DFS Alerts
C.J. Prosise to wear cast for at least three weeks
Considering Prosise is primarily a passing down back for Seattle, it seems like he won’t be able to do much even if he suits up. With Rawls out for at least a month, Christine Michael will be an every-down back for the Seahawks. This weekend they travel to the east coast for a tough game with the New York Jets, a team that ranks 2nd against the rush, per Football Outsiders. New York has allowed the third fewest rushing yards and just one rushing touchdown this season. By way of numerous injuries around the league, there are several RBs due for big workloads this weekend at a similar or cheaper price: Melvin Gordon, Spencer Ware, Charles Sims, and Jordan Howard are just a few in far better matchups. Of course, alternate options, a scary opponent, and a price hike on DraftKings will suppress Michael’s ownership levels, making him a contrarian option in GPPs. At least we know his volume is secure.
As reported by: Danny O'Neil Other tagged players: Christine Michael
Arian Foster officially ruled out for Thursday Night
No surprise here as Miami came out earlier in the week saying they’d be operating a four-man running back committee against the Bengals. Again, this isn’t a backfield worth targeting as the starter, Kenyan Drake, had just 11 total touches against the Browns. Jay Ajayi managed a touchdown in overtime, but did little else. Look to the Miami passing game for fantasy production, it’s been much more effective and they’ll likely be playing from behind.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Kenyan Drake, Jay Ajayi Titans hopeful Delanie Walker can return Sunday
The Titans didn’t go as far as to say they expected him to play, so he’s still a legitimate question mark heading into the weekend. If he’s unable to go, Jace Amaro should resume his role as the pass-catching tight end, although Amaro will have next to no role if Walker is active and not on a snap count. We’ll continue to update this situation as the week unfolds.
As reported by: Terry McCormick
Jay Cutler (thumb) has limited practice Wednesday
Even though he practiced it seems likely that Hoyer will get the start against the Lions. Cutler will probably push to play however, as there’s a very real chance he could lose his starting job if Brian Hoyer does well. Hoyer has been much more effective than Cutler; with 15 more drop-backs he’s managed a quarterback rating of 93.3 to Cutlers 75.7. His completion percentage is higher, he hasn’t thrown an interception nor has he been sacked. Meanwhile, Cutler has two picks and eight sacks. Hoyer has averaged fewer yards per completion, signaling a more conservative approach, similar to what we see with Alex Smith in Kansas City. This is good news for tight end Zach Miller and running back Jordan Howard, who may be the chalkiest play of the week. Those two might actually be worse off if Cutler returns.
As reported by: Justin Rogers Other tagged players: Brian Hoyer, Zach Miller, Jordan Howard Eli Rogers did not practice Wednesday
Rogers was spotted in a walking boot on Tuesday, so this isn’t surprising. He looks doubtful to play this weekend, which bodes well for the upside of Sammie Coates and Markus Wheaton. Coates had four targets against the Eagles on Sunday (Rogers had five) and while he’s averaging that mark over the course of the season, he tends to be targeted downfield which does alleviate some of the concern around that number. Coates should see an extra target or two with Markus Wheaton – who was dreadful in his season debut – also likely to see an uptick in snaps/targets. Wheaton’s role was in some doubt after his three drops against the Eagles, but his role appears safe for now.
As reported by: Ed Bouchette Other tagged players: Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton Antonio Gates did not practice Wednesday
Currently, the veteran is rehabbing a pretty bad hamstring injury that left him unable to play this past weekend. It appears as though he’ll sit against the Saints in Week 4. Rookie TE Hunter Henry, who was very impressive in his first start, will get the nod in an extremely appealing matchup. Henry posted a 5/76/0 line last week and seems to be clicking with QB Philip Rivers. While the Saints have been effective against tight ends this year, they haven’t been challenged by a receiving tight end of Henry’s caliber yet. Sure, Henry has limited experience and is still developing, but he has a pretty great upside this weekend given the opponent and the current state of the Chargers offense. New Orleans was the worst against the position last season by far. Plus, he’s at a minimum or near-minimum price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Eric D. Williams Other tagged players: Hunter Henry Tyler Eifert doubtful for Thursday Night
Cincinnati has him listed as doubtful for their contest with the Dolphins tomorrow night, although he is almost definitely going to be out. Reports have come out saying the star tight end is aiming for a Week 5 return. There is a pretty good chance he’ll meet that target, as he has been practicing and Rapoport believes he would have had a legitimate shot to play this week if the game was on a Sunday. Look for A.J. Green to continue to lead the team in targets. He’ll face a Dolphins secondary that was destroyed by Terrelle Pryor Sr., an intriguing, but ultimately far less talented receiver.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: A.J. Green Russell Wilson will practice Wednesday, appears on track to play Sunday
Wilson is set to practice today and Pete Carroll stated that he’d be surprised if Wilson didn’t suit up against the Jets, so expect him to get the nod at QB with Trevone Boykin acting as the back-up. It’s been a rough start to the 2016 season for Wilson, but he did post an efficient stat line last week before missing most of the second half. The Jets are tougher to beat on the ground, so Wilson could be a sneaky GPP play, but he’s certainly not a cash game option at this point.
As reported by: Curtis Crabtree Other tagged players: Trevone Boykin Jay Gruden "very concerned" with Josh Doctson's achilles injury
Doctson was the 22nd pick in this year’s draft and he appears to have a bright future, but his rookie season is likely to go down without much in the way of production. He’s unlikely to play this week (Gruden said he’d be “taking it easy again”) after sitting out last weekend’s game due to him not feeling right after warm-ups. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Washington right now, so Doctson wouldn’t really be on the radar anyway unless one of the receivers ahead of him in the pecking order goes down.
As reported by: ESPN Eric Decker to get MRI on injured shoulder
The extent of his injury is not immediately clear, but he’s scheduled for an MRI later today. The issue was present last week, and while he managed to play through it, Coach Todd Bowles said the injury got worse after the game. Meanwhile, their fourth receiver, rookie Jalin Marshall, is also injured and he’ll miss at least a couple weeks. Fantasy-wise, this means extra targets for Brandon Marshall and Quincy Enunwa if Decker does end up missing the game. They have a tough matchup with the Seahawks.
As reported by: Ralph Vacchiano Other tagged players: Jalin Marshall Kenneth Dixon not likely to return until Week 5 at the earliest
Dixon was able to return to practice today, but still isn’t expected to suit up this weekend. Week 5 is his target return date at this point and while that seems pretty realistic, knee injuries can be tricky with RBs. Justin Forsett and Terrance West will continue to head the backfield at home against Oakland, although neither back is playable at this point due to the current timeshare. Forsett is still getting a slightly bigger slice of the pie, but it’s not a significant enough piece to make him appealing.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Justin Forsett, Terrance West Doug Martin doesn't practice Wednesday, still expected to miss at least another week
Martin didn’t practice Wednesday, which isn’t at all surprising given that he’s supposed to miss at least another game. It’s just a friendly reminder that Charles Sims is still squarely in play after a 21 touch afternoon this past weekend, although he’s in a tougher spot this Sunday. Denver’s defense isn’t a plus draw for basically any position on the offensive side of the ball, although Jeremy Hill did run for 97 yards and 2 TDs on 17 carries against them less than a week ago. They did shut down the Cots and Panthers RBs for the most part in the season’s first two weeks. Sims isn’t as strong of a play as he was a week ago (his price has come up in addition to the tougher match-up), but the fact that he’s nearly an every-down back at this point keeps him firmly entrenched as a GPP option. He’s typically the back the benefits the most when the Bucs end up trailing in games.
As reported by: Jenna Laine Other tagged players: Charles Sims Ka'Deem Carey doesn't practice Wednesday
Carey’s absence isn’t a good sign considering he sat out last week’s game and doesn’t appear all that likely to suit up Sunday. Assuming Carey sits, Jordan Howard will have the backfield to himself more or less, with practice squad call-up Raheem Mostert and recent free-agent acquistion Joique Bell as the other healthy backs on the roster. Mostert has shown some flashes in previous preseasons, but he’s moved around from practice squad to practice squad over the last two years and shouldn’t be much of a threat to Howard’s workload. With Bell just being signed this week, it’s unlikely he plays a notable role.
As reported by: @ChicagoBears Other tagged players: Joique Bell Eric Ebron misses practice; should be fine for this weekend
Ebron has been battling a sore ankle but it hasn’t caused him to miss any game time yet. He has a great match up against a Bears team that is bottom five in TE DVOA and will be an excellent GPP option as long as he is able to play.
As reported by: Tim Twentyman on Twitter
Dez Bryant has hairline fracture in knee; still has chance to play this week
Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett stated that their star WR has a hairline fracture in his knee but that they are still hopeful he will be able to play this week. Whether he goes or not will be a big question mark for the Cowboys as they take on the 49ers and it’s something to keep an eye on. If he is unable to go, Brice Butler could be an intriguing GPP option with Cole Beasley and Jason Witten also seeing a bump in usage. We’ll keep you updated throughout the week on this situation.
As reported by: Matt Barrows on Twitter Other tagged players: Brice Butler