Daily Fantasy Football November 9: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

Another Sunday of DraftKings daily fantasy football is in the books, but Week 9 brought more happiness than disappointment, unlike the previous slate.

Excluding one big-name quarterback, primary DFS targets survived the day unscathed—and many racked up points during a high-scoring week.

While the main focus here is each player's performance on Sunday, injuries, trends and upcoming matchups are also factors.

Use this information as an early research tool for Week 10.

Stock Up: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Marcus Mariota returned from a knee injury and decided Week 9 was a good time to assemble the best outing of his young NFL career.

The Oregon product completed 28 of his 39 passes, tallying 371 yards and four touchdowns—including the game-winning score in overtime to beat the New Orleans Saints.

Mariota finished with 36.34 DFS points, heavily rewarding the 1.8 percent of DFS participants who used him in the Millionaire Maker.

A Week 10 date with the Carolina Panthers is his present for the stellar day, but the main takeaway is Mariota's an excellent play when he's set for a favorable matchup.

Stock Down: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Not only are the Atlanta Falcons performing like an unbelievably mediocre 6-3 team, Matt Ryan is regularly the second-best quarterback on the field.

When the other gunslinger is Blaine Gabbert, which is what happened in Week 9, that's a serious issue.

Though Ryan eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the second straight outing, he's yet to throw more than two touchdowns in a game.

Perhaps the Falcons will figure out their red-zone offense during the bye week, but until we see it on the field, Ryan is a low-ceiling DFS play.

Stock Up: James Starks, Green Bay Packers

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Eddie Lacy has taken a ton of criticism lately, but James Starks will receive the exact opposite throughout the next week.

The Green Bay Packers stuck with the shiftier back for most of Sunday's contest against the Carolina Panthers. Yes, the three-touchdown deficit likely impacted the decision since Starks is a bigger pass-catching threat, grabbing six receptions for 83 yards and a score.

However, he looks like the better runner right now, too. The 29-year-old carried the rock 10 times for 39 yards, while Lacy trudged to 10 yards on five attempts and lost a fumble. That fumble got Lacy benched for three series, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky, and he later suffered a groin injury that knocked him out of the game.

Unless head coach Mike McCarthy declares Lacy the starter for the Packers' Week 10 home tilt against the Detroit Lions, Starks will be an intriguing low-priced candidate.

Stock Down: Chris Ivory, New York Jets

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Touchdowns are a wonderful thing, and Chris Ivory added two more to his collection on Sunday. What the New York Jets running back didn't do, however, was gain much yardage.

The 18.3 percent of Ivory owners in the Millionaire Maker were likely content with 19.8 points, but 26 yards on 23 carries is still a dreadful stat line.

Unfortunately, it's the continuation of a trend. Over his last three games, Ivory has logged just 84 yards on 55 rushing attempts. His fantasy saving grace in that span is three total touchdowns and eight catches for 58 yards, giving him additional value for PPR leagues.

Ivory must start putting up yards along with touchdowns before nearly one-fifth of owners place him in a lineup again, however.

Stock Up: Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders

Don Wright/Associated Press

Michael Crabtree is best described as a 1A receiver. He's not quite a true No. 1 option, but when a legitimate top target flanks Crabtree, he's a formidable weapon.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Oakland Raiders wideout grabbed seven passes for a team-best 108 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 32.8 DFS points.

Scoring twice isn't sustainable, but the rest of his production should be. Crabtree saw 12 targets, yet Amari Cooper—who tallied seven receptions, 88 yards and a touchdown on Sunday—still received 13.

In Week 10, the Raiders will take on the Minnesota Vikings. Crabtree should be a safe play at a mid-range salary.

Stock Down: Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

If anyone's production thrives and suffers depending on a quarterback more than Heath Miller, feel free to point him out.

The difference between Miller playing with Ben Roethlisberger—who is expected to be out for a couple of weeks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter—and without him is staggering.

Miller has 37 of his 43 targets, 25 of his 30 catches and 253 of his 305 yards when Roethlisberger is under center. That leaves five receptions and 52 yards in four non-Ben games.

Priced at just $2,700 last week, Miller had a 22.7 percent ownership rate in the Millionaire Maker. With Big Ben likely to miss Pittsburgh's Week 10 tilt against the Cleveland Browns, that number is set to plummet—as it should.

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Follow Bleacher Report CFB and DFS writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.