With the first week of the preseason in the books, now is the perfect opportunity to highlight whose value has risen and fallen based on what we saw. Even though it’s best not to overreact based on just one week, it’s still necessary to break down and analyze what transpired during our first glimpse of every NFL team. As such, our featured experts are here to shed light on whose stock has changed the most after our first dose of NFL action. Read on below to see who they’re upgrading and downgrading in their rankings.
Practice fast mock drafts with our free Mock Draft Simulator 
Q1. Which player is moving up your rankings the most during the early portion of preseason? Who are a few players he has passed?
Michael Gallup (WR – DAL): Consensus Rank – WR44 | 115th Overall
“I think I had Gallup closer to 50 in my first cut of rankings, but he’s climbed all the way to the low 40s now for me. Not only are reports positive in camp, but he played 60% of his snaps out of the slot against the Cardinals, with CeeDee Lamb playing all his snaps on the outside. This backs up the early word that we’ve heard from Mike McCarthy, suggesting that he’s going to move all three Cowboys receivers around throughout the game depending on the matchup. With Gallup getting snaps in the valuable slot role, he’s rapidly approaching WR3 territory for me. I’ll take him over Corey Davis and Laviska Shenault Jr.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Darrell Henderson (RB – LAR): Consensus Rank – RB20 | 41st Overall
“Sometimes it is what a player DOESN’T do that speaks volumes. In the case of Henderson, the fact that Coach McVay has gone on record as saying that Henderson will not play in any of the Rams’ preseason games tells you all you need to know about how the Los Angeles coaching staff views the third-year running back. The Rams seem set on featuring him in the wake of Cam Akers‘s lost season. While Akers’s season-ending injury makes Henderson an obvious riser, his ADP curve just is not steep enough. I have him as my RB15, ahead of D’Andre Swift and Travis Etienne, as the lead back in what should be a high-scoring Rams offense.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
Trey Lance (QB – SF): Consensus Rank – QB25 | 190th Overall
“Lance has to be the player here, right? While guys like Mac Jones and Justin Fields are fully entrenched in QB battles, Lance legitimately might be the starter for San Francisco in Week 1 over Jimmy Garoppolo. He showed off his arm talent in his second game since January 11 and we still haven’t seen what he can do with his legs yet in the NFL. Lance is steadily moving up my rankings with the potential that he starts the season and I’d take him over Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Fitzpatrick right now.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN): Consensus Rank – RB27 | 63rd Overall
“Williams is going to have to get a bump. He looked explosive and confident this weekend and would have had a TD if not for a terrible blocking effort from Jerry Jeudy. Williams has bumped ahead of Myles Gaskin, Darrell Henderson, and Kareem Hunt for me. All of those guys have crowded backfields like Williams, but do not have the investment capital of Williams by their organization.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Q2. Which player is falling down your rankings the most during the early portion of preseason? Who are a few players you now like more than him?
D.J. Moore (WR – CAR): Consensus Rank – WR18 | 42nd Overall
“I love Moore the talent and I am still bullish on him in dynasty. 2021 is a different story, though. With a healthy Christian McCaffery, Robby Anderson back for his second year in Carolina after posting his first 1,000-yard season (95 catches for 1,096 yards), and the addition of Terrace Marshall, one of the draft’s most gifted receivers, Moore will struggle to find the volume needed to turn in a WR1 season. I now have him ranked as my WR20 behind Amari Cooper and Cooper Kupp.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
Myles Gaskin (RB – MIA): Consensus Rank – RB23 | 47th Overall
“Unfortunately, Gaskin moved down my rankings pretty significantly after this week’s game against the Bears. Malcolm Brown played ahead of him with the starters, and Brian Flores’s comments after the game made it sound like, at best, Gaskin will be in a committee role. I had maintained to this point that Gaskin had proven himself last year, that the coaching staff appeared to trust him by putting him right back into the main role after he returned from injury, that he chipped in as a receiver out of the backfield, and that the offense would improve, all of which led to him being undervalued in drafts. But I’m nearly throwing all of that out the window based on what we have seen and heard the last few days. Gaskin is still a flex and the first RB in Miami I am drafting, but I’ll take my chances with Raheem Mostert or even Michael Carter at this point.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Raheem Mostert (RB – SF): Consensus Rank – RB29 | 68th Overall
“Mostert was already low in my ranks based upon his journeyman status and injury history. But Trey Sermon’s Saturday night performance further suppressed his ranking for me because I believe he’s clearly the future of the team at the position and the future is now! I’d rather take shots on the Cardinals’ committee of Chase Edmonds and James Connor or draft Michael Carter, who has a clearer path to backfield touches with the Jets.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN): Consensus Rank – WR26 | 64th Overall
“This has less to do with the training camp reports about Chase and more to do with the state of the overall offense if Joe Burrow isn’t 100% himself to start the season. Chase was very high in my rankings and he’s taken a slight tumble recently. He’s now behind players like Diontae Johnson, Odell Beckham Jr, Tee Higgins, and Chase Claypool.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)
Thank you to the experts for sharing who they’re moving up and down their rankings. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for advice all year round.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
