Before diving into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stock reports, let’s talk about one other major stock improvement. The stock improvement of Steelers Nation must definitely be up after a miraculous and crazy comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars as multiple television sets and remotes were sparred in the process. Now for Mike Tomlin’s team, here is all your latest stock movements after a wild weekend in Jacksonville.
NT Javon Hargrave – Stock Up
The man of the hour, nose tackle Javon Hargrave has now strung in strong performances in back to back weeks, capped off with a tremendous effort against the Jaguars Sunday. Hargrave played just as big of a part in the Steelers’ comeback as anyone. Two sacks on Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles and a pass deflection kept the opposing passing game at bay. Not to mention Hargrave’s contribution in run defense as he overpowered Jaguars’ center Tyler Shatley all afternoon, limiting the Jaguars to just 2.4 yards per carry when he was on the field.
S Sean Davis – Stock Down
After seeing his stock rise last week, Sean Davis takes a step backwards this week after a shaky showing against the Jaguars. After praising his tackling ability, Davis struggled to wrap up Leonard Fournette Sunday, registering three missed tackles according to our charting. The free safety now leads the team with 12 missed tackles on the season. If you are a fan of buying low, now would be the time to buy in on Davis as his showing against the Jaguars is a minor error on an otherwise stout season.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster – Stock Up
No player flipped the switch as intensely as wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the final quarter Sunday afternoon. On the drive that preceded the Steelers’ game winning drive, Smith-Schuster caught an incredible back shoulder pass over cornerback Jalen Ramsey. A drive later and it was cornerback A.J. Bouye that the second-year wide receiver made an acrobatic catch over. Smith-Schuster has been heating up recently, recording 11 receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown over the last two games.
OT Matt Feiler – Stock Down
After filling in adequately in several previous games for the injured Marcus Gilbert, Matt Feiler was not his usual self Sunday, allowing Ben Roethlisberger to be taken down twice. While neither of the sacks fall solely on the shoulders of Feiler, he was some-what responsible for both takedowns. It was then revealed that Feiler was dealing with a pectoral injury which is poor timing considering that Gilbert still does not seem ready to go. Feiler will have to rebound and recover quickly because it does not get any easier as next up for him is the Denver Broncos and All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller. He’s not guaranteed to play Sunday after ending the week listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
S Jordan Dangerfield – Stock Up
Jordan Dangerfield played ten defensive snaps Sunday, his highest total of the season as he was an added reinforcement in the Steelers’ run defense. The Steelers introduced a three-safety defensive package against the Jaguars with Dangerfield being the added reinforcement. The safety was an important element in holding the Jaguars to just 38 rushing yards in the second half. A special teams’ ace up until this point, Dangerfield has now made the most of his defensive opportunities in back to back weeks as he was stout in the Steelers’ goal line defense against the Panthers as well.
RB James Conner – Stock Down
Tough week for the Steelers’ breakout running back James Conner as he struggled to make his mark both in the running and receiving game. Returning from a concussion suffered against the Panthers, Conner managed just 25 rushing yards on nine carries and had two unusual drops also. While his hands have been reliable all season, Conner failed to secure a fourth down target and then dropped what would have been a game winning touchdown. Luckily for Conner and the Steelers, the drops were long forgotten as Roethlisberger scored just plays later. A rough showing for Conner, he will have the opportunity to rebound his declining stock this Sunday against the Broncos.
