DFS Alerts
Thomas Rawls misses second straight practice
Pete Carroll says he’ll still play on Sunday, but this isn’t a good sign. Christine Michael has looked much better than Rawls this season, and will likely see more usage even if Rawls plays. Last week Micahel ran 10 times for 60 yards while Rawls got stuffed for -7 yards (yes, that’s a negative) on 7 carries. Seattle’s offense as a whole has really struggled this year, but they’ll host San Francisco as 10 point favorites this weekend. If the team can finally get something going, they should be running a lot. If Rawls ends up sitting against the 49ers Christine Michael could see a boatload of touches against a bad defense.
As reported by: Gregg Bell Other tagged players: Christine Michael
Markus Wheaton has full practice Thursday
He should be ready to play Sunday and will take over Sammie Coates’ role in the offense. It’s unclear if he’ll be on a snap count at this point, but he could very well be limited in his season debut. Wheaton had 44 receptions for 749 yards and 5 touchdowns on 79 targets last season, and his per game production should see an uptick with Martavis Bryant out for the year. It’ll be interesting to see how Wheaton fits into the game plan going forward. Against the Bengals, Big Ben spread it around, hitting 9 different receivers over the course of the game. Sammie Coates saw five targets hauling in 2 for 97 yards. We’ll keep an eye on the situation and update you as it becomes more clear.
As reported by: Dale Lolley Other tagged players: Sammie Coates Will Fuller leads league in "adjusted goal line targets", is a great value Thursday Night
Red zone targets are an important statistic, yet it doesn’t tell the full story. If a receiver is targeted while in the end zone, but the quarterback throws from the 21-yard line it doesn’t count. This is particularly relevant when it comes to deep threat receivers like Will Fuller. According to Scott Barrett, “adjusted goal line targets” are targets thrown from within the 10 yard line plus any targets where the receiver is within 10 yards of end zone when targeted, regardless of line of scrimmage. Rookie Will Fuller is currently leading the entire league in this stat with 9. With DeAndre Hopkins on the other side attracting a lot of the Patriots’ attention tonight, and possibly more safety coverage over the top, Fuller could see a lot of Malcolm Butler and a ton of scoring opportunities. At only $4.8k on DraftKings he might be the best play of the night if you’re playing a Thursday-Monday slate.
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Can Ezekiel Elliott finally break out against the Bears?
After being hyped up all off-season, the Ohio State product, who averaged an incredible 6.7 yards per carry in college, has struggled his way to 3.3 ypc in the pros. On Sunday night he’ll be the featured back in a great matchup. The Bears have let up 114.5 rushing yards per game, the Cowboys are favored by 7.5 points at home, and injuries have severely weakened Chicago’s interior defense. ILB Danny Trevathan, NT Eddie Goldman, and OLB Lamarr Houston, who lead the team in sacks last year, are all out for extended periods of time. Zeke has the good fortune of running behind one of the best offensive lines in football that should repeatedly win at the line of scrimmage. Coming off a two-fumble game and grumblings in the press about being out of shape, there will be plenty of added motivation for the rookie. Not to mention he’ll have prime time stage of Sunday Night Football to prove himself the star everyone thinks he is. Watch out for #21 this week, he’ll be looking to eat.
Gronk to be on a snap count against the Texans
It’s unclear exactly what this means, but it appears Gronk will be limited to an extent in his first game of the 2016 season. He’s still likely to play more than half the snaps and while Jacoby Brissett being under center is likely to lead to him being asked to block more, Gronk is still a decent GPP target given that he’ll go very underowned. It’s not a recommended play given that his ceiling is capped, but it’s not a crazy route to take. Martellus Bennett is now out of play with Gronk active.
As reported by: Dianna Russini Rob Gronkowski will play tonight vs. Houston
This is great news for the Patriots as they battle a tough Texans D with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. Gronkowski is coming off an injured hamstring, but should make an immediate impact as a safe option for Brissett to target all night. Martellus Bennett will take an instant hit to his fantasy potential and will likely take on more pass blocking responsibility as the Texans lead the league in sacks this season (9). It’s probably wise to get Bennett off your rosters before kickoff. Gronkowski is expensive per usual, and if you’re nervous about his health or the QB situation, take a look at Jordan Reed — last season Reed piled up 14 receptions and 194 yards against the Giants.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Martellus Bennett, Jordan Reed Update: Willie Snead missed practice due to toe injury
It was a toe injury that kept Snead out of practice today, and not a personal matter which appeared to be a likely scenario when his reason for missing time was undisclosed. It’s still early in the week for New Orleans so this isn’t much of a concern yet, but we’ll keep you updated on Snead’s availability for Friday’s practice.
As reported by: Josh Katzenstein Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu miss Thursday's practice, still fully expected to play
Jones and Sanu both didn’t practice Thursday, but it’s the teams first practice of the week due to the Monday start, so this isn’t concerning. Both are fully expected to play in a mouthwatering match-up with the Saints. Jones is among the top overall options of the week at WR while Sanu is one of the better mid-range plays at the positon.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Mohamed Sanu Barring a setback, Doug Baldwin to play vs. 49ers
This is a sneaky good spot for Baldwin, as most of the public will be off him due to the injury concerns and slow start for Russell Wilson. Regardless, the 49ers play at a very fast pace and should give the Seahawks a handful of extra possessions, and it’s not like the 49ers defense is worth avoiding anyway. San Francisco has the most possessions through two games, but are averaging the second-fewest yards per drive, an excellent equation for the Seattle offense. Stacking up Wilson and Baldwin in Week 3 definitely has some GPP upside, and Baldwin is fine as a stand-alone play given that he’s the most utilized weapon in the passing game.
As reported by: Liz Mathews Jacob Tamme set for big day at the Superdome
While all the attention is rightfully on Julio Jones preparing to annihilate the Saints secondary again, there is a certain Jacob Tamme worthy of your consideration. Surprisingly, the tight end has accumulated the most targets on the Falcons over the first two weeks (16). In Week 3, he’ll face a defense that allowed the most points to the position last season, giving up 18.7 DraftKings points and 15.2 FanDuel points per game. Vegas has the O/U is 53.5 points with a 3-point spread in the Dome, where the Saints love to host shootouts. While Julio figures to have a terrific day, Tamme will make a nice contrarian play (or stack) in GPPs. Even in cash he should be a great choice as he’s been consistently involved in the offense so far, seeing 8 targets in each of the first two games. He’s very cheap relative to the position, especially on DraftKings where he’ll only cost $3,200. Don’t be fooled by the Saints 2016 opponent rank vs TE, they haven’t been challenged by one yet this year.
Other tagged players: Julio Jones Friday's practice to go a long way in determining DeSean Jackson's availability for Sunday
Jackson was able to practice today and didn’t look to be very limited, which is a great sign. He’s said that he believes he’ll play against the Giants, and after all the mid-week chirping the Giants DBs have done, Jackson is going to want to be on the field. Jay Gruden had said that the team will test Jackson more on Friday and if he’s able to get through that, he’ll be a great bet to play without any restrictions. We’ll update you on this situation again tomorrow.
As reported by: @Redskins Eric Ebron returns to Thursday's practice
Ebron was able to practice Thursday, which barring something unforeseen should cement his status as the starter for Sunday. He’s a nice GPP play at the TE spot given that the Lions are likely going to be forced to throw it a bunch. Ebron had a TE nullified last week after scoring in the opener, and it’s clear he’s going to be one of the focal points in the red-zone. Hop on board before his price starts to spike.
As reported by: Tim Twentyman Willie Snead (undisclosed) misses Thursday's practice
It’s worth noting that this is the equivalent to a Wednesday practice for most teams given that the Saints play Monday night, so this new isn’t too concerning. However, it’s worrisome that we still don’t have an explanation for why he’s sitting out, although it could simply be a personal matter as opposed to an injury. We’re still considering Snead very likely to suit up against Atlanta; if he’s not able to do so, Michael Thomas would become a strong value play at the WR spot.
As reported by: Nola.com Arian Foster misses practice Thursday
The veteran running back wasn’t able to participate in practice today, and will likely miss Sunday’s matchup with the ailing Browns. Despite a beautiful game script with the Dolphins favored by 10 points at home against a porous run defense, there won’t be much value found in this backfield. Head Coach, Adam Gase, has left the door open for four running backs — Jay Ajayi, Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams, and Isaiah Pead — to compete for touches. Plus, the Dolphins have struggled to run the ball thus far, ranking 27th in rushing yards this season. Of course, we can’t forget the Browns are the Browns and exposure against their defense will usually be a good thing. QB Ryan Tannehill and WRs Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker are three options worth your attention. On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins defense will be a popular choice this week.
As reported by: Armando Salguero Other tagged players: Jay Ajayi, Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams, Isaiah Pead, Ryan Tannehill, Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker