Daily Fantasy Football December 17: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

Injuries to key players might derail your season-long fantasy football team, but in daily fantasy, they only create more opportunities for value picks.

With starters going down all across the league, new players will step up and take their place, many of them with the ability to post big fantasy numbers right away. The cheap cost in daily fantasy makes them even more valuable as you try to create the best possible lineups.

It's important to stay on top of the latest information before setting your lineup, but here are some key players to target as well as a few you might want to avoid in the latest stock report.

Stock Up

Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars ($4,600)

A few different running backs could get an opportunity to start this week due to injuries, such as Bryce Brown, Fozzy Whittaker and Brandon Bolden. However, each of these players comes with question marks about workload and whether he will get enough touches to produce.

Denard Robinson won't have that problem if T.J. Yeldon is declared out as expected. Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reported the starting running back has a sprained MCL, putting his ability to play in jeopardy.

If Yeldon is inactive, Robinson would become a go-to running back like he was this past week against the Indianapolis Colts, where he finished with 14 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. In fact, Adam Levitan of DraftKings notes how well the former Michigan quarterback has performed when he has gotten an opportunity:

Jacksonville has become a pass-heavy attack this season, but Robinson still has a lot of value if he can play against a terrible Atlanta Falcons run defense.

T.J. Yates, QB, Houston Texans ($5,000)

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

Brian Hoyer has played admirably for the Houston Texans this year, but he will be out for the most important game of the season against the Colts, as the team announced this week:

While fans might not be thrilled with T.J. Yates at the helm, the truth is he could be just as good as Hoyer, especially from a fantasy perspective.

In reality, the most important attribute for a Texans quarterback is being able to throw the ball up to DeAndre Hopkins, who has moved himself into the conversation as one of the best receivers in the league. Yates has certainly shown this ability with three touchdown passes to the talented pass-catcher in a little more than one full game at quarterback.

In Yates' only start this season, he beat a quality Jets defense with 229 total yards, finding Hopkins for 118 of those yards with two scores.

The matchup should be much easier in Week 15 against an Indianapolis Colts defense that has been awful against the pass lately. Ben Roethlisberger and Blake Bortles combined for seven touchdowns and no interceptions against this group in the last two weeks, giving Yates plenty of opportunity for a decent showing at a minimum cost.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($7,400)

The St. Louis Rams have a good pass defense, but if you are looking for players to put in a Thursday lineup, Mike Evans has a lot of upside.

According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson has already been ruled out for Week 15. This could lead to Evans being an even bigger focal point in the offense than usual, similar to what happened earlier in the season. Jackson was injured in Week 7 and didn't return until Week 11, leading to some huge outings for Evans:

Week	Catches	Targets	Yards	TDs
7	8	11	164	1
8	3	9	48	0
9	8	19	150	0
10	8	13	126	0

Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston simply has few other options in the offense, and it leads to him forcing the ball to his No. 1 target. As a result, Evans doesn't need to be the most efficient player; he can just put up big fantasy numbers based on the opportunity alone.

Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins could take away some targets, but there should be plenty of catches available for the second-year receiver.

Stock Down 

Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers ($6,900)

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

According to David Newton of ESPN.com, "Panthers TE Greg Olsen (knee) was listed as did not participate in practice but coach Ron Rivera said Olsen looked good. He expects him to do more [Thursday] and play Sunday."

While this is certainly encouraging for Olsen going forward, the Panthers also felt good about Jonathan Stewart's health before ruling him out for Sunday, per NFL.com. What this shows is the team is going to be extremely cautious with its key players now that it has clinched the division as well as a first-round bye. Going undefeated is nice, but winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal.

As a result, Olsen could end up playing in Week 15 before quickly moving to the bench if Carolina gets an early lead against the New York Giants. The tight end didn't play the second half against the Atlanta Falcons for the same reason, making him difficult to trust in daily fantasy.

Considering he is the second-most expensive tight end on the board behind Rob Gronkowski, he is not worth the risk this week.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts ($5,900)

Although T.Y. Hilton should be healthy Sunday, the same cannot be said about his quarterback. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes there is a lot of uncertainty for the Colts heading into Week 15:

If Charlie Whitehurst is indeed the starting quarterback for Indianapolis, it is hard to have faith in any of the receivers to put up significant numbers. Even if Matt Hasselbeck does end up under center, you can bet the timing will be off after missing the week of practice.

Considering most of Hilton's production comes on deep passes (he averaged 33 yards per catch in Week 14), timing is everything, and any disruption could lead to a bad day.

Meanwhile, the Texans have done a good job against the pass this season while ranking third in the NFL in yards allowed. A great pass rush will likely force Indianapolis to use shorter throws to avoid sacks, taking Hilton out of the game.

At this cost, there are simply many better options available.

Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia Eagles ($4,300)

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

If you need any proof of Jordan Matthews' decline this season, simply look at his prices on DraftKings. The receiver was valued at $7,200 in Week 1 and has steadily dropped over the course of the year. Last week featured a season low of $5,500, at least until a huge drop to his current mark at $4,300.

While some people might see a real bargain as a No. 1 receiver for a cheap cost, he still isn't worth the spot in your lineup. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes an injury has limited him lately:

The reality is it doesn't matter if an injury is what has held him back or not; the fact is he hasn't been a trustworthy fantasy option lately. He averaged just 3.2 catches over the last five games with a high of four grabs, a stretch that only looks reasonable thanks to two late-game touchdowns.

Against a tough Arizona Cardinals defense, stay away at any price.

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

---

Enter the DraftKings $1M Play-Action contest this weekend. Use promo code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for all your fantasy football and daily fantasy needs.