Daily Fantasy Football November 22: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

A week infiltrated by backup quarterbacks and meaningful byes makes Week 11's daily fantasy slate a messy endeavor.

Tony Romo should rejuvenate the Dallas Cowboys, but how will Mark Sanchez, T.J. Yates, Matt Hasselbeck and Case Keenum affect their respective teams? And are we sure Antonio Brown can't join another squad on Sunday while the Pittsburgh Steelers sit out?

Although robbed of stars, the weekend also offers several immense DraftKings values, most notably Charcandrick West ($4,500), Danny Amendola ($4,000) and Stevie Johnson ($3,900). There are also sneakier, riskier plays along with some notable names to fade.

Let's assess the player market one more time before commencing Sunday's packed slate.

Stock Up

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions ($5,400)

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Eleven healthy quarterbacks, including Hasselbeck, aren't more expensive than Matthew Stafford ($5,400) by accident. Along with matching last season's 12 interceptions through nine games, he's averaging a mediocre 6.90 yards per pass attempt for the last-place Detroit Lions.

In his defense, he has labored through a brutal schedule. Six of his nine games came against top-10 pass-prevention units, and he played the other three on the road. On Sunday, he finally gets a home tilt against a poor passing defense.

The Oakland Raiders rank No. 31 with 293.2 passing yards allowed per game. Detroit sits only a few slots higher at No. 23, so expect a shootout engineered through the air. Saddled with the NFL's worst rushing offense, the Lions certainly aren't scoring any points with their ground game.

Stafford has accumulated 7.80 yards per pass attempt at Ford Field compared to 6.22 on the road, and Detroit has hosted stiff competition. He has recorded 84.6 DraftKings points over the last four games, so buy him at a discount on Sunday.

Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets ($6,100)

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Things got ugly for Chris Ivory, who suddenly ran into a wall after a brilliant start. During Weeks 7-9, he ran for 84 yards on 55 carries, bizarre inefficiency from a rushing-title candidate six weeks into 2015.

The New York Jets running back delayed some panic by scoring three touchdowns during those three treacherous games, but onlookers should be encouraged by his scoreless Week 10. Against the Buffalo Bills, he finally broke out of his funk, gaining 99 yards on 18 carries.

Despite the midseason slump, Ivory is still averaging 4.1 yards per carry, identical to last season's mark. This year, however, he's on pace to shatter last season's 198 rushes with 312 handoffs. Hiccup aside, the Jets remain firmly committed to the 27-year-old bruiser.

The Houston Texans haven't allowed a touchdown in their last two games, but they rank No. 25 against the run while relinquishing 4.3 yards per rush. If there's anyone equipped to snap a scoring drought, it's Ivory.  

Leonard Hankerson, WR, Atlanta Falcons ($3,500)

John Bazemore/Associated Press

According to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, Leonard Hankerson is set to return for the Atlanta Falcons this weekend. Daily fantasy players might remember him from his brief stretch of relevance stymied by a hamstring injury.

Place this matchup against the Indianapolis Colts closer to his three-game window with 225 yards and two touchdowns, and he'd be an extremely popular play. Although Vontae Davis isn't dominating opposing receivers as much as last year, he's still a difficult opponent for Julio Jones. Devonta Freeman, coming off a 12-yard rushing performance before Atlanta's bye, is fading back to Earth.

He hasn't caught a pass since Oct. 15, but Hankerson still has the team's second-most catches (22) and receiving yards (291) among wideouts. Having yet to collect five or more balls in a game this year, Roddy White isn't much of a threat for the returning pass-catcher's reps in a golden matchup.

Indianapolis ranks No. 28 in passing defense, giving Atlanta a great chance to reignite its offense inside the Georgia Dome. Although he's a risky play, Hankerson is a worthy tournament flier at $3,500. 

Stock Down

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals ($7,700)

AJ Mast/Associated Press

For a superstar wide receiver, A.J. Green churns out far too many middling lines. On Monday night, he offered five catches for 67 yards during a 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Seasonal owners can live with that, but a player costing $7,600 needs more than 10.7 DraftKings for investors to derive any value.

Green has amassed below 15 DraftKings points in all but three games this season, including a 15.2-point effort in Week 2. He obtained 345 of his 769 yards during the other pair of monster performances, but that's far too inconsistent for an elite wide receiver now costing $7,700.

Along with ranking No. 7 against the aerial assault, the Arizona Cardinals have limited opponents to a 58.5 completion percentage. Green will line up against secondary stalwart Patrick Peterson, whose excellence was noted by Rotoworld's Nick Mensio:

The volatile Andy Dalton carries huge downside against a top defense on Sunday night. If bad Dalton shows up again, good Green will struggle to strut his stuff. As the third-priciest healthy wideout on the board behind Jones and DeAndre Hopkins, he's not a worthwhile investment in any cash contest.

Martellus Bennett, TE, Chicago Bears ($4,200)

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Anyone who played Martellus Bennett last weekend couldn't have been happy about Jay Cutler cheating on him with another tight end. While the starter finished with three catches for 18 yards against the St. Louis Rams, Zach Miller went wild with five receptions, 107 yards and two scores.

Miller, who secured three catches entering Week 9, has scored three times in Chicago's last two games. His presence didn't hinder Bennett against the San Diego Chargers, but the typically steady option delivered his worst outing of an underwhelming season last weekend.

The 28-year-old can't blame usage for his fading production. Although he's on pace to slash 2014's 916-yard tally by more than 200 yards, his 70 targets through nine games prorate to 124, comparable to last year's 129. 

Don't bank on Cutler and Bennett mending their relationship against the Denver Broncos, who have yielded the fewest passing yards this season and 10th-fewest DraftKings points against tight ends. Even if Miller's emergence is a blip, he impedes on Bennett's territory enough to drop his stock down a tick.

All pricing and scoring data courtesy of DraftKings.com unless otherwise noted.

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