Johnson ran for 83 yards on 16 carries in the first game between the teams, and David probably made up for a lost fumble by catching four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.
C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
Few players disappointed fantasy owners as much as Anderson in the first six weeks of the season, as he ran for just 180 yards and no touchdowns on 67 carries (2.7 YPC). It appears safe to attribute that production to the turf toe injury he was playing through at the time, as Anderson has been excellent since the Week 7 bye, running for 316 yards (6.3 YPC) and three touchdowns in five games. Ronnie Hillman took the starting running back role while Anderson plodded through the bye week with his injury, but Anderson has been the better player since the bye and should be able to at least force an even split.
Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
Baldwin is an efficient player for the Seahawks, but he generally hasn't looked like a go-to option or a player who could take over a game. Baldwin's 145-yard, three-touchdowns showing against the Steelers on Sunday gives him 19 catches for 339 yards and four touchdowns on 24 targets in his last three games. Particularly with Jimmy Grahamsuffering a season-ending patellar tendon injury, it would be baffling if Seattle didn't try to build its passing game around Baldwin, so long as he maintains the level of play he's shown recently.
Shaun Draughn, RB, SF
The efficiency hasn't been there, with averages of just 3.4 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per catch, but Draughn has seen a big workload in the 49ers offense the past three games. He has 43 carries and 17 catches over that span, resulting in no touchdowns but 259 yards from scrimmage. With Carlos Hyde (foot) somewhat doubtful on an indefinite basis, Draughn has a good shot at maintaining this workload, though the struggles of the 49ers offense and Draughn's own unimpressive prospect profile combine to limit his ceiling.
FALLING
Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
Graham's time in Seattle had been improbably frustrating enough going into last week due to his sporadic use. He then he suffered a torn patellar tendon against the Steelers. It's a uniquely problematic injury, and one of the worst knee injuries to suffer as far as recovering pre-injury skill. Now 29, Graham finishes his year with 48 catches for 605 yards and two touchdowns.
Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
After a promising enough three-game stretch to begin the year, Ryan has slumped through October and November. His solid September numbers -- 946 yards (8.2 YPA), five touchdowns and two interceptions -- were followed with 2,266 yards (7.2 YPA), 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the next eight games. Ryan definitely hasn't played well, but it's probably hard to catch the defense off guard when, in an offense attempting more than 39 passes per game, the team's second-leading receiver is a running back averaging 8.8 yards per catch. It seems like it's a Julio-or-checkdown passing game at the moment, and you could find further concern in how journeyman tight end Jacob Tamme is the third-leading receiver with 44 receptions for 515 yards and one touchdown.
Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
Coleman had a chance to make a strong enough impression in his spot start against the Vikings on Sunday to perhaps earn a bigger role in the Atlanta offense, but he fell a bit short. What started as his most promising moment in the game turned out to be a negative, as he fumbled at the end of a 46-yard run, putting a major asterisk next to an otherwise good boxscore of 18 carries for 110 yards. It appears that Terron Ward is the more adept passing-down option at the moment, however, and Atlanta might not have much reason to be tempted by Coleman's explosiveness so long as Devonta Freeman proves as effective as he's been all year. Freeman is very likely to return this week from the concussion that kept him out against the Vikings.
