DFS Alerts
Tyler Eifert gets in limited practice Tuesday, still unexpected to play Thursday
Eifert was able to log a limited practice Tuesday, but is still not expected to be ready for Thursday’s game with the Dolphins. The Bengals seem fairly confident in his ability to return in Week 5, although he may end up on a snap-count in his first game back in action. With Eifert likely out Thursday, look for C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Kroft to eat up snaps at TE, with Uzomah being the better upside option of the two given that he’s been more involved in the passing game. Neither are recommended plays.
As reported by: Adam Beasley Other tagged players: C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Kroft
Jarvis Landry back at practice Tuesday
Reports came out yesterday that Landry is dealing with an injured shoulder. He returned to practice today and appears to be set to play this Thursday against the Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed 9 touchdowns through the air this season, the third most in the league. Last week Trevor Siemian went off for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns. Although playing Thursday games are always a bit risky, Landry is in a nice spot — it helps that Miami is a 7-point underdog and have an unreliable ground game.
As reported by: Adam Beasley
Joique Bell joining ailing Bears backfield
Both Jeremy Langford and backup Ka’Deem Carey are injured, leaving the Bears very shallow at running back. Jordan Howard should be the starter this weekend with plenty of volume running and receiving. Expect him to get most of the snaps, although Bell will likely get a few. In 2015 Bell averaged 6.9 carries and 1.7 receptions per game for the Lions as a backup to Ameer Abdullah. Howard presents nice value this weekend on DraftKings, and Bell is not available on DraftKings or FanDuel this weekend.
As reported by: Rand Getlin Other tagged players: Jordan Howard Le'Veon Bell expected to be heavily involved in Week 4
Mike Tomlin stated that “you’re going to see Le’Veon Bell, and a lot of him, Sunday.” It doesn’t look like the Steelers are going to try to ease him back into game action, so we should expect in the neighborhood of 20-25 touches assuming this one stays competitive, which it’s fully expected to. DeAngelo Williams value takes a huge hit with this news – he’s nothing more than a complementary back when Bell is healthy. The Chiefs haven’t been all that stout against opposing RBs despite shutting down Matt Forte last weekend, so Bell is a fine option in any format as the Steelers workhorse.
As reported by: Gerry Dulac Other tagged players: DeAngelo Williams Mohamed Sanu and Matt Ryan expected to play for Falcons this weekend
WR Mohamed Sanu missed the second half of last night’s game with a shoulder injury and Matt Ryan hurt his thumb in the same contest. Both are expected to play this weekend against the Panthers.
As reported by: Ed Werder on Twitter Other tagged players: Matt Ryan
Jimmy Garoppolo practices; in line to start this weekend
The Patriots banged up QB situation looks a bit better this week as both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett practiced today for the team. Garoppolo looks as if he will be able to get the start this week but Brissett will be ready to go if that changes. We’ll keep a close eye on this situation as the week moves on but for now assume it’ll be Jimmy G at the helm.
As reported by: Ryan Hannable on Twitter Other tagged players: Jacoby Brissett An early look at DraftKings RB value options
There are four RB’s priced under $4,500 on DraftKings that will make for excellent value options this week with one of them being a glaring value. That glaring value would be Carlos Hyde, who is priced at just $4,200 despite averaging over 20fpts per game the first three weeks. He faces a Cowboys team that has shown some run vulnerability thus far this season. Jeremy Hill is another excellent option at $4,100 although he is very TD dependent. He has, however, averaged 13+ fpts per game thus far and the Bengals are solid home favorites over the Dolphins. Matt Jones at $4,300 has started to show signs of life and gets a great match up against the Browns this week. Last on the list is Jerick McKinnon who had a tough match up last week but saw over 2/3 of the snaps for the Vikings. He’s priced at $3,900 but does face an improved Giants rush defense. Still, he’s worth a look in GPP’s as he is utilized in the pass game.
Other tagged players: Jerick McKinnon, Matt Jones, Jeremy Hill Eli Rogers very questionable for this weeks game
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated that Eli Rogers is very questionable to play this weekend. That would be a slight bump in usage for Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey might see more run as well. We’ll keep an eye on the Steelers WR situation as the week unfolds and update you if anything changes.
As reported by: Ed Bouchette on Twitter Other tagged players: Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey Tyler Eifert's status still up in the air for Thursday
Eifert told media he was feeling better (no soreness) and is ready to play but that the decision to play this week would be up to the coaches. He’d be a sneaky, under-owned play if he is able to go but it’s a situation that likely won’t be resolved until right before kick off so have a backup plan prepared. C.J. Uzomah would continue to get the bulk of the TE targets if Eifert is unable to go and is not a viable DFS option. We’ll provide any updates on Eifert as soon as we see them.
As reported by: Jay Morrison on Twitter Other tagged players: C.J. Uzomah Jeremy Langford out 4-6 weeks
He sprained his ankle last night against the Cowboys and it looks like he’ll miss a chunk of time to rehab the injury. Jordan Howard stepped in and put up 45 rushing yards on 9 carries while adding 4 receptions 47 yards through the air. If Ka’Deem Carey remains sidelined, Howard should see a huge workload against the Lions. It’s a nice matchup as the Lions defense has not been very good this year — 24th against the pass and 25th against the rush according to Football Outsiders. With Howard’s ability to produce in the passing game, and the Bears lack of depth at RB, he should see action regardless of game flow. Currently, Vegas has the over/under at a solid 46 points with Detroit favored by 3 points.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Jordan Howard Julio Jones to play against Saints
Pretty much everyone assumed this was the case, although he is dealing with a calf strain. With all of the injuries to an already poor Saints secondary, Julio should be able to go off against the Saints. The primary concern is OC Kyle Shanahan’s game plan more so than the injury. He’s purposefully been distributing the ball around this season, leading to Jones receiving fewer targets than normal. However, against the Saints, in what figures to be a shootout, Julio should get plenty of opportunity to feast.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano Josh Hill out against Falcons
The Saints’ tight end had been questionable all week with an ankle injury. Coby Fleener will look to finally have his breakout game against a susceptible Falcons pass defense that Football Outsiders ranks 30th in the league. Drew Brees has said the issue may be due to lack of time working together, but has expressed confidence that they would start to connect sooner rather than later. The Saints want to get their new tight end more involved with the offense, and he did manage 8 targets last week. If there was ever a game for Fleener to establish himself as a strong weapon in the New Orleans offense, a home game vs Atlanta might be one of the best.
As reported by: Nick Underhill Other tagged players: Coby Fleener Russell Wilson expected to play Sunday
Pete Carroll believes his quarterback is doing well and should be set to play the Jets this weekend. Wilson is currently dealing with a sprained MCL on top of an ankle issue he already had heading into last week. Before he exited the game against the 49ers, Wilson had just 1 rushing attempt — he averaged 6.4 per game in 2015. Despite a decreased scrambling ability, he was only sacked twice and posted a QBR of 93.8. The New York Jets have a much better pass rush, ranking 3rd in adjusted sack rate (10.7%) according to Football Outsiders. San Francisco is 24th in the statistic (3.8%). New York’s pass defense has struggled, but if they successfully apply pressure on Wilson, his inability to scramble and improvise may prevent him from taking advantage.
As reported by: Gregg Bell Jarvis Landry dealing with shoulder injury
Joe Schad reported that Jarvis Landry wouldn’t have been able to practice today if the Dolphins had one. They take on the Bengals in the Thursday night game this week, limiting his recovery time. According to Evan Silva he has the 4th highest target percentage through three weeks at 31%. Dating back to 2015, he’s had double-digit targets in 7 straight games, and 10 of his last 12. With Jordan Cameron already out this week, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills will get nice boosts if Landry ends up being limited or inactive. However, the seriousness of the injury is not know at this time. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
As reported by: Joe Schad Other tagged players: DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills Jay Cutler day-to-day
In Cutlers absence Brian Hoyer threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears played from behind all night. He peppered Kevin White and Zach Miller with targets, 14 and 9 respectively. White now leads the team in targets with 27, ahead of Alshon Jeffery’s 20, but neither have a TD through three games. The most interesting takeaway is red zone usage. After having 0 red zone looks when Jay Cutler started, Zach Miller had 4 of the team’s 8 rz targets last night with Hoyer at the helm, converting two into touchdowns. Miller hasn’t put up huge numbers in his career, but many expected him to have a breakout season with Martellus Bennett gone. In the last eight games of 2015 Miller posted a 31/404/5 line on 41 targets (76% catch rate). Miller may be better off if Hoyer gets the start against the Lions.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Zach Miller, Kevin White