DFS Alerts

Braxton Miller misses Tuesday's practice, doesn't look likely to play Thursday

Miller wasn’t able to finish Sunday’s game with the Chiefs due to a hamstring injury. The Texans have a short week and expecting Miller to recover in that time frame is probably too much to ask. He’s received three targets in each of the first two games, so it’s not like he was DFS-playable anyway with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller eating up the large majority of the targets. Jaelen Strong filled in as the WR3 with Miller on the sideline, so that’s likely to continue against New England.

DeVante Parker A Great Value Play In Awesome Week 3 Matchup

Parker made a splash in his season debut, accruing 13 targets while the Dolphins rallied from a deep hole against the Patriots this weekend. While they shouldn’t fall behind to the abysmal Browns in Week 3, DeVante should get a lot of looks. Even if target monster Jarvis Landry outpaces him on targets, Parker could reach a similar fantasy point total. According to Scott Barrett, over the past 7 games Landy has seen 78 targets to Parker’s 55, but has just 1.6 more PPR points (104.7 vs 103.1) — primarily due to Parker hauling in 3 TD balls and Landry catching 0. Evan Silva reports that Parker racked up 80+ receiving yards in 5 of those 7 games. On DraftKings, Parker is just $4,900 while Jarvis will cost $6,600 (the difference is $800 on FanDuel). This is a hefty savings for similar PPR production. Assuming there aren’t any setbacks with DeVante’s hamstring during the week, he’ll be a great GPP play on DraftKings: he’ll provide exposure against the terrible Browns D and allow for upgrades at other positions.

Rashad Jennings confident he'll play Sunday

Jennings currently has a cast on his left thumb, but he says it’s coming off shortly and he could play with it on if necessary. Neither of the Giants backs were terribly effective against a porous New Orleans defense, but Jennings has been outplayed by Shane Vereen to this point in the season and Vereen has even looked like the better between the tackles runner. The carries may end up getting even more divided if that trend continues, so Jennings is best left untouched for DFS purposes this weekend. Vereen would become an interesting play if Jennings is ruled out or limited at all.

Zach Ertz to be a game-time decision for Week 3

Ertz missed Monday night’s game and wasn’t able to practice at all last week, so it’s hard to imagine that he has better than a 50-50 chance at suiting up. Trey Burton filled in against Chicago and posted a healthy 5-49-1 line and with Brent Celek receiving only one target, it’s looking very much like Burton will continue to get the majority of the looks while Ertz is on the shelf. Ertz’s practice participation (or lack thereof) over the next few days will go a long way in determining his status for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Rob Gronkowski taking part in Patriots practice

The Patriots TE arrived in full pads for practice today while the majority of the team came in sweats. It’s too early to tell whether or not he will play this Thursday but it’s surely a positive sign that he is out there preparing as if he is. We’ll obviously keep an eye on this situation the remainder of the week and provide updates as they come in.

Chargers signing Dexter McCluster

With the season ending injury to Danny Woodhead, the Chargers (according to sources close to the team) are signing Dexter McCluster to presumably take on some of the passing down work for the Chargers. A little bit of bad news for the Melvin Gordon bandwagon (which has grown much larger this season thanks to an excellent start) but Gordon should be a viable option (especially this week against the Colts) until we actually see McCluster’s usage in a game.

Arian Foster one of many injury situations at RB to monitor this week

Arian Foster is dealing with a hamstring injury and his status is uncertain for this week. He is one of many RB situations to monitor this week due to a rash of injuries this past weekend. If he is unable to go, Jay Ajayi would likely become the lead back in a juicy match up against the Browns with Kenyan Drake and perhaps Damien Williams seeing some run. Ajayi is hard to trust but given the match up is worthy of GPP consideration. Here’s a look at some of the other RB situations to monitor this week.

Adrian Peterson, Vikings – there is some talk Peterson will be able to play just days after suffering a torn meniscus but it’s more likely than not that he will miss this weeks game leaving the RB duties to Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata. McKinnon is the more talented of the two but the team trusts Asiata, especially in goal line situations. In a normal week, we’d definitely be trying to target one (or both) of these backs but given a extremely difficult match up against Carolina, it’s a situation best avoided.

Jamaal Charles, Chiefs – Charles appears likely to return this week against the Jets. Given it’s the Jets and the likelihood that all three (Ware/West/Charles) will see work, this is definitely a situation to avoid. Charles is as cheap as he will ever come though so there is some merit to using him as a GPP flyer if news comes out that he is playing.

Thomas Rawls, Seahawks – Pete Carroll really liked how Christine Michael looked this week so it would not be surprising if Rawls sits this weeks game against the 49ers out. As a solid home favorite against a 49ers team that has struggled on the road, Michael will be a good DFS option this week.

Doug Martin, Bucs – Martin left early with a hamstring injury and is questionable to play this week against the Rams. Charles Sims would be the beneficiary if Martin is unable to go and despite the tough match up is a viable option, especially on PPR sites, due to his utilization in the pass game.

Ameer Abdullah, Lions – Abdullah is questionable for this weeks game against the Packers leaving Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington to man the helm for the Lions rushing attack. The Pack has been stout against the run so Riddick will be the back you want to roster as he is one of the best in the game at the RB position in terms of pass game usage.

Chris Ivory, Jaguars – T.J. Yeldon has been unimpressive despite a heavy workload his first two games and if Ivory is able to go it’s easy to see him getting some run against the Ravens. He’s at a low enough price point to be interesting and if he does come back, Yeldon goes back to fantasy irrelevance.

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers – Stewart is all but certain to miss this weeks game against the Vikings leaving Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne as the two likely to split the RB workload. Whittaker was excellent in Stewart’s absence this past weekend and will be the passing down back but Artis-Payne would likely be the 1st/2nd down back. With Newton being the primary goal line rusher and a tough as nails defensive match up against the Vikings, it’s not the best time to target either RB.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on all these key RB situations and will provide updates throughout the week as more information becomes available.

Jay Cutler played with thumb ligament damage; to be evaluated today

Sources have told local media that Jay Cutler suffered some ligament damage to his thumb in Week 1 and tried to play through it last night before leaving the game in the second half. It’s the type of injury that typically requires 3-4 weeks off to heal. The team is evaluating him further today and we should have a clearer picture of his status at that time. If he is unable to go, Brian Hoyer would likely get the starting nod against the Cowboys.

Kyle Fuller inactive for MNF

The Bears will once again be shorthanded at the CB spot with starter Kyle Fuller inactive for a second straight game. Fuller is reportedly close to returning and has a good shot to make a Week 4 return assuming he’s able to get a practice or two in this week. Jordan Matthews (who should see Bryce Callahan primarily) and Nelson Agholor (Tracy Porter) are both in excellent spots and while Matthews is the stronger play, Agholor will draw much lower ownership percentages in GPPs.

Trey Burton officially active, Celek to start at TE for injured Ertz

After missing Week 1, Burton is back in the fold to help replace the injured Zach Ertz, who could end up missing time beyond Monday night. Brent Celek will draw the start in Ertz’s stead and figures to see in the neighborhood of 5-8 targets with Burton also likely to see some work as a receiver. It’s possible that Burton takes on the majority of Ertz’s targets, so he’s also a potential DFS play but he’s best left for deeper GPPs.

Melvin Gordon set to sparkle as Chargers every-down back

With Woodhead out, Melvin Gordon should be a near monopoly in the San Diego backfield. He’s likely to see north of 18-20 touches barring devastatingly poor game flow, and while the Chargers offensive line isn’t elite by any means, it appears to be much stronger than last season. The Colts have struggled with Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and C.J. Anderson through two weeks, a trend that is likely to continue this Sunday. The Chargers are three point dogs on the road which isn’t typically an overly appealing spot for a RB, although Gordon is locked into touches and this game has one of the highest totals of the weekend.

Dwayne Washington expected to take on bigger role in Abdullah's stead

Theo Riddick is still going to start and see the bigger workload, but the two backs will form somewhat of a committee which does eat into the DFS value of each player. Washington may not get the same type of work that Ameer Abdullah was seeing (17 Week 1 touches, although that was on the high end of what we typically expect), but he should be a good bet for around ten touches. That does cap Riddick’s ceiling, although the Green Bay match-up does suit his talents given that the Lions are 8.5 point underdogs as of this writing. Washington may also end up stealing some goal line work.

Adrian Peterson has torn meniscus; timetable to return uncertain

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer told a local radio station that their star RB has a torn meniscus. His timetable to return is uncertain at this time although Zimmer did not dismiss the notion that he could actually play this week. If Peterson is unable to play, Jerick McKinnon will likely step into the starting role with Matt Asiata seeing an increased workload as well. McKinnon is the preferred option of the two and is a viable DFS option this week despite a tough match up with the Carolina Panthers.

Danny Woodhead likely has torn ACL

Reports are coming in that Danny Woodhead likely has a torn ACL – an injury that would end the Chargers RB’s season. Melvin Gordon, who already has three TDs this season, would see an even bigger workload, especially inside the red zone with Woodhead out.

Arian Foster day-to-day with groin injury

Foster left the game early yesterday with an injured groin and is day-to-day according to Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase. If he is unable to go this week, troubled RB Jay Ajayi could get the opportunity he’s been wanting in a plus match up against the Browns. We’ll update you on Foster’s status throughout the week.