Player: OLB Alex Highsmith
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Alex Highsmith returned to practice yesterday for the first time since injuring his groin against the Los Angeles Chargers. He has missed the past two games and is likely to miss at least a third. But returning in a limited capacity on Thursday, he stands a better chance of playing in Week 7.
Considering the Steelers’ injuries on the edge, they can use Alex Highsmith back sooner rather than later. But they can’t afford to rush him back, Highsmith already on his second groin injury of the year. The good news is he appears to be on his way back, returning to practice on Thursday for the first time in weeks.
Highsmith went down with a groin injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not practice at all the following two weeks, nor certainly did he play in the subsequent games. This week, he did not practice on Wednesday, but he graduated to limited status on Thursday.
Now, that doesn’t mean that Highsmith has a great chance of playing on Sunday. I’m guessing he will be limited again today, assuming no setbacks, and if he even receives a doubtful designation to play against the Las Vegas Raiders, we could probably consider that lucky.
But it does start the mental clock. Now that he is back on the field, he is well on his way to playing again. The Steelers have the New York Jets at home on Sunday Night Football in Week 7. If he can make it back for that game, it would be a big boost.
That is especially true right now, with Nick Herbig and DeMarvin Leal both injured and potentially missing multiple weeks themselves. Alex Highsmith is a great player in his own right, and having no quality depth makes him much more valuable.
Herbig, for example, pulled off a two-sack game finishing up Highsmith’s workload against the Chargers. On Sunday, he split T.J. Watt’s 100th career sack and recovered a fumble. But now he is dealing with a hamstring injury, and that can be tricky like a groin. So hopefully we will check back on Highsmith next week and find out good news about his immediate availability.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
