Daily Fantasy Football NFL September 10: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

As the work week drags on for all of the fantasy football lovers out there, it's time to hand out some good news.

It's officially time for some NFL football. There's nothing better than tinkering with lineups all week and finding the best possible matchups. It's even better when you have multiple lineups to work with, which is a common theme for daily fantasy players.

This is exactly the feeling you get when you're setting up lineups for the coming week of daily fantasy NFL action on DraftKings. With all of the excitement surrounding the start of the upcoming season, there's a lot that can get overlooked.

Specifically, the question of whose stock is up and whose is down heading into the opening week of action just can't be overlooked.

A lot can happen in just the week or two leading up to the first regular season game, but these seven players have all had their stocks impacted, either for better or worse. Let's get into the action.

Stock Up: Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Scott Audette/Associated Press

At this point, Doug Martin's 2015 season couldn't have gotten off to a better start. After back-to-back seasons of struggling for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Martin finally looks poised to turn a corner.

Martin rushed for 1,454 yards and 11 scores as a rookie, but has combined for just 950 yards and three touchdowns over the two following seasons. He was all but on his way out of town this offseason before offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter got to town.

According to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Koetter's arrival is what truly kept Martin in Tampa. After the Buccaneers declined his fifth-year option, Martin now heads into his fourth year looking faster and leaner than ever before.

Not only has Martin lost 20 pounds this offseason to increase his speed, according to FOX Sports, but he's also taken over as the No. 1 back once again. Tampa will use Martin as a great option to help take pressure off rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, so expect to see a heavy dose of him early in 2015.

Martin is widely considered to be one of the "sleepers" at running back heading into the 2015 season, but he may not remain a sleeper for long. This preseason helped Martin's stock skyrocket, as he averaged 5.9-yards-per-carry, while totaling 118 yards in limited action.

Need a strong running back in Week 1 that won't break the bank on DraftKings? Look no further than Martin at a cost of $4,500.

Stock Down: Joseph Randle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys aren't budging. If you want to know who will start at running back in 2015, you'll have to wait. That is, unless you believe in people who are very, very close to the team, such as Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. Hill took to his Twitter to make an interesting statement about Dallas' RB situation.

"They Cowboys don't have a pitch count for Darren McFadden who is the likely starter at running back for the season opener." Hill explained.

After an entire offseason where it seemed almost certain that running back Joseph Randle would get the starting nod, it seems as though we had it backwards. If RB Darren McFadden is truly the starter in Week 1, it's a massive hit to Randle's stock.

While McFadden hasn't been known as the most reliable player in the NFL, and he's missed 19 games over the past four years, this is likely it for him. If McFadden can't take the opportunity in front of him, behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, then there won't be many other teams knocking on his door.

McFadden has talent, but Randle averaged 6.7-yards-per-carry last season for the Cowboys. Can the former Oakland Raider hold off Randle, or will Randle overtake McFadden as the starter?

Regardless, all of these questions surrounding Randle send his stock spiraling in the wrong direction. Some believed Randle would be the man to replace RB DeMarco Murray in Dallas, but currently that doesn't seem to be how it's playing out.

Stock Up: Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

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Welcome to the big time, Tevin Coleman. The Atlanta Falcons rookie running back has officially earned the nod as the Week 1 starter, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

It's an interesting situation, as both he and second-year RB Devonta Freeman had been battling hamstring injuries all offseason. Fortunately for Coleman, he was able to get back for some preseason action, and made the most of it, specifically in the finale.

In Atlanta's fourth preseason game, Coleman rushed eight times for 56 yards, showing the explosiveness that fans had been waiting to see. While his counterpart Freeman is still not at 100 percent, this means that Coleman's stock immediately shoots upwards.

Not only did Coleman show plenty of that skill we saw when he was at Indiana against the Baltimore Ravens, but he may take over this backfield in Week 1. The Falcons square off with the Philadelphia Eagles in, who allowed an average of 110.7 yards on the ground in 2014, per ESPN statistics.

Coleman is a name to watch in Week 1, for obvious reasons, but this may be the start of a breakout rookie year for him.

Stock Down: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2014. Evans totaled 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, and is expected to be one of the top fantasy wide receivers in 2015.

Unfortunately, it looks as though his season may not begin in Week 1. As Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk reported, the Buccaneers were without Evans at practice this Wednesday, which is obviously a bad sign.

The former Texas A&M standout receiver has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and has yet to play since August 24. The fact that he's currently sidelined and nursing his injury is not only bad for the team, but especially for rookie quarterback Jameis Winston.

If Evans can't go on Sunday, one could assume that the hamstring issue is a bit worse than it was originally reported to be. Don't expect Evans to miss an extended amount of time, but it seems very likely that he's not out there in Week 1, which obviously sends his stock downwards.

Evans will be fine, and will be back in action sooner than later. Even with that said, not having your top receiver in the first game of a new season after a 2-14 campaign is an obvious cause for concern.

Stock Up: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

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Say hello to the most obvious "stock up" choice in the entire NFL. When you see your suspension go from four games down to zero, it's pretty obvious that your stock is going to skyrocket. Especially when you're one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

As Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report explained, Brady's four-game suspension was overturned, meaning that he'll be in action right out of the gate in 2015. This is pretty simple math here, as it means he'll be the No. 1 QB once again when facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys.

Brady being back in action is not only a major "stock up" for fantasy players, but for the New England Patriots as well, obviously. While backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo had his moments during the preseason, including completing 28-of-33 passes for 269 yards and a score against the New Orleans Saints, he's still not Brady.

Brady's stock is rising fast, because daily fantasy players know what they can expect from New England's signal caller. Even better? Out of the first four games the Patriots play, only Buffalo is strong against the pass. Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Dallas all ranked No. 22 or worse in passing-yards-per-game in 2014.

Love him or hate him, Brady will be ready to roll for yet another Super Bowl push.

Stock Down: Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It was a tough blow for both St. Louis Rams fans and fantasy football players who drafted running back Todd Gurley. While the St. Louis Rams have high expectations for their rookie running back, it seems as though we won't get a glimpse of him for a few weeks.

According to a recent report from NFL.com, Gurley isn't expected to play until Week 4 of the NFL season. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out for Gurley, who scored 36 total rushing touchdowns during his three years with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Gurley is fully expected to be the running back to watch in the Rams backfield, but in the early weeks, his stock just took a huge hit. He was set to be a major boom-or-bust option for daily fantasy players, but currently you can't even consider using him until Week 4.

To make things even worse, it's unknown what his workload will look like once the Rams actually do get their rookie on the field. Keep an eye on Gurley's status as the weeks roll on, but for now, his stock has possibly taken the biggest hit of any player on this list.

Stock Up: James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

We can officially welcome wide receiver James Jones back to fantasy relevance. When the New York Giants chose to part ways with Jones this offseason, he then signed on with his old team, the Green Bay Packers, per Brian Carriveau of 247Sports.

The move was a pretty easy one for both the Packers and Jones to make, as the team lost WR Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL injury. While Jones spent the first seven years of his career with the Packers before heading to the Oakland Raiders last year, he's shown that he's still more than capable of producing.

Jones' most impressive season with the Packers came back in 2012, when he caught 64 balls for 784 yards and an incredible 14 touchdowns. Even last season with the Raiders, Jones caught 73 balls for 666 yards and six scores, according to ESPN statistics.

The idea of Jones being paired back up with quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an obvious reason why his stock will skyrocket. With WR Randall Cobblocked in as the No. 1 receiver in Green Bay, it'll more than likely be WR Davante Adams battling Jones for the No. 2 spot.

Regardless of who officially winds up winning that job, you can bet that Rodgers will give his old teammate plenty of looks. If you want an early sleeper to watch for in daily fantasy games, look no further than Jones and his $4,200 price tag on DraftKings.

DraftKings is giving away over $10 million Week 1 of the NFL Season. Use this knowledge to help you win some of that cash. The biggest first-place prize ever at $2 million will be awarded. Play now for FREE at DraftKings.com.

Follow Jeff Smith on Twitter.