DFS Alerts
DeSean Jackson misses practice Wednesday
Jackson has a sore shoulder, but is on track to play Sunday against the Lions. It’s an excellent spot for him to be more boom than bust as Detroit has allowed 17 passing touchdowns, the most of any team. Cousins was actively looking for Jackson last week against the Eagles, providing Jackson nine targets, his most since Week 1. Jackson ended up with just four receptions and 55 yards, but he dropped a 32-yard touchdown. If Jordan Reed misses this game, Jackson will make for a great tournament play.
As reported by: Mike Jones
Zach Miller and Ka'Deem Carey questionable, both expected to play
With Eddie Royal ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Packers, Miller should be able to pick a solid number of targets. It also helps that the Packers’ secondary has been depleted by injuries, while their rushing defense remains solid (notwithstanding Ezekiel Elliot’s performance). More than likely, the Bears will throw the ball a lot tomorrow night. When they do run though, expect them to use Carey a decent amount. He out-rushed Jordan Howard last week (50 yards to 34 yards) despite having fewer carries (9 to 15). If Howard struggles at all, Carey will cut into Howard’s workload again.
As reported by: Chicago Sun-Times Other tagged players: Ka'Deem Carey Tyler Eifert practices Wednesday
Eifert finally returned to practice today, which is excellent news for the Bengals. He hasn’t played all year due to back and ankle injuries. There is now a chance he could hit the field Sunday against the Browns, although if he plays he’ll probably be limited. The Bengals have struggled to score this season, in large part due to Eifert’s absence. Even in a small role, he’s a touchdown threat, especially considering Cleveland’s proclivity towards letting opposing tight ends score.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano Travis Benjamin misses practice Wednesday
He has a knee injury, the extent of which was not immediately clear. We’ll have more information on Benjamin’s status when the Chargers practice tomorrow.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Eddie Royal ruled out for Thursday night
Look for Cameron Meredith to keep on rolling. Both Meredith and Alshon Jeffery saw at least 13 targets in Week 6 (Meredith finished with 15), and with the former being much cheaper on most DFS outlets, you’ll want to continue rostering Meredith while he’s this heavily involved in the Bears offense. Royal saw six targets against Jacksonville, and those looks will either funnel towards the top two WRs or Zach Miller. Josh Bellamy is likely to see some time in 3 WR sets, although he’s not on the DFS radar at this point.
As reported by: Mike Garafalo Other tagged players: Cameron Meredith, Alshon Jeffery
Sam Shields, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins all ruled out for TNF
The Packers remain very shorthanded at the CB spot. Shields, Randall and Rollins will all sit against the Bears, opening things up for Alshon Jeffery and Cameron Meredith, especially with Eddie Royal already ruled out. Meredith has been excellent since becoming a regular in the Bears lineup, and his heavy usage isn’t expected to drop off. He and Kevin White never really saw the field at the same time, and if you totaled up their targets on the year (71), they’d be the most heavily targeted receiver in the league (Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton are tied at 64 for the league-lead). Meredith is still far under-priced on some DFS outlets, and should be targeted at will in those situations. Alshon Jeffery is also squarely in play – he saw by far his highest target total of the season in Chicago’s Week 6 contest (13).
As reported by: Mike Garafalo Other tagged players: Cameron Meredith, Alshon Jeffery Eddie Lacy officially ruled out for Thursday night; Davante Adams questionable
James Starks has already been ruled out for Thursday’s game with Chicago, so it’s going to be a fresh backfield for the Packers. They recently acquired Knile Davis from the Chiefs and will almost certainly promote Don Jackson from the practice squad, with Ty Montgomery also likely to be a big factor in passing situations. It’s definitely possible that the Packers simply choose to go a little heavier through the air. Jackson and Montgomery both saw time with the first-team offense in yesterday’s practice and with Davis just being acquired a few days ago, it’s likely the aforementioned two would get the large bulk of the work. If you want to exploit the added opportunity here, Montgomery is your best outlet.
As reported by: Mike Garafalo Other tagged players: Don Jackson, Ty Montgomery C.J. Prosise expected to play Sunday
Prosise will come in for passing down work against the Cardinals this weekend, but shouldn’t cut into Christine Michael’s workload too much. In the one game he played this season, the rookie had one carry and one reception, but he broke his hand in that game. Michael’s bigger concern is his matchup as the Cardinals have a strong defense and Seattle’s implied team total is only 20.75 points.
As reported by: Bob Condotta Other tagged players: Christine Michael Doug Martin not expected to play Sunday
Head coach Dirk Koetter said Doug Martin had a setback a little over a week ago, which will keep Martin sidelined for at least one more game. With Charles Sims also out, the Bucs will rely on Jacquizz Rodgers to lead the backfield. Rodgers piled up 35 touches and 129 total yards in their last game. He’s a great value option this week; the 49ers have allowed the most rushing yards per game (174.3), second-most rushing touchdowns (9), and they’ve allowed a 100-yard rusher in five straight games. Rodgers should be able to be productive through the air as well. He had five receptions last game, as Tampa Bay likes to use running backs in the passing game, and Vincent Jackson is on the IR. Jackson was second on the team in targets and Winston will spread those out to Adam Humphries, Cameron Brate, and Rodgers this week. Rodgers will likely be a chalky play, but for good reason.
As reported by: Rick Stroud Other tagged players: Jacquizz Rodgers Jordan Matthews has limited practice Wednesday
Matthews has knee tendinitis, but should be able to play Sunday against the Vikings. Although he’s leading the team in targets, he hasn’t had over seven in any of the past three games. Currently, Philadelphia is 26th in passing yards per game (225) as they aren’t running a lot of pass plays. Overall, they operate at the slowest pace in football, which limits Matthews’ opportunities. Minnesota runs at the third slowest pace. More importantly, they have the second best pass defense in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric and they’re tied for the 2nd-fewest passing touchdowns allowed (4). Even if he can play through the tendinitis, which he should, it won’t be a great spot for Matthews.
As reported by: Les Brown Theo Riddick and Eric Ebron continue to miss practice
The two key cogs to the Lions offense missed last week’s game and have not practiced this week making it unlikely that they play this week (although there are some reports that Riddick has looked better around the team facilities). Golden Tate benefited the most from their absence last week and would be in line for a similar game going against a Redskins team (at home) that is 18th in DVOA – there is a chance he’d face coverage from Josh Norman, however, which would make Marvin Jones the better play. We’ll keep an eye on this situation Thursday and Friday and update you if anything changes.
As reported by: Mike O'Hara on Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Ebron, Golden Tate
LeSean McCoy injures hamstring in practice; waiting medical evaluation
News out of Buffalo has one of the top players in all of DFS this season, LeSean McCoy, as having suffered an injured hamstring in practice – an injury that led to him not finishing the practice. The team is awaiting a medical evaluation of the injury. It’d be a huge blow in what is a great match up against a Dolphins team that is bottom 10 in RB Rush DVOA. If for some reason he is unable to go, Mike Gillislee would become a chalk value option. We’ll update you as soon as we learn more.
As reported by: Mike Rodak on Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Gillislee Stefon Diggs returns to practice
Diggs sat out the teams last game and missed practice yesterday as the team came off their bye week. He practiced today, however, making it likely that he will indeed return to play this week. The Vikings play the Eagles this week – a tough match up for Sam Bradford and Diggs as the Eagles are 5th in DVOA and 5th in Pass DVOA. There are better options and match ups in DFS at Diggs’s price point.
As reported by: Matt Vensel on Twitter Jordan Reed back at practice; in non-contact jersey
The Redskins top receiving threat was back at practice today albeit in a yellow non-contact jersey. Regardless it’s a good sign that he’s making progress with his concussion. He’s still questionable to play this week against the Lions. He’d be an obvious great play against a team that is last in DVOA if he can suit up. If not, Vernon Davis would get the start and be a value option at TE.
As reported by: Brian McNally on Twitter Other tagged players: Vernon Davis Doug Martin still not practicing
Initial thoughts were Martin would return for Tampa Bay this week but after not practicing the last two days there is obvious concern that won’t happen. We’ll continue to monitor his status – if he can’t play then Jacquizz Rodgers would be a viable DFS option going against a 49ers defense that has been gashed by the run all season long (28th in RB Rush DVOA).
As reported by: Roy Cummings on Twitter Other tagged players: Jacquizz Rodgers