We’ve made it through three weeks of football and now we’re really starting to collect some of the data points we need to make informed decisions. It’s virtually impossible to watch every second of every game, so naturally, there are things that you might miss from week to week. This article aims to name mostly under-the-radar, mid-tier, but fantasy-relevant players that are trending up or trending down. You’ll never see me mention that Cooper Kupp is trending up because that’s a headline you can read just about anywhere. You’ll also never see me slap a player like Matt Breida with a “trending down” label, because (with all due respect) who cares? But you will see me hold “star” players to a higher standard by occasionally featuring them in the trending down category.
Trending Up
George Pickens – WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. So when Pickens let the media know that he was unhappy with his lack of targets, Mitchell Trubisky made it a point to get him the ball. That chirping led to the best catch of the young NFL season. It also led to Pickens being overthrown in the end zone. Through all the hoopla, Pickens only ended that game with three catches for 39 yards on seven targets. Thanks to misses from Mitch like the ball in the end zone, Kenny Pickett is now the starter. If one thing is certain it’s that Pickett loves him some Pickens.
Kenny Pickett to George Pickens 🎯
That sounds nice to say, doesn’t it? pic.twitter.com/zJHNYmhnjR
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) October 2, 2022
With Mitchell Trubisky still under center, Pickens had only 31 yards at halftime last week against the Jets. With Pickett entering the game to start the second half, Pickens ended with 102 yards. The two clicked immediately. It is going to be scary to see what they can do with four full quarters together. They may have to wait a week or two though as Buffalo’s secondary has been playing lights out. This duo is trending in the right direction. Pickett to Pickens, get used to hearing it.
Alec Pierce – WR, Indianapolis Colts
It was a bit of a shaky start, but the rookie WR is starting to look dang good. In his first game action, Pierce disappointed with zero catches on two targets. He missed Week 2, and began to turn things around in Week 3 with three catches for 61 yards. He really got himself on my radar in Week 4 when he posted a 4-80-0 line. This Thursday Pierce solidified himself as a trending player. Most impressive was the obvious trust that Matt Ryan had in delivering him the football. There were times when Ryan was under pressure and just chucked the ball up in his direction. He was right to have faith in him.
When you’re a wide receiver on the Colts you don’t get as many opportunities to make a splash as other teams’ wideouts do. That’s because the Colts’ wide receivers are generally too busy blocking for Jonathan Taylor. So efficiency is the name of the game. Which is why Pierce’s stats from Thursday night are so nice to look at. 8 receptions on 9 targets. That’s what I call taking advantage of your opportunities. Alec was able to turn those 8 catches into a career-high 81 yards, but that first touchdown still evades him. Don’t be surprised if it comes next week against the Jaguars.
Will Dissly – TE, Seattle Seahawks
Will Dissly and Geno Smith probably had a good laugh when everybody thought that Drew Lock and Noah Fant were coming to take their spots. Come to think of it, that is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the QB’s affinity to his big-bodied pass catcher. Dissly has been producing at an unsustainable rate, propped up by touchdowns. Will Dissly has reached paydirt in three out of four games this season. Unfortunately, he has yet to top 50 yards receiving. All in all, as long as Geno keeps looking for him in the red zone, that’s all that matters.
Will Dissly has 3 TDs in 4 games this year 👀pic.twitter.com/3FXrWgRb74
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 2, 2022
Dissly’s production has earned him a generous boost in playing time. Week 2 Dissly played just 47% of snaps. That number jumped up to 61% in Week 3. This past week Dissly played in 73% of snaps. That is plenty of time to do damage if Geno calls his number. Will Dissly may not be a sexy name to roster, but the perceived “second-stringer” is currently the tight end #10 in half-point formats. Dissly is trending up, it remains to be seen how long he can sustain this streak, but for as long as he’s scoring touchdowns, I’ll take him.
Robert Woods – WR, Tennessee Titans
Hey, our very first bounce-back player. Bobby Trees made an appearance in a previous trending players article. Only, in that piece, he was listed in the trending down category. He actually didn’t waste any time making me look dumb. The week after his inclusion in my article Mr. Woods went out and gained 85 yards on 9 targets. The Titans clearly wanted to get him more involved and they did. While the efficiency was there (4 catches on 4 targets), the production was not from Woods last week. He was only able to muster 30 yards.
Fellow wideout Treylon Burks went down with a turf toe injury that is likely to keep him out for multiple weeks. This should allow Woods ample time to continue getting on the same page as Ryan Tannehill. Woods is in the same boat as Alec Pierce in regards to needing to make the most out of every opportunity. I believe that despite the down performance last week, Woods is actually trending up.
Trending Down
Russell Wilson – QB, Denver Broncos
Mr. Unlimited? Well, the veteran quarterback certainly looked like he was tapped out. Just when people thought that Thursday Night Football would be different this year, the Broncos and Colts put everyone to sleep, reminding us that TNF can be a fantasy wasteland. Unless you had either defense, you were probably disappointed. If you started Wilson, you’ve probably already lost. Never have I ever had vanilla leave a bad taste in my mouth, but that’s the only word I can use to describe Wilson’s play.
Thoughts on Russell Wilson…. pic.twitter.com/IkIC4SP7rk
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) October 7, 2022
Yeah, he completed 21 of 39 passes for 274 yards, but he didn’t toss a single touchdown. To make matters worse he threw two interceptions. As hard the Bronco’s defense played, they should have gotten more help from their offense, more specifically Wilson. Russ even said it himself, ” I let the team down.” Yeah, Russ, yeah you did. This whole offense is trending down.
Kenneth Walker III – RB, Seattle Seahawks
Man, when Kenny made his debut it felt like he was ready to steal the job away from Penny and that Pete Carroll was going to let him. But minor injuries have hampered the rookie and Penny was efficient enough over the first three weeks to hold him off, until going bananas last week to the tune of a 17-carry, 151-yard, 2-touchdown game. After a performance like that, you can kiss any chance of a committee goodbye.
Rashaad Penny has had back-to-back weeks where he was on the field for 69% of snaps. Walker’s last 2 weeks, 13% and 36%. That’s mere morsels compared to the feasting Rashaad Penny. Even though he’s dealing with some nick and bruises of his own, Walker will likely need an unfortunate injury to Penny in order to climb back into relevance this season.
Allen Robinson – WR, Los Angeles Rams
Allen Robinson might be on the short list of players that Matt Nagy didn’t ruin. In fact, Mitch Trubisky and A-Rob have Nagy smelling like roses. Robinson has looked atrocious, so atrocious that Matt Stafford can’t (won’t) even look at him. Against Arizona in Week 3, Stafford targeted Robinson twice on the same red zone drive. One would be a touchdown reception zipped right through his gloved hands. It was a simple slant pattern in which Robinson has his man beat and boxed out. A play or two later Robinson failed to come down with a jump ball on an end-zone fade.
Mathew stafford when Allen Robinson is the only person open. #LARams #MNF #FTTB pic.twitter.com/p3R17r5Gz5
— Not Spee (@HussSabbagh) October 4, 2022
While the production has been minimal, Robinson’s playing time hasn’t decreased at all. He has played in at least 92% of snaps in every game this season. In fact, he was out there for 99% of snaps last week. All of that time on the field amounted to two catches for an embarrassing 7 yards. Odell Beckham rumors are swirling, for the Rams’ sake let’s hope the rumors are true.
Michael Thomas- WR, New Orleans Saints
This is going to be a short one. Michael Thomas has actually been playing good football. That is while he’s out there. He “proved us all wrong” in Week 1. Looking like his old self, he caught 5 balls for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns. In Week 2 Thomas was targeted a team-high 9 times, and in Week 3 he caught 100% of his targets. So like I said, Thomas was playing good football. Unfortunately, it seems that his health isn’t holding up. Thomas missed the London matchup against the Vikings and he has already been ruled out of this Week’s showdown versus Seattle. The two week straight absence is especially worrisome for a player who is known for lengthy absences. Solely based on health concerns, Can’t Guard Mike is trending down.
Also make sure to check out our Week 5 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings