Survey: Rising NFL Stars Feature Raiders, Bills, Lions
By BigLeadSports
The Detroit Lions are 4-0, Buffalo Bills 3-1 and the Philadelphia Eagles are 1-3.
The first-quarter records are reflected in the latest “Rising Stars” ranking from Brand Affinity Technologies, which this month focused strictly on NFL players.
Oakland Raiders’ running back Darren McFadden has earned the top spot on the new monthly, which identifies football players with the most significant leaps in popularity during the previous 30 days, according to BAT.
McFadden led the league with 393 rushing yards in September, including a 70-yard touchdown run in the Raiders’ victory against the New York Jets. He now has 468 rushing yards and continues to lead the league following yesterday’s loss to the New England Patriots.
Buffalo Bills’ teammates Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, based on three exciting wins, including a come-from-behind victory over the New England Patriots during Week 3. Even in defeat yesterday to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills are showing fans and analysts that they are yards removed, at least to this point, from last season’s 4-12 team.
“Darren McFadden’s popularity has jumped 46% over the past month, and we expect marketers as well as fans will take notice,” Ryan Steelberg, CEO of Brand Affinity Technologies, said in a statement. “Our ranking helps identify hot talent at a point where they hold tremendous respect and influence among sports fans, but before they appear on cereal boxes. The return on investment for companies partnering with athletes at this stage is consistently high.”
Calvin Johnson of the uber-comeback kids, the Lions, comes in No. 6 on the list.
BAT said that it calculates daily consumer affinity based on a “proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities.”
The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days.
NFL October Rising Sports Stars
1. Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders)
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills)
3. Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
4. Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers)
5. Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints)
6. Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions)
7. Morgan Burnett (Green Bay Packers)
8. Victor Cruz (New York Giants)
9. Torrey Smith (Baltimore Ravens)
10. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)
Source: BAT