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
Drake Maye, QB (New England Patriots) Week 7 DraftKings Price $5,300; Week 8 DraftKings Price $5,500
The Patriots’ rookie quarterback has been solid in his first two NFL starts. Drake Maye has thrown for 519 yards and five touchdowns over the last two weeks. He’s finished in the top 11 of fantasy quarterbacks each week as New England plays catch-up on the scoreboard throughout the game.
Maye is working behind a makeshift offensive line, which has created some added rushing value with 10 rushes for 68 yards this season. He faces a difficult Jets defense in Week 8 that allows the 4th fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season. The schedule gets a little brighter in the following weeks, so it may be best to hit pause on Maye this week and wait for a price drop.
Kenneth Walker III, RB (Seattle Seahawks) Week 7 DraftKings Price $7,300; Week 8 DraftKings Price $7,800
Kenneth Walker III played through an illness against the Falcons on Sunday, but he certainly didn’t show any signs of weakness, with more than 20 fantasy points on the day. He rushed 14 times for 69 yards and a score, with two catches for 24 yards and another touchdown through the air.
When Walker III has been on the field in his NFL career, he has produced for fantasy owners. In the five games he’s played this season, all five have resulted in double-digit fantasy points with three top-10 weekly performances.
Even with 4.7 yards/carry on the season, it’s the passing game that has lifted his fantasy value this season. Walker III is averaging 5.2 targets and 4.6 receptions per game.
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Drake London, WR (Atlanta Falcons) Week 7 DraftKings Price $6,900; Week 8 DraftKings Price $7,200
After catching just two balls in Week 1, Drake London has found a groove with his new quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and has turned into one of the most consistent fantasy receivers in the league. Since Week 2, he has caught at least six passes in every game, with a massive 12-catch game against Tampa Bay in Week 5.
London has landed in the top 20 of fantasy wide receivers in five games this season with the backing of a 39% wide receiver target share. The Falcons get the Buccaneers for an early season rematch this week in a potential barn burner. Tampa Bay allows the 22nd-most fantasy points to wide receivers. There are few better lineup options at the position this week.
Brock Bowers, TE (San Francisco 49ers) Week 7 DraftKings Price $5,800; Week 8 DraftKings Price $6,100
We’ve seen a few standout rookie tight end seasons over the last few years, with Sam LaPorta taking the cake in a TE1 finish last season. The Raiders’ Brock Bowers is staking his claim in the tight end record book early this season as he’s racked up double-digit targets in each of the last three games.
The Georgia product is averaging nine catches over the last three weeks, including a massive 40% target share against the Rams this past Sunday. The downside has been red zone opportunities, as the Raiders offense is sputtering with a lack of overall talent. Bowers has just one touchdown catch on the season. He did see three red zone targets last week to match his entire total from his first six games.
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Notable NFL DFS Price Decreases
Patrick Mahomes, QB (Kansas City Chiefs) Week 7 DraftKings Price $7,000; Week 8 DraftKings Price $6,800
Undoubtedly, Patrick Mahomes is still one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, if not the best. That said, he is no longer an elite fantasy option at the position, especially with the lack of offensive playmakers at his disposal. The Chiefs are still undefeated, somehow, as they switch strategies to a defensive focus and ball-control offense.
Mahomes has not produced a top-12 fantasy performance since Week 12 of last season. So far in 2024, he has six touchdown passes and an unfathomable eight interceptions. His passing yards/game have dropped to 231.5 in 2024 from his heights of 284.6 in 2021.
The Chiefs have lost their two most dynamic offensive weapons in Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice to long-term injuries, and teams are taking away Travis Kelce with multiple defenders. It’s hard to see Mahomes returning to his high-end fantasy numbers with the likes of Carson Steele and Noah Gray playing prominent roles in the offense.
Jerome Ford, RB (Cleveland Browns) Week 7 DraftKings Price $5,600; Week 8 DraftKings Price $5,100
In Nick Chubb‘s absence, Jerome Ford was the primary backfield option through the first four weeks, but a hamstring injury slowed him over the last two games. Chubb returned to the Browns lineup this past weekend and earned a 36% snap share with 11 carries.
Whether Chubb is healthy enough to return to his normal workhorse role or the Cleveland rushing attack turns into a committee, it spells the end to Ford’s fantasy starting value. He managed a strong 5.3 yards/carry in 50 rushing attempts this season, but the lack of scoring opportunities in the Browns offense limited him to just one touchdown. If Chubb sees another injury this season, Ford could return to fantasy viability.
Tank Dell, WR (Houston Texans) Week 7 DraftKings Price $6,500; Week 8 DraftKings Price $6,300
Hopes were high for Tank Dell to play a larger role in the offense with the Nico Collins injury, but that has not come to fruition in Houston. He hit rock bottom this past week in Green Bay without recording a catch on four targets from CJ Stroud.
Last season, Dell showed a ton of talent and potential with a four-week stretch in the middle of the season, averaging 92 receiving yards and scoring five touchdowns. So far in 2024, Dell is averaging just 3.3 receptions and 32.3 receiving yards a game with one total score.
The Colts do land in the bottom half of NFL defenses in points allowed to receivers. The breakout game could be coming at some point as Dell aims to play second fiddle to Stefon Diggs in the receiving game, but it’s hard to have any confidence to slot him into a lineup at this point.
Travis Kelce, TE (Kansas City Chiefs) Week 7 DraftKings Price $6,300; Week 8 DraftKings Price $6,000
Similar to his quarterback, the production for future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce has been lacking so far this season. He is averaging just 40.8 receiving yards per game and somehow has yet to find the end zone in Andy Reid’s creative Chiefs offense.
Things seemed to be looking up for Kelce with 19 total targets in Weeks 4 & 5, but he caught just four passes on five targets for 17 yards last Sunday against the 49ers. Without the offensive threats of Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco, defenses are able to bracket Kelce.
Second-string tight end Noah Gray has seen a larger workload with the open space available in the secondary, but at some point, Kelce will turn into a value play with his salary drop. The Raiders are decent against tight ends, but Kelce may be due for a squeaky wheel game against an inferior opponent.
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