Daily Fantasy Football September 17: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

Week 1 is now in the books, and it was one that featured plenty of shockers from a fantasy standpoint, as well as some surprises in the actual NFL games. After the full slate of action, it's safe to say that there are plenty of players who have seen their stock rise, while others have seen their stock fall as we head into the Week 2 Thursday night game.

Of the following six players, we have three major risers and three who have fallen off in a frustrating way for fantasy players. The question is, are these players who have fallen capable of turning things around sooner than later? Better yet, are they worth finding a way to get into your daily fantasy lineups this coming week?

As for the players on the rise, it's a time where you should be taking advantage of their price tags and getting them in your lineups (in many cases), before their prices increase on DraftKings. It's Week 2 folks, let's get into the players who could make you some money this coming week, as well as the ones you may want to avoid.

Stock Up: Percy Harvin, WR, Buffalo Bills ($4,500)

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Welcome back to fantasy relevance, Percy Harvin. The former Minnesota Viking/Seattle Seahawk/New York Jet has now left fantasy players completely shocked, and probably a bit frustrated once again.

At this point, it wouldn't be crazy for fans to wonder just what exactly the deal with Harvin is. Last season in a combined 13 games playing for the Jets and Seahawks, Harvin caught a total of 51 balls for 483 yards and one touchdown. Basically, he was a fantasy bench player for season-long players at best. For DFS players? He was probably on your "don't touch" list.

So, when Harvin burst onto the scene as a go-to option for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, it left many fans rolling their eyes this past Sunday. Harvin finished the day with five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Is it safe to trust Harvin? No, not yet at least, but he's working on getting there.

While Harvin is still not the guy you want to have spread out across all of your daily fantasy games on DraftKings, he's still worth giving a shot in Week 2. Most importantly, his stock is absolutely trending upwards.

Stock Down: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins ($5,500)

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

The Washington Redskins gave up an average of 27.4 points per game last season, ranking them No. 29 in the entire NFL. In turn, this is probably why so many Miami Dolphins fans were shocked that their team managed just 17 points and nearly lost the season opener.

Out of everything frustrating about this game for the Dolphins, there was probably nothing more frustrating than running back Lamar Miller. After a 2014 campaign that included 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns, Miller managed just 53 yards on 13 carries in Week 1.

The starting back for the Dolphins was owned by 14 percent of DFS players according to Steve Buchanan of the DraftKings Playbook.

It's not time to absolutely lose your mind over Miller's production just yet, but the fact that only one other running back in Damien Williams had any carries (one rush, for zero yards), is a cause for concern for Miller. If the Dolphins aren't willing to run the ball more in 2015, Miller's fantasy stock obviously takes a major hit.

Stock Up: Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets ($4,700)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Chris Ivory has patiently awaited his opportunity to be the man throughout his six-year NFL career. The chance finally came in year seven with the New York Jets, and he's making the most of it. Ivory has never hit the 200 carry mark in a single season during his career, but he's well on his way after carrying the ball 20 times for 91 yards and two scores in Week 1.

Did he and the Jets face a Cleveland Browns team in Week 1 who gave up the most rushing yards on average per game in 2014? Yep. Did Ivory run all over them? You bet. Was it a fluke? Not a chance.

Ivory is the real deal, and he proved it on Sunday. As Rich Cimini of ESPN reported, teammate Brandon Marshall probably put it best when talking about Ivory, calling him "a monster" after his Week 1 performance.

Not only can Ivory be a featured back, but he has now proven that he is the featured back in New York. A cost of $4,700 on DraftKings for the lead man in a run-first offense in New York? I'll take it. His stock is rising, and it may continue to rise for quite a few more weeks.

Stock Down: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens ($6,400)

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Listen, Joe Flacco didn't have the highest usage percentage in Week 1, but that doesn't mean that his stock can't trend downwards. Typically, if you complete 18-of-32 passes for 117 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, with a quarterback rating of 38.2 in a loss, there's a good chance you'll fall under the "stock down" section.

The loss wasn't completely Flacco's fault, but the Baltimore Ravens defense did hold the Denver Broncos under 20 points, yet they still lost the game. There were a few drops that definitely hurt Flacco and this offense, but in the end, the quarterback's play was just brutal.

Could Flacco turn things around? Absolutely, it's only been one week. On the other side of things, there's also the chance that we could be looking at a repeat of 2013, when Flacco completed less than 60 percent of his passes, while throwing 19 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.

Flacco's stock is going in the wrong direction, so now he'll hope to get it trending upwards in Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders.

Stock Up: Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys ($4,300)

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Jason Witten continues to prove that age is just a number. When the Dallas Cowboys needed plays most during Sunday night's comeback victory against the New York Giants, Witten was there to step up.

When wide receiver Dez Bryant went down, it was Witten who hauled in two touchdowns, one of which was the game-winning score with seven seconds left. Witten is not only the safety blanket for quarterback Tony Romo, but he's one of the best tight ends to ever play in the NFL.

Witten may not be as athletic as Rob Gronkowski, but he does his job on a weekly basis, and he does it well. Eight receptions on nine targets for 60 yards and two touchdowns is just the start for Witten. While his opening week performance was impressive, his stock is also on the rise due to the fact that Bryant will miss multiple weeks due to a broken bone in his foot.

As Zac Al-Khateeb of Sporting News reported, Bryant will miss 3-6 weeks due to the injury, which immediately makes Witten one of the hottest options for DFS players moving forward. If there's any single player who benefits the most from the loss of Bryant, it may very well be Witten.

Stock Down: Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills ($6,200)

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Can anyone explain what just happened? Not only did teammate Percy Harvin go off for 79 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, but second-year receiver Sammy Watkins was completely blanked. Watkins was targeted three times by Tyrod Taylor, but caught exactly zero balls in Week 1.

Fortunately for season-long fantasy players, Mike Rodak of ESPN reports that Rex Ryan says it'll be rare for the young receiver to go without a catch.

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"Is it rare that Sammy [Watkins] is going to go without a catch?" Ryan said Monday. "Yeah, that will probably happen once this season. Our thing is our focus is trying to win the game, whatever the means, however we can do that, to give ourselves the best chance that is what we are going to do."

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It may be rare for it to happen, but it's still incredibly worrisome, especially for anyone who used Watkins in Week 1. The former Clemson Tiger caught 65 balls for 982 yards and six scores as a rookie, but was expected to open up 2015 as the main target in the passing game for the Buffalo Bills.

Don't expect Watkins to be held down for too long, but his stock is definitely trending in the wrong direction after the Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Sure, the win was impressive, but we're talking about daily fantasy football here, and you don't get points for your team winning games.

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Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.

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