NFL STOCK WATCH WEEK 13

On the cusp of the fantasy playoffs, you need to know right now who's trending up and who's fading fast. To assist you in this endeavor, we've identified a group of players from both ends of the spectrum.

On the Rise
QB: Steve McNair, Titans - McNair has been solid all season long, throwing for at least 195 yards in every game and tossing at least one touchdown in every game except one. Last week's blowup (343 and three) against the Niners proves Air can still go up top, and we fully expect that trend to carry on through the rest of the season. Aiding McNair is a slate that includes a combination of creampuffs (home to the Texans) and some tilts in which the Titans will in all probability be playing from behind (such as this week's contest in Indy).

RB: Jamal Lewis, Ravens - After three months in Poor Performance Prison, and on the verge of losing significant carries to Chester Taylor, Jamal flashed some of the ability that earned him 2,000 yards a couple years ago by taking the Bengals for 113 yards. The Texans, giving up 160 rushing yards per game, offer another tunnel to freedom this week, and by the time Taylor's ankle is healthy it may be too late to unseat Lewis in his drive for a new contract.

WR: Donte Stallworth, Saints - We kept waiting for Stallworth to fade, as he's done so many times in his brief career, and for Joe Horn to reclaim the mantle of Saints' top receiver. Hasn't happened, as Donte has scored six touchdowns in the last six games. Moreover, the formerly fragile Stallworth has remained remarkably healthy this season. Have we double-jinxed him yet?

TE: Todd Heap, Ravens - Heap hasn't been that bad of late, catching at least four balls in each of his last seven games, but late into the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Bengals he'd gone scoreless since October 16. Then, suddenly, Kyle Boller remembered that Heap was pretty good and started throwing to him in the end zone. Two touchdowns later, Heap is back in fantasy owners' good graces; better still, dates with tight-end friendly defenses from Green Bay and Minnesota remain on the schedule.

K: Jason Elam, Broncos - Elam missed five of his first 13 field goal attempts this season, effectively abandoning his long-standing status as one of the most productive and consistent fantasy kickers. But since then he's made nine of 10 trey tries, and is also adding to the bottom line by riding the coattails of an offense that's giving him almost three PAT attempts per game.

 

Falling Fast
QB: Brett Favre, Packers - Maybe the load is just too great. Maybe after 15 seasons, Favre just can't carry a team this devoid of talent any more. The wear and tear is starting to show, as Brett hasn't topped 280 passing yards in five straight tilts and has five touchdowns and 11 interceptions during that span. Right now Favre is the only reason the Pack's last eight losses have come by an average of just four points, but the effort is clearly taking its toll.

RB: Stephen Davis, Panthers - Say, didn't you used to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns? Right now Davis has a dozen scores, or two more than the pathetic number of carries he's received in the last two games combined. Granted, Carolina has faced some stout defenses, but 10 lousy carries? It looks as if Davis has become purely a feast-or-famine goal line back, and at this moment his teammate isn't giving him opportunities to ply that trade.

WR: Ernest Wilford and Matt Jones, Jaguars - David Garrard is a poor man's Michael Vick, only he's not as good a passer, so news that he'll be at the helm for at least the next month—essentially, the rest of the fantasy schedule—does not bode well for the Jags' young, emerging receivers. Garrard locked on to Jimmy Smith during Sunday's win in Arizona, ignoring the rest of his receiving corps to the point that Smith had half the catches—and almost as many rushes (six) as completions to receivers other than Smith (seven). The good news is that Wilford and Jones will be undervalued heading into next season after playing their final five games without a legitimate passer.

TE: Jerramy Stevens, Seahawks - Despite the revolving door of receivers in Seattle, Stevens hasn't stepped up to claim his share. He hasn't scored since October 9, hasn't topped 50 yards since October 23, and was shut out Sunday by the Giants. With Darrell Jackson's return on the horizon, even those table scraps might be disappearing from Jerramy's plate.

K: Jay Feely, Giants - It was a nice run for Feely atop the kicker leader board. Problem is, when you fail on the Gotham stage it's magnified tenfold, and Feely failed in a huge way missing three potential game-winning kicks on Sunday. Will Tom Coughlin trust him with another tough kick? Will his teammates? Will he be able to scrape together the shards of his shattered confidence and finish out the season? Tough to let a guy who just cost his team a key win hold your fantasy fate on his foot.

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