DFS Alerts
Andre Johnson expected to start over Rishard Matthews this weekend
Johnson is expected to start at the “Z” spot with Rishard Matthews being used to spell Tajae Sharpe at the “X” spot. Matthews has been dreadful so far in his time with the Titans, but they’ve really gotten nothing going in terms of the aerial attack. Andre Johnson has been the better player through the first quarter of the season and while he’s clearly past his prime, he may still be a slight upgrade for Marcus Mariota. There seems to be very little trust between Mariota and the pass-catchers outside of Delanie Walker, and this move may have been made to help Mariota feel more comfortable. It’s still very tough to feel good about rostering any members of the Tennessee passing game.
As reported by: Terry McCormick Other tagged players: Rishard Matthews
Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph miss Wednesday's practice
This is probably just a rest day with the Vikings having played on Monday night. Diggs has posted back-to-back duds after a very strong start to the season, but he’s still the unquestioned top target in this offense and has next to no depth at the WR spot behind him. Kyle Rudolph will challenge him for looks, especially towards the red-zone, but Diggs should be penciled into 8-10 targets at least each week. The Vikings weren’t forced to throw it all that often with the Giants offense unable to get anything going.
As reported by: Matt Vensel LeGarrette Blount limited on Wednesday, still expected to play Sunday
This may be the Patriots just giving him a breather, as Blount has taken on a big workload through the season’s first four weeks. Tom Brady’s presence isn’t going to help Blount’s upside with the Pats likely to go more pass-heavy, but he’s still in play this weekend in a game that the Patriots should control from the beginning. James White will take on a bigger role once Brady is forced to air it out more, but that may not actually come to fruition for another week or two. Blount is fully expected to suit up Sunday – if something changes, we’ll be sure to update.
As reported by: Nate Ulrich Update: Verrett to miss rest of the season with ACL tear
Updating an earlier report, Jason Verrett will miss the rest of the season due to his partially torn ACL. It’s a huge blow for the Chargers secondary, and we can start picking on them as soon as Sunday with both Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Jason Verrett dealing with partial ACL tear
This is not good news for the Chargers defense, who could be without one of the league’s best corners for the foreseeable future. No timetable has been announced for his return, and there are a variety of avenues the Chargers could take, especially if Verrett badly wants to continue playing (which may be the case). He’s likely going to miss at least a few weeks, but we’ll have more information sometime within the next 24 hours. Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper would both become more intriguing plays if Verrett were to sit.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Larry Donnell (concussion) misses Wednesday's practice
Donnell is in the league’s concussion protocol, so him missing today’s practice isn’t surprising. He was banged up in Monday night’s game with the Vikings and given that the Giants are on a short week, he’s looking iffy at best to suit up against the Packers on Sunday night. If he’s unable to go, Will Tye should get as much work as he can handle, and should fight for 5-8 targets without any competition around to steal looks.
As reported by: James Kratch Other tagged players: Will Tye Lance Dunbar (knee) misses Wednesday's practice
Nothing major here, but Dunbar missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee ailment. He hasn’t been seeing much time on the field with Elliott and Morris eating up most of the work at RB, although Dallas has had a fairly easy schedule to start the season which hasn’t forced them into many pass-happy situations. Dunbar will get work as a passing down back when those situations arise, but if he’s forced to miss any time, those looks could go Elliott’s way.
As reported by: Charean Williams Other tagged players: Ezekiel Elliott, Alfred Morris Jimmie Ward, DeForest Buckner ruled out for TNF; Jeremy Kerley, Vance McDonald questionable
The 49ers defense – which will be without Navarro Bowman for awhile – is going to be very shorthanded on Thursday with DeForest Buckner and Jimmie Ward already ruled out. Larry Fitzgerald should have plenty of room to operate in the slot, although he may not be able to take full advantage of that with Drew Stanton under center. Even with the 49ers injuries, the Cardinals skill position players still aren’t elite targets (outside of David Johnson) thanks to Stanton’s shortcomings. David Johnson should see some extra attention, although he’s still a perfectly suitable target in any format given that he’s shown both an elite floor and ceiling during his time as the Cardinals lead back. We’ll update Kerley and McDonald’s status again tomorrow. As of now, Kerley is a good bet to suit up while McDonald appears genuinely questionable.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Tyler Eifert ruled out for Week 5
Eifert is apparently dealing with a “new” but minor injury to go along with his ongoing ankle issues. He had hoped to be back in action this weekend, but will require at least another week of rest before being reevaluated next week. C.J. Uzomah will continue to eat up most of the targets at TE for the Bengals, with Tyler Kroft also helping out. Neither of the Cincinnati TEs are worth a look in DFS lineups in Week 5. A.J. Green’s usage should continue to be sky high, and his chance at red-zone looks also rise slightly with Eifert out.
As reported by: Bob Holtzman Other tagged players: C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Kroft, A.J. Green Antonio Gates appears at practice on Wednesday
He was only seen during team stretch, so it’s possible that he doesn’t get much actual work in. We’ll update the situation later on this afternoon once we have a full practice report, but those wanting to roster Hunter Henry this weekend will need to pay close attention to Gates’ practice status over the next few days. If Gates is healthy, Henry isn’t in play, while Gates will still carry some risk given that he’s not fully healed and may be limited to a degree if he’s able to play.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Marvin Jones, Eric Ebron, and Dwayne Washington miss Lions practice
Three key players missed practice for the Lions today but Washington is really the only player of the group with serious questions as to whether they will play this week or not. Zach Zenner would see a bigger role if Washington can’t go. We will keep you updated on these three as the week progresses.
As reported by: Tim Twentyman on Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Ebron, Dwayne Washington
Zach Miller and Eddie Royal don't practice for Bears today
Two of the Chicago Bears primary receiving threats missed practice today. No indication as to the severity of the injuries but it’s a situation we will keep a close eye on as both are viable DFS options this week if they play. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
As reported by: Patrick Finley on Twitter Other tagged players: Eddie Royal Carson Palmer will not travel with team; out for this week
Updating our previous report – Carson Palmer will not travel with the Cardinals for their game against the 49ers. Drew Stanton will get the start. He’s been terrible as a NFL QB ranking 73rd in completion percentage and 71st in QB rating (out of 76) for all QBs who have 450 or more pass attempts since 2008. On the road with little time to prepare makes him an easy fade. The 49ers defense is a viable option for those playing Thursday slates.
As reported by: Kyle Odegard on Twitter Other tagged players: Drew Stanton Carson Palmer does not practice; appears unlikely to play Thursday
The Cardinals starting QB is going through the NFL concussion protocol and with a short turnaround appears unlikely to play this Thursday against the 49ers. Drew Stanton would get the start if that were the case and has the weapons to be somewhat interesting (but definitely high-risk) as a punt GPP option. We’ll keep an eye on Palmer’s status and update you when more news comes in.
As reported by: Kent Somers on Twitter Other tagged players: Drew Stanton Eric Decker continues to not practice
The Jets veteran WR is not expected to play this week so this news is not surprising. Quincy Enunwa will continue to operate as the #2 WR and is a sneaky option this week facing a Steelers team that is bottom 10 in Pass DVOA.
As reported by: Rich Cimini on Twitter Other tagged players: Quincy Enunwa