This article is part of our NFL Barometer series.
RISING
Charles Johnson, WR, MIN
Johnson continues to look like a huge steal for the Vikings, a player cut by Green Bay and Cleveland over the likes of Jeremy Ross and Miles Austin, respectively. With 4.4 speed and standout leaping ability at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Johnson has the size/athleticism dimensions indicative of WR1 potential, and his recent production gives further reason to suspect it. Since replacing Cordarrelle Patterson in the starting lineup – no small feat for a second-year, seventh-round pick going against a player selected in the first round of the same draft – Johnson has 15 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns on 30 targets in four games. Considering the lack of experience with both Johnson and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, those numbers are very promising.
Kerwynn Williams, RB, ARZ
Considering Williams headed into last weekend as an afterthought behind the gross running back committee of Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice, Robert Hughes and Michael Bush, the Arizona backfield is not something to be trusted at the moment. With that said, when a player comes out of nowhere to post 100 yards on 19 carries for a team that otherwise has no decent running back options, that player is usually worth a gamble. Williams (5-foot-8, 198 pounds) won't start ahead of Stepfan Taylor against St. Louis this week, but Taylor is not a good player and the Cardinals figure to follow the same pattern they did a week ago – open
RISING
Charles Johnson, WR, MIN
Johnson continues to look like a huge steal for the Vikings, a player cut by Green Bay and Cleveland over the likes of Jeremy Ross and Miles Austin, respectively. With 4.4 speed and standout leaping ability at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Johnson has the size/athleticism dimensions indicative of WR1 potential, and his recent production gives further reason to suspect it. Since replacing Cordarrelle Patterson in the starting lineup – no small feat for a second-year, seventh-round pick going against a player selected in the first round of the same draft – Johnson has 15 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns on 30 targets in four games. Considering the lack of experience with both Johnson and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, those numbers are very promising.
Kerwynn Williams, RB, ARZ
Considering Williams headed into last weekend as an afterthought behind the gross running back committee of Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice, Robert Hughes and Michael Bush, the Arizona backfield is not something to be trusted at the moment. With that said, when a player comes out of nowhere to post 100 yards on 19 carries for a team that otherwise has no decent running back options, that player is usually worth a gamble. Williams (5-foot-8, 198 pounds) won't start ahead of Stepfan Taylor against St. Louis this week, but Taylor is not a good player and the Cardinals figure to follow the same pattern they did a week ago – open with Taylor as the starter, then hand the keys to Williams once reminded of Taylor's futility. Williams is an explosive player with open-field running skills and standout pass-catching ability, so he could have broad value in fantasy leagues this week.
Marquess Wilson, WR, CHI
With Brandon Marshall (ribs/lung) out for the year, the Bears will likely turn to Wilson as the new No. 2 receiver. While it's a good possibility that Wilson will be fourth in line for targets behind Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte, he has the pedigree necessary to make a fantasy impact in Chicago even if he's taking a bit of a back seat. At around 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Wilson has 4.51 speed and standout quickness for a lanky wideout, and his college production at Washington State was stellar. Although he'll be risky as an immediately-deployed fantasy play in Week 15, it generally looks like Wilson should provide top-35 value at receiver over the final three weeks.
Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
Head coach Tony Sparano said last week that Murray wouldn't be the lead Oakland runner, implying that he'd rotate him in a committee with Darren McFadden and/or Maurice Jones-Drew. If that idea sounded too dumb to be true it's because, mercifully, it actually wasn't true. Sparano was apparently just being a bit sly, hoping to trick the 49ers into 'preparing' for McFadden and MJD, if there's even any such thing. Anyway, Murray not only led the Oakland running game, he had a near monopoly on it. McFadden saw just five carries while MJD saw none, leaving Murray with 23 carries and two catches, which he turned into 85 yards from scrimmage. The output was disappointing, but the workload was not. Even with a tough remaining schedule, Murray ought to push for RB2 production in most formats.
Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
Miller has been very productive in 2015, and in fact, has been one of the league's most efficient runners. He has an excellent combination of size (224 pounds) and athleticism (4.40 speed), and his fundamentals are rounding into form this year, as evidenced by his 782 yards and six touchdowns on 162 carries (4.8 YPC) and 32 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown. He's been especially impressive in the last month or so. Facing the elite run defenses of Buffalo, Denver, the Jets and Baltimore, Miller ran for 254 yards and a touchdown on just 52 carries, good for an average of 4.9 yards per carry against defenses that collectively allow an average of 3.65 yards per run. The Dolphins appear averse to giving Miller a big workload, which limits him to RB2 territory in most formats, but his 2014 numbers imply that he should provide RB1 numbers if the Dolphins ever choose to get him more involved in the game plan.
FALLING
Drew Brees, QB, NO
Brees still has fantasy value and should be started against the Bears this week, but it's hard to look at a performance as pitiful as the one against Carolina on Sunday and conclude that nothing's wrong. Playing at home against the Panthers, previously one of the league's worst defenses, Brees completed just 29-of-49 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and the majority of that occurred in garbage time. Be it due to physical decline, the deterioration in the quality of his supporting cast, or both, Brees is no longer a clear top-three fantasy quarterback. On pace for 4,902 yards, 34 touchdowns and 15 touchdowns, Brees' numbers are inflated due to a remarkably easy schedule, featuring weak pass defenses like Atlanta (twice), Carolina (twice), Tampa Bay, Dallas, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG
Jennings has been fairly productive for the Giants this year, producing 808 yards and four touchdowns from scrimmage in nine games, but injuries have predictably been a major disruption. After missing four games with a knee injury from Weeks 6 through 10, Jennings lasted just over two games before suffering an ankle injury against the Jaguars in Week 13, which limited him to two carries for five yards last week in what was otherwise a very profitable matchup. Instead, rookie backup and generally inferior runner Andre Williams ran all over the Titans, finishing with 24 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown that arguably would have belonged to a healthy Jennings. It won't necessarily get much better from here, because the Giants are far out of playoff contention and have reason to continue giving Williams carries to see whether he merits a place in the team's plans beyond 2014.
Jimmy Graham, TE, NO
Like Brees, it's pretty much impossible to advocate benching a player with Graham's history of production, but it's still hard to not be discouraged by his recent poor showings. After inexplicably and unacceptably receiving no targets against the Pittsburgh in Week 13, Graham followed up that dud with a similarly disappointing line of three catches for 25 yards on 11 targets last week. It's difficult to imagine that Graham is declining at age 28, but it's asking a lot of his owners to unconditionally trust him after the last two weeks.
