It’s that time of year when coaching changes are happening at a fast and furious rate. All these changes might have you wondering, how does this impact my next draft or trade? Well fear not good reader, Last Word on NFL has you covered. Let’s hit the Fantasy Stock Exchange and see which players are in the green following a change in management. Stay tuned for our follow-up piece, on stocks that have plummeted, but for now, let’s live in the positive!
Fantasy Stock Exchange – Player Stock That Has Risen With Coaching Moves
Falcons Offensive Weapons – Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts
Arthur Smith told you in as many words, he doesn’t care about your fantasy team. The good news is he’s out the door. The bad news is the Falcons went and got another defensive-minded coach in Raheem Morris. But fear not because he brings with him an offensive-minded McVay disciple in Zac Robinson. He doesn’t have much experience calling plays, but couple him with the removal of Arthur Smith who loves to under-utilize star weapons, and you can foresee great things for at least 2 of the 3 tentpoles in the Atlanta Offense. Pitts I’m still unsure is anything more than a prince who was promised, but will never deliver. Much of this rests on the shoulders of whoever is under center in 2024 for the Falcons of course, but be honest with yourself, even under Desmond Ridder you know Robinson was criminally underfed.
Bryce Young
Ok, Young’s stock basically couldn’t get any lower heading into this new coaching regime. But it’s only up from here, and with new head coach Dave Canales at the helm there’s hope that Young can become the prospect he was always expected to be. If I’m going to give flowers to any owners here, and I can not believe I’m writing this, it’s David Tepper. There’s something to appreciate about knowing your biggest focus has to be at quarterback, so you bring in the quarterback whisperer who is focused on maximizing Young. The man who revived Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield’s career. Baker is even more relevant because he is a shorter guy not unlike Young.
Justin Herbert
Here we go, another year of Justin Herbert is about to ascend to the level of demi-god. MVP trophies and defensive backs beware. Sure you’ve heard it every year but this is Jim Freakin Harbaugh (I haven’t fact-checked Freakin being his middle name but I’m going to safely assume it is). Kellen Moore is gone, more on him in the plummeting stocks article, so you can only hope the Offensive Coordinator provides as much optimism as the Head Coach. Jim Harbaugh is a man who knows how to win and has done so at every level. It was long suspected Brandon Staley was holding back Herbert, and now we find out if that’s true. But the future shines bright for this quarterback who passes the eye test to anyone watching tape, but can never seem to deliver.
Jahmyr Gibbs
But Detroit didn’t have a staffing change you exclaim?! That’s right! Ben Johnson is staying put, not unlike the kneecap-biting Dan Campbell crew, he is a man of loyalty and honor. Touted as a lock for one of the head coaching jobs Johnson said c’est la vie and declined interviews to remain a part of the Motor City madness. Now, every Detroit Lion player, fan, and stakeholder should rejoice because the man is an offensive guru. But none more than rookie running back revelation Jahmyr Gibbs. 2023 saw an even load share with Gibbs and David Montgomery, but as Montgomery enters his age 27 season expect the Lions to lean on Gibbs far more, as they build to a future where he and Amon-Ra St. Brown give opposing Defensive Coordinators nightmares every week.
Caleb Williams
This one is a bit presumptuous, assuming the Bears do in fact pick Caleb Williams first overall then the change at offensive coordinator was sorely needed. Justin Fields may not be a generational talent but he is by no means talent-less. So the fact that the Bears couldn’t turn him into the breakout player we all expected in 2023 is enough of a reason to move on from Luke Getsy. Not unlike Nathaniel Hackett, Getsy benefitted from being aligned with Aaron Rodgers, but it’s obvious Rodgers was the reason for Getsy’s success and not the other way around. Shane Waldron the Seahawks Offensive Coordinator for the past 3 years has seen some success with lesser parts than the Bears should have after this offseason. All this means a trip to the Fantasy Stock Exchange should see Caleb Williams` arrow heading up.
The Coaching carousel continues to spin and every action has a reaction. Some players are on the rise as we’ve discussed here, but stay tuned for those who are on the way down.
Main Photo: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
