Daily Fantasy Football September 29: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

Never trust Nick Foles. Anyone who succumbed to the tantalizing Week 3 matchup knows not to get fooled next time.

Before the game, the thought process might have been something like this: He's cheap, he can throw deep and the Pittsburgh Steelers have all kinds of secondary woes. This will be a shootout oozing with fantasy goodness! What can go wrong?

Here we are now, talking about a 12-6 game where the St. Louis Rams quarterback threw for 197 yards, no touchdowns and a pick. He also averaged 10.4 yards per pass attempt, but the Rams don't harbor enough offensive weapons or desire to pass, relegating him to the deepest of tournament gambles going forward.

Now that one of Week 3's duds is out of the way, let's take a deeper look at some of the NFL weekend's biggest fantasy winners and losers. 

Stock Up

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers ($7,000)

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Cam Newton found his Superman cape.

Heading into 2015, everyone treated the Carolina Panthers quarterback like he had cooties. Those fears were validated during Week 1, when he generated 13.5 DraftKings points against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an offense lost without Kelvin Benjamin.

Over the past two weeks, however, the old Newton resurfaced. He tallied two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in each of Carolina's last two contests. During Sunday's victory over the New Orleans Saints, he eclipsed 300 yards through the air for the first time since last November.

Whoever predicted this leaderboard of top DraftKings quarterbacks entering Week 4 (excluding Tom Brady) deserves a medal, which they can buy with their massive winnings:

Rank	Player	DK PPG
1	Aaron Rodgers	27.7
2	Andy Dalton	25.2
3	Cam Newton	24.9
4	Carson Palmer	24.5
5	Tyrod Taylor	23.1

Carolina's lack of wideouts remains an issue, but the offensive line woes have proven unfounded on the passing front. While the unit has struggled to clear running lanes for Jonathan Stewart, it rates No. 3 on Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking scale.

At $7,000, only six quarterbacks cost more, including Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. One of Week 3's highest-owned passers will again be a popular pick against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who stymied Brees after getting torched by Marcus Mariota. 

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts ($4,700)

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Andrew Luck did little to talk his fantasy investors off the ledge in Week 3. Andre Johnson disappeared, and Indianapolis Colts fans must worry about the team's regressing defense. But hey, at least Frank Gore righted his ship.

After compiling 92 combined yards through the first two games, the veteran running back turned 14 carries into 86 yards and two scores. While Gore ran well for the San Francisco 49ers last year, he hadn't reached the end zone twice in quite a while, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

As expected, Indianapolis has utilized the 32-year-old less than his former employer. He's on pace to receive 197 rushes, which would represent his lowest total since 2005. Yet even during another shaky performance, Luck and Co. moved the ball enough to give their back red-zone opportunities.

Don't be surprised if he delivers another multitouchdown game this weekend against the Jaguars, who relinquished three goal-line scores to LeGarrette Blount and another to Dion Lewis in Week 3. Like the New England Patriots, Indianapolis will unleash its frustrations against Jacksonville with a high-scoring frenzy, making Gore an ideal No. 2 back or flex play at $4,700.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders ($6,300)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Is it too early to say Amari Cooper is really good at this?

The rookie wide receiver has started his career with a bang, collecting 290 yards through three games. He surpassed 100 yards on 11 targets for the second consecutive week, setting a new high of 134 yards on eight catches against the Cleveland Browns.

Week	OPP	REC	TAR	REC YDS	TD
1	CIN	5	9	47	0
2	BAL	7	11	109	1
3	CLE	8	11	134	0

One of the season's most pleasant surprises, Oakland ranks No. 7 in total offense due to the emergence of Cooper, Derek Carr and Latavius Murray. The Alabama alum has especially shined, flashing the total package as a reliable route-runner and dangerous deep threat. According to Pro Football Focus, he leads all wideouts with 176 yards after the catch.

Oddly enough, Cooper's price has decreased since Week 1, when the rookie cost $6,700 for his five-catch, 47-yard debut. A $6,300 tag makes him DraftKings' No. 19 wideout in terms of price, and the more expensive choices are hardly scrubs. 

By the end of the year, he'll get treated more like a low-end No. 1 or high-end No. 2 given the matchup. He'll likely never come this cheap again, so take advantage of an intriguing tilt with the Chicago Bears. 

Stock Down

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins ($4,500)

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Did Lamar Miller upset the Miami Dolphins coaches? Before the Buffalo Bills jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead, Miami abandoned the run as Ryan Tannehill tossed three picks with 6.1 yards per pass. 

Despite procuring 38 yards on seven carries, Miller again went missing. On one drive, the Dolphins unsuccessfully threw four times at the goal line. To further taunt Miller investors, the Dolphins proceeded to give the newly signed Jonas Gray nine garbage-time handoffs with the game well out of hand.

The 24-year-old running back now has 30 carries this season, the same amount of rushes afforded to Devonta Freeman on Sunday. Despite boasting No. 1 RB talent, Miller's light workload relegates him to No. 2 territory.

Appraised at $5,200 last week, Miller's price has dipped to $4,700. Don't play him despite the discount. Even after a rough game against Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, the New York Jets still yield 3.5 yards per carry. Gore is a better play at the same cost.

Andre Johnson, WR, Indianapolis Colts ($4,500)

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Johnson's vanishing act reached a nadir on Sunday. If going two games with 51 yards wasn't discouraging enough, Sunday's complete absence from the box score will sound off the sirens.

Zero catches. Zero targets. Following two lackluster games, he didn't draw Luck's attention all afternoon. To answer the resulting "Did Johnson even play?" inquiry: yes, but not as much as T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. DraftKings' Adam Levitan relayed the receivers' snap counts:

Scoring his third touchdown in as many games, Moncrief has officially supplanted Johnson as the team's No. 2 receiver. Phillip Dorsett—who initiated Indianapolis' fourth-quarter rally against the Tennessee Titans with a 35-yard score—could be next to zoom past him on the depth chart.

Johnson's price plummeted from $5,500 to $4,500, but the $1,000 decay isn't enough to trust him, even with Jacksonville on the way. Either spend the extra $500 on Moncrief or dive down the clearance rack for Dorsett ($3,300) as a tournament dice roll. 

Note: All scoring and pricing data obtained via DraftKings.com.

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