Daily Fantasy Football November 7: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

From injuries to surprise performances for better or worse, the NFL is a never-ending game of ups and downs when it comes to daily fantasy on DraftKings.

That's only becoming more and more true entering Week 9, with some household names starting to come around and others fading into the background. Just as well, some untimely injuries have opened the door for previous afterthoughts to break out on cheap price tags.

Let's jump right into another edition of stock up, stock down with an exciting Week 9 slate on the horizon.

Stock Up

QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos ($6,300)

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Say it ain't so!

After an awfully un-Peyton Manning-like first several games of the season, folks saw more of what No. 18 has been able to do for years in last week's win over the Green Bay Packers. He didn't throw a touchdown, but went a stellar 21-for-29 with 340 yards and appeared back to his usual dominating self.

Most importantly, he's re-discovering his chemistry with Demaryius Thomas—who caught eight balls for 168 yards against the Packers. Throw in recently acquired tight end Vernon Davis as the security blanket Manning hasn't had in 2015, per NFL Network, and you have yourself a likely midseason turnaround:

The wily veteran returns to his old stomping grounds in Week 9 to face the Indianapolis Colts, and you can expect Manning to step it up against a Colts defense ranking 22nd against QBs in DraftKings.

RB Jeremy Langford, Chicago Bears ($4,000)

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

When one door closes in daily fantasy, another one opens.

That's the case in the Chicago Bears backfield, which lost its bell cow in Matt Forte. The injury isn't as serious as initially thought, called "day-to-day" per Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns, but Jeremy Langford is in line for the start Monday night, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN:

The rookie out of Michigan State hasn't gotten the chance to show what he's capable of so far in his young career, but he did notch two touchdowns in limited playing time before Forte's injury. Langford is outside of the top 25 running backs salary-wise, but you can expect a top-10 outing from him against the 32nd-ranked San Diego Chargers run defense.

WR Malcolm Floyd, San Diego Chargers ($3,900)

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Speaking of crushing injuries, the Chargers faced their own in the receiving corps as Keenan Allen is out for the season. But Philip Rivers isn't going to stop slinging the ball around the field. Someone has to step in for Allen's production, and Malcolm Floyd is the likely candidate.

Floyd posted three double-digit DK outings before Allen went down, and he stepped into an even bigger role with Allen out for most of Week 8 against Baltimore. He caught four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns; the types of numbers fantasy owners can expect more of with Allen shelved for the rest of 2015.

San Diego by no means faces a stellar pass defense in Week 9, as the Chicago Bears have given up 12 scores to wide receivers so far this season.

Stock Down

TE Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys ($5,200)

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Aside from an injury to himself, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten faced the worst possible scenario early this season when quarterback Tony Romo went down with a broken clavicle.

Ever since, Witten has been far from solid in fantasy. Over the last four games, he's hit double-digit points just once and is coming off his worst performance of the season, putting up 3.6 points in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Conventional wisdom would suggest Witten is a strong security-blanket option for fill-in quarterback Matt Cassel, but that hasn't materialized. To make matters worse for Week 9, he faces a Philadelphia Eagles squad giving up the fifth-fewest points to tight ends in DK.

RB Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts ($4,800)

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson's plans to bolster the offense with 30-something-year-old weapons has backfired, and running back Frank Gore's inability to be consistent on the ground is a big reason why.

Gore has put up double-digit DK points in the last five games, but that's about all you can say to his success in Indianapolis. He had just 12.2 points in Week 8 despite getting 22 carries, not finding anything behind a horrible Colts offensive line.

Do you expect Gore's production to be any better in Week 9 against the dominant Denver Broncos defense? Me neither.

Atlanta Falcons D/ST ($3,400)

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Nabbing one of the highest-salaried defense and special teams units can be a good use of your $50,000, but the Atlanta Falcons' unit hasn't been the way to go in that regard lately.

After putting up 33 combined points in Weeks 4 and 5, the Falcons have been mediocre at best defensively, producing an average of less than four points per game in the last three outings. Two of those came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, offenses that Atlanta should've been able to produce against.

Only one defense in Week 9 costs more than Atlanta, which indicates there is much better value available at this position this weekend and beyond.

Follow Steven Cook on Twitter for more daily fantasy analysis.

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