Stock watch: Three players whose stock is rising after Week 8

A new feature that you can expect to see each week is the “Stock Watch” The stock watch will identify three players whose stock is rising and falling after that week’s game.

In week eight, the Raiders fell to the Texans 27-24, but despite the heartbreaking loss, there were several players who performed well and put the team in position to win.

Let’s take a look at the Week 8 risers.

Maxx Crosby

The man they call “Mad” Maxx Crosby is continuing to see his stock on the rise. The rookie turned in his third consecutive game, where he made his presence felt.

He stuffed the stat line with six tackles, two tackles for loss, a couple near sacks, and one quarterback hit. He nearly forced a game-changing fumble when he punched the ball out of Carlos Hyde’s arms, but the Texans fell on it.

Trayvon Mullen

Another rookie who is on the rise, Trayvon Mullen, held his own in his first career start. According to Pro Football Focus, Mullen was targeted four times, allowing only two catches for 10 yards with a pass break up.

The near pick-six he dropped would have been nice, but Raiders fans will take it for his first start.

With the youth movement underway on defense, Mullen will be relied on heavily to fix a secondary that has been exposed badly in the past couple weeks.

Johnathan Hankins

Hankins has been a big reason for the Raiders’ strong run defense in 2019, although they were gashed for 130 yards versus the Texans, Hankins personally had a strong game.

The big man was all over the field. Hankins had four tackles, a sack, and one and a half tackles for loss.