Like any healthy market, price fluctuations are expected for players in daily fantasy football (NFL DFS). Exploring those fluctuations can often reveal bargain players to target after down weeks or players that are rising too high in price above future expectations.
Each week, we will analyze one player at each position that has notably increased and decreased in price.
Notable NFL DFS Price Increases
Jared Goff, QB (Detroit Lions) Week 11 DraftKings Price $6,300; Week 12 DraftKings Price $6,600
The Lions showed their behemoth potential on Sunday with a 52-6 trouncing of the Jaguars. Jared Goff took a seat partway through the second half, but not until he totaled 412 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Maybe more important for Detroit than the crazy numbers, Goff limited negative plays with no interceptions and no sacks. This performance came a week after he tossed the ball five times to the Texans in an incredible comeback win.
Goff gets a price jump after his first positive Plus/Minus result in the last five games. He faces a Colts defense in the bottom 10 of fantasy points awarded to quarterbacks. We now know his ceiling is incredibly high, and the Lions seem intent on keeping the gas pedal down on offense regardless of the score.
Joe Mixon, RB (Houston Texans) Week 11 DraftKings Price $7,700; Week 12 DraftKings Price $8,000
It’s hard to feel confident in any running back short of Christian McCaffrey at the $8,000 level, but Joe Mixon has more than lived up to that price tag in 2024. After coming back from injury in Week 6, Mixon has six straight top-11 fantasy finishes at the position.
Mixon has at least one touchdown on the ground in each of those six games and has earned at least 20 carries in each of the last five weeks. Aside from a rough Week 10 against Detroit, where Mixon averaged just 1.8 yards/carry and was saved by a pair of scores, he has topped 100 rushing yards every game since the injury.
With a 95% running back carry share on Monday night against Dallas, Mixon is seeing the strongest workload of any running back in the league. He is a strong play, even with the elevated investment.
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Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR (Tennessee Titans) Week 11 DraftKings Price $3,600; Week 12 DraftKings Price $4,100
A 98-yard touchdown catch is a potential contest-winning performance, but is Nick Westbrook-Ikhine‘s big play result a repeatable outcome? Westbrook-Ikhine matched a season-high six targets on Sunday in the Titans’ loss to the Vikings. He caught just two passes for 117 total yards and the score.
Will Levis has struggled overall during his short stint with Tennessee, but he can certainly unleash the ball downfield. When Brian Flores brought pressure, as he does often, Levis was able to make some plays in the passing game to Westbrook-Ikhine and Calvin Ridley.
The Titans will likely be in catch-up mode a lot the rest of the season, and this week is no different against the Texans. Levis should reach 30+ pass attempts again, and Westbrook-Ikhine is a clear, deep threat. He is a high-ceiling, low-floor dart throw option.
Jonnu Smith, TE (Miami Dolphins) Week 11 DraftKings Price $3,800; Week 12 DraftKings Price $4,100
Jonnu Smith posted one of the best performances of his career with six catches for 101 yards and two scores against the Raiders last week. His usage is encouraging with eight targets from Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday and at least six opportunities in five of his last six games.
The Patriots are middle-of-the-pack against tight ends, but Smith should continue to have open space to maneuver in with the speedsters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle taking the top off the defense on a regular basis.
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Notable NFL DFS Price Decreases
Jayden Daniels, QB (Washington Commanders) Week 11 DraftKings Price $7,500; Week 12 DraftKings Price $7,000
The incredible rookie Jayden Daniels came back to earth a bit in the last two weeks as the Commanders dropped two games in a row for the first time this season. He finished 24th in fantasy points at the quarterback position for the second week in a row with 191 passing yards and a touchdown Thursday night in Philadelphia.
The Konami code in fantasy football, Daniels topped 35 rushing yards in all but one of his first nine games the season. He amassed just 10 rushing attempts for 23 yards over the last two weeks.
Daniels could certainly get back on track this week against a reeling Cowboys team. With just one 300+ yard passing game and zero 3+ passing touchdown games on the season, he will need to get back to using his legs to maintain his fantasy value.
Aaron Jones, RB (Minnesota Vikings) Week 11 DraftKings Price $6,900; Week 12 DraftKings Price $6,400
Against a tough Tennessee running defense, Aaron Jones saw his opportunities shrink to his lowest amount since Week 5. He carried the ball 15 times for just 39 yards and caught one pass for four yards.
The Vikings tailback has only found the end zone one time in his last seven games, and his snap share is down around the 50% mark, far below the 70%+ threshold he’s seen at times this season. The Vikings continue to roll along with an 8-2 record, but their recent wins against the AFC South have not come from offensive prowess.
Jones still looks sharp on the field and could explode at any time, but it may be best to wait for an uptrend in performance before trusting him in lineups.
DJ Moore, WR (Chicago Bears) Week 11 DraftKings Price $6,000; Week 12 DraftKings Price $5,500
Caleb Williams looked much more comfortable as the Bears nearly upset the Packers on Sunday. A week after firing their offensive coordinator, Williams completed 23 passes for 231 yards, his highest total since Week 5.
Even with an uptick in accuracy from Williams, DJ Moore still could not find a breakout game despite catching all seven of his targets. He totaled just 62 yards receiving, his third-highest receiving total of the season.
The Bears have a trio of receiving threats in Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. So far, the rookie signal-caller has not been able to support any of their fantasy expectations. It’s hard to believe that will change this week with a matchup against defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the Vikings.
Travis Kelce, TE (Kansas City Chiefs) Week 11 DraftKings Price $6,300; Week 12 DraftKings Price $5,800
Things were looking up for Travis Kelce‘s production as he notched three straight top-5 tight end weeks in Weeks 8-10. The Bills were ready for him on Sunday, however, as he tallied just two catches for eight yards on four targets.
This could be an excellent buying opportunity for the future gold jacket recipient. The Chiefs head to Carolina to face a Panthers defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to tight ends and Andy Reid will certainly have some creative ways to get him the ball. Expect a bounce back offensive output for Kansas City and plenty of targets going Kelce’s direction.
