DFS Alerts
Jonathan Stewart's status uncertain for this week
Stewart has a sprained foot and his status for this week is unclear but most expect the team to proceed with caution as they head into the playoffs. Cameron Artis-Payne would be an intriguing option if Stewart sits as the Panthers go up against a soft Giants defense. Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert would also be involved if Stewart were to sit, so the backfield would be very murky from a DFS perspective. Tolbert would remain the best option in short-yardage/goal-line situations which would give him some added appeal, but he wouldn’t be likely to handle more than 10-12 touches as he’s not typically used much between the 20’s. Whittaker and Artis-Payne would likely split early down work, but hopefully if Stewart’s outlook remains dim throughout the week we’ll get some clarification from Panthers beat writers on what the expected workload would be for the trio of healthy backs.
As reported by: Joe Person on Twitter Other tagged players: Fozzy Whittaker, Mike Tolbert, Cameron Artis-Payne
Cowboys likely to stick with Matt Cassel at QB
It’s been a total mess in Dallas without Tony Romo. The Cowboys passing attack has been one of the worst in the league under Cassel, and there isn’t any reason to expect a turnaround late in the season. Kellen Moore is the only other option at QB on the roster, and Dallas seems content on just playing out the season under Cassel and moving forward with Romo next year. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten have been nearly untargetable in DFS without Romo, and that won’t ichange this week against a very stingy Jets defense. Avoid the Cowboys offense in Week 15.
As reported by: Ian Rapaport on Twitter
DeSean Jackson's Week 15 status up in the air
Jackson injured his knee on Sunday but was able to gut it out and finish the game. The day after an injury is always the worst, and Jackson has said he’s not sure if he’ll be able to suit up in Week 15 despite that game having a ton of meaning for Washington’s playoff hopes. Washington takes on a Buffalo team that is coming off of a loss in Philadelphia, and this isn’t a particularly good spot for WRs, but it is an improved spot given Stephon Gilmore’s injury. Leodis McKelvin will now take over on the outside opposite Ronald Darby, and Jackson will still run nearly a quarter of his routes (if healthy) against burnable slot corner Nickell Robey. If Jackson sits out, Jordan Reed likely receives the biggest boost with Jamison Crowder also a candidate to see more work. Crowder has seen just 10 total targets over the Redskins past four games.
As reported by: Washington Post Andy Dalton week-to-week with thumb injury
This is actually somewhat good news for the Bengals, as it looked like Dalton may end up missing the rest of the season, playoffs included. It now looks like Dalton may have a chance to return before the end of the regular season, although that return will not happen in Week 15. A.J. McCarron will take over under center for the Bengals, and it’s a big step down for the entire passing game. Tyler Eifert left Sunday’s game with a concussion and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play against the 49ers, which would be another big blow to what had been one of the league’s better passing attacks. A.J. Green will likely be targeted heavily by McCarron if Eifert is sidelined, but it’ll be hard to play any of the Bengals pass-catchers outside of GPPs given McCarron’s limitations. While the 49ers are a good match-up for both QBs and WRs, a McCarron-Green stack does not have nearly the same upside as a Dalton-Green stack.
As reported by: Gregg Rosenthal Other tagged players: AJ McCarron Tim Hightower plays 58 snaps to Spiller's 15 on Sunday
Per Greg Auman, Tim Hightower dominated the snaps in the Saints backfield, totaling 58 (out of 85) while C.J. Spiller saw just 15. The Saints never trailed in this game and were therefore able to rely more on their running game sans Mark Ingram, with Hightower finishing with a monster touch total (29). Spiller finished with just six touches, and it’s now very evident that the Saints do not have any interest in giving him an expanded role. Expect Hightower to see another heavy workload against the Lions in Week 15, a game the Saints should also control from start to finish. New Orleans has been very good at home in primetime over the last few seasons. Hightower will remain an elite value target, and his price may not spike to a level that makes him a viable cash game fade.
As reported by: Greg Auman on Twitter Other tagged players: C.J. Spiller Brandon Pettigrew tears ACL, done for the year
Brandon Pettigrew tore his ACL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season as a result. The injury occurred on a non-contact play and it’s now the third ACL tear of Pettigrew’s career (he’s torn his left ACL twice in the pros, and tore his right ACL in college). The Lions may choose to add a blocking TE to the roster, but this news likely leads to an expanded role for second-year TE Eric Ebron. While he’s definitely not the blocker Pettigrew is, Ebron has made strides with his blocking and this is a good chance for the Lions to give him an extended look with the season all but over for Detroit. Ebron is in a nice spot next week against a Saints defense that has been atrocious against opposing TEs to this point in the season. Considering that streaming QBs/TEs against the Saints all year would give you more total fantasy points than Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have accrued, pairing Ebron with Stafford will be a viable Week 15 GPP strategy.
As reported by: DetroitLions.com Other tagged players: Eric Ebron T.J. Yeldon (sprained knee) status unknown for Week 15
Yeldon left Sunday’s game with a knee injury and is looking very questionable for Week 15 against Atlanta. The Jaguars have said that there won’t be an official update on his status until Wednesday, but DFS players should begin thinking about how to react if Yeldon is out. The Falcons have been very beatable on the ground this year (they had allowed the 2nd most FPs to RBs coming into Week 14), so Denard Robinson may be worth a long look as a value option if it turns out Yeldon can’t go. In the only game Yeldon missed this year, Robinson finished with just ten total touches while Toby Gerhart saw 12. Blake Bortles threw it 53 times with the Jags playing from behind, so we can expect a more balanced approach against Atlanta given that this game should stay competitive throughout. Robinson has far more upside than Toby Gerhart if Yeldon sits out.
As reported by: Ryan O'Halloran Other tagged players: Denard Robinson Brian Hoyer doubtful for Week 15
Hoyer suffered a concussion in last night’s game and was continually taking hits as the Patriots defensive line completely dominated in the second half. The Texans offense had a ton of trouble moving the ball with any consistency and they weren’t able to get the ball into the hands of DeAndre Hopkins with any regularity, although a few dropped passes from Nate Washington could have changed the outlook of the game. T.J. Yates will likely draw the start on Sunday in a huge divisional game against the Colts. Yates isn’t a big step back from Hoyer, and it’s possible that the Colts will be forced to counter with Charlie Whitehurst after Matt Hasselbeck was dinged up late in the game. Hopkins posted a 11-169-0 line against the Colts earlier this season and would be in a very nice spot to bounce back from Sunday night’s dismal performance, although he’ll likely have to contend with Vontae Davis for a good chunk of time. Hopkins is the only viable target in the Houston passing game in Week 15.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Other tagged players: Brian Hoyer Seattle signs Bryce Brown
With injuries to Thomas Rawls and Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks have signed Bryce Brown to help out down the stretch run. It’s hard to get a read on how the Seahawks RB rotation will go so it’s a situation that will need to be closely monitored heading into this weekends game. Current backup DuJuan Harris managed only 42 yards on 18 carries so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team want to get Brown involved. The Seahawks will be prohibitive home favorites as they take on a Browns team that has been terrible against the run for the most of the season. Whomever is manning the helm at RB for the team will be a great DFS option.
As reported by: Rob Rang on Twitter Vincent Jackson's injury not believed to be long-term, questionable for TNF
Initial reports out of Tampa Bay are that the knee injury Vincent Jackson suffered yesterday is not long-term. No word as to his availability yet for this weeks game but given his recent history with knee injuries, he’s questionable at best to play in a tough match up this Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. He’s probably best avoided for DFS purposes even if he does suit up but his absence would mean more targets for Mike Evans who saw an inordinate amount of balls thrown his way when Jackson was out earlier this season.
As reported by: Greg Auman on Twitter Brian Hoyer going through concussion protocol
The Texans have confirmed that Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion in last night’s loss to the New England Patriots and is now going through the league’s concussion protocol. The team will prepare as if T.J. Yates will get the start as they get set to take on the mediocre at best defense of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were just lit up by Blake Bortles and while Yates was not overly impressive in his lone start against the Jets, he did manage to throw for two TD’s and put up a respectable fantasy game. Keep an eye on the news throughout the week as there is some merit to using Yates as a punt play in GPP’s. He was able to establish a connection with DeAndre Hopkins in that game so the impact on the Texans star wideout (assuming he isn’t double and triple covered again) is fairly minimal.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport on Twitter Derek Carrier out for the season
The Redskins backup TE tore his ACL and MCL yesterday and is out for the season. The injury has little DFS impact as Jordan Reed is the TE to target from the Redskins.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport on Twitter Brian Hartline out for remainder of season
The Browns worst fears regarding their veteran wide out have been realized as he has been ruled out for the season with a broken collarbone. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Hartline who had been emerging as the Browns most consistent receiving threat and was in the midst of having one of, if not the, biggest games of his career. Marlon Moore will likely take over the #2 WR role on the Browns but isn’t a viable DFS play. Travis Benjamin should be force fed the ball even more with no Hartline and has some appeal as a mid-range option.
As reported by: Tom Withers on Twitter Gronkowski, Chandler & Amendola active vs. Houston
Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler and Danny Amendola are all active against the Houston Texans tonight for Sunday Night Football. Most considered Gronkowski a long-shot to play this week even after getting in 2 limited practices this week. Chandler and Amendola were limited all week and both expected to play, though reports surfaced earlier today about Chandler being on the more questionable side of things, possibly as a game time decision. Gronkowski could be on limited snaps, only used in 3rd down and Red Zone opportunities. Chandler is in more of the every-down TE role for the Patriots, if he plays his full compliment of snaps and Gronkowski does not. Danny Amendola should see his usual double-digit targets in this game – target totals of 11, 12 and 13 in his last 3 games. Both Amendola and the Tight Ends have tough match ups this week with the Houston Texans coming in ranked #2 against WR’s and #12 against TE’s in our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings. Even on limited snaps, Gronkowski has shown he can pay off by hitting pay dirt, but with his involvement and snap count in question, he is a risky play and more suited for GPP contests. Chandler also presents a risky play with Gronkowski being active and Chandler seemingly not at full health. Brady’s fantasy outlook also gets a boost with 3 of his weapons active though the Texans also provide a formidable task coming in ranked #11 against the QB in our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings.
As reported by: New England Patriots Other tagged players: Scott Chandler, Danny Amendola
Saints backfield may be one to avoid today
With the announcement that Mark Ingram would be placed on the IR with a shoulder injury, the Saints backfield is a little bit of an unknown going into Sunday. Although Tim Hightower will be taking over as the lead back, CJ Spiller will look to carry the ball a lot and maybe split carries with Hightower. Both are really cheap today and if you absolutely need value in a GPP then Hightower might be viable, but be warned by no means are either of them safe and they could easily both be duds this week. It might be better to wait and see how this week plays out to get an idea how the Saints are going to handle the ground game going forward. Besides, the Tampa Bay Bucs are pretty good at stopping the run so the Saints RBs may be best avoided this week even with their dirt cheap price.
