Playoff Stockwatch: Zay Flowers trending up despite mistakes, George Kittle's stock takes a dip, and more

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The Chiefs and 49ers are heading to Super Bowl LVIII, and this should be a fun matchup. It's a rematch of Super Bowl LIV, which Kansas City won 31-20.

This is the eighth time in NFL history where there will be a Super Bowl rematch, and the Chiefs are trying to become the first repeat Super Bowl champion since the 2003-04 Patriots. The 49ers are seeking their sixth Super Bowl win, which would tie the Patriots and Steelers for most by any franchise, and San Francisco has not won a Super Bowl since 1994.

You're going to see plenty of facts and nuggets about these teams over the next two weeks, and we have a lot of time to break down the Chiefs and 49ers before the Super Bowl. But first, let's go back and see if anything changed from a Fantasy perspective following the Championship Round with our playoff stockwatch.

I also ranked the players for the Super Bowl, and like most of you, I can't wait for the game. Whose legacy -- and potential Fantasy value -- will be altered in Las Vegas? We'll find out soon enough.

Stock up

Travis Kelce

Kelce had 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets at Baltimore in the Chiefs' 17-10 victory in the AFC Championship Game. In three playoff games, he has 23 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 27 targets, and he doesn't look anything like a 34-year-old tight end. We still don't know for sure if he'll return for the 2024 campaign, and he'll be 35 in October. But if he's back, and can somehow continue playing like this, shouldn't he be the No. 1 tight end off the board in most Fantasy leagues? I'm still drafting Sam LaPorta first, and currently I would take Trey McBride second. But Kelce could once again put himself in position to be the No. 1 Fantasy tight end. Just keep in mind that while he finished No. 1 in PPR points per game this past season, he failed to gain 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. And his 14.6 PPR points per game was his lowest average since 2016. I hope he has another big game in the Super Bowl and then returns in 2024. If that happens, the Kelce vs. LaPorta debate will be fun all offseason.

Zay Flowers

Flowers ended the loss against the Chiefs with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He also had a costly taunting penalty and then a fumble at the goal line, but we want to focus on the positive here. He ended the season on a tremendous run with at least 19.6 PPR points in five of his final seven games, including the playoffs, and he scored six total touchdowns over that span. Now, six of those games were played without Mark Andrews, and we'll see how the two co-exist again in Flowers' sophomore campaign in 2024. Flowers played 10 games with Andrews in 2023 and averaged 12.5 PPR points for reference, but I'm expecting Flowers to be even better next season. He should emerge as the best pass catcher for Lamar Jackson, and I plan to draft Flowers no later than Round 4 in all leagues.

David Montgomery

Everyone is excited about Jahmyr Gibbs, and rightfully so. He had an impressive rookie campaign in 2023 and was productive in the 34-31 loss to the 49ers with 12 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 11 yards on six targets, with a fumble. But Montgomery outplayed Gibbs at San Francisco with 15 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 20 yards on two targets, and that performance should be a reminder to Fantasy managers that he's not going anywhere in 2024. While Gibbs is electric and has the ability to be a No. 1 Fantasy running back, he's still going to share touches with Montgomery. And Montgomery was still solid in tandem with Gibbs in 2023. Despite missing three games due to injury, Montgomery reached 1,000 rushing yards in the regular season for the second time in his career, and he also had a career-high 13 touchdowns. He also scored two more touchdowns in the playoffs. Montgomery likely won't get drafted until Round 5 in the majority of leagues, but he still has the potential to be a top-15 Fantasy running back again in 2024, even with Gibbs' value on the rise.

Stock down

George Kittle

Kittle had a down game in the victory against the Lions with only two catches for 27 yards on three targets, and that's going to happen from time to time when you share the field with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey. And that's why Kittle is listed here. He's still a top-tier Fantasy tight end, and he had a solid campaign in 2023 at 12.7 PPR points per game. But his points per game have now declined in every season since his breakout season in 2018, and it's hard to expect a dramatic upturn in production in 2024 when he'll be 31, especially in this loaded offense. At best, Kittle will be ranked as the No. 6 tight end for me behind Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and Dalton Kincaid, but I could also see Kittle fall behind T.J. Hockenson (knee) if he's healthy, Kyle Pitts with an upgraded quarterback and Evan Engram if the Jaguars don't add a receiver. I like Kittle heading into 2024, but he's someone to settle for and not target on Draft Day.

Lamar Jackson

Jackson is facing a lot of undeserved criticism following the Ravens' loss to the Chiefs since Baltimore only scored 10 points at home. He had 272 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 54 rushing yards, one catch for 13 yards and a lost fumble. It wasn't Jackson's best game, but he didn't play like the MVP he's about to be crowned. Jackson had a standout campaign in 2023 and averaged 23.7 Fantasy points per game, which was tied for fourth among quarterbacks. It was far from his best season -- he averaged 32.3 points per game in 2019 and 25.5 points in 2020 -- but Jackson again passed for more than 3,500 passing yards and 800 rushing yards, with 29 total touchdowns. He's my No. 3 quarterback heading into 2024 behind Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts, and I thought about moving him up to No. 2 prior to the playoffs. But third is the right spot for him now that Hurts got Kellen Moore as his offensive coordinator, and Jackson should be drafted in Round 4 in the majority of leagues.

Jared Goff

Goff passed for 273 yards and one touchdown at San Francisco, and the Lions still scored 31 points in the NFC Championship Game loss. He's a solid NFL quarterback, but he doesn't always produce like a standout Fantasy quarterback, as evidenced by his 20.5 Fantasy points per game. We'll see who replaces Ben Johnson as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, which could change Goff's outlook. But he's unlikely to be drafted as a No. 1 quarterback in the majority of leagues in 2024. And it's not like Goff doesn't have great weapons with some of the best players at their respective positions in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. It's just that for two seasons now we've seen the Lions prefer to lean on their running backs and not Goff as the catalyst of the offense. He's a great No. 2 Fantasy quarterback to draft with a late-round pick, but don't go into 2024 with the idea that Goff can be your starter given what we've seen for the past two seasons.