DFS Alerts
Jonathan Stewart doesn't practice
Stewart missed practice and it is highly unlikely that he will play this week for the Panthers in their game against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a juicy match up for whomever will carry the rock for the team as the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to RB’s. Cameron Artis-Payne had 14 of the teams 21 RB carries last week and would appear to be the likely candidate to get the majority of the work. He’s definitely in play as a value option across the industry.
As reported by: Joe Person on Twitter
Drew Brees to have MRI on injured foot
The Saints QB was seen limping for the majority of the game last night and will have an MRI on his injured foot. His status is uncertain at this time but if he was to not be able to play it would be journeyman backup Matt Flynn who would get the nod against the Jacksonville Jaguars. We’ll keep you updated on the Brees news as it comes in.
As reported by: Katherine Terrell on Twitter Calvin Johnson active for MNF
No surprise here, but we wanted to pass along confirmation to any of you who may have been waiting on his official status. Johnson is a nice target in any format tonight against a Saints defense that has been ravaged by the pass all season, although he’ll likely draw some extra attention. He’s not expected to be shadowed in this game – Delvin Breaux is the Saints top corner but isn’t expected to follow Johnson around the field. Golden Tate is also a nice high-upside option to pair with Matthew Stafford in tournaments.
As reported by: Tiffany Blackmon
Danny Amendola having tests run on his knee, isn't likely to miss time during playoffs
It looks like Amendola may not play again during the regular season, but he’s not poised to miss any time during the playoffs. With Amendola out and Edelman still banged up, there may be some value opening up in the Patriots passing game to end the regular season. Brandon LaFell and Keshawn Martin figure to be the biggest beneficiaries, and it’s very possible Edelman suits up for one or both of the remaining regular season games, but he may be limited if he plays. Amendola’s absence may also lead to an increase in targets for James White, who has been performing admirably as Brady’s pass-catching back.
As reported by: Ian Rapaport on Twitter Odell Beckham suspended one game for actions against Carolina
The NFL suspended Beckham one game for “multiple violations of safety-related playing rules.” He made somewhat of a fool of himself after dropping an easy first quarter touchdown, as he repeatedly went toe-to-toe with Josh Norman away from plays and there were several opportunities for the referees to toss him from the game, although that didn’t happen. With Beckham likely to miss Sunday’s game (he can still appeal), Rueben Randle and Dwyane Harris both get bumps in value due to the high number of looks that head in Beckham’s direction each week. Randle is an excellent punt play this coming week assuming Beckham sits, as he’ll have a much higher floor/ceiling than we’re used to seeing with him. Will Tye’s value also spikes without Beckham in the lineup.
As reported by: @NFLNetwork Other tagged players: Rueben Randle Andrew Luck ruled out for Week 16
No real surprise here. The Colts no longer have playoff hopes and won’t push Luck unless they have to. Matt Hasselbeck is dealing with a number of his own ailments and is clearly very beaten up, so it’s possible the Colts turn to Charlie Whitehurst this week. If that’s the case, no one on the Colts offense is playable in DFS. While the match-up with the Dolphins is a good one for the Colts WRs, it’ll be very tough to have any confidence in them if Whitehurst is under center. Matt Hasselbeck would make Hilton and Moncrief stronger options, but they’d still be GPP-only targets.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Other tagged players: Matt Hasselbeck, Charlie Whitehurst Broncos "starting from scratch" with QB situation
Kubiak reportedly hopes to have a plan in place by Wednesday as to who will draw the start at QB against the Bengals on Monday night. Strangely enough, Kubiak also noted that “nothing has changed” in the same interview, so it’s hard to know what he’s thinking at the moment. Brock Osweiler has shown some positive signs in his starts but is having trouble putting points on the board in the second half of games, so it may make sense for the Broncos to turn back to Peyton Manning before the playoff run begins. We’ll know more on this situation on Wednesday.
As reported by: Lindsay Jones Other tagged players: Brock Osweiler LeSean McCoy (torn MCL) week-to-week
Given that the Bills season is all but over, it would be surprising if McCoy played another snap this season. Adam Schefter notes that there is still more testing to be done and that it’s possible a Week 17 return could be in the cards, but we’d be very surprised if that were to come to fruition. Karlos Williams will presumably head up the Bills backfield with Mike Gillislee acting in a complementary role – if Williams draws the start on Sunday, he’ll be a very worthy DFS option against the Cowboys, who don’t have a strong run defense. Not including Week 15 statistics, Dallas has allowed the 5th most FPPG to opposing RBs this season. Game flow should also work in Williams’ favor.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Other tagged players: Karlos Williams Melvin Gordon (knee) on IR, done for the season
Melvin Gordon’s tumultuous rookie season has come to an end early, and the 2015 first round pick will conclude his rookie season without finding the end-zone a single time. Better days are ahead for Gordon if the Chargers can clean up a very poor offensive line, but he didn’t stand much of a chance running behind a line that had been decimated by injuries throughout the year. With Gordon now out, Danny Woodhead (who scored 4 TDs on Sunday) and Donald Brown will head up the Chargers backfield. Woodhead is the high-upside option of the two, and that will remain the case this Thursday against Oakland. If the Chargers get up big, Brown is likely to see more work as he’ll be the primary ball-carrier, but Woodhead provides plenty of upside in PPR formats when the Chargers are playing from behind. When Gordon left yesterday, Brown finished with 14 touches while Woodhead saw 10, but it’s worth noting the Chargers were playing with a big lead at the time.
As reported by: Andrew Siciliano Javorius Allen won't stay in Harbaugh's doghouse
Allen remained mostly on the sidelines after fumbling yesterday, with Terrance West taking over as the lead back. It’s now been back-to-back games with a fumble for Allen, who hadn’t fumbled in his NFL career prior to that, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll suffer from this heading into Week 16. Expect Allen to regain the role of lead back against Pittsburgh, but the match-up makes him hard to target in DFS. Pittsburgh boasts one of the league’s top run stopping units, but the saving grace for Allen is that he is a competent receiver and has been seeing a high number of targets out of the backfield. With the Ravens QBs being very limited in their ability to throw downfield, don’t expect that to change on Sunday.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Terrance West Seahawks to continue with RBBC approach?
Marshawn Lynch isn’t going to practice this week and likely won’t be able to return until Week 17, so the Seahawks backfield is up for grabs again this week. While Derrick Coleman drew the start on Sunday, he didn’t see any carries in the 2nd half and appeared to be outplayed by both Christine Michael and Bryce Brown. Michael had the hot hand against the Browns and finished with more carries (16) than Brown and Coleman combined for (14), so we’ll tentatively put him at the top of the Seahawks RB depth chart. Michael saw most of the work in the 2nd half and ran well, but there’s still the chance that he falters early in next week’s game with the Rams. Bryce Brown appears to be 2nd in line for touches, with Coleman behind him. Hopefully we’ll have a better idea of how the workload will shake out later in the week.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Bryce Brown Marcus Mariota done for the season
Marcus Mariota will miss the rest of the regular season with a sprained MCL. It’s best for the Titans to take it easy on their franchise quarterback with two games left in a season where they are competing for the first pick in next year’s draft, and that’ll leave Zach Mettenberger to start for the final two games of the regular season. Mettenberger will be under center against the Texans next weekend, which isn’t a match-up that’ll put him into consideration for DFS purposes. Delanie Walker is the only playable member of the Titans offense in the last two seasons, but he also should be bumped down a notch with Mariota out.
As reported by: Chris Mortensen Other tagged players: Marcus Mariota Denard Robinson suffered left foot sprain yesterday
The Jaguars RB situation becomes even murkier as Denard Robinson suffered a left foot sprain yesterday. With T.J. Yeldon’s health also up in the air, it’s anyone’s guess who will take the field for the team this week at RB – it could be Jonas Gray or Joe Banyard if those two can’t go. We’ll update the Jaguars RB situation all this week as more information becomes available.
As reported by: Jaguars official Twitter feed Melvin Gordon's knee is sore, unlikely to play Thursday
The Chargers rookie RB injured his knee yesterday and will undergo an MRI today. With the Chargers playing on Thursday, it’s unlikely that he’ll play this week. Danny Woodhead, who scored four TD’s yesterday, and Donald Brown (who had 12 carries for 90 yards after Gordon left yesterday) would get the bulk of the work.
As reported by: Rand Getlin on Twitter Spencer Ware likely to play this week
Ware was active for this past weekend’s game but did not play. Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said he expects Ware will be able to play this week. This downgrades Charcandrick West and makes both backs unattractive DFS options.
As reported by: Terez Paylor on Twitter