DFS Alerts

Packers defensive injuries helps Lions passing game

Clay Matthews and Safety Morgan Burnett are officially out and NT Letory Guion is doubtful, furthering the injury issues for a Green Bay defense already without Safety Sam Shields. Look for Detroit to take advantage through the air, especially now that they’re down Ameer Abdullah. Detroit is passing on 62.7% of their plays, 9th in the league. Theo Riddick may be a better receiver than runner, plus Green Bay has had one of the best run defenses this season. Stafford should see a lot of volume, which also bodes well for his new favorite target, Marvin Jones. Jones is 4th in yards per catch among receivers with at least 10 receptions this year. 3rd is Stefon Diggs, who tore apart a healthier Green Bay defense last week for a 9/182/1 line. Theo Riddick is best used on DraftKings to capture his PPR value, currently he ranks 4th in our points-per-dollar projections.

Willie Snead expected to play Monday Night

Snead will be a game time decision, but Saints beat reporter, Josh Katzenstein, is confident he’ll play. The toe injury may still be nagging him come kickoff, which makes him a bit more risky. However, the Saints offense is usually firing on all cylinders at home and they face a weak Atlanta Falcon’s defense — Football Outsiders ranks them 30th against the pass. With the highest game total of the week at 53.5, it’s normally an ideal spot for Snead. If you’re looking for some exposure on the Saints passing game without taking a chance on Willie, take a look at Michael Thomas as a value option. Brandin Cooks and Drew Brees are strong plays as well; they’ll look to recapture their huge Week 1 success.

Julio Jones practiced on Saturday

Those considering Jones this week received some encouraging news on Saturday. Jones practiced and Coach Quinn confirmed that Jones will play on Monday baring any setbacks. Jones has one of the best matchups on the slate against a terrible New Orleans defense. If you are playing on a site that doesn’t have late swap, this is about as much clarity as we’ll get before lock. Even a less than 100% Jones is worth a start in this matchup.

Giants confident Jennings can play with cast

New York Giants’ RB Rashad Jennings is listed as questionable with a thumb injury. The Giants are confident that he will play though he’ll have to wear a small cast. This certainly hurts Jennings’ value on sites that award one point per reception. It’s also worth noting that Shane Vereen saw more snaps than Jennings last week and they are virtually tied over the first two weeks. Jennings has 66 offensive snaps and Vereen has 64. If anything, Vereen is the safer bet of the two to hit value this week.

Markus Wheaton will rotate with Coates and Heyward-Bey at WR

After missing the first two games with a shoulder injury, Markus Wheaton will return this week. He likely won’t have the role he originally planned on though. The Steelers plan to rotate Wheaton, Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey at WR opposite Antonio Brown. Without a clear idea of how many snaps each will see the prudent move here is to avoid all Pittsburgh WRs not named Antonio Brown until we get clarity.

Browns place K Patrick Murray on IR; Sign Cody Parkey

According to Adam Schefter, the Browns have signed kicker Cody Parkey and placed Patrick Murray (knee) on IR. The Browns have one of the lowest team totals of the week. Murray was not a strong play anyways but if you have him on FanDuel you need to swap to a different kicker.

The Buccaneers defense hasn’t had any fantasy production yet this season. Week 3 against the Rams could be a different story. Tampa Bay’s scheme is predicated on stuffing the box against the run and forcing teams to pass. Unfortunately for them, the Falcons and Cardinals, their opponents in Weeks 1 and 2 respectively, have dynamic passing offenses. The Rams, on the other hand, do not. Not surprisingly, they have the worst passing offense in the league in terms of yards (339) and touchdowns (0). Defensive Coordinator, Mike Smith, must be licking his chops preparing for this dream matchup; even after facing Devonta Freeman and David Johnson, TB ranks 5th against the run according to Football Outsiders’ defense efficiency metrics. Vegas has the total at 42 with the Ram’s seeing the fourth-lowest implied total of 18.5 points. We know the score should be low and the game plan fits perfectly for the Buccaneers D, the question is: can they generate turnovers and sacks? They haven’t had a turnover yet this season and have the 19th-ranked adjusted sack rate on Football Outsiders. On the other hand, Case Keenum has thrown two picks and the Rams pass protection ranks 26th. With less receiving targets to worry about than the previous two weeks, Smith could be free to run a larger complement of blitzes. Pressure leads to sacks, turnovers, and in turn fantasy points. Miami’s defense is the chalky play, but for a similar price the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make for an interesting contrarian option. We project just 3% ownership on FanDuel.

Jamison Crowder a quietly good GPP option in Week 3

Taking a deeper look at the Redskins-Giants game provides evidence supporting Jamison Crowder as a sneaky GPP play this weekend. According to Football Outsiders, the Giants are 1 of 4 teams that allow more passes per game to their opponent’s #2 receiver than their #1. They rank 26th against #2 WRs and 23rd against “Other WRs” while coming in strong as the 6th best against #1 WRs. This is in large part due to Janoris Jenkins, who has earned a 84.0 grade by Pro Football focus. Their second corner, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, scores a 47.0, and their nickleback, Eli Apple, has a 57.2. Despite being listed as their second receiver, Pierre Garcon has been out-snapped and out-targeted by Jamison Crowder this season. Crowder has 6 receptions in each game and caught a touchdown last week. A lot of attention has been given to Jordan Reed this game, but Crowder is tied with the tight end for a team-high 18 targets through two weeks. Fortunately for Crowder, he lines up in the slot 87% of the time and will see a lot of the below-average Rodgers-Cromartie. Add in the fact that he leads the team (and is tied for 3rd in the NFL) in red zone targets, and Crowder looks like a very good contrarian option. He’s cheap too, currently ranking 12th in our DK points-per-dollar projections.

Willie Snead did not practice Friday

This is a little concerning because he was expected to get back to the practice field today. The Saints felt it best to give his toe more time to heal and held him out again. Fortunately for Snead, New Orleans has the Monday night game this week allowing for an extra day of rehab. Their matchup with the Falcons at home is a really great game to target if you’re playing the Thurs-Mon or Sun-Mon slates, Atlanta has given up a league-worst 7 touchdowns through the air. Considering it’s a toe injury, he may not be at full strength if he plays. Michael Thomas has looked pretty solid through two games posting at least 5 receptions and 50 yards in each contest. The rookie could pick up some extra targets this week with Snead’s injury, making him a fun GPP play — he’s $4,200 on DraftKings and $5,200 on FanDuel. We’ll keep an eye on the situation, but it might be best to fade Snead in cash at this point.

Thomas Rawls listed as doubtful for Sunday; Tyler Lockett questionable, but expected to play

It looks like Christine Michael will see a full complement of touches against the 49ers on Sunday. He’s a fine value play across the industry and is playable in any format assuming Rawls isn’t going to suit up. C.J. Prosise will fill in behind Michael as the #2 back, but he’s not going to be a huge threat to Michael’s playing time. Michael had been more productive than Rawls on a per-carry basis through two games and the Seattle coaching staff has been praising him despite a late fumble last week, so Prosise isn’t likely to see more than about eight touches. As for Tyler Lockett, he’s listed as questionable but is fully expected to suit up.

Rashad Jennings now listed as questionable, still expected to play

He’s going to play with a cast on his left hand likely eliminating him from passing downs. Shane Vereen, who had 17 touches last game, will get a boost in volume (he’s already averaging 3 receptions and 23.5 yards per game) and should continue to be the red zone back — he’s accumulated 6 red zone touches and 2 targets while Jennings has 0 in both categories. In fact, Vereen has received 38% of the team’s overall workload in the red zone. Their week 2 opponent, the Washington Redskins, have allowed 5 rushing touchdowns in 2016, the most in the league. Although he hasn’t managed a touchdown yet this season, Vereen should have plenty of opportunity to change that this week.

Thomas Rawls expected to be a game-time decision

Although he was allegedly on track to play this weekend, it looks like we won’t have an official answer until Sunday. Christine Michael is beginning to look like a great value considering his cheap price tag and terrific matchup with San Francisco. After managing to stuff Todd Gurley week 1 — primarily because they didn’t need to worry about the Rams’ horrendous “passing game” — the 49ers proceeded to let the Panthers run for 176 yards week 2. Fozzy Whitaker had a 100-yard game after replacing Jonathan Stewart. Even if Rawls suits up, Michael should be the lead dog, picking up a ton of volume.

Jamaal Charles doubtful for Week 3

No real surprise here. We fully expect Charles to miss his third straight contest and with Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West both filling in admirably, there is zero reason for the Chiefs to rush Charles back. Ware and West will again split backfield duties with Ware eating up a bigger chunk of the work, but the presence of both backs does make it hard to target either one of them. The Jets are more susceptible through the air as opposed to on the ground. Charles has a pretty good shot to return in Week 4.

Antonio Gates doubtful for Week 3

Philip Rivers will likely be without another favorite target this weekend. This is yet another blow to a passing game that has lost Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead. Look for Melvin Gordon and Travis Benjamin to get a further uptick in production if Gates is officially ruled out. Tyrell Williams is also worth consideration at $4,300 on DraftKings, especially if Vontae Davis (Q) suits up and plans to shadow Benjamin.

Jacoby Brissett has torn right thumb ligament

The Patriots QB situation gets murkier by the minute as their third string QB and starter last night, Jacoby Brissett, suffered a thumb injury last night that will likely require surgery. Chances were that Jimmy Garoppolo was going to return to action this coming week anyway but with Tom Brady ineligible to return until after this week, the Patriots will need to do something to have some depth at the position.