DFS Alerts
Chris Harris officially active for the Broncos
Chris Harris (shoulder) is officially active for the Broncos as they host the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Harris started off the week as a projected game-time decision, however, he practiced in full this week and was expected to play today. The Patriots will likely test Harris early to see how healthy his shoulder is after he had some trouble wrapping up ball carriers last week.
As reported by: Ben Swanson
Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman officially active for Patriots
After playing the majority of the snaps in their win over the Chiefs, Rob Gronkowski (knee, back) and Julian Edelman (foot) were never expected to miss the AFC Championship game when the Patriots travel to Denver and face the Broncos. Edelman will face Chris Harris most of the time, running his routes out of the slot. With the Denver Broncos possessing a stout run game and the Patriots having a weak rushing attack, the Patriots will more than likely lean on their passing game as a means of moving the ball and scoring.
As reported by: Patriots Other tagged players: Julian Edelman Chris Harris will play for Broncos against Patriots
Chris Harris (shoulder) will play for the Broncos when they host the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Ian Rapoport has reported that Harris received treatment for the last 24 hours and that his injury is not significant enough to require surgery. It appears the Broncos CB may be playing in pain against the Patriots and Harris had a tough time wrapping up ball carriers in the Broncos’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week in the Divisional Round. Harris still played three quarters of the defensive snaps in the game though. With the Broncos’ stout run defense, the Patriots will most likely look to lean on their passing attack with Chris Harris matching up against Julian Edelman in the slot for most snaps in what should be an entertaining matchup between Pro Football Focus’ #2(tie) WR and #3 CB.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Panthers to be without Jared Allen tomorrow
After being listed as doubtful all week, the Panthers have declared Jared Allen (foot) out for tomorrow’s game when they host the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship. Reports have surfaced that Allen was upset upon finding out he would be inactive for tomorrow’s game as he felt that he would be able to play and that being inactive was a “coach’s decision”. Last week Allen broke his foot against the Seahawks and missed the rest of the game. Starting in Allen’s place will be Kony Ealy with Ryan Delaire being active as well. Allen had provided the Carolina DST with a spark, getting pressure on opposing QB’s in the playoffs. Without Allen in the lineup, the Panthers will continue to look to get pressure on Carson Palmer using different blitz packages including sending defensive backs.
As reported by: Panthers.com Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman listed as questionable but are expected to play; Jonathan Stewart (ankle) listed as probable
The Patriots have listed 16 players as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Broncos. Among them are Gronkowski, Edelman and Danny Amendola, but there’s next to no chance that they end up sitting out in a game of this magnitude. Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins and Rob Ninkovich are also listed as questionable but it would also be surprising to see any of them end up as inactive. We’ll update the Patriots injury report as inactives are released tomorrow, but don’t expect any surprises. As for Jonathan Stewart, he missed practice Wednesday but was a full-go the rest of the week, and Ron Rivera has said he expects him to take on his normal workload against Arizona. Stewart is a top-two RB play this week, so he’s viable in any format.
Other tagged players: Julian Edelman, Jonathan Stewart
Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones expected to play for Patriots
Jamie Collins (back) has been listed as questionable all week after leaving in the second half of last week’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Patriots defense seems banged up with Chandler Jones (abdomen, toe) and Dont’a Hightower (knee) both listed as questionable, nursing injuries of their own. Hightower has been listed as questionable all week after being in and out of last week’s game, as has Jones. Jones will help generate pressure from the defensive front (12.5 sacks this season) while Collins and Hightower have proven to be indispensable for the Patriots both against the pass and especially against the run. The Denver Broncos will hope to run the ball against the Patriots with Peyton Manning’s arm strength in question.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Owen Daniels could be a very low-owned TE option
Am I really recommending a TE that is not Gronk or Greg Olsen this week? Well hear me out…this is the biggest price gap that we have seen at any position in DFS that I can think of between Olsen at $7,100 on DraftKings and Owen Daniels the next highest option at $2,300. This play would only make sense from a game strategy standpoint, because Daniels has only scored double digit fantasy points four times on the year. However, if you plug in Daniels, you can essentially plug in whoever you want at the other positions and it basically becomes a pick ‘em, not having to worry about salary. Likewise, if you happen to catch lighting in a bottle with Daniels and he has five or six receptions and maybe a touchdown, he will be extremely low owned. If all of the players you were able to pay up for had games that you were expecting, Daniels could singlehandedly place you high in a GPP. Also if Gronk and/or Olsen have a poor showing, you will have faded them and were able to spend up on the rest of your roster, giving you a huge leg up on your opponents. With all of that being said, I am not necessarily recommending you play Daniels, as Gronk and Olsen are obviously far superior options, but it’s the type of risky move you may have to make in a GPP on a super short slate. This is strictly a GPP option as Daniels should not be used in cash games, but from a game strategy perspective it could make sense for you to run with Daniels this week and fill out the rest of your roster with all elite plays.
Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola all listed as questionable for Sunday
The Patriots have listed 16 players as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Broncos. Among them are Gronkowski, Edelman and Amendola, but there’s next to no chance that they end up sitting out in a game of this magnitude. Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins and Rob Ninkovich are also listed as questionable but it would also be surprising to see any of them end up as inactive. We’ll update the Patriots injury report as more news becomes available.
As reported by: Ben Volin Other tagged players: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola Jonathan Stewart practices Thursday, Panthers confident he'll play Sunday
Jonathan Stewart was able to practice today and has basically eliminated any doubt that he’ll be playing on Sunday. Ron Rivera further reiterated that by saying he’s confident Stewart will suit up and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be in any way limited. Due to the nature of the two-game slate, Stewart is behind only David Johnson in the RB ranks. He’s playable in any format, as is his quarterback Cam Newton. In GPP lineups featuring Stewart, pairing him with the Cardinals passing attack is a nice way to get plenty of exposure to that game if you feel the NE/DEN tilt won’t be as high-scoring. Pairing Stewart with the Panthers D/ST unit is also viable in lineups where you lean more heavily towards the NE/DEN game.
As reported by: Joe Person Jonathan Stewart misses Wednesday's practice
Jonathan Stewart did not practice on Wednesday, but he was out on the field (in sneakers) and was expected to do some work on the side. His ankle was rolled up in the Divisional Round win over the Seahawks, but Stewart is expected to be fine for Sunday’s game with Arizona. Despite a tough draw, Stewart is still a strong option in any format this week due to the lack of depth at the RB spot.
As reported by: Joe Person Jared Allen doubtful for NFC Championship
Jared Allen has a fracture in his foot and is considered doubtful to play against Arizona. Allen is all but ruled out due to the injury, but luckily for Carolina they have depth on the defensive line and Allen’s absence shouldn’t be felt too strongly. This news does slightly help the outlook of the Cardinals passing game, as the offensive line has had issues protecting Carson Palmer and Carolina’s defense may end up presenting problems on that front.
As reported by: Joe Person Jonathan Stewart rolls ankle vs. SEA, should be fine for Conference Championship
Jonathan Stewart rolled his ankle in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks, but his status for this weekend isn’t in doubt and at this point it seems very unlikely that he’ll be limited in any way. Stewart rolled for 19-106-2 and added one catch for five yards in Carolina’s win over the Seahawks on Sunday, and while the match-up this week doesn’t improve much, Stewart is still very much in play due to the nature of the two-game slate. David Johnson is still the preferred play if you’re choosing a RB in this contest, but the two starting RBs in this game are also the top two targets at the position this week. James White, C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman are potential GPP targets, but Johnson and Stewart are the safest plays at this spot.
As reported by: Jonathan Jones Greg Olsen's injury considered nothing more than a 'burner'
Greg Olsen suffered what he’s calling a ‘burner’ on a hit from Kam Chancellor yesterday, but he’s insisting that he’s fine and won’t be limited at all against Arizona. This is obviously great news for the Panthers as their top weapon in the passing game appears to be a full go, and Olsen will likely be the top play at the TE position considering price. Rob Gronkowski is in a match-up with a very tough Denver defense that allowed the 2nd fewest FPPG to TEs and Olsen is even a bigger part of his team’s passing attack. We’ll update Olsen’s status if he misses any practice time this week.
As reported by: Joe Person Ben Roethlisberger active for Steelers
Big Ben was listed as questionable all week and reportedly has ligament damage in his shoulder, though he was never expected to miss today’s Divisional Round match-up against Denver’s tough defense. Roethlisberger threw for 380 yard with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on a whopping 55 attempts the last time these two teams met in Week 15. However, this week he will be without his top weapon in Antonio Brown (concussion) who is out, as well as DeAngelo Williams (foot) who was ruled out earlier in the week. There were reports earlier that Big Ben would have the entire playbook at his disposal in the game, but without his top wide receiver, his arm strength possibly in question and going up against a top pass defense, he is not a recommended cash game play.
As reported by: Steelers Official Jonathan Stewart active and Fozzy Whittaker inactive for Panthers
Jonathan Stewart (foot) practiced all week and was absent from the Panthers’ final injury report while Fozzy Whittaker (ankle) was ruled out earlier in the week. Cameron Artis-Payne and Mike Tolbert will be the reserves behind Stewart against the Seahawks whom Stewart ran for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns against when they last played in Week 6. Stewart missed the final three games of the regular season, but is not expected to be limited in today’s game. He has has a relatively steady workflow, receiving 20 rushing attempts from Week 6 to Week 13.
As reported by: Steve Reed Other tagged players: Fozzy Whittaker