Daily Fantasy Football November 18: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

When a huge Kirk Cousins game serves as the NFL weekend's most predictable outcome, it was a weird week.

As anticipated, the Washington quarterback liked his matchup against the anemic New Orleans Saints defense. Not every bankable play, however, went according to plan. Blake Bortles' savory matchup with the Baltimore Ravens didn't fall to fruition, as the second-year quarterback amassed 188 passing yards.

Facing the league's worst rushing defense fresh off a 170-yard, two-touchdown outburst, DeAngelo Williams managed 54 rushing yards on 17 touches against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Charcandrick West devoured the Denver Broncos, and the Seattle Seahawks permitted an air show on Sunday night.

In the wake of a hectic Week 10, let's take a look at DraftKings' updated stock report.

Stock Up

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals ($6,700)

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Facing his toughest test of the season, Carson Palmer passed with flying colors.

On the road against the Seattle Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback compiled 363 yards and three touchdowns. Surrendering an interception and two fumbles didn't derail him from registering 26.32 DraftKings points in a brutal matchup for any opposing passer.

From both a real-life and fantasy perspective, Palmer deserves MVP consideration. He leads everyone with 8.93 yards per pass attempt and ranks second behind Tom Brady in passing touchdowns, quarterback rating and DraftKings points per game (23.6) under center.

Player	PASS YD	CMP %	YPA	TD	INT	QB RTG	DK PPG*
Brady	3,043	67.8	8.22	24	3	111.1	27.3
Palmer	2,749	64.0	8.93	23	7	108.0	23.6

The 35-year-old has also established a steady floor during his career year, exceeding 18 fantasy points in all nine games. Matt Ryan averages 18.0 points a contest. Only Brady, who costs $8,500 this weekend to Palmer's $6,700, shares this feat. 

He benefited from some feeble opponents (New Orleans, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers) earlier in the year, but Palmer cemented his space as a dependable fantasy stud on Sunday night. 

LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills ($5,500)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

A healthy LeSean McCoy is a marvelous sight for the Buffalo Bills and fantasy players. The 27-year-old running back, who has battled through numerous injuries throughout the season, churned out 112 rushing yards for the second straight week—his only two 100-yard outings this season—on Thursday night.

The old McCoy showed up against the New York Jets, juking and humiliating defenders en route to a season-high 159 yards from scrimmage. His vintage agility and lateral quickness erased memories of the guy who registered 3.9 yards per carry through his first five games.

Since missing two October contests, he's averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 118.25 yards per game. Although Karlos Williams continues to regularly score in his shadow, McCoy has received 18-24 touches during that stretch.

If not for his underwhelming three touchdowns, Shady would have already regained his old seat as an elite fantasy back. Instead, he's Week 11's 12th-most expensive rusher at $5,500. The New England Patriots have surrendered the fourth-fewest DraftKings points to the position, but McCoy burned them for 116 yards back in Week 2, back when he still didn't look close to 100 percent.

Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys ($7,700)

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

According to an ESPN.com report, Tony Romo will return this Sunday after missing seven games with a fractured collarbone. His Major League reference also winks at his readiness for Week 11, when the Dallas Cowboys must begin a movie montage and win out to reach the postseason.

Nobody will be happier to see Romo than Dez Bryant, who has collected 12 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown in three games with Matt Cassel—not great for a superstar wideout who entered 2015 with three consecutive seasons amassing more than 1,200 yards and at least 12 touchdowns.

Romo and Bryant haven't played together since Week 1, when they connected for a tame five receptions and 48 yards against the New York Giants. DraftKings listed Bryant's opening price at $8,700, but he's now $1,000 cheaper for his reunion with Romo.

Looking around the league, this is the perfect week to use Bryant. Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. both have byes. Julio Jones will face Vontae Davis, and DeAndre Hopkins doesn't know which quarterback will throw him passes covered by Darrelle Revis. A.J. Green has meshed two excellent games with seven average ones. Julian Edelman is out with a broken foot, and Demaryius Thomas faces uncertainty with the Denver Broncos' quarterback change.

Amid all the receiver turmoil, Bryant gets the Miami Dolphins' No. 20 passing defense at a discounted rate for his skills. 

Stock Down

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals ($6,600)

Gary Landers/Associated Press

For the second time in three games, the bad Andy Dalton showed up.

Alongside a season-low 197 passing yards, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback failed to record a passing touchdown for the first time in 2015. His 57.8 completion percentage (22-of-38) also represented his lowest clip of the season. 

CMP	ATT	PASS YD	TD	INT	RUSH YD	DK PTS*
22	38	197	0	1	30	9.88

The Red Rifle doesn't appreciate corny jokes about his nickname, so let's just call him a guy who played really bad football on Monday night. Those skeptical of the 28-year-old passer feared this type of performance, but their vindication took longer than expected.

Following a spurt of three straight 300-yard games, Dalton has recorded 226.3 yards over his last four contests. He hasn't gone fully bad Dalton throughout those matchups; two of those efforts included efficient passing and three touchdowns.

It's lazy to assume Dalton will unravel because of one narrative-conforming night, but it's also shortsighted not to anticipate some regression from a typically average player. Unfortunately for anyone interested in playing him against the Cardinals, his $6,600 price tag doesn't reflect Monday's dud. Banking on a rebound isn't worth the risk when Derek Carr ($6,300) and Romo ($6,000) cost less.

Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans ($3,800)

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

A starting job can only do so much when the starter stinks. While Williams, West and Jeremy Langford have aptly replaced star running backs, Alfred Blue remains a futile fill-in for Arian Foster.

In two starts since Foster's season-ending Achilles tear, Blue has blown his opportunity. After compiling 72 yards on 19 touches against the Tennessee Titans, he converted a dozen handoffs and one catch into a minuscule 31 yards versus the Bengals. 

Even more concerning, the Houston Texans won both games, including Monday night's 10-6 win finished by T.J. Yates. Blue wasn't written out of the plans in a blowout, but he was simply ineffective enough for the Texans to trust the understudy quarterback more.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Grimes gained 45 yards on seven touches. The 25-year-old, who hadn't received a carry since Week 3, should continue to challenge Blue's starting status. Chris Polk has also underwhelmed with 3.3 yards per run, but he's right on par with Blue's 3.4 average.

Foster flourished in Houston's backfield for years, but Blue has failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Don't give him the time of day against the New York Jets' No. 1 rushing defense.

Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins ($4,300)

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

During a 47-14 victory over New Orleans, Washington's offense exploded for 514 total yards. Cousins, Alfred Morris, Matt Jones, Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed all delighted fantasy investors, but Pierre Garcon went missing.

In an equally distributed domination where nobody tallied more than five targets, Cousins looked Garcon's way twice. He caught both passes for a season-low 10 yards. As a possession receiver who needs volume to thrive, his fantasy stock goes down the toilet with a healthy batch of pass-catchers back in D.C.

DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed both played for the second time this season, giving Washington a deep threat and a safety blanket. If they weren't enough to push Garcon out of the frame, Crowder completes the job. 

After exiting Week 2 with seven yards on the season, the rookie has since averaged 5.7 catches on 7.6 targets. He still costs less ($3,800) than his veteran teammate ($4,300) despite posting superior numbers.

Player	REC	TAR	YD	TD
Garcon	31	52	333	2
Crowder	40	53	395	1

Garcon never made the most of injuries to Jackson and Reed, failing to net 75 or more yards in a single game this season. As his role continues to diminish, he no longer merits any fantasy consideration. 

All pricing and scoring data courtesy of DraftKings.com unless otherwise noted. Follow Andrew Gould on Twitter for more daily fantasy analysis.

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