DFS Alerts
Trevor Siemian officially active; Chargers to have their entire O-Line healthy for the first time since Week 2
No surprise here, but Trevor Siemian is officially active and will get the start at QB for the Broncos on Thursday night. With the Chargers secondary very banged up (no Verrett or Flowers), Siemian is a fine option in prime-time slates, but should be ignored in Thurs-Sun/Mon slates. With the Chargers finally having their starting offensive line healthy, things should improve slightly for Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon, although the Denver pass-rush is very fierce and should cancel out any positive effects of the healthy line. The San Diego side is worth avoiding here.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken
Eddie Lacy appears to be a game time decision this week
As we reported earlier, he got in a limited practice today. While speaking with the media afterwards, Lacy said he was unsure of his status and that it would “come down to Sunday.” We’re leaning towards Lacy playing, but you’re not going to want him or back up James Starks in Thursday-lock lineups as the situation is too uncertain at the moment.
As reported by: ESPN
Jarvis Landry in prime bounce back spot
Everything is setting up pretty nicely for Landry to have a monster game against the Steelers this weekend after seeing just three targets against the Titans in Week 5. That game broke his ridiculous eight game streak of getting double-digit targets, but he should get right back to his normal numbers. Teams are passing on the Steelers 70.2% of the time, the highest rate in the NFL. Miami happens to be 7.5-point underdogs, so they’re likely to continue that trend. Better yet, Landry is going to line up across from the Steelers’ fourth corner on a ton of his snaps. With Sean Davis, who has an abysmal 40.6 grade from PFF, moving to safety, Pittsburgh will likely put in Artie Burns in the slot in nickel packages. Although Landry figures to see William Gay, one of the best corners in the league, on roughly 50% of his routes out of slot, he’ll have a huge mismatch the other half of the time. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is going to want to hit Landry whenever he’s got the advantage, especially since it will mean avoiding Gay on the outside. Landry should have no problem returning to his target monster status this weekend against a defense that’s allowing the third-most passing yards per game (302).
Latavius Murray misses practice again Thursday
Murray most likely won’t play this weekend as he continues to deal with turf toe. If you’re playing Thursday-lock slates it’s pretty safe to assume DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will once again get the bulk of the work. The problem is it will be hard to predict which one of those two are going to get the “hot hand” and out-touch the other. We also have to worry about Olawale vulturing some touchdowns. Overall, Washington and Richard are risky plays this weekend against the Chiefs.
As reported by: Scott Blair Joe Haden (groin) added to injury report; not the same injury that kept him out in Week 3
We should have a better idea of Haden’s status for Sunday after tomorrow’s practice session. The fact that Haden’s injury isn’t the same groin problem that kept him out of the Week 3 meeting with the Dolphins could be a good thing if it’s truly a minor issue, but multiple ailments doesn’t really bode well for someone who relies heavily on agility and speed. The Titans don’t have much talent at the WR spot, so Haden should be able to give them problems even if he’s not playing at 100%. DeMarco Murray and Delanie Walker should lead the Titans offense on Sunday.
As reported by: Mark Kay Cabot Bashaud Breeland expected to play against the Eagles
Breeland was repeatedly scorched by Antonio Brown in Week 1 when Brown posted an 8/126/2 line. Overall, PFF grades him very poorly at 42.5 on the season. The other corners on the Redskins have done exceptionally well. Josh Norman has an 85.5 grade and slot corner Kendall Fuller has an 80.2. This means Wentz will be targeting Breeland quite a bit on Sunday. Both Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham will see their fair share of the struggling cornerback. Combined they line up on Breeland’s side 77% of the time. It would make sense for the Eagles to put Agholor, their number two receiver, with Breeland more than Beckham to keep him away from Norman. PFF gives Agholor a 71 grade, providing him a 28.5 point advantage over Breeland. Agholor hasn’t had any games with more than four receptions, so he’s normally not a viable fantasy option. However, in this game he may be worth a GPP flier as Breeland is giving up 0.55 fantasy points per route defended, fourth-most in the NFL. We’re currently projecting his ownership at 0.5% on FanDuel, so nobody will be on him.
As reported by: Master Tesfastion Jonathan Stewart will start against the Saints
Carolina’s top running back hasn’t played since exiting their Week 2 game with the 49ers in the first quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. In his only full game, which was Week 1 against the Broncos, Stewart rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries. Football Outsiders ranks the Panther’s run blocking 4th in adjusted line yards per carry (4.33), so he should be able to find some running room. Game flow may end up hurting him though. If they end up passing a lot he may lose snaps to Fozzy Whittaker, Carolina’s preferred passing down back.
As reported by: Steve Reed Other tagged players: Fozzy Whittaker Darrelle Revis misses practice Thursday
Revis didn’t play against the Steelers last week and he’s questionable for Monday’s game against the Cardinals. Big Ben destroyed the Jets defense, throwing for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Carson Palmer will certainly look to duplicate Ben’s success. Revis is no longer the island corner of years past, so he doesn’t necessarily make the secondary better. In fact, he isn’t even in PFF’s top 100 corners this season, so they may be better off if he sits, especially if he’s not back to 100%.
As reported by: Kimberley A. Martin Patrick Robinson, Darius Butler both miss practice on Thursday; Week 6 status could be in doubt
It’s looking very much like the Colts may once again be thin at the CB spot. Both Robinson and Butler sat out of today’s practice, and there is thought among Colts beat reporters that at least one of them could end up sitting out in Week 6. The Colts have elevated Frankie Williams from the practice squad, something that is usually an ominous sign for typical starters when they’re dealing with nagging injuries. If either corner ends up sitting out, it’ll be a bump for the two Houston receivers.
As reported by: Stephen Holder Jamie Collins added to Patriots injury report Thursday
Collins was still able to get a limited practice in, so this news isn’t concerning at this point. Still, it’ll be worth tracking considering that Collins wasn’t on the injury report yesterday. Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, LeGarrette Blount and Dont’a Hightower were also limited on Thursday.
As reported by: Mike Reiss Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton miss Thursday's practice
Coates has now missed two straight practices and his Week 6 status is looking very much up in the air. If he’s unable to go, Eli Rogers would figure to act as Ben Roethlisberger’s second target at the WR position, although it’s possible that Markus Wheaton (assuming he’s healthy) still draws a higher snap count even though he’s been unproductive this season. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell figure to dominate the touches once again. If Coates is active, he should continue seeing an ample number of deep targets, which keeps him on the GPP radar.
As reported by: Dale Lolley Other tagged players: Markus Wheaton Mark Ingram misses practice Thursday due to undisclosed illness
He should still be ready to go for their game against the Panthers this weekend. Although Carolina ranks 6th in rush DVOA and 5th in adjusted line yards per carry (3.08), they let third-string running back Jaquizz Rodgers scamper for 101 yards on Monday. Ingram will run behind one of the better run-blocking lines in football, averaging 4.14 adjusted line yards per carry, good for 8th in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders. Even if this game turns into a pass-happy affair, Ingram should get a lot of touches; he’s had at least four receptions for three straight games
As reported by: Mark Triplett Willie Snead says his toe injury is much better this week
Snead started the season strong, catching a touchdown in each of the first two games. In Week 1 he went off for nine receptions and 172 yards in addition to the score. He went on to miss Week 3 due to a toe injury and catch just one pass in Week 5 against the Chargers. As many suspected, Snead now says he wasn’t fully healthy in that game. Fortunately, he claims he’s currently around 95% heading into the highly anticipated matchup with the Panthers. Bettors have driven the game’s total from 53 to 53.5, according to VegasInsider. If we get another Superdome shootout, expect Snead to get in on the action.
As reported by: ESPN Will Fuller limited on Thursday
This doesn’t appear to be anything more than a little rest for the Texans rookie. He’s not in any danger of missing Sunday’s game at this point, but we’ll continue to update his practice status through the rest of the week. With Vontae Davis not expected to shadow DeAndre Hopkins, the spot is a little tougher for Fuller, but he’s still priced a tier or two below where he should be and his big play ability keeps him on the GPP radar even in tougher draws.
As reported by: Sarah Barshop A.J. Green returns to practice Thursday
Green is dealing with a calf issue that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice. He was back to full action today and will be ready to take on the Patriots this weekend. He’ll likely match up with Logan Ryan on most snaps Sunday, a corner that quarterbacks tend to go after. Ryan has been targeted on 24% of routes he defends, the 9th most in the NFL, per PFF. He’s allowing 0.37 fantasy points per target, which is good for 25th. In terms of grades, Green has an 11.9-point advantage (83.3 to 71.4). Last week he faced higher graded corners in Morris Claiborne (78.1) and Brandon Carr (73.7) and was shut down, catching four balls for 50 yards against the Cowboys. New England plays at a faster pace than Dallas, so he should be able to get more snaps and targets in this one.
As reported by: Paul Dehner Jr.