Daily Fantasy Football October 28: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

When it comes to daily fantasy football, the daily stock market tends to override all other factors on the way to lineup success.

Most winning lineups in Week 7 touted several players with skyrocketing stocks. One was St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley, who kept things rolling with 35.3 points. Another was Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs, who exploded for 26.7 points.

An ability to monitor the market on a daily basis and pinpoint these rising players each week can and will lead to huge payouts. Within, let's attempt to do so while also pointing out a few of the dwindling stocks to avoid based on performances, projections, matchups and more.

Stock Up: Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys ($3,800)

The Dallas Cowboys have their starting running back.

The Dallas backfield has been one of the league's bigger mysteries for most of the season, with Joseph Randle struggling and whispers of Christine Michael not amounting to anything.

Darren McFadden, though, seems to have stolen the starting gig. The veteran carried the ball a season-high 29 times in Week 7, turning it into 152 yards and a score, good for 27.2 points.

After a performance like that, it's hard to imagine the Cowboys will look elsewhere. In fact, Jerry Jones has already confirmed that McFadden will start in Week 8, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

This might be the highest point McFadden will see all year and owners would be smart to ride the wave.

Stock Down: Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers ($4,800)

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

That was fast.

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates owned soaring stock after returning from his four-game suspension to post 30.2 and 18.5-point outings. Now his stock barrels in the other direction thanks to an injury that held him out of last week's contest.

In fact, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that "It wouldn't surprise if Antonio Gates' MCL proves to be multiple-week injury. Wasn't close to playing Sunday vs. Raiders."

"I know the MCL is a big part of my game," Gates said, per Gehlken. "That's different than a lot of the (injuries) I've had in the past. If I'm not able to move laterally, I'm not the same player. That's what makes me me."

Instead of acting as a surefire TE1 the rest of the season, owners now have to look elsewhere at the volatile position. Keep an eye on further news about Gates' status.

Stock Up: Antonio Andrews, RB, Tennessee Titans ($3,300)

Weston Kenney/Associated Press

The backfield situation with the Tennessee Titans has been every bit as confusing as the aforementioned Dallas situation.

It sounds, though, like the Titans are beginning to lean toward one guy: Antonio Andrews.

Andrews hasn't done anything of note from a fantasy standpoint just yet, but he did carry it 10 times for 57 yards last week and might have scored even better if he saw opportunities in the red zone. Instead, he played in a 10-7 clunker.

Alas, it sounds like Andrews has carved out a bigger piece of the pie for himself, per Jim Wyatt of the team's website: "Whisenhunt said RB Antonio Andrews deserves more carries. Said he played well vs Falcons."

Opportunities equal production at running back, so Andrews perhaps getting a test as the every-down back in Tennessee is something owners should keep an eye on, especially in this salary cap range when on the hunt for a punt play.

Stock Down: Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($4,900)

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Not only is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Vincent Jackson playing with a rookie quarterback and taking a backseat to Mike Evans, now he's also dealing with a knee he injured late in a Week 7 contest.

Outside of a 33.7-point explosion in Week 4, Jackson has been a dud for owners before leaving Sunday's game with a knee issue. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times summed up the situation well: "Due to knee injuries, WR Louis Murphy played only two snaps, Vincent Jackson 36. That left Bucs' Mike Evans, Donteea Dye with 48 snaps each."

Jackson has caught just two passes over the course of his past two outings anyway while Evans has went off with 11. It's clear there has been a changing of the guard with Evans healthy, and now Jackson is the one looking like a question mark with an injury.

It's not hard to see better options at this price with Stefon Diggs ($4,800) hanging around.

Stock Up: Orleans Darkwa, RB, New York Giants ($3,600)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Who?

Look, it's also easy to shy away from the situation behind Eli Manning with the New York Giants. Orleans Darkwa is far from a household name and owners also have to worry about Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen and Andre Williams.

But an endorsement from a head coach is, well, an endorsement from a head coach. After Darkwa rushed eight times for 48 yards and a score, good for 10.8 points, coach Tom Coughlin praised him, per Art Stapleton of The Record: "Coughlin on Darkwa: 'The coaches felt strongly that he should be given an opportunity.'''

The trick here is deciding whether or not Darkwa will continue to lead the team in carries and if the other three backs will see a reduction in playing time. After his performance and praise from the coach, though, it's hard to imagine things don't start to trend more in Darkwa's direction as any coach worth his salt would ride the guy with the hot hand.

Right now it's Darkwa, one of the players with the fastest rising stock around.

Stock Down: C.J. Spiller, RB, New Orleans Saints ($3,000)

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Stick a fork in C.J. Spiller.

Instead of joining the New Orleans Saints and becoming a fantasy dynamo due to his pass-catching abilities, Spiller has just one good game to his name, a 21.9-point showing in Week 4.

Otherwise, Spiller's lost behind Mark Ingram and the emerging Khiry Robinson. He caught six targets for 32 yards this past weekend, but watched as Robinson rushed 14 times for 28 yards and two scores.

Long story short, Spiller's role continues to fade as Ingram also handles pass-catching duties in unexpected fashion. After rumblings that Spiller might be struggling to learn the playbook, none of this is as surprising as it seems.

Until Spiller shows something, his stock's at an all-time low and owners are best served by staying away.

Stock Up: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee Titans ($3,000)

James Kenney/Associated Press

It's Justin Hunter time in Tennessee.

With rookie Dorial Green-Beckham nowhere to be found and Harry Douglas hurt, it was Hunter who stepped up and played a major role with the Titans this past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

In fact per Wyatt, Hunter led all Tennessee wideouts in snaps, playing 51 of the 54. The opportunity didn't turn into major production in what was a putrid offensive game all around, but it's clear the Tennessee coaches are hesitant to turn to a rookie.

As Hunter's role increases, the propensity for a major game is there. Owners should have an eye on his rising stock and keep him in consideration once he hits better matchups. 

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