This weekend’s stock report is twice the fun as the Pittsburgh Steelers are doubling down on their wins this week, defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday and then returning home to defeat the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. The Steelers are now winners of five in a row and here are all the latest stock movements of a roster that seems to be getting stronger as the year progresses.
QB Ben Roethlisberger – Stock Soaring
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger deserves all the praise he can get for being the driving force behind the Steelers’ five game win streak. Roethlisberger was literally perfect against the Panthers on Thursday night, completing 22/25 passes for over 300 yards along with five touchdowns, giving him a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Roethlisberger not only had more touchdown passes than interceptions but Thursday night was his fourth game in which he has posted a perfect passer rating in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most ever. Over the course of the five-game win streak, Roethlisberger has thrown for 15 touchdown passes, while throwing just two interceptions.
WR James Washington – Stock Down
Really tough to say anyone’s stock is down after a dominant division win and a blowout victory four days later but wide receiver James Washington has failed to make an impact in either game. Washington has played two games since being declared inactive against the Cincinnati Bengals but just has two receptions for 17 yards to show for it. This includes being shut out in the box score against the Panthers on Thursday night. While Roethlisberger was able to connect with nine different receivers on Thursday, Washington was not one of them, in fact the rookie receiver failed to even record a target. His rookie season has had a lot of growing pains, hopefully Washington can begin to grow out of his difficulties as the season closes.
MLB Vince Williams – Stock Up
The heart and soul of the defense, linebacker Vince Williams has enjoyed a tremendous week. Sunday’s game against the Ravens, in which the Steelers’ linebacker recorded four tackles and half a sack was just the tip of the iceberg as Williams made a big impact on Thursday Night. Williams caused havoc for Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton, recording one sack and a pick six. His interception was the catalyst for the Steelers’ scoring surge and a sign of things to come as the Steelers’ defense refused to give Newton a clean pocket to operate in all game long.
S Terrell Edmunds – Stock Down
Like Washington, rookie safety Terrell Edmunds saw his stock slightly fall this week as the rookie struggled at times against the Ravens and Panthers. The rookie safety was flagged for pass interference against the Ravens and dropped an easy interception against the Panthers. With Head Coach Mike Tomlin beginning to phase Morgan Burnett back into the defense, it will be interesting to watch how Edmunds’ playing time fluctuates moving forward.
WR Antonio Brown – Stock Up
Wide receiver Antonio Brown lives fast both on and off the field. After being incited for driving 100 mph earlier Thursday morning, the wide receiver sped his way to the endzone on Thursday night, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. The veteran wide receiver has now recorded a touchdown in seven straight games and leads the NFL with 10 receiving touchdowns. While Brown is not putting up the yardage numbers that he is accustomed to seeing, he is still showing the Steelers and the rest of the NFL that he can make a play when it really matters. Along with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Brown has helped give the Steelers one of the NFL’s top receiving cores.
