DFS Alerts
Ted Ginn active today against Seahawks
Ted Ginn (knee) missed practice time this week, including Friday, but returned to practice on Saturday and earlier in the week Ginn had said he would play in this Divisional Round match-up against the Seahawks after last playing in Week 16. Ginn being active will give Cam Newton back his speedy deep threat and it will help open up space for Greg Olsen to operate. In their Week 6 match-up, Ted Ginn had 1 catch for 18 yards while Greg Olsen had 7 receptions for 131 yards and 1 TD on 11 targets – the Seattle defense has had a tough time all season with the TE position.
As reported by: Tiffany Blackmon Other tagged players: Greg Olsen
Marshawn Lynch will play for Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch is going to play against the Panthers this week after missing last week’s Wild Card match-up despite practicing all of last week. Even last week, coach Pete Carroll hinted that the Seahawks would not ease Lynch back into action and would hope to get him his full work-load and number of carries as long as Lynch was up to the task after missing multiple weeks. Lynch being inactive last week seemed to be a surprise to many, so he was expected to play this week after getting in another full week of practices, having recovered from abdomen surgery after being injured during Week 10. Marshawn Lynch’s return will send Christine Michael back into a change of pace role behind Lynch, while the Seahawks will get Fred Jackson involved on third downs and in passing situations.
As reported by: Albert Breer Other tagged players: Christine Michael Davante Adams inactive, Sam Shields active for Packers
The Packers have declared Davante Adams inactive for tonight’s game against the Arizona Cardinals after spraining his MCL in the Packers’ Wild Card win and not practicing at all this week. Sprained MCL’s are typically multi-week injuries, so Adams’ availability for the NFC Championship game would be in question if the Packers get past the Cardinals in the Divisional Round. With Adams inactive, look for Aaron Rodgers to look to James Jones and also to rookie WR Jared Abbrederis who makes for an intriguing GPP play after playing 28 snaps last week. Sam Shields (concussion) being active provides a boost to the Green Bay defense who have missed Shields’ steady corner back play and have been suspect to long passing plays.
As reported by: Tom Silverstein Other tagged players: Jared Abbrederis, Green Bay Packers Carson Palmer remains the chalk option at QB
Carson Palmer has had a great season, a revival season of sorts, and is in the mix for MVP talks. However, amazingly out of the eight starting quarterbacks this weekend, Palmer is priced as the sixth highest QB option out of those eight on DraftKings. That is absurd considering the level he has played at throughout the whole season, being led by only Cam Newton and Tom Brady for fantasy points by a QB on the season. He has been an extremely consistent option all season and gets a pretty good matchup (considering the rest of the matchups on the slate) with the Packers on Saturday night. He is the highest-priced QB on FanDuel which makes a little more sense, but still is a great option because of his matchup and his relatively high floor. In Week 16 when the Cardinals played the Packers, Palmer was 18-27 for 265 yards and 2 TDs. Notice Palmer only threw the ball 27 times because the Cardinals were up 31-0 early in the third quarter when there was no need for Palmer to throw the ball and Arizona just pounded it on ground for the rest of the game. Those stats were essentially for one half, and Palmer was extremely efficient vs. the Packers in their previous matchup, and I would expect a similar efficiency in tonight’s rematch.
Greg Olsen a great option at TE vs. the Seahawks
With the emergence of Cam Newton this season, Greg Olsen has become one of the top TE options all year and his price definitely reflects that. Gronk is no longer the highest-priced TE by $2,000 as Olsen is only $600 behind him. Earlier in the year with Carolina’s matchup vs. Seattle, Olsen went for 7-131-1, his second-highest point total of the year. The Seahawks’ defense is deceiving because while they have an elite secondary and are third in DvP at WR, they do allow quite a bit of offense to go through opposing TEs. Ted Ginn Jr. is questionable for Sunday’s game and while he is expected to play, if he were to miss the game that would only lead to more targets for Olsen. While Gronk is always an elite option regardless of his matchup and Travis Kelce as a viable lower-priced option, Olsen serves as a relatively safer option in between those two price points.
Justin Houston, Tamba Hali will both play against New England
This is not particularly good news for Tom Brady. The Patriots have had a lot of issues in pass protection and they’ll now have to do battle against two of the league’s best pass rushers, which does cap the ceiling of both Brady and his weapons. Julian Edelman is the top target on the New England side of the field, while Brady and Gronk are both better utilized as tournament plays. At QB, Carson Palmer and Cam Newton are both more appealing, while Greg Olsen is the superior target over Gronk at TE considering price.
As reported by: BJ Kissel
Rob Gronkowski officially active
Rob Gronkowski is officially active for the Divisional Round game against the Chiefs. Per Jeff Howe, he is going to be limited, although it’s not certain what that means in terms of snaps. It would be a surprise if he was on any sort of snap limit given that this is a playoff game, so the ‘limited’ tag placed by Howe may just mean that Gronk won’t be at 100% health. Julian Edelman is still the safer target in this passing game – as far as teams on this weekend’s slate, the Chiefs have allowed the fewest FPPG to TEs. Greg Olsen is the superior cash game target at TE, especially on FanDuel where Olsen also sits below Travis Kelce in terms of price.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Jeremy Maclin will play this afternoon
Jeremy Maclin will play this afternoon against the Patriots. He’s not going to be anywhere near 100% and it’s surprising that he’s even able to take the field after the injury he suffered last week. Considering his health and probable draw against Malcolm Butler, Maclin is not a DFS option unless you want to differentiate in GPPs. His presence greatly downgrades the value of Chris Conley, but Albert Wilson remains an intriguing target as he figures to benefit if Maclin is just out there as a decoy. Travis Kelce is also very much in play and has a good shot to end up leading the team in targets.
As reported by: BJ Kissel James White is a viable GPP dart throw
The Chiefs have had one of the best defenses in the league this year, however the Patriots have had one of the top offenses this year riding on the shoulders of Tom Brady. Injuries have played a big part in the Patriots season this year and while talent-wise James White is no Dion Lewis, he has taken over that pass-catcher role at the running back position. The Chiefs have an elite secondary and even as talented as Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and even Tom Brady are, they all have some risk attached to them on Saturday. However, the Patriots will have to score some way and I don’t think that will be on the ground game with Brandon Bolden and an aged Steven Jackson. That leaves James White with quick-hit passes out of the backfield along with some screen passes. Out of all of the weapons on the Patriots offense this would benefit White and Edelman the most with the short, quick passes. Look for it to be a compromise between top offense and top defense and White could have a big role in today’s game.
Rob Gronkowski will play tomorrow, but will likely be limited
Rob Gronkowski will play tomorrow against the Chiefs. Per Jeff Howe, he is going to be limited, although it’s not certain what that means in terms of snaps. It would be a surprise if he was on any sort of snap limit given that this is a playoff game, so the ‘limited’ tag placed by Howe may just mean that Gronk won’t be at 100% health. Julian Edelman is still the safer target in this passing game – as far as teams on this weekend’s slate, the Chiefs have allowed the fewest FPPG to TEs. Greg Olsen is the superior cash game target at TE, especially on FanDuel where Olsen also sits below Travis Kelce in terms of price.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Other tagged players: Julian Edelman James Jones is a value play for the weekend
There are a few good value plays this weekend, but James Jones may be the best value option at WR. The Cardinals’ pass defense is pretty good, however the caveat is the fact that Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and will mainly be on the Packers’ number one receiver in Randall Cobb. DaVante Adams has been ruled out with a knee injury, so that leaves James Jones to step in as the Packers’ number two option and will likely be on the field all game. Jones should get a ton of looks especially with Peterson on Cobb in the Packers’ relatively pass-heavy offense. Jones has actually been playing really well even with Adams in the lineup as of late averaging over 16 fantasy points per game in his last four games. Now with Adams out, it is plausible that Jones sees 12-14 targets in what could turn into a shootout with an over/under of 49, the highest of any game this weekend. Jones is much cheaper on DraftKings at $4,600 rather than on FanDuel at $6,500, but he is a viable option on both sites. Look for Jones to receive a ton of targets this weekend and could be a great value option on this short slate.
Randall Cobb expected to be shadowed by Patrick Peterson
Randall Cobb outscored James Jones last week, but we’d expect the tides to turn against Arizona. Cobb will likely end up being shadowed by Patrick Peterson, and judging by Cobb’s 3-15-0 line against Arizona earlier this year, it’s not a matchup he’s looking forward to. That game did get out of hand early and the Packers had next to no success moving the ball, but they may very well struggle again despite a bounce-back week against the Redskins. Jones will have the more desirable WR/CB matchup and figures to attract more of Aaron Rodgers’ attention. With Davante Adams unlikely to play, Jared Abbrederis will be the #3 WR and is an option as a tournament punt play. If you’re looking for a way to differentiate an otherwise chalky lineup, Abbrederis can help in that regard.
Other tagged players: James Jones, Jared Abbrederis David Johnson is top option at RB for the weekend
At this point in the season when we only have four games being played and none of the defenses are head and shoulders worse than others, it is hard to find players that are guarantees. With that being said, David Johnson is the closest thing to a lock that we have this weekend 1) because of the lack of other great options at RB and 2) the way he has been performing over the second half of the season. While they are not at the bottom of the league, Green Bay doesn’t own a particularly intimidating rush defense and Johnson appears to be in a better position than any others to reach value this weekend. On DraftKings in particular I would almost say that Johnson is a must play because of the staggering price difference between DraftKings and FanDuel. Johnson is listed at $8,500 on FanDuel, but only $6,000 on DraftKings behind DeAngelo Williams (out) and Marshawn Lynch (playing the Panthers and returning from injury). Regardless of price, Johnson is the safest option of the weekend at running back because of the matchup as well as lack of other RB options.
Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola all questionable for Sunday
Gronk, Edelman and Amendola join Scott Chandler, Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower as Pats players drawing the questionable tag. Gronk still seems more likely to play but he may end up being a true game-time decision. If he’s unable to go, Scott Chandler would hold nice DFS value as the lone pass catching TE on the roster. Julian Edelman seems very likely to play and he’s a very strong DFS target this weekend against a Chiefs defense that should force Tom Brady to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Amendola doesn’t hold much value with Edelman back, but his role should increase some if Gronk isn’t able to go.
As reported by: Ben Volin Other tagged players: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Scott Chandler Ted Ginn does not practice Friday, listed as questionable vs. Seattle
Ginn practiced Wednesday and Thursday so his DNP on Friday is a little concerning. It may just be a day of rest for Ginn and Ron Rivera has said that he expects Ginn to play, so there isn’t any real reason to think he’s not going to suit up. Against a stingy Seattle pass defense, Ginn is a GPP-only dart throw, but he does hold a nice ceiling thanks to his role as the deep threat for Cam Newton. Ginn recorded just one catch in the earlier meeting between these teams.
As reported by: @Panthers