Daily Fantasy Football November 1: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

All the skills in the world don't matter without a proper forum to showcase them. No feel-good story rises from the ground without the protagonist receiving a chance.

These NFL players are learning the significance of being in the right place with a true support system. A new teammate has aided one player's daily fantasy stock, but a new arrival elsewhere has his peers clawing for already limited playing time. 

Some roles are expanding, but others are dwindling. Everyone but the quarterback is at the mercy of his team, and even the signal-caller depends on his receiving, offensive line and playbook.

Heading into Week 8, these three players are blossoming as another star and murky situation fall down the DraftKings' food chain.

Stock Up

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings ($5,100)

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

A supporting cast can make all the difference. Look at Teddy Bridgewater, whose role is slowly expanding with Stefon Diggs emerging as a top wideout.

Since Diggs' arrival for the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater has averaged 35.7 pass attempts and 278 passing yards per game. In three games prior to Diggs' debut, the second-year quarterback compiled 168.3 yards per game on 23.7 passes.

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

With the help of a superb touchdown catch from the rookie wideout, Bridgewater strung together a season-high 316 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions last weekend. He'll attempt an encore against the Chicago Bears, who rank No. 26 in DraftKings points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.

Despite rating No. 6 in passing yards allowed, the Bears have relinquished 7.7 yards per throw, surrendering 15 passing touchdowns while stealing three picks. Bridgewatwer won't likely replicate last week's 300-yard showing, but he should enjoy an efficient afternoon possibly topped off by another big play or two from Diggs.

The matchup and rise in passing plays makes him a worthwhile punt at $5,100, only $100 above the position's minimum.

Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals ($4,300)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

In limited touches this season, Andre Ellington looks like the explosive running back who earned everyone's attention as a breakout candidate entering the 2014 season. Unfortunately, "limited' is the most important word from that sentence.

In four games back with the Arizona Cardinals, he has turned 27 touches into 242 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per run with six rushing scores. DailyRoto.com's Drew Dinkmeyer mocked Ellington's light workload:

Still, there's light at the end of the tunnel. According to AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban, head coach Bruce Arians is planning a more active Sunday for Ellington.

"Arians said there will be more in the game plan for Andre Ellington this week," Urban wrote on Friday. "Ellington did end up with 18 snaps last week (compared to 27 for Chris Johnson). But he may have more touches. Against the league’s worst run defense, it makes sense."

Along with allowing a league-worst 151 rushing yards per game, the Cleveland Browns relinquish 5.1 yards per carry and the third-most DraftKings points to running backs. A dozen touches would put Ellington on the map.

Coming off his third 100-yard game of the season, Chris Johnson will make a popular cash-contest play for $4,600. Daring players, however, might want to zag and risk Ellington as a high-upside contrarian option in tournaments.

Marvin Jones, WR, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,200)

Gary Landers/Associated Press

DFS only heightens gamers' thirst for recent success. When setting Week 8 lineups, most players are processing Week 7's results to the point where Week 6 dims into a distant memory.

Let's travel back to Oct. 18, when the Cincinnati Bengals last played before taking their bye. During their sixth consecutive victory, Marvin Jones continued to impress with nine catches, 95 yards and his third touchdown of the season.

The 25-year-old wideout has scattered two duds throughout the year, amassing 19 yards in Week 1 and four yards during Week 4. Still, Cincinnati's No. 2 receiver has at least eight targets in three of the club's last four bouts, getting a dozen looks in his last game.

Jones houses a basement floor, but it's hard to see Andy Dalton not finding him during a probable shootout. The healthy Pittsburgh Steelers are among football's most dangerous offenses, but their No. 27 passing defense isn't shutting the other side down.

According to Football Outsiders, No. 2 wide receivers average 79.7 yards per game against Pittsburgh. Anyone seeking a cheap stack can pair Dalton ($6,000) with Jones ($4,200) instead of A.J. Green ($7,600).

Stock Down

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks ($6,300)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Derek Carr, Joe Flacco and Jay Cutler are all producing more DraftKings' points per game than Russell Wilson's 17.0.

From a real-life perspective, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback is faring just fine. He has completed a resounding 69.6 percent of his passes while averaging 8.18 yards per attempt. But as is always the case, Seattle's run-first offense is hampering his raw numbers.

GP	CMP	ATT	PASS YD	TD	INT	RUSH YD
7	142	204	1,668	8	5	271

He has attempted 29.1 passes per game, giving him a mediocre 238.3 passing yards per contest. That won't cut it in a league where McCown nets 327.4 yards per start, excluding a Week 1 bout he left early.

The usually protective passer has coughed up five interceptions, putting him on pace to exceed his previous career high of 10. Chances are Wilson will repair those security breaches and return to the mean. The rushing regression, proves especially frightening.

A year after accruing a career-high 53.1 rushing yards per game, his average is down to 38.7. He has yet to score with his legs after producing a half-dozen rushing touchdowns last season. A leaky offensive line surrendering 31 sacks has made it difficult for Wilson to successfully scramble.

The St. Louis Rams have yielded an NFL-high 74.9 completion percentage, but accuracy isn't Wilson's problem. Expect another efficient but underwhelming tally in a low-scoring tilt.

New York Giants RBs

How do the New York Giants decide who sees snaps at running back? Do they pick out of a hat? Perhaps roll a four-sided die? However they choose to split the workload, the inconsistency makes all of them players to avoid until some clarity unfolds.

The situation was tricky enough with Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen and Andre Williams sparring for touches. Adding more chaos, another contender materialized last weekend when rookie Orleans Darkwa debuted with 48 yards and a touchdown on a team-high eight carries.

PLAYER	RUSH	RUSH YD	TD	REC	REC YD	Week 8 DK Price
Orleans Darkwa	8	48	1	0	0	$3,600
Rashad Jennings	5	19	0	0	0	$3,900
Shane Vereen	4	56	0	1	6	$4,100
Andre Williams	4	13	0	0	0	$3,000

Vereen has delivered two eight-catch games, but he has six in the other five contests. He's not there to run, never receiving more than six carries in a game this season. Without steady usage in the passing game, he's an afterthought.

A touchdown vulture last year, Williams has scored once this season while averaging 2.9 yards per carry. He won't back into regular snaps again this season. The occasionally useful Jennings has averaged 12.1 touches per games, but Darkwa's handoffs came out of his pocket.  

Darkwa's role is too uncertain to play him this weekend, but he's the Giants back to watch. The 23-year-old turned heads within the organization before producing one dazzling drive last weekend. 

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

“I think he has a good feel,” offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post. “He has the vision, he has the instincts where he can find the crevice. They’re tough to find, he can get those tough yards and make them look easy at times.”

If anyone seizes a primary role, it'll be Darkwa. Monitor New York's run distribution against the New Orleans Saints to see if he can clear a crowded committee.

All pricing and scoring info obtained from DraftKings.com. 

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