Now on a two-game skid, frustration is growing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team looks to reverse their fortunes before it is too late. Losing brings not only frustration and disappointment but a ton of stock movement. Let’s jump right into it, here are all your latest Steelers’ stock movement for Week 14 ahead of the team’s Sunday road game against the Oakland Raiders.
QB Ben Roethlisberger – Stock Down
Do not let the stats fool you, it was another rough week for the Steelers’ franchise quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger may have completed 29/45 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns but ultimately it was the passes he missed that cost the Steelers last Sunday. A missed pass to a wide-open Justin Hunter left seven off the board for the Steelers and an interception to Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James in Los Angeles’ territory cost the team even more. With six interceptions over his last three games, Roethlisberger is going to have to clean up his act before he’ll see his stock rise again.
RB Jaylen Samuels – Stock Up
With James Conner out injured, now is a good time to invest in rookie running back Jaylen Samuels. While he will be splitting the workload with Stevan Ridley, you have to figure Samuels will get a bulk of the carries and see the field on passing downs. While his 2.6 yards per carry leaves a lot to be inspired, there is a lot to like from the rookie running back, particularly his knack for finding the end zone. Samuels has scored two touchdowns over the last four games and each have come as a result of his hustle and effort. A rookie with a veteran feel for the end zone, Samuels scored 47 touchdowns over his NCAA career and will look to continue his scoring splurge this Sunday.
S Sean Davis – Stock Down
Shame on me for believing that Sean Davis had turned it around this season, as the third-year safety has seen his play do a complete 180 over the last month. During last Sunday’s loss, Davis dished out the biggest hit of his career, except it did not connect with a Charger. No, it connected with his own team mate Joe Haden, who was in the process of an interception. Davis dislodged the ball from Haden which fell right into the hands of Chargers’ wide receiver Keenan Allen for a touchdown. Davis has struggled even in the open field, missing eight tackles over the last three games according to our charting. I am not sure what happened to the Sean Davis that roamed the secondary over the season’s first half but the Steelers need him back and fast.
WR James Washington – Stock Up
Little bit of a shocker here. You may be asking how does a player see their stock rise after being inactive for the previous game? Well it’s a special case for wide receiver James Washington because this is it, this is his biggest chance to redeem himself. He essentially got benched for his gaffes against the Broncos, took a beating from the media, including comments from his own quarterback and now will be inserted back into the spotlight after Justin Hunter got put on the IR. The Steelers do not have a lot of credible options left behind Washington and this may be his make it or break it moment. If the events that transpired over the last two weeks were not enough to light a fire under him, I’m not sure what will.
Coaching Staff – Stock Down
Rather than just one person in particular, I’ve decided to focus on the entire coaching staff for their performance against the Chargers. There was Mike Tomlin’s poor use of his challenge flags, Randy Fichtner’s inability to get the offense going in the second half, Keith Butler’s stubbornness of using a linebacker on arguably one of the game’s best receivers and Danny Smith’s special team’s unit allowing a touchdown. With an officiating crew that was suspect at best, the coaching staff made it no easier on the team’s chances to win.
