Player: WR Van Jefferson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Over the past couple weeks, Van Jefferson seems to be emerging in the Steelers’ offense. On Monday, he caught four passes for 62 yards, a week after catching his first touchdown. While all of that coincides with Russell Wilson’s entry into the starting lineup, Jefferson also deserves credit for staying focused. And he remains a willing blocker, which is one of the reasons the Steelers brought him in.
Don’t look now, but Van Jefferson might actually be relevant this season. A week after securing a ball for his father’s mantle, the veteran had his best game of the season. On five targets, he caught four passes against the Giants for 62 yards.
That included a long of 36 yards, which is more than he gained in any entire game through seven weeks. At the halfway point, Jefferson now has 14 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. Over just the past two weeks, however, he has six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
If he continues that pace over the second half of the season, he will catch 27 balls over the final nine games for 347 yards and four touchdowns. Now, Van Jefferson is probably not going to catch a touchdown pass every other game. But can he average three catches for 39 yards over a nine-game stretch? I certainly think he can if the Steelers use him.
Use him in the passing game, that is. Even though he has played 359 snaps, Jefferson only has 21 targets on the year. That’s because he is the Steelers’ primary blocking wide receiver. In fact, he typically plays 60 to 85 percent of the snaps per game.
Given how much he plays, it will be no surprise if the Steelers start finding Jefferson more. While he has not been stellar in getting open consistently or creating separation, he is improving. WR coach Zach Azzanni emphasized that his recent successes are about his own progress, not Russell Wilson. Whatever the reason for it, though, the Steelers need it to continue, if not accelerate.
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.
