Fantasy Football Stock Up/Stock Down: Baker Mayfield Is Playing at an Elite Level

There's a lot that goes into trying to stay one step ahead of your leaguemates in fantasy football. Among the things you have to pay close attention to, it's crucial to keep an eye on new trends, usage, and roles for players in order to make optimal decisions when setting your lineups.

Each week is a different beast, and as the regular season progresses, we'll gather more valuable information to utilize.

While we don't want to overreact to everything that happens early in the season, which players saw their stock go up or down following the action in Week 1?

Note: All stats come from Next Gen Stats or Pro Football Focus unless stated otherwise.

Fantasy Football Stock Up/Stock Down Entering Week 6

Fantasy Football Stock Up

Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers

Many expected Baker Mayfield to take a step back following the departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen in the offseason, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not missed a beat under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. Regardless of injuries happening along the offensive line and at receiver, Mayfield is balling right now, earning overall QB2 status and is the QB5 in fantasy points per game with 17-plus fantasy points in each of his first five starts in 2025.

In addition to scoring a season-high 26.7 fantasy points versus a formidable Seattle Seahawks defense on the road in Week 5, Mayfield is tied with Lamar Jackson for the sixth-most expected points added per drop back (0.19) in the league among quarterbacks with three-plus starts. With Mayfield still generating rushing production to improve his floor and rookie Emeka Egbuka stepping up as a reliable target for the aggressive signal-caller, he's a quarterback who can be trusted in nearly any matchup in fantasy the rest of the way.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders

Just a week ago, Jacory Croskey-Merritt was mentioned in the "stock down" section due to the Washington Commanders deploying a three-man rotation in their backfield, but it should only be a matter of time before the Commanders realize he's their best back by a wide margin. During Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, JCM logged a season-high 49.1% snap rate, and he made the most of his opportunities by registering 150 scrimmage yards and 2 rushing touchdowns on only 16 total touches.

Getting Jayden Daniels back was a big plus for Washington in Week 5, and even though Croskey-Merritt might not have a consistent role in the red zone at any point this year, his explosiveness would add a much-needed element to the team's rushing attack. Croskey-Merritt has now tallied 14-plus fantasy points and has been the RB11 or better in half-PPR formats in both games this season where he's touched the ball 10-plus times.

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins

In the Miami Dolphins' first game this season without Tyreek Hill, they finally leaned into Jaylen Waddle being their No. 1 wideout, and he responded by hauling in 6 of his 9 targets for 110 yards and a score on a team-high 82.5% route rate and 26.5% target share. Prior to the Monday night game being played, Waddle is currently the WR4 in half-PPR leagues this week, and he's now climbed to the overall WR17 spot on the season.

After being limited in Miami's season opener due to an injury he suffered before the season began, Waddle has now gotten six-plus targets in four consecutive contests while finding the end zone in three of his five starts. If Waddle can remain healthy, he has league-winning upside moving forward, especially with the Dolphins' defense being a below-average unit -- which puts the offense in plenty of shootout environments.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots

Across the first three weeks of the season, Stefon Diggs looked like a shell of himself (which was understandable as a veteran wideout coming off a season-ending injury), recording just a 48.1% route rate, 14.4% target share, 13.9% air yards share, 4.3 receptions per game, and 37.3 receiving yards per game. However, over the past two weeks, Diggs is generating team-high marks in target share (42.2%), air yards share (54.2%), receptions per game (8.0), receiving yards per game (123.5), and yards per route run (6.50).

Following a Week 4 performance where he was the WR21 in half-PPR formats, Diggs is currently the WR5 in Week 5 after torching the Buffalo Bills for 10 receptions and 146 yards on 12 targets to hand his former team their first loss of the season. Even if the New England Patriots make a move for another wide receiver at some point, there's room for Diggs to continue being a solid option in fantasy due to how well Drake Maye (0.20 expected points added per drop back through Week 5) is playing right now.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Cowboys

Since CeeDee Lamb went down with an injury in Week 3, Jake Ferguson has become a focal point of the Dallas Cowboys' aerial attack. Aside from Ferguson posting 12-plus fantasy points in four straight games and being the TE1 during that span, he's also leading the Cowboys in target share (27.3%) and receptions per game (9.0) in the three games Lamb has been sidelined and/or injured.

It remains to be seen if Ferguson can maintain this level of production once Lamb returns, but there's a chance he continues to see a decent amount of volume due to Dallas' offensive line being plagued by injuries right now. At a tight end position that is extremely volatile, he's been a steady source of production sans Lamb.

Fantasy Football Stock Down

Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers

Things seemed to be trending upward for Justin Herbert early in the campaign, as the Los Angeles Chargers have become a pass-centric team and earned a 3-0 record right out of the gate. But besides having All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater suffer a season-ending injury before Week 1 kicked off, Joe Alt and Mekhi Becton are dealing with injuries along LA's offensive line, which has led to Herbert getting pressured at an alarming rate.

On top of Herbert producing fewer than 16 fantasy points in three consecutive starts, he's seen the most pressures (57) among all signal-callers during that same three-game span. Until the Chargers' offensive line gets healthy and can keep Herbert upright, we may need to temper expectations for the talented quarterback in fantasy.

Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints

Alvin Kamara is sadly being mentioned in this section for the second straight week despite the New Orleans Saints having a feisty-enough offense under new head coach Kellen Moore. Even though Kamara is leading the Saints' backs in snap rate (73.6%), route rate (63.0%), and red-zone rushing share (44.4%), he's just the RB27 in half-PPR leagues due to accruing fewer than 10 fantasy points in three straight starts.

Along with Kamara not being as productive as previous years, Kendre Miller earned a season-high 41.9% snap rate in Week 5, and Miller has looked solid over the last two weeks, tallying 0.63 rushing yards over expected per attempt and a 42.9% rushing success rate (compared to Kamara posting-0.67 rushing yards over expected per attempt and a 30.4% rushing success rate in that span). Similar to what was said last week, Kamara may need to be traded to a running-back needy team for him to be a reliable option in fantasy again.

Jameson Williams, WR, Lions

There's no denying that the Detroit Lions boast one of the best offenses in the NFL despite losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the offseason. That being said, after finishing last season as the WR19, Jameson Williams is more of a boom-or-bust option in fantasy rather than a player we can trust on a weekly basis this season.

Up to this point, Williams has just one game this season where he's scored six-plus fantasy points, and he's logging just the fourth-highest target share (15.0%) and third-most yards per route run (1.51) in Detroit's elite offense across the first five weeks of the campaign. Without a doubt, there's going to be weeks where Williams' team-best 39.2% air yards share leads to him connecting on a couple of deep throws from Jared Goff and producing a notable outing, but it's tough to predict when those occur because of the other skill players who are still heavily involved in the passing attack.

Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders

Upon Jayden Daniels' return to Washington's offense in Week 5, there was some hope for Zach Ertz to return to fantasy relevancy, especially with Terry McLaurin sidelined in recent games. However, after recording the third-highest snap rate (67.9%) and highest route rate (72.8%) among the Commanders' skill players across the first three weeks, he's seen his snap rate (56.6%) and route rate (62.9%) decline over the past two weeks.

After being the TE7 in half-PPR formats through Week 3, Ertz has been the TE41 over his last two games, totaling 5.1 fantasy points during that span -- including 0 points in Week 5 versus the Chargers. Ertz has been reliant on volume throughout his career, but the arrival of Deebo Samuel has taken away a lot of his underneath and intermediate production, and guys like John Bates and Ben Sinnott are beginning to get more snaps at tight end for the Commanders.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.