Your last hit of rising and falling fantasy stock before the final draft weekend.

This is the final preseason edition of our "stock watch", just in time for those late August/first days of September drafts.

RISING

Chris Johnson, RB, Titans: This is to confirm that Jeff Fisher has bought into the Johnson hype too, and that's significant. According to the Titans' official site, Fisher has indicated that there could be close to a 50-50 split between Johnson and LenDale White by midseason. Now Johnson becomes the ideal flex player and a borderline, yet inconsistent, RB2. He can bust loose for a big play any time he touches the ball, but he will be boom or bust because of his work split. Johnson has certainly become more appealing than he was a few weeks ago, yet you shouldn’t hope for a White injury, either. Johnson isn't built for extensive duty and will be best used as a complement to White. Yet you can now confidently lock him in as a flex player if your league allows for it.

Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: Ken Whisenhunt has yet to confirm his starter publicly, but after Matt Leinart delivered an ugly exhibition game performance of Rick Mirer proportions against Oakland, the coach isn't fooling anyone. Leinart moved out of the pocket and threw a pick directly into the chest of Raiders defensive back Stanford Routt. It was a mistake I wouldn't even expect from a rookie. Routt was clearly standing in front of Leinart's intended receiver and was watching the QB the whole time. Even a new Madden player wouldn't make such a decision. Warner still goes through his progressions very quickly and gets better protection than he did, say, two years ago, so he can certainly start for your fantasy team if you need him to do so.

Andre Hall, RB, Broncos: He appears to have locked up the No. 2 running back job in Denver, and can be more than just the obvious handcuff to Selvin Young. Hall is a legitimate threat to steal short-yardage carries and a considerable amount of touches. He is more of a pure inside runner than Young, and the two could conceivably end up in a time share. Hall is a fine late-round pick for RB depth even if you don't draft Young earlier. One or two key fumbles from Young, and Hall could be starting at some point. Mike Shanahan is notorious for his short fuse when it comes to RB turnovers.

Nate Burleson, WR, Seahawks: I may regret this one later, but Burleson has finally shown the willingness to accept a challenge this preseason. In the past, he has shied away from physical play, but in the most recent preseason game against San Diego, he tossed a defender out of the way en route to a 68-yard TD reception. I could not believe my eyes, and had to watch it again and again. Burleson appears ready to assert himself as the Seahawks' new No. 1 WR, and is at least a nice pick as a third fantasy wideout. Also, watch for Jordan Kent to soon emerge as the starter opposite Burleson if the Seahawks still have an obvious hole there. Keep him on a fantasy free-agent watch.

Steve Slaton, RB, Titans:  Like Johnson, he is not equipped for a heavy workload, but he appears to be the best the Texans have. He runs with impressive power for a smaller RB, but don’t overrate him, as Houston may rotate him in with other RBs. Slaton can certainly become a quality flex option and nice No. 3 RB. He's no Brian Westbrook, though. Few smaller RBs possess that kind of ability to make tacklers miss and frustrate them in short space.

Josh Morgan, WR, 49ers: He suddenly has become a sexy sleeper pick because of his outstanding preseason performances. But I am featuring him simply to stress that he is being overrated. Some of his biggest heroics have come against defensive backs low on their respective team's depth charts, and when the season starts for real, he is going to find the competition to be much tougher. Let someone else buy into the hype unless he falls to one of the very final rounds.

FALLING

Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals: I won't move him too far south yet, but the beatings he has taken in the preseason, plus the injury status of Chad Johnson and a somewhat shaky running game have me seriously concerned. Palmer is not in my top five fantasy quarterbacks anymore, as I move Derek Anderson into the fifth slot. Logically, Palmer seems to slot in as the sixth-best QB in fantasy, but now he is becoming one of the "guys I refuse to draft" this year.  For instance, I would rather wait another two rounds or so to get Brett Favre than to take Palmer in the fifth round.

Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals: Looks like I may be Bengal-bashing this week, but I am just telling the truth. Most of us know by now that he is being shopped, and there is no real market for RBs amidst trade talks right now. Guys perceived to be declining aren't in demand; just ask Shaun Alexander. If the Bengals don’t want this guy, I don't want him on my fantasy team period.

Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals: Sometimes, you just need to point out the obvious. He is officially added to the "guys I refuse to draft" list now. Why would you even consider him? You might as well take Bobby Engram as your second wide receiver if you draft Johnson.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles: Despite his impressive preseason, Jackson is being listed as the third WR on the depth chart, behind the more experienced Hank Baskett. His rookie status and thin frame may be concerns, so while his upside is still apparent, don't move to grab him as anything more than a WR4 in late drafts. I'm not saying he can’t build on his preseason success, but you have to wonder if the Eagles don't want to rush him if they slot him behind a guy like Baskett. That said, if Reggie Brown isn’t ready for the season opener, Jackson could be rising again next week.

D.J. Hackett, WR, Panthers: He has missed most of the preseason, injured once again. It's becoming the same old tired story with Hackett. He's becoming Cliff Floyd with a football helmet. There is no doubting his talent or admirable effort when he plays, but Hackett is seemingly made of glass. I don't want him on my roster either.

Joey Galloway, WR, Buccaneers: He has also missed much of the preseason because of health issues, and Jeff Garcia hasn’t looked too sharp so far in limited preseason action. If Galloway can't stay healthy, and his QB is also scuffling, things won’t be looking good for the Bucs' No. 1 WR from the statistical perspective. Galloway has played at a high level much longer than expected, but he could start to slip for fantasy purposes in 2008.

Scott Engel has been writing about fantasy football as a professional since 1996. E-mail Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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