Ameer Abdullah‘s impressive game against the Jets has made him a preseason riser

The second week of the preseason is over and coming up is the all important week 3 where we get to see our favorite players in action for an extended session. With every preseason, some players will slip in the rankings while others begin to make their claim for increased roles for 2015.

In both cases, these events will affect your draft in some way. We’re all aware of the recent injuries to Kelvin Benjamin and Jordy Nelson, so those are givens when it comes to guys slipping down the rankings. There are others, though, that have been moving up or down without the injury bug playing a major role. To help find those players, we asked a group of featured experts to name who’s on the move in their rankings.

Q1. With the preseason midway complete, what player is moving up your rankings the most?

Ameer Abdullah (RB – DET)
“Along with seemingly everyone else, I’ve been warming to Ameer Abdullah. I try not to be too reactionary with preseason rankings, but the plate tectonics of the Detroit backfield have been shifting toward Abullah for some time now. Joique Bell is recovering from knee and Achilles injuries, still isn’t practicing and isn’t an extraordinary player to begin with. Meanwhile, Abullah has drawn effusive praise since the beginning of camp. In general, I feel pretty good about the value proposition for this year’s rookie RBs, and I’m OK with Abdullah’s rising price since it seems so unlikely he’ll be an outright flop.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“Detroit’s Ameer Abdullah has put fantasy fanatics on high alert after his big pre-season display versus the Jets. Many experts are now saying he’s overvalued as his ADP has risen and he’s now the 23rd ranked RB on FantasyPros. I believe he is still undervalued and will end the season above that spot. If you rewind to just two seasons ago, the Lions had two RBs in the top 20. I can see that happening again as Abdullah has explosive speed and can make quick cuts. I believe he will overtake Bell as the lead back by the time Detroit is back from their Week 9 bye.”
– Adrian Pereira (eDraft)

Brandin Cooks (WR – NO)
“After last season, I wanted to see more of what Cooks looked like in the “new” New Orleans offense (sans Stills, Graham, and Thomas). I’m a firm believer in throwing out preseason performances that are outside of the norm, but Cooks continues to run circles around defenders. I’m not going crazy on him yet, but given the needs of the NO offense and the talent that is very real in Cooks, he’s trending upward.”
– Nathan Miller (Revelation Sports)

Doug Martin (RB – TB)
“I’m finding myself finally warming back up to Doug Martin. He got a raw deal the past two years, as he got hurt in 2013 and ran behind a weak o-line last year. I think the system and players in Tampa Bay are starting to come together and having Jameis Winston under center should only help. The Muscle Hamster looks spry and the Bucs are at least going to TRY to let him live up to his potential, so I’m starting to like the upside for his value.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)

Sam Bradford (QB – PHI)
“Because Davante Adams is the obvious answer, I’ll stray away. Instead, how about Sam Bradford? He didn’t look great during his two series on Saturday, but the Eagles’ other quarterbacks, who are much, much worse, did, which shows me that this offense is going to be just as high-powered as last season, where guys like Mark Sanchez and Nick Foles were often QB1 options. And in Chip Kelly’s 32 games as the Eagles play-caller and coach, whoever is under center for the Eagles has scored AT LEAST 15 fantasy points 65 percent of the time. Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor look great, the running game looks fantastic, and I think Bradford is in for a career season.”
– Adam Pfeifer (ProjectRoto)

Q2. What player is sliding down your rankings the most and why?

Melvin Gordon (RB – SD)
“With the draft season buzz wearing off and scouting report concerns being revealed in early action, I’m bumping Melvin Gordon down considerably. He’s struggling with the zone-blocking scheme, still developing pass blocking technique, and will consistently surrender third down/goal line work to Woodhead. Rookie RB hit rates are abysmal, but I’d rather have Abdullah right after Gordon, or Hyde, Ellington, and Ivory a bit further down.”
– Nathan Miller (Revelation Sports)

“Melvin Gordon, who was a highly targeted rookie running back early during draft month, has started to slowly come back to reality. While a mild ankle injury and clustered backfield has hindered his preseason production, Gordon still has not shown us his electric play capability when provided the chance. Draft with concern.”
– Nick Vertucci (Sundays Are For Football)

Zach Ertz (TE – PHI)
“It seems sort of cliché to name Bishop Sankey here, so let’s go with Zach Ertz, whom I have no interest drafting as a top-10 tight end. Chip Kelly doesn’t seem especially committed to giving Ertz a high volume of snaps, and while Ertz is a big target, his athleticism is unremarkable. I think he could be a prolific TD scorer if everything breaks right for him, but if the TDs don’t come, there won’t be enough catch and yardage volume to make up for it.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Roddy White (WR – ATL)
“I’m a sucker for older, productive veteran receivers, but I did move Roddy White down a bit. He’s scheduled to undergo elbow surgery, which could hinder his Week 1 availability. But the more I watch the Falcons, the more I understand that this is going to be Julio Jones‘ offense.”
– Adam Pfeifer (ProjectRoto)

Andre Ellington (RB – ARI)
“I really like the skillset that Ellington brings to Arizona but he’s in a situation that is less than ideal in the fantasy world. First off, he’s an injury prone player. Secondly, the Cardinals drafted David Johnson who possesses similar traits to Ellington. On top of that, Arizona also added the speedster Chris Johnson. Johnson’s best days are far behind him but this looks like it has all the makings of the dreaded backfield committee with the Johnson duo on the scene.”
– Adrian Pereira (eDraft)

Joseph Randle (RB – DAL)
“I’m starting to lose interest in Andre Ellington and Joseph Randle, so it’s almost a tie. Both guys should have been the top rushers on their teams, but now look like their roles are shaky at best. If I’m picking one to free fall it’s Randle, as Darren McFadden is healthy again (for now) and still is the more talented runner. Randle still has some upside, but the value is mostly there if he’s a carry monster like DeMarco Murray was. That looks less and less likely, so I’m dropping him down a little more as the season draws closer.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)

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Thank you to the experts for naming their risers and fallers during the preseason. You can follow them on Twitter for additional advice.