The NFL regular season is more volatile on a week-to-week basis than the Stock Market. One team that lost by several touchdowns the week before can follow up with a blowout victory. Players who are responsible for the blame one week could be responsible for a game-winning play the next.
With Week 3 of the regular season in the books, let's take a look at three AFC North players who saw their stock rise, and three others from the division who saw it fall.
THREE UP
Marvin Jones, WR, Cincinnati
Jones has gotten back to his 2013 roots with touchdowns in his last two games. After missing all of last season with foot injuries, Jones is giving quarterback Andy Dalton the secondary weapon he needs on the outside opposite A.J. Green. Coming off his best game with five catches for 94 yards in Baltimore on Sunday, Jones is well on his way to equaling or surpassing his production from two seasons ago when he caught 51 passes for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland
Barnidge entered Sunday's game against Oakland with 658 career receiving yards and three touchdowns in seven-plus seasons. Now atop the Browns' depth chart, he's making the most of his newfound opportunity. Barnidge set career highs with six receptions and 105 yards with a touchdown. He was targeted 10 times and is showing that he might have some playmaking chops in a Browns offense that desperately needs them.
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore
Gillmore has looked the part of a No. 1 tight end for the Ravens. While Steve Smith Sr. has gobbled up most of Joe Flacco's targets, Gillmore has become a reliable second option. He had three catches for 40 yards before sitting out the second half of Sunday's loss to Cincinnati with a calf injury. As long as the injury isn't serious, Flacco will continue to look Gillmore's way when Smith is covered.
THREE DOWN
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore
Perriman came close to making the list of aforementioned risers without playing a down. Then he missed practice on Monday after aggravating his knee injury during pregame sprints a day earlier. Neither Marlon Brown nor Kamar Aiken have been able to make an impact in the passing game through three games, leaving Baltimore clamoring for a player with the game-breaking speed that Perriman possesses. Unfortunately, big questions remain over whether the 26th overall pick can get on the field any time soon.
Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore
Forsett is coming off a career season that landed him a three-year, $9 million contract. Through three games, he's managed a paltry 124 yards on 39 carries and has yet to find the end zone. Forsett is averaging over two yards less per carry than he did last season after struggling for 13 yards on 10 carries against Cincinnati on Sunday. The season is young, but Forsett has been largely ineffective with the ball in his hands and could start to lose touches to Lorenzo Taliaferro and Buck Allen.
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Cleveland
Bowe had visions of leaping into the Dawg Pound multiple times when he signed with Cleveland this offseason. Instead, he's stuck in the dog house. Bowe, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury, was a healthy scratch for Sunday's loss to Oakland due to what head coach Mike Pettine termed a "numbers game." Bowe's fall down the depth chart is hardly what the team had in mind when it signed him to a two-year deal worth $12 million. He's dressed once and played sparingly at that, receiving one target in Cleveland's Week 2 win over Tennessee.
