For those who joined us in the Fantasy Stock Exchange, looking at players on the rise, welcome back! Its nice to look at the positive impacts of new management. But sadly, the glass half full world view only gets you so far. It’s time to see which player stocks have been sent into the red with new coaching regimes.
Fantasy Stock Exchange – Player Stocks That Have Plummetted With Coaching Moves
Steelers Offensive Weapons – George Pickens, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren & Pat Freiermuth
Remember July 2023? Aaron Rodgers was about to save the Jets from being a laughing stock, Trevor Lawrence with the help of Calvin Ridley was about to go on an MVP run, and of course, the Steelers offensive unit was all but guaranteed a spot in the top 5 rankings. Yes, it was a simpler time filled with optimism and flowery praise. You could be forgiven for any of these takes by the way. The Steelers have so many weapons. George Pickens is a walking highlight reel, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris are the best 1, 2 punch in the NFL and Pat Freiermuth has shown that he is on the way to serious tight end relevancy. When they came out and face-planted, much of the blame was pointed at Matt Canada. Which is why it was so jaw-dropping when they went and hired Arthur Smith as their new Offensive Coordinator. Smith had absolutely no success in developing a young quarterback with the Falcons or making use of the cavalcade of young talent. So why we are expecting anything different with the Steelers is beyond explanation. Even more questionable is the Steelers are a team that is looking for a new signal caller (Mike Tomlin saying their starter was on the roster is a bold-faced lie considering they benched a healthy Pickett for their playoff game). Hiring Smith was a questionable decision at best, and management malpractice at worst. As so often happens the talented young players will be the first to bear the brunt of this choice, with the loyal fans being a close second.
Davante Adams
When the Raiders appointed Antonio Pierce I was in shock. Could it be? Have the Raiders stopped shooting themselves in the foot and made a smart move for once? Then the universe course corrected as they almost hired failed ex-Cardinals Head Coach, Kliff Kingsbury. Then doubled down by hiring failed Bears ex-Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy. In years past, Getsy got the same treatment Nathaniel Hackett and Allen Lazard did. The Aaron Rodgers special, the talented Hall of Famer overshadowed their ineptitude with his generational skill. This brings me to Adams who is one of the true greats at wideout. His results supersede his situation. Allow me to explain. Very good players, when in the right situation will shine, think of players like DJ Moore, DK Metcalf, and Brandon Aiyuk. But the true greats stand out even when their situation does not. Davante Adams went from Aaron Rodgers to the ghost of Derek Carr, and then to Aiden O Connell. He still showed up and showed out. But his discontent was no secret. He may know Getsy from his time spent in Green Bay but that won’t go far when taking on Getsy who finished 28th and 20th in net yards, over his two years in Chicago. Adams still hit 1144 yards in 2023 but that was almost 400 yards short of his 2022 and 2021 totals. I suspect his comments will make headlines regularly throughout the 2024 season, alas his stat line will not.
Terry McLaurin
Scary Terry McLaurin qualifies as one of those very good players mentioned earlier. Perhaps a tick above. His skill is undeniable, and it feels like he is a signal caller and a play caller away from really exploding. But where the Raiders failed, the Commanders did not, taking on the aforementioned Kliff Kingsbury as their new Offensive Coordinator and pairing him with defensive-minded Head Coach Dan Quinn. Kingsbury couldn’t get results for Kyler Murray, who for all his criticism, is undeniably special. So McLaurin is almost undoubtedly going to be receiving his passes from a rookie quarterback, developed by a man who has failed at developing in the past, led by a coach who focuses on defense. That shouldn’t inspire confidence for anyone wanting to keep a roster spot for McLaurin on their fantasy team. The one minor spark of hope is Kingsbury was the toast of the town when originally hired by the Cardinals for bringing his air raid offense into the pros. For those not fluent in coach speak that’s a pass-heavy scheme, which theoretically should bode well for McLaurin… if the person throwing those passes is capable and set up for success.
A. J. Brown
Had the Eagles won the 2022/23 Superbowl, A. J. Brown might have gone down as one of the best trades in history. Even without the hardware, that trade was still a home run. But the 2023 Eagles took a nose dive of historical proportions. 2024 will see the return of the man who orchestrated that nose dive, Nick Sirianni. His return is already bad news for Brown, but made worse with the hire of Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore. Moore was once a hot name in the head coach conversation but once the shine began to come off, Moore mutually parted ways with his employer, the Dallas Cowboys (who followed up the next year by exploding on the offensive side of the ball). He then joined the Chargers and led Justin Herbert to his worst statistical season of the young star’s career. I mentioned a second ago the shine coming off. Well, the shine on Moore is now barely an afterthought. He has a chance to put some sparkle back on his name, but given his track record that’s unlikely, and that means Brown can expect a drop in production. He can still be a weapon, but don’t expect to see Brown in top 5 rankings over the coming season.
Remember folks, the Fantasy Stock Exchange, not unlike real stocks can be unpredictable. Consider the advice given but always invest, and sell, responsibly.
Main Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
