The 2015 NFL season has flown by, and we are left with just one week in the regular season. Whether you are a veteran in daily fantasy football at this point or you are competing in your first contests, the key remains the same: pick the players with the best value at this stage.
It doesn’t matter what players did earlier in the year as long as they can contribute in Week 17. This likely rules out a few stars while pushing some cheaper options to the forefront. Here is a look at some good and bad choices for the upcoming weekend in the latest stock report.
Stock Up
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants ($5,600)
You can’t ignore Eli Manning’s terrible showing against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. With top target Odell Beckham Jr. suspended, the veteran quarterback completed just 15 of 29 passes while throwing three interceptions to go with just one touchdown after the game was pretty well in hand.
Manning did show a lot of maturity by not blaming the absence of his best receiver for the poor game.
“I don’t think it was a matter of Odell or not, we had other guys that could make plays,” the quarterback said, per Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News. “I didn’t do a good job getting them the ball.”
While this is a nice concept, the reality is Beckham is a game-changing talent. Not only can he make ridiculous plays to help out his quarterback, he also necessitates a lot of defensive attention to help create openings for teammates.
In the last two games with Beckham in the lineup, Manning threw eight touchdown passes with just one interception. With his receiving corps back to full strength, fantasy owners can expect more of the same against a fading Philadelphia Eagles defense.
Tim Hightower, RB, New Orleans Saints ($5,500)
When it comes to fantasy running backs, all you can hope for is enough opportunity to be productive. Tim Hightower has certainly gotten plenty of chances to shine, and he has taken advantage of it over the last three weeks.
The New Orleans Saints fell behind early to the Detroit Lions in Week 15, but Hightower still found a way to at least put up a reasonable fantasy total. In the other games, he has taken over for Mark Ingram as the starting running back in this high-powered offense, and it has led to tons of touches and plenty of fantasy value.
While his 34-point explosion will be difficult to replicate in Week 17, the veteran has another favorable matchup in front of him in the form of the Atlanta Falcons. This defense has given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs on DraftKings thanks in large part to a league-high 19 rushing touchdowns allowed this season.
Hightower should once again get north of 20 carries with the opportunity for some big fantasy totals.
Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia Eagles ($4,700)
It is difficult to trust anyone on the Philadelphia Eagles this week with so much uncertainty surrounding the squad. The organization fired head coach Chip Kelly Tuesday, leaving Pat Shurmur as the interim coach with a short time to make any changes before Week 17.
Although we don’t know how each player will react, there is no reason to expect major adjustments offensively.
This is good news for Jordan Matthews, who is ending a disappointing year on a high note with back-to-back strong games. The second-year receiver had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in Week 16 after totaling eight catches for 159 yards and a score the week before. He has finally gotten into a rhythm with quarterback Sam Bradford, and now the two will try to keep it up against the worst pass defense in the NFL.
The risk is high, but so is the upside for a relatively cheap price.
Stock Down
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals ($6,600)
He did get a touchdown catch last game, but the Arizona Cardinals have used Larry Fitzgerald less and less toward the end of the season. After totaling at least 80 receiving yards in eight of his first 10 games, he hasn’t reached this mark in any of his last five games.
Week 16 featured a season-low 29 receiving yards for Fitzgerald on just four catches. This came after receiving totals of 43 and 41 yards in the two prior games.
Fitzgerald isn’t doing much wrong, but Carson Palmer is spreading the ball around to his many targets in this offense. A reduced role against an elite Seattle Seahawks pass defense usually isn’t a great recipe for fantasy success.
Considering the Cardinals also have an opportunity to rest players with a bye already clinched (though not the No. 1 overall seed), Fitzgerald is a bigger risk than usual on Sunday.
Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers ($6,000)
This year was a big opportunity for Randall Cobb to step up and become a true No. 1 receiver. He has failed to live up to these expectations.
Cobb has just a single 100-yard game this year and has seemingly gotten worse as the year progressed. The receiver finished Week 16 with just three catches for 15 yards while extending a streak of no receiving touchdowns to five games. Even as the team tries to get him involved with the running game, he still hasn’t produced enough to help out fantasy owners.
The points-per-reception scoring on DraftKings hasn’t done much to help Cobb out, either, as he hasn’t reached 20 fantasy points since Week 3. Even at his lowest price of the year, he is still not worth a spot on your team.
Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets ($4,400)
The New York Jets are rolling, but Chris Ivory hasn’t always been along for the ride.
Over the last two games combined, the starting running back had just 24 carries for 75 rushing yards. He also had five catches, but they went for just nine yards.
While he did miss some time due to injury last game, it seems as though Bilal Powell is earning more touches on his own. In this same two-game stretch, Powell had 13 carries for 81 rushing yards but also 12 catches for 84 receiving yards.
Powell also had three total touchdowns in the last three games, while Ivory had zero. The committee isn’t working favorably toward Ivory, especially in PPR scoring, making him a risky play for Week 17.
Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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