Fantasy Football Stock Up/Stock Down: Jordan Mason Shines with Increased Workload

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 4

Fantasy Football Stock Up

Caleb Williams, QB, Bears

Facing a dismal Dallas Cowboys certainly helps matters, but Caleb Williams had the best performance of his young career in Week 3. Along with completing an efficient 67.9% of his passes for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, Williams didn't take a sack while posting a stellar 0.59 expected points added per drop back.

At the moment -- before the Monday night game is played -- Williams is the QB1 in fantasy this week with 29.1 points, and he's the QB2 on the season with 24-plus points in two of his first three starts for the Chicago Bears. Despite Williams finishing with only 12 rushing yards in Sunday's win over the Cowboys, he saw a season-high 5 designed rushing attempts, and he's now totaled 107 rushing yards and a score on 16 carries this season.

There are still moments where Williams looks too antsy in the pocket, but he's beginning to show some growth under new head coach Ben Johnson, and the Bears face the Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, and New York Giants in five of their next six games.

Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings

Injuries are an unfortunate part of football, but it's something we have to deal with in fantasy football. Following the placement of veteran Aaron Jones on injured reserve, Jordan Mason didn't waste any time proving he's more than capable of being the Minnesota Vikings' workhorse back moving forward.

In Sunday's lopsided 48-10 victory against the Bengals, Mason gashed Cincy's defense for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries, giving him 23.6 fantasy points -- which is good enough for RB2 status in half-PPR formats ahead of Monday Night Football. While backups Zavier Scott and Cam Akers got increased work in the second half due to the score, Mason earned a 76.7% snap rate in the first half, and he produced an impressive 2.92 rushing yards over expected per attempt.

The upcoming schedule isn't ideal for Mason, but the expected volume and the fact Kevin O'Connell is dialing up plays is enough for Mason to be a must-start option in fantasy for the coming weeks.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers

Just as expected, it's been a headache trying to decipher how offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is going to divvy up touches for the Pittsburgh Steelers' backfield. However, Jaylen Warren is proving to be the most effective back for the Steelers, and he saw a bump in usage for the second straight week.

After climbing to a 57.6% snap rate, 41.0% route rate, and 75.0% red-zone rushing share in Week 2 with 134 scrimmage yards on 18 touches, Warren jumped up to a 77.6% snap rate, 58.3% route rate, and 83.3% red-zone rushing share with 81 scrimmage yards on 23 touches in Week 3. Even though Warren has yet to find the end zone on the ground this year, he's bound to see more scoring opportunities given his uptick in usage.

While the Steelers' offense hasn't looked as effective in recent weeks, gaining the trust of Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith does mean something.

Rome Odunze, WR, Bears

The box score numbers weren't eye-popping for Rome Odunze in Week 3, but the second-year wideout continues to get elite usage in an offense that can ascend throughout the rest of the season. After posting 7 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 2, Odunze hauled in 3 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's double-digit win versus the Cowboys, giving him at least one touchdown in all three games this year.

Besides the fact that Odunze could have seen more looks if Dallas kept the game closer in Week 3, he still leads Chicago in snap rate (94.6%), route rate (86.6%), target share (28.4%), air yards share (42.8%), red-zone target share (36.4%), and end-zone target share (50.0%). Among the Bears' skill players who have played 50.0% or more of the offensive snaps, Odunze also has the most yards per route run (2.34) on a healthy 12.9-yard average depth of target.

It appears Odunze's chemistry with Caleb Williams has grown tremendously to begin the 2025 season, and he might be the only wideout on the Bears we can fully trust in fantasy right now as the overall WR2 in half-PPR leagues.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Cowboys

Consistent volume is difficult to come across at the tight end position, but Jake Ferguson is getting plenty of looks to begin the season. Despite Dallas disappointing in their loss to Chicago in Week 3, Ferguson caught 13 of his 14 targets for 82 yards, and he could see an increase in usage if CeeDee Lamb is forced to miss any time.

While the efficiency hasn't been great for Ferguson, he does have 12-plus targets in back-to-back weeks, and he's recording a team-high 24.8% target share through three games. Although Ferguson isn't creating much after the catch, the volume is something that could potentially stick at a position where it can be tough to find a trustworthy option outside of the elite names.

Playing on the Cowboys certainly helps Ferguson's stock in fantasy football due to Dallas likely being involved in plenty of high-scoring affairs and negative game scripts because of their below-average defense.

Fantasy Football Stock Down

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots

I'm not ready to say that rookie TreVeyon Henderson's stock is all the way up just yet, but I am prepared to say that something is bound to change in the New England Patriots' running back room moving forward. Fumbles were an issue for Rhamondre Stevenson a season ago, as he led the league with seven fumbles, and that same issue popped up in New England's Week 3 loss to the Steelers with two lost fumbles.

As a result of Stevenson's inability to hold onto the football, he saw his snap rate (35.2%), route rate (21.3%), and total touches (7) decline on Sunday, which led to Henderson and Antonio Gibson getting more work. Gibson also lost a fumble in the second half of a close game, so it was a forgettable day for the Patriots' running backs not named TreVeyon Henderson.

While all three backs could see snaps in the near future, it seems like it's only a matter of time before the rookie second-round back takes over for Stevenson, especially with the offense lacking explosiveness.

Chase Brown, RB, Bengals

Coming into the 2025 campaign, Chase Brown seemed to be a surefire pick in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts due to his expected role in an offense that can move the ball and be involved in shootouts. Sadly, an injury to Joe Burrow has thrown a wrench into things, and Brown's efficiency has been concerning to begin the season.

Among backs with 20-plus attempts this year, Brown has the fewest yards per attempt (2.0) and is tied for the fewest runs of 10-plus yards (1). Additionally, Brown registered a season-low 58.1% first-half snap rate in Week 3, and due to an apparent injury to veteran Samaje Perine, rookie Tahj Brooks played his first snaps of the season on Sunday.

With Brown no longer playing in a Burrow-led offense and his efficiency metrics raising red flags, there's now an increased chance he sees someone (maybe Brooks) carve into his workload at some point.

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Bengals

There can unquestionably still be weeks where Ja'Marr Chase is going to have notable performances in fantasy due to his talent and ability to make something out of nothing at times. On the other hand, the outlook and ceiling outcomes are going to take a massive hit for the consensus No. 1 pick in plenty of fantasy football drafts with Jake Browning under center for the Bengals.

While Cincy's first game sans Burrow this season came against Minnesota's daunting defense, it wasn't ideal to see Chase limited to 5 catches for 50 yards on 6 targets in a game where the Bengals fell behind early. Things don't get much easier for Chase in the coming weeks, as Cincinnati is set to face the Denver Broncos (on the road), Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers (on the road) over the next three games.

Chase's stock was already trending downward once Burrow's injury occurred, but his output with Browning in Week 3 goes to show that his floor/ceiling combination is understandably going to be lower the rest of the way.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers

Ladd McConkey is a talented receiver who proved he can be a No. 1 option for the Los Angeles Chargers during his rookie season in 2024. At the same time, the Chargers' wide receiver room has been much better this year, which has caused McConkey's production to fluctuate a bit more than expected.

Across the first three weeks, McConkey is leading LA's offense in snap rate (85.8%) and route rate (88.2%), so there are certainly better days ahead for the second-year wideout. However, McConkey has the third-highest target share (19.6%) in the offense and 1.46 yards per route run because of Quentin Johnston and veteran Keenan Allen proving to be effective outlets for Justin Herbert.

There are going to be games where McConkey ends up being the most productive receiver on the Chargers, but he's currently the WR51 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats, and the week-to-week consistency might not be there given the other pass catchers who are involved in the team's passing attack.

Travis Hunter, WR, Jaguars

Before the 2025 season kicked off, rookie Travis Hunter was an interesting player to discuss in fantasy football due to the fact he'd be playing on both sides of the ball for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Up to this point, Hunter's snaps on offense have fluctuated, and he hasn't seen enough consistent usage to make him trustworthy in fantasy yet.

Aside from Hunter totaling only 10 catches for 76 yards on 16 targets with a meh 14.8% target share, he tallied a season-low 53.0% snap rate in Week 3, and his route rate was at 60.5% or lower for the second straight game. Even with an injury to Dyami Brown, it doesn't help that Parker Washington is seeing more playing time than Hunter, and I believe it's only a matter of time before Brian Thomas Jr. emerges as the clear No. 1 in Liam Coen's offense.

Hunter is a fun player and his talent on both sides of the ball can become valuable for the Jaguars long-term, but he's not a player we can trust in fantasy football right now.

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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.