The first week of the NFL season is in the books after months of waiting. After one week of play, three teams in the AFC East division picked up a win, while the other one...well...was blown out to say the least. This week on the AFC East Roundup, we will be looking at stock up and stock down for the teams as they head into Week two.
Buffalo Bills
Stock Up: Next year’s free agents
When you lose 47-3, it is hard to find an area or player that did well in the game. That is why the stock is up for free agents that the team is targeting heading into next season. When you lose this badly, the holes on the team are clear, and they need to be filled. Free agents will know this heading into the off season, and they will know that the Bills are going to pay a premium in order to improve the team.
Stock Down: Fan Morale
It is easy to just put the entire team as stock down, but in this instance, we will look at the fans. After breaking the infamous playoff drought last season, fans were hopeful going into this year, but in the back of their minds, they knew that the team, on paper, did not look very good. Unfortunately, their worst case scenario became a reality on Sunday, and now fans are already looking towards the future of free agency next season and the potential number one pick in the draft.
New England Patriots
Stock Up: Rob Gronkowski
After a turbulent offseason, Gronk was back on the field for the Patriots. He was able to put all the talk of retirement and a potential trade behind him, going off for 123 yards and a touchdown. Gronkowski is back, which is bad news for all the teams in the NFL, and he does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. With Julian Edeleman still slated to miss three more games, expect Gronk to continue this production.
Stock Down: Cordarrelle Patterson
During the offseason, we mentioned that Patterson could be a fantasy sleeper this year due to his speed and deep ball potential. On Sunday, he was a non-factor on the field. In the passing game, he only caught one ball for six yards, and he added two rushes for 13 yards. Against the Houston Texans, he did not put in his best performance, but perhaps he can bounce back in Week two.
Miami Dolphins
Stock Up: Team Culture
Going into the season, head coach Adam Gase wanted to implement a new culture with the team. After letting go of star players and waiting for the return of Ryan Tannehill from injury, the team was looking to move forward with a new culture as a team. They did not disappoint on Sunday with a hard-fought victory against the Tennessee Titans. After a down season last year, this team can be dangerous if everyone buys in.
Stock Down: Danny Amendola
One of the prize free agents for the team in the off season was Amendola, acquired after spending last season with the Patriots. Sunday, he did not make as big as an impact as he could have hoped. Amendola only caught four balls for under 30 yards as he is looking to become more comfortable in the offense. Fortunately, he did not need to step up that much, as the other receivers did most of the work on offense, but we would still like him to increase those numbers.
New York Jets
Stock Up: Sam Darnold
If you just tuned in for the first pass of his NFL career, then Darnold would be stock down after throwing an interception that was returned for a Detroit Lions touchdown. However, Darnold showed great mental toughness and continued to play an excellent game after that, passing for 198 yards and two touchdowns. It was an efficient game that made Jets fans excited for the season to come, especially if that defense, which was also worthy of stock up, keeps playing the way it did against the Lions.
Stock Down: Lac Edwards
We are giving the punter some love, but for the wrong reasons. Edwards punted the ball three times on Monday night, but only averaged 37 yards a punt, with his long being 40 yards. Granted, field position did not matter as much with the score being what it was, but in tight games throughout the season, he needs to be better.