Daily Fantasy Football December 21: DFS Stock Up, Stock Down

If Antonio Brown headlined your Week 15 daily fantasy football lineup, chances are your Sunday on DraftKings included a favorable outcome.

Beyond the superstar receiver's jaw-dropping performance, a couple of low-budget options assembled terrific days. Three highly touted names weren't as fortunate, though.

Factors used to compile the list include Sunday's production, upcoming matchups and season-long trends. Use the following information as a starting point for your Week 16 research.

Stock Up: Kirk Cousins, Washington Football Team

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It's likely premature to suggest the Washington football team has its franchise quarterback, but Kirk Cousins has clearly shown he's not not the guy.

Cousins torched the Buffalo Bills for 319 yards and four touchdowns through the air and added a score on the ground. He finished with 38.86 DFS points, which had to please the 1.0 percent of Millionaire Maker participants who spent a mere $5,200 on him.

The fourth-year quarterback is certain to receive a spike in interest, so his stock is undoubtedly on the rise. Before using Cousins against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, consider how he averages 23.4 points at home compared to 14.5 on the road.

However, the Eagles are the second-worst fantasy defense against quarterbacks, so there's no denying the appeal is there.

Stock Down: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

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The only thing that matters to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is another win. You, on the other hand, care about fantasy points.

Rodgers challenged a suspect Oakland Raiders secondary yet totaled 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Barely notching double digits while running a $7,000 price tag isn't a great sign for DFS purposes.

Now, the Green Bay receivers deserve plenty of blame. Davante Adams drops everything, James Jones can't create separation without committing offensive pass interference and so on.

But that trend won't get better when the Packers travel to battle the Arizona Cardinals, who have limited opposing quarterbacks to one touchdown or less in five of the last seven outings.

Stock Up: James White, New England Patriots

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Although James White won't carry the ball often, the second-year pro has established himself as Tom Brady's go-to threat out of the backfield.

White tallied seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, adding six yards on the ground for a total of 20.7 points against the Tennessee Titans. He also had a nearly 70-yard reception called back and didn't log meaningful action late because of the score.

Most importantly, though, just 4.1 percent of potential Millionaire Makers had White on the roster. That's certain to change in Week 16.

Since the New England Patriots take on the rival New York Jets—one of the league's stiffest run defenses—Brady and Co. should throw often. White will be the beneficiary of checkdowns, screens and quick-hitters.

Stock Down: Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals

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Andy Dalton is out for the remainder of the regular season, so the Cincinnati Bengals were expected to run Jeremy Hill more often against the San Francisco 49ers.

Well, they tried. And it didn't work that well.

Yes, Hill scored a pair of short touchdowns and managed 14.1 DFS points, but that merely salvaged a horrendous afternoon against the NFL's second-worst run defense. He mustered 31 yards on 19 carries and also lost a fumble.

Whether the problems are Hill-related, a product of poor offensive line play or a combination of both, he's a touchdown-dependent running back. Take your DraftKings money elsewhere.

Stock Up: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Do you have a preferred adjective to describe an elite player? If we strung all our answers together, it would not do justice to what Brown accomplished on Sunday.

Only 5.8 percent of Millionaire Makers used him in their lineup, which seemed perfectly reasonable since the Pittsburgh Steelers were taking on the league's best secondary in the Denver Broncos.

Yet Brown destroyed Denver for 16 catches, 189 yards and two scores, coming up a mere tenth shy of 50 DFS points.

Fifty!

Oh, and next week, the Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens, who have allowed the most touchdowns to opposing receivers. You can practically hear the sound of Brown's ownership percentage rising.

Stock Down: Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears

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Alshon Jeffery caught a touchdown for the second consecutive game, but he missed a healthy portion of Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings because he was unhealthy.

Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes Jeffery said his hamstrings "just tightened up a little bit."

That wouldn't be a problem if the Chicago Bears receiver didn't have a history of injuries—especially in 2015. He's missed five games this season because of soft-tissue damage.

Jeffery isn't a particularly fast receiver anyway, so health problems noticeably hamper his ability to create separation. It's hard to trust Jeffery to stay on the field, let alone contribute at a high level.

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Enter the DraftKings $100K Play-Action Contest this weekend. Use Promo Code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.

Follow Bleacher Report CFB and DFS writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.