DFS Alerts
T.Y. Hilton listed as questionable, expected to play Monday night
The expected game script is on Hilton’s side. The Jets’ defense is great against the run and one of the worst against the pass. Vegas has the total set at 48.5 points and the Colts are only favored by two points, so it should stay competitive. Hilton will be shadowed by Buster Skrine, who has a poor 51.4 PFF grade, which is another plus. However, his touchdown equity is much lower with Donte Moncrief in the lineup, lowering his upside. Moncrief has scored exactly one touchdown in all four games he’s played since returning to the lineup, while Hilton has scored one total.
As reported by: Conrad Brunner
Brandon Marshall returns to full practice Saturday, will play Monday night
Although Marshall has been a little disappointing over the last six games, averaging 4.2 receptions, 50.8 yards, and 0.17 touchdowns on 7.7 targets per game in that stretch, he managed a solid line of 6/67/1 against the Patriots last week. He’s been the victim of poor quarterback play all season but Ryan Fitzpatrick played well against New England, and Marshall immediately benefited. Their game on Monday night has a two-point spread (Colts favored) and a 48.5-point total. Plus, both pass defenses are poor, which means we could get a shootout. Marshall will be shadowed by Vontae Davis, but that doesn’t present as a big a challenge as it did in the past, mostly due to Davis’ injuries. On the season, he has a poor 49.1 PFF grade and was burned by Antonio Brown last week. Marshall is in a great spot on Monday night and will be a solid option in fantasy.
As reported by: Andy Vasquez Andrew Luck removed from injury report
Luck (concussion) is all set to start on Monday night against the Jets. It’s a great matchup as the Jets have a classic pass-funnel defense; they rank 29th in pass DVOA and 3rd against the rush. The game has 48.5-point total and the Colts are only favored by two. Fortunately (for fantasy), the Colts also have a terrible pass defense, ranking 31st. This game should stay competitive and could certainly turn into a shootout with plenty of passing and scoring.
As reported by: Tyler Dunne Jadeveon Clowney out for Week 13
Clowney (elbow, wrist) leads the Texans with nine tackles for loss. He’s been playing excellent this season after switching to defensive end (although he still plays some snaps at linebacker as well). Green Bay’s running game will certainly benefit from Clowney’s absence, but Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael are expected to cut into James Starks’ workload more this week. Starks hasn’t had a game with more than 41 rushing yards this season despite being the lead back for the past three games. After another underwhelming performance against the Eagles, a game in which he averaged 2.4 yards per carry on 17 attempts, coach Mike McCarthy said he’ll make a point to get the other two more involved. It’s not a great time to target the Packers’ backfield.
As reported by: Sara Barshop Other tagged players: James Starks Charles Clay didn't travel with team to Oakland
Clay, who was officially listed as questionable with a knee injury, stayed in Buffalo for the birth of his child. It’s not clear if Clay will miss the game but he should now be considered doubtful. Nick O’Leary would become the primary tight end if Clay doesn’t play. He has seven receptions for 94 yards this season and won’t be a viable fantasy play. Clay is averaging 5.2 targets per game this season, which will mainly be distributed to Marquise Goodwin, Sammy Watkins, and LeSean McCoy. If anything, this is a further boost to McCoy’s fantasy outlook. The Bills are incredibly thin in the passing game and Oakland doesn’t have a strong rushing defense. With a secure workload, McCoy projects as our RB4 this week.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Nick O'Leary, LeSean McCoy, Marquise Goodwin, Sammy Watkins Update: Steelers sign K Randy Bullock
Pittsburgh ended up signing a kicker for tomorrow’s game to replace the injured Chris Boswell. Bullock isn’t available on any site this week. Keep Boswell off your rosters.
As reported by: Ed Bouchette Other tagged players: Chris Boswell Jeremy Maclin OUT for Week 13
Maclin (groin) was able to practice this week but isn’t quite ready to play on Sunday. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce will be Alex Smith’s primary weapons in the passing game against the Falcons, who have allowed the most passing yards per game (282) and the third-most touchdowns (25). Kansas City are 5.5-point underdogs in a game with a 49-point total, they should be passing quite a bit. Both Hill and Kelce are solid options in fantasy this week. Kelce is the safest of the two while Hill has the highest ceiling. Kelce is coming off consecutive 100-yard games and projects as our TE2 on DraftKings and TE3 on FanDuel. Hill broke out for three touchdowns against Denver this past Sunday night, but he only had 55 yards in the process. Despite his skill, he has a low floor in Alex Smith’s offense.
As reported by: Adam Teicher Other tagged players: Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill Steelers K Chris Boswell added to injury report Saturday
Getting added to the report so late in the week is a bad sign. Boswell (abdomen) is officially questionable. It’s not likely Pittsburgh adds another kicker to their roster before Sunday. Keep in mind the Steelers love going for two and have an aggressive style of play, so they may use Boswell sparingly or not at all if his injury is serious enough. It would be best to avoid Boswell on sites that require a kicker.
As reported by: Burt Lauten LeSean McCoy set for another big game
McCoy piled up 134 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Jaguars, who rank 23rd in rush DVOA. They face the Raiders this week, who rank 27th. Oakland’s defensive front is banged up, they’ll be without defensive tackles Darius Latham and Stacy McGee. In the secondary, they’ll get cornerback David Amerson back on the field, which also plays to McCoy’s favor. Amerson has an excellent 83.7 PFF grade this season. He’ll be on Marquise Goodwin most of the day, who hurt is wrist in practice Thursday but is expected to play. The Bills will be without Robert Woods and Percy Harvin, and although Sammy Watkins will suit up, he may be pretty limited. With all of these injury issues, their passing attack will likely struggle on Sunday. Buffalo ranks 2nd in rushing offense DVOA though. They have the most yards per carry (5.3) and rushing touchdowns (20) this season. McCoy averaged 5.4 yards per carry against the 8th-ranked defensive line in adjusted yards per carry (3.52) last game. In Week 13, he’ll faced a banged up d-line that rank 28th in adjusted line yards (4.32) when healthy.The Bills should ride McCoy all game and they should be effective with that strategy.
As reported by: CSN Earl Thomas and DeShawn Shead removed from injury report, Michael Bennett questionable for Sunday
The Seattle defense is getting healthier, which is bad timing for the Carolina Panthers. Thomas and Shead missed their last game, while Bennett has been out since Week 7. Shead has a 79.1 PFF grade and should see Ted Ginn most of the game as Richard Sherman is expected to shadow Kelvin Benjamin. Thomas will be great help over the top. If Bennett can play it would be bad news for both Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart. Carolina is very banged up on the offensive line, most notably, All-Pro center Ryan Kalil and his backup, Gino Gradowski, have been placed on I.R. Right tackle Daryl Williams is also out. Seattle ranks 8th in adjusted sack rate, according to Football Outsiders, and could get pressure on Newton all day; Carolina’s offensive line ranks 22nd on the season. With an implied team total of just 18.5 points, it may be a good time to fade the Carolina offense.
As reported by: Bob Condotta Tavon Austin (chest) doubtful for Sunday
Austin missed practice all week and isn’t expected to play on Sunday. Kenny Britt will continue to be the Rams’ leading receiver, he’s had a team-high 17 targets since Jared Goff became their quarterback. Lance Kendricks is second with 14, while Brian Quick is third with eight. All three should pick up some extra targets this week with Austin out, but it won’t be a huge uptick over the past two weeks as Austin had just three targets per game during that stretch. Los Angeles are 13.5-point underdogs against the Patriots, which favors the passing game. Plus, the Patriots rank 28th in pass DVOA. Still, they have an exceptionally low implied team total of 15.5 points and they have Jared Goff under center; it won’t be a great spot to target the Rams’ skill players.
As reported by: Jim Thomas Other tagged players: Kenny Britt, Lance Kendricks, Brian Quick John Brown questionable for Sunday, Michael Floyd removed from injury report
After catching just one pass in his last two games (six total targets), John Brown is officially questionable for Sunday as his sickle-cell issue is still a problem. With Larry Fitzgerald likely to dominate targets in the passing game out of the slot – where Josh Norman doesn’t typically roam – the outside receivers on the Arizona side aren’t very interesting. Brown is best left untouched for DFS purposes, but Floyd does have some deep-GPP appeal, especially in lineups that don’t feature David Johnson. Be careful to make sure you aren’t over-exposed to the ancillary options in this passing game, though.
As reported by: Josh Weinfuss Other tagged players: Michael Floyd Derek Carr removed from injury report, Michael Crabtree and Latavius Murray listed as questionable
Carr ran every play from the shotgun after dislocating his finger taking a snap against the Panthers. Although he’s been removed from the injury report, he should see a relatively high number of snaps from the gun, if not all of them. Despite the injury, he finished with 315 yards and three touchdowns last week. The Bills pass defense ranks four spots lower than the Panthers in pass DVOA at 19th. A favorable matchup paired with a game total of 48.5 points makes Carr a solid quarterback option. Both Crabtree and Murray are expected to play through questionable tags. Crabtree will benefit from the poor pass defense, and Murray has a nice spot as well; Buffalo ranks 25th against the rush. After exploding for 114 yards and three touchdowns against the Broncos, he’s been quiet, averaging 39 yards and 0.5 touchdowns over the past two weeks. He’s in a great spot for a bounce-back as he faced much tougher rush defenses over the last two games.
As reported by: Jimmy Durkin Other tagged players: Latavius Murray, Michael Crabtree Theo Riddick, Marvin Jones both listed as questionable for Week 13; both expected to play
This is about as good of a spot as the Lions offense will find themselves in all season. The Superdome isn’t referred to as the Coors Field of the NFL for nothing – the Saints offense operates on all cylinders at home, which typically leads to the the opponent also putting up big numbers. The only issue with Riddick and Jones (in addition to Tate, Ebron and Boldin) is that there isn’t a clear top target in this offense. It makes all of the skill position players viable tournament targets, but makes each of them risky targets in H2Hs/50-50s. Riddick has been losing some early down work to Dwayne Washington, but is still integrally involved in the passing game and should at least split early down work. He’s not a recommended cash game option – Doug Martin and Carlos Hyde are safer options in the same price range – but his ceiling is immense. As for Jones, he saw 11 targets last weekend, his highest total dating back to Week 2 of this season. He and Matt Stafford didn’t look like they were on the same page for a handful of those looks, so it’s possible they go in another direction this weekend, but at his current price around the industry it’ll be hard to not have some exposure to Jones. Golden Tate is the safer bet for a higher target total, but Jones’ is the better vertical threat.
As reported by: Brad Galli Other tagged players: Marvin Jones
T.Y. Hilton returns to practice Friday
Hilton (back) was getting a maintenance day yesterday, he’ll be ready to go on Monday night. While the New York Jets have a poor pass defense, ranking 29th in DVOA, they come in at 13th against WR1s. Hilton’s touchdown equity decreases with Donte Moncrief in the lineup. Moncrief has scored exactly one touchdown in each of the four games he’s played since returning. Hilton has scored just one during that stretch. The Jets rank 31st against WR2s, which favors Moncrief as well.
As reported by: Mike Chappell Other tagged players: Donte Moncrief