A quarter of the way through the 2024 NFL season, we’re assessing who’s trending up and down in each division.
Here’s the AFC South’s stock report from Weeks 1-4:
Stock up: Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins
Coming off a breakout year, Collins entered 2024 with extra competition for targets after the Texans acquired Stefon Diggs during the offseason. However, the 25-year-old is heading for another career year.
The fourth-year wideout has recorded 30 receptions and an NFL-best 489 receiving yards, averaging 122.3 yards and 7.5 catches through four weeks. With 13 games remaining, Collins is on pace to finish well above his career-highs from 2023, when he posted 80 catches for 1,297 yards.
Stock up: Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross
The 2022 third-round pick was slow to develop, leading many to scoff at the idea of him starting at safety for the Colts in 2024. However, Cross has found his niche in Year 3, lined up in the box for 30 percent of his snaps (308), which has led to a significant uptick in production.
Only four games into 2024, Cross has recorded 47 tackles, a career-high, which is tied for the most in the NFL heading into Week 5. Meanwhile, he’s been a terror against opponent’s ground attacks, earning the 11th-best run defense grade (86.6) in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
Stock down: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence seemed to plateau in 2023, coming off a Pro Bowl year. However, early in 2024, the former No. 1 pick has regressed.
The larger issue could be play-caller Press Taylor’s offense, which ranks 25th in the NFL. However, by the numbers, Lawrence has posted a 53.3 completion percentage and only 182.3 yards per game, the worst four-game stretch to start a season of his short career.
Stock down: Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis
After Levis went 3-6 in nine starts as a rookie, expectations weren’t necessarily high for him entering Year 2. However, the Titans likely expected him to look better than he has through the first four weeks of the 2024 campaign.
Levis is tied for the most interceptions in the NFL (six) and has already thrown two pick-sixes despite missing most of the team’s last game due to injury. He’s completed 68.4 percent of his passes, but ranks 27th in passer rating (72.8) among quarterbacks who’ve played 50 percent of their team’s snaps while committing the fourth-most turnover-worthy plays (six), per PFF.
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