NFL Barometer: Golden Opportunity for Golladay

We're essentially at the halfway point of the season already, and as is customary, the 2018 campaign has brought us no shortage of surprises on the fantasy front. This past week saw an unexpected quarterback demotion and a busy trade deadline, as well as the continuation of both positive and negative trends. With plenty to analyze, let's dive right in to the task of taking the temperature of the NFL fantasy landscape.

Trending Up

Quarterback

Russell Wilson, Seahawks: Ironically, Wilson's fantasy fortunes appear to be improving in direct proportion to a sharp reduction in his pass attempts. Better protection and a viable running game for the first time since Marshawn Lynch's glory days in the Pacific Northwest have unsurprisingly resulted in a much more efficient passing game, and Wilson's fantasy owners have reaped the benefits. The six-year veteran has three consecutive three-touchdown efforts and has thrown for multiple scores in all but one of his seven games. Granted, his rushing production is considerably down – Wilson is averaging a career-low 11 rushing yards per contest – but that's largely a result of the mobile quarterback not having to scramble for his life on the majority of his drop-backs. Meanwhile, his YPA is the highest of his career.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers: Here we go again. It's anyone's guess how long this latest installment of "Fitzmagic" will last, but for the moment, we do know he'll start the Week 9 road tilt against the Panthers. The veteran once again provided an in-game spark in the close loss to the Bengals in Week 8, and given that the Bucs are usually forced into a pass-happy attack each week due to their defensive deficiencies, he might make for a great streaming option in the short term.

Running Back

Lamar Miller, Texans: Miller has consecutive 100-yard efforts for the first time in a Texans uniform and has encouragingly logged 22 and 18 carries, respectively, over the last two games. He's also scored his first two rushing touchdowns of the season during that span, and despite Deshaun Watson's elite mobility, Miller is encouragingly now just two red-zone rushes away from matching the 21 he received over 16 games last season. He's already matched 2017's five carries from inside the five-yard line. If his current workload holds, Miller certainly should have a chance to best the career-high 1,099 yard he managed with the Dolphins in 2014.

Dion Lewis, Titans: Lewis' best game of the season was his most recent – he carried 13 times for a season-high 91 yards and added six receptions for 64 yards versus the Chargers in London in Week 7. Just as important, Titans offensive coordinator Matt LeFleur is on record as saying that the backfield time share between Lewis and Derrick Henry should continue tilting in favor of the former heading into Week 9. The combination of what should certainly continue to be a double-digit carry workload and his strong work in the passing game has Lewis' prospects trending upward.

Chris Carson, Seahawks: Carson appears to be the answer to the Seahawks' long-running running back woes, and his success has led to a definite shift in the team's offensive approach. The second-year back now has three 100-yard games on the season following a 105-yard tally against the Lions in Week 8, and he's encouragingly logged eight red-zone rushes in the last two games alone, with five of those carries coming inside the five-yard line. Given his success, Carson appears to have firmly taken a hold of the lead-back role and relegated both Mike Davis and first-round pick Rashaad Penny to complementary roles for the time being.

Wide Receiver

Courtland Sutton, Broncos: The rookie has seemingly been on the verge of a breakout in several games this season, but it's always been something – a pass just a few inches off here, a touchdown called back there. Tuesday, the trade deadline at least removed one major obstacle from his path in the form of Demaryius Thomas, who was sent to the Texans. Now set as the No. 2 receiver alongside a wideout who commands his fair share of attention in Emmanuel Sanders, the stage is set for a Sutton ascension.

Donte Moncrief, Jaguars: It's a bit hard to fathom giving Moncrief this designation after his lack of production over the last two seasons, but he's earned it with his recent play. The veteran seems to have developed a legitimate rapport with the erratic Blake Bortles, as he's seen between seven and 14 targets in three of the past four games. Additionally, Moncrief has averaged 5.5 receptions for 78.8 yards and a touchdown in four of his last five contests (factoring out a Week 6 catch-less performance versus the Cowboys), and he's recorded one catch of over 20 yards in each of those games. While both Moncrief and Bortles always encourage some skepticism due to their checkered histories, the former appears set for plenty of volume the rest of the season.

David Moore, Seahawks: Moore makes a return to this section thanks to his ever-improving play. The 2017 seventh-round pick continues to find the end zone at an eye-popping rate, as he's now scored four touchdowns over his last three games. His latest effort also brought career highs in receptions (four) and receiving yards (97). While his modest target share (no more than four in any contest) continues to hint at eventual regression, there's no denying Moore's appeal as a high-upside fantasy option at the moment.

Keke Coutee, Texans: Coutee needs to complete his recovery from a current hamstring injury to begin cashing in on the opportunity presented to him, but once he does, his talent level implies he should be in line for a considerable boost in production. That prognosis comes as a result of the significant void created by Will Fuller's season-ending knee injury, although the Tuesday acquisition of Demaryius Thomas does seem to guarantee Coutee will remain in a No. 3 role. However, Coutee is the only one of the trio of himself, DeAndre Hopkins and Thomas that can consistently threaten defenses deep the way Fuller did, so he should still have plenty of opportunities for big plays moving forward.

Kenny Golladay / Marvin Jones, Lions: Both wideouts project for a boost in targets with the prolific Golden Tate heading to Philadelphia at the trade deadline, with perhaps Golladay standing to benefit the most. At 6-foot-4 and approximately 215 pounds, the second-year wideout is more likely to do the "dirty work" on the short- and mid-range pass routes that Tate was so proficient in, in addition to still possessing excellent downfield speed and the frame to excel in the red zone. However, with Tate seeing over 120 targets in four straight seasons – and well on his way to blowing past that mark again this year with 69 through seven games – there should be plenty more looks for Jones as well.

Tight End

Chris Herndon, Jets: The Jets offense still utilizes its tight end infrequently, but the talented rookie has been making good use of his modest opportunities recently. Herndon has scored in three straight games despite seeing only 11 targets combined over that span. He has turned seven of those looks into receptions, gaining 114 yards in the process. Herndon is clearly the most explosive option for the team at the position, so he should see more opportunities as he and Sam Darnold continue to develop a rapport.

Trending Down

Quarterback

Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: Winston was given a well-deserved seat during the Week 8 loss to the Bengals, one that he helped facilitate with four interceptions, including a pick-six. He'll be firmly planted on the sidelines again in Week 9, as coach Dirk Koetter announced Monday that Fitzpatrick will be the starting quarterback for a divisional battle versus the Panthers. Winston could potentially be back in the No. 1 role as early as Week 10, but his demotion saddles him with a Trending Down designation for now.

Running Back

Le'Veon Bell, Steelers: The combination of Bell's seemingly never-ending holdout and James Conner's stellar play relegates Bell to this status for the first time this season. That's largely because the former Pro Bowler's 2018 prospects have never looked bleaker. There continues to be no end in sight to Bell's contract dispute, and the longer he stays away, the more likely he looks like a shadow of himself if he does make a second-half return at some point. Moreover, his chances of enjoying any semblance of the volume he's accustomed to grow slimmer with each of Conner's 100-yard, multi-touchdown efforts.

Corey Clement, Eagles: Another three-headed backfield situation exists in Philadelphia, and if the last two games are any indication, Clement appears to increasingly be the odd man out. The second-year back has only posted 12 rushing yards on 12 carries over the last two games. Backfield mates Wendell Smallwood (17 carries) and Josh Adams (13 carries) have both outpaced him during that span, and while neither has offered spectacular production, they've both outgained Clement. That presently leaves Clement in a potentially dwindling role.

Derrick Henry, Titans: As mentioned in Lewis' entry, Henry's role could be shrinking even further coming out of the Week 8 bye. The third-year back had already seen single-digit carries in two of the four games prior to the Titans' mid-season break, and LaFleur's comments seemed to imply that could be even more of the norm moving forward. The fact that Henry's only been able to break 3.2 yards per carry in one game this season has led to this scenario, and he appears poised to be labeled as one of the season's bigger fantasy disappointments at running back.

Wide Receiver

Martavis Bryant, Raiders: Bryant was in the opposite category just a week ago, as all signs pointed to a big boost in opportunity with the trade of Amari Cooper to the Cowboys. Then, head coach Jon Gruden unexpectedly slotted veteran Brandon LaFell into the No. 2 role Sunday versus the Colts alongside de facto No. 1 Jordy Nelson, while Seth Roberts held onto his usual No. 3 job. That left Bryant out in the cold, as he surprisingly played only seven snaps and didn't see a target. It's hard to know what Gruden might opt to do week to week, but Bryant's outlook is bleak considering even Cooper's exit didn't lead to a boost.