Daily Fantasy Football December 25: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

With the exception of festive lights and maybe a circular man made of snow out in the front yard, not much changes for daily fantasy football owners this holiday season as they prep for Week 16.

The NFL doesn't wait on anyone, and owners have to match the relentless nature by keeping up with the stock market as best as possible.

With injuries to big names such as Adrian Peterson and A.J. Green, odd circumstances around star players (Eli Manning, anyone?), matchups on both ends of the spectrum and so much more, it's a lot for owners to digest.

Let's provide a helping hand within by looking at some of the notable stock movers for December 25.

Stock Up: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings ($7,300)

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

So much for the stock around Peterson tumbling.

The Minnesota Vikings leader hurt his ankle last week and posted just 6.3 points as a result, but it doesn't sound like the issue will hamper him much going into a great matchup against the New York Giants.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who spoke with Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer, Peterson sounds ready for prime time: "Vikings coach Mike Zimmer says RB Adrian Peterson 'should be good to go' Sunday against the Giants."

Peterson has failed to crack more than seven points in two of his last three, but it's hard to not trot him out against the Giants, who have let up seven 100-yard performances by opposing backfields over their last 10 games.

With Peterson cleared, owners can bank on him being the eighth.

Stock Down: LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills ($6,600)

Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

This needs said—daily fantasy owners need to stay away from Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy.

McCoy tore his MCL last weekend, but Buffalo coach Rex Ryan hasn't gone out of his way to declare Shady out for any amount of time just yet.

Whether Ryan's being deceptive on purpose or there really is a chance McCoy comes back doesn't matter. Shady was on a strong stretch, but with the Bills touting a strong committee with Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee, there's little reason to think McCoy would see significant playing time with the season now meaningless.

It's understandable owners want to find low-owned options who can make an impact. But Shady sits on the same price as a surefire player such as Doug Martin, and he's more expensive than names such as DeAngelo Williams ($6,500), Matt Forte ($6,500) and many others.

Stock Up: A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals ($7,100)

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Owners cannot afford to let last week impact their movements this week.

Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green, at a lofty price of $7,900, burned owners in Week 15 by leaving a juicy matchup early to rest a back issue.

According to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, though, this was all a part of the master plan:

"

Wide receiver A.J. Green looks to be on track to play on Monday. The Pro Bowl receiver injured his back on Saturday and was hampered on Sunday in San Francisco. He caught one pass on just three targets and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said the plan was to get the receiver out of the game as soon as they could.

"

In other words, the Bengals want Green out there at full health with one of the top seeds for the playoffs up for grabs in the AFC.

While the opponent is the Denver Broncos and it will be AJ McCarron under center, Green sounds like a quality low-owned play in a game where he'll be the top target.

Stock Down: T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars ($4,900)

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

In a normal week, Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon would look like one of the most obvious starts around.

After all, Yeldon's the every-down back in Jacksonville and the team has the New Orleans Saints on tap, the team that has let up more than 100 rushing yards in nine games this year and five rushing touchdowns since a Week 11 bye.

One problem—Yeldon still doesn't sound 100 percent after suffering an injury a few weeks back. In fact, according to Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, Yeldon still has a brace on his leg.

For shame with Yeldon touting such an attractive price. The situation makes Denard Robinson ($5,400) one of the most popular plays of the week. Owners who want to stay in Yeldon's price range will have to look to the likes of Jeremy Hill ($4,900) and Chris Ivory ($4,700), among others.

Stock Up: Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($6,600)

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

It's hard to take issue with what Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has done for owners this year.

Martin hasn't posted single-digit production since Week 9, though surely owners would like to see more than the 10.7 from last week.

Consider him a lock for more this week with a game against the Chicago Bears, a defense opposing teams have thought it wise to run on 24 or more times in four of their last five.

Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith hinted that Martin might get such a total on his own with an individual feat for Martin on the mind.

"I think it's important to our offensive line to help Doug Martin be the leading rusher in the league," Smith said, according to ESPN.com's Rick Brown. "It's important. It's always about the team goals at the end, but there's some individual things going on to be able to remember this season by."

Owners would love nothing more than for Martin to run wild while pursuing the title—especially at this price.

Stock Down: Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants ($5,600)

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

So much for Manning looking like an incredible value ahead of the New York Giants' encounter with the Vikings.

The owner of four touchdowns in each of his past two outings, Manning had easily went for more than triple his asking price and looked ready to go for more again this weekend.

That is until Wednesday, when star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. had his suspension upheld by the league, according to Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo.

This leaves Manning with a receiving core led by Rueben Randle and Dwayne Harris with Will Tye as the top tight end.

Crazier things have happened and all that hoopla, but Manning's stock hits almost rock bottom without one of the game's best receivers to go to when it matters.

Stock Up: Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers ($4,900)

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers only have so many places to go with the football through the air with an MVP favorite under center.

Wideout Ted Ginn Jr. has been one of the main focuses on the offense over the past three weeks beginning in Week 13, hence totals of 25.0, 29.5 and 26.5 points. 

It's important to note, though, that Ginn saw a season-high 15 targets last time out with running back Jonathan Stewart out of the picture.

By the sounds of it, Carolina's lead back will miss another game after missing practice Wednesday, and why not? The Panthers are in a good place while undefeated, meaning Ginn should see another hefty number of targets all over the field while the offense attempts to compensate.

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Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise specified.