DFS Alerts
Mark Ingram (concussion) questionable for Sunday
Although Ingram hasn’t been cleared to play yet, he probably will since he was able to practice all week. New Orleans will use him in a two-man committee along with Tim Hightower. With the Saints set as 7-point favorites, game flow favors their running game, but the time share and opponent limits the upside of both backs. Los Angeles’ front seven has been pretty great this season. As a team, they rank 7th in rush DVOA, and their defensive line ranks 1st in adjusted line yards per carry (3.11), according to Football Outsiders. If Ingram ends up sitting, Hightower would be in play, but if he plays it’s probably best to avoid New Orleans’ backfield entirely.
As reported by: Nick Underhill Other tagged players: Tim Hightower
Aqib Talib will play Sunday
Talib will make his return after missing the past three games. Defensive end Derek Wolfe is ready to play as well. Denver’s defense is back to full strength, and they’ll face a Kansas City offense that is without their number one receiver, Jeremy Maclin. The game total of 39.5 points implies this game will be a defensive slugfest. There aren’t many great options on the Chiefs’ offense, although Spencer Ware has some tournament appeal. Denver ranks 25th in rush DVOA and 17th against receiving running backs.
As reported by: Cameron Wolfe Todd Gurley (illness) didn't practice Friday, still expected to play in Week 12
Coach Jeff Fisher said an illness has been going around the team, but he fully expects Gurley to be healthy and ready to play against the Saints. It’s a tougher matchup than it may initially appear. Over the past five weeks the Saints are only allowing 86.4 rushing yards per game. Gurley’s sophomore struggles have been well documented; he’s only averaging 3.2 yards per carry and hasn’t had a single game with more than 85 rushing yards. Los Angeles’ offense has just been terrible in general. They’re 7-point underdogs this weekend, which means they’ll probably need to pass quite a bit to try to keep up. It isn’t shaping up as a great week to target Gurley.
As reported by: Myles Simmons DeMarco Murray removed from injury report
Murray has been dealing with a toe injury the past few weeks and didn’t practice Wednesday. That seems to be a weekly routine at this point as he appears to be near full health now. He’s been excellent all year, even while playing through an injury, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the season. Tennessee faces the Bears this weekend, which is a great matchup for DeMarco. Currently, they’re favored by 5.5 points, but there’s a good chance Chicago won’t be able to keep up. Expected game flow is certainly in Murray’s favor, and it helps that Chicago ranks 22nd in rush DVOA.
As reported by: Jim Wyatt Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski both listed as questionable for Sunday
This is a situation we’ll need to track very closely as we approach lineup lock on Sunday. This game doesn’t kick off until 4:25 ET, so those playing on the main slate will want contingency plans based on the status’ of Gronk and Bennett. Gronkowski wasn’t able to shed his non-contact jersey in practice this week, so he’s likely a bit closer to doubtful than questionable, and it’s not like the Patriots have much reason to push Gronk at this point in the year. It seems safest to assume that he’s going to sit, but it’s a situation we’ll need to monitor. While Bennett is also listed as questionable, he’s a much better bet to play. He had an off day on Thursday but was back at practice this afternoon, and it’d be very surprising if he were to end up inactive, especially in the event that Gronk sits. Bennett is still the Patriots TE to target at this point – if Gronk is inactive, he’s a top six overall play at the TE spot.
As reported by: Christopher Price Other tagged players: Rob Gronkowski Tom Brady expected to play through questionable tag Sunday
Brady (knee) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, but was able to participate in a limited fashion on Friday. He’s expected to play on Sunday despite being listed as questionable. He has a favorable matchup against the Jets, who rank 30th in pass DVOA. New England enters the game as 7.5-point favorites, so game flow could be a concern. He should still manage to do plenty of damage through the air though, and he’ll have to since the Jets rank 2nd in rush DVOA.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Eddie Royal questionable for Sunday
Royal didn’t practice all week and seems to be closer to doubtful than questionable. Even if he plays, he won’t be a great fantasy option as he’ll have Matt Barkley throwing to him. If he doesn’t, Cameron Meredith will get all the work he can handle, but will still have trouble being effective with Barkley under center.
As reported by: Jim Wyatt Other tagged players: Cameron Meredith Jeremy Maclin ruled out for Week 12
Alex Smith will rely on Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, and Travis Kelce in the passing game this weekend against the Broncos. Aqib Talib will make his return for Denver, which is bad news for Kansas City. This matchup is expected to be a slow, defensive battle, and isn’t one to target in fantasy. The total is the lowest of the week at 39.5 points. Smith will play conservative dink and dunk offense against the Broncos’ elite defense, and Kansas City will run the ball quite a bit. If Denver has any weakness, it’s against running backs. They rank 25th in rush DVOA and 17th against receiving running backs. Spencer Ware will be the safest play in Kansas City’s offense, but he’ll still have a tough day at the office.
As reported by: BJ Kissel Other tagged players: Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Travis Kelce, Spencer Ware Tevin Coleman removed from injury report
Coleman (hamstring) has missed Atlanta’s past three games, but he’ll return to the field this Sunday against the Cardinals. It’s a very difficult matchup as Arizona ranks ninth in rush DVOA. Even worse, they rank first against receiving running backs. Coleman excels at catching balls out of the backfield, averaging 17.4 yards per catch. If the Cardinals can stop him in that area, he’ll have trouble producing fantasy points in this game. Either way, he’ll cut into Devonta Freeman’s workload as the Falcons will go back to their two-man committee. The good news is the game total is set at a high 50.5 points and Atlanta is favored by five points. While Coleman and Freeman aren’t great cash options, they’re in play as contrarian tournament options.
As reported by: Darren Urban Other tagged players: Devonta Freeman Ravens CB Jimmy Smith (back) not expected to play Sunday
Smith is very important to the Ravens’ secondary. Without him on the field, Odell Beckham tore them apart in Week 6, and last week Dez Bryant caught two touchdowns. If he can’t play, it’s good news for the ailing Bengals. Brandon LaFell will take over as their number one wide receiver, and he lines up on Smiths’ side on about 40% of his snaps. LaFell is definitely a tournament option this week based on expected volume, but the game has a low total of 40.5 points and the Bengals have an implied team total of just 18.25. Without A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard available they may struggle to move the football even if Smith is out.
As reported by: WNST Travis Benjamin expected to play through questionable tag Sunday
Benjamin (knee) practiced in full this week, which means he’ll be good to go on Sunday. He has a tough matchup with the Texans, who rank in the top six in pass DVOA against both the WR1 and WR2 positions. Benjamin hasn’t had a game with more than four receptions since Week 5, but his poor performance is at least partially due to his injury as he played through a PCL sprain. He should see an uptick in production now that he’s nearing full health. Still, there are a lot of mouths to feed in the San Diego passing offense so he’s not safe enough for cash. However, his big play ability keeps him on the tournament radar.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Chargers CB Brandon Flowers (concussion) will not play Sunday
Flowers suffered another concussion in their last game, his second of the season. There’s a good chance he’ll miss more time beyond this week. Flowers is San Diego’s slot corner, which means Will Fuller should have an easier matchup. Fuller had played on the outside for most of this season, but Braxton Miller is now starting out wide and the Texans have moved Fuller to the slot. Given his injuries and his quarterback, Fuller is not a recommended fantasy option at this point, despite his individual matchup. Miller is worth tournament consideration as DeAndre Hopkins will be shadowed by Casey Hayward, who has a stellar 84.3 PFF grade this season. Houston opened as 1-point home favorites but have since become 1.5-point underdogs, which is a bad omen for their offensive players.
As reported by: Tom Krasovic Other tagged players: Braxton Miller, DeAndre Hopkins Jordan Reed dealing with Grade 3 AC joint separation
Reed is questionable to play in Week 13 against the Cardinals. He’ll have a couple extra days to rest since they played on a Thursday this week. His ability to play will come down to range of motion and pain management. If he’s able to play, it’ll be a tough matchup as Arizona ranks second in pass DVOA against tight ends.
As reported by: ESPN Michael Floyd will be a game-time decision for Arizona
Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians stated today that WR Michael Floyd would be a game-time decision for their game against the Falcons Sunday afternoon. If he can’t go, J.J. Nelson could again emerge as a viable threat alongside Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown.
As reported by: Kent Somers on Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Nelson
Robert Woods and Mike Gillislee are OUT for Buffalo this week
This isn’t unexpected news after both players missed practice the entire week. With Sammy Watkins likely to return and LeSean McCoy apparently recovered from his thumb injury, the Bills offense should be fine.
As reported by: Joe Buscaglia on Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Gillislee