DFS Alerts
Calvin Johnson active Week 14
As expected, Calvin Johnson is active today for the Lions in a match up against the St. Louis Rams. “Megatron” was limited this week at practice with an ankle injury, but was never expected to miss today’s game. Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings have the Rams ranked #1 against the WR, however, Janoris Jenkins (concussion) and T.J. McDonald (shoulder) are both out for the Rams today, which helps Calvin Johnson and weakens the Rams pass defense.
As reported by: Dave Birkett
Gronk & Chandler both to be active?
ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini and Adam Schefter have both reported Rob Gronkowski (knee) is expected to be active for Sunday Night Football against the Texans. They are also reporting that Gronkowski’s snaps may be limited and his role is uncertain this week, not knowing how many snaps he will play. Schefter is also reporting that Scott Chandler is also expect to be active tonight against Houston. The Texans come in ranked #12 against the TE this week in the DvP ratings. Do not look for the Texans to repeat the performance of the Eagles defense last week and Brady’s fantasy outlook will look even better if Rob Gronkowski is moving well and can at least be a Red Zone option for the Patriots passing game. Gronkowski playing will hurt Chandler’s value and Chandler’s role could be affected by his knee injury, making him a risky play.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Scott Chandler Darrelle Revis Active / Kendall Wright Inactive
Darrelle Revis has been listed as active for the Jets in Week 14, with the Jets pass defense struggling while Revis was out. In our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings, the Jets have fallen to #23 vs. opposing WR’s. Dorial Green-Beckham is expected to draw Revis’ coverage today with Harry Douglas operating as the Titans’ #2 WR. Delanie Walker should see a good number of targets and has gone over 90 yards receiving or more in 4 of his last 5 games, including the last 3. The Jets come in ranked #9 against the TE and getting Revis back will only help their defense. The Jets have been getting to the QB more recently, making them a cheaper DFS option worth looking at.
As reported by: Manish Mehta Other tagged players: Kendall Wright, Dorial Green-Beckham All 4 Eagles RB's active along with Jordan Matthews
After Jordan Matthews popped up on the Eagles’ injury report on Saturday (back), he will be active today as are all 4 Eagles RB’s – Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner and DeMarco Murray. Murray is said to be operating as the Eagles’ 4th RB, with Sproles to get the start and Mathews having the possibility of being the most fantasy-relevant player of the bunch, though his conditioning is a question mark after having missed the last 3 games. Mathews has a touchdown in 4 of his last 5 games played while Sproles has been seeing a steady volume of targets, making both viable options for GPP’s at reduced prices. In our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings, the Buffalo Bills come in ranked #23 against RB’s and #24 against opposing WR’s.
As reported by: Albert Breer Other tagged players: DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Jordan Matthews Tim Hightower to take over lead back role
With Mark Ingram on IR with shoulder problems, Tim Hightower is in line to take over the lead back role according to Ian Rapoport. The Saints like Hightower’s pass blocking and inside running ability, making it unlikely Spiller will take on a much larger role. Hightower will have a tough match up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rush defense who comes into Week 14 ranked #4 against the RB in the Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings. Hightower is in consideration with a low price across the industry, though he was out of the NFL before being recently signed by the Saints. He should see 15 or more touches, so he could hit value today.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: C.J. Spiller Scott Chandler "truly" questionable tonight vs. HOU
Adam Schefter reported on NFL Insiders that Scott Chandler is “truly” questionable to play Sunday night against the Houston Texans. This muddies the Patriots’ TE situation even further with Rob Gronkowski already expected to be a game time decision and now Scott Chandler leaning towards the same. Schefter also hinted that the Patriots have put in a specific game plan in the event that both Chandler and Gronkowski are unable to play. This will be a fluid situation and we will keep you updated throughout the day.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Rob Gronkowski Lamar Miller is a great target Monday night
With the change of offensive coordinators in Miami, it looks like new OC Zac Taylor is rededicating the Dolphins to the ground game. This is obviously great news for Lamar Miller who went for 20-113-0 last week vs. the Baltimore Ravens and get this, that is only the fourth time in his whole career that Miller rushed 20+ times in a game. We have seen what he can do as a receiver out of the backfield, and now combining that with the new run-heavy offensive overhaul it appears to be a great situation going forward for Miller. This week Miller gets a great matchup vs. a struggling Giants defense allowing over 26FPPG to opposing RBs and if Miller sees 20 touches again he should be in for a solid game this week. We know he has big-game potential looking back at his 41.6-point performance in Week 7 vs. Houston and also 33.1 points vs. the Bills in Week 9. Miller is likely still a bit underpriced at $5,700 and with the seemingly newfound rushing attack for the Dolphins he makes for a solid GPP or cash play on Monday night.
DeMarco Murray Eagles 4th RB / Sproles to receive "bulk of the work"
The drama in Philadelphia continues… With Chip Kelly being upset about DeMarco Murray going over his head to owner Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles are considering benching DeMarco Murray. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network has reported that Darren Sproles is in line to be the featured back in the Eagles’ offense with a follow-up report from Sal Paolantonio of ESPN that Sproles will get the “bulk of the work” today against the Bills. The Eagles RB’s have a positive match up today, facing a Bills rushing defense which is ranked #23 in the Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings. Sproles has had a steady volume of targets, helping his floor on full and half PPR sites and Mathews has missed the past 3 weeks. Ryan Mathews has recovered from his concussion and will play today. Mathews should get some work in the Red Zone and could be a solid GPP play if he scores a touchdown today – he has scored a TD in 4 of his last 5 games.
As reported by: NFL GameDay Other tagged players: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles Jimmy Clausen to start for Ravens
Fantasy Football players planning to use the Seattle Seahawks DST were hoping for Matt Schaub to start in this one with his frequency of throwing pick-6’s. However, Jimmy Clausen is also a great QB match up to target and could lose for the second time this season to the Seattle Seahawks for 2 different teams. In Week 3, Clausen’s stat line was 9 of 17 for 63 yards passing, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings (DvP) have the Seahawks 9th against QB’s, 6th against RB’s and 7th against WR’s. One weak spot for the Seahawks’ defense has been the TE spot, where they rank 31st. With the Seahawks playing well on both sides of the ball and the Ravens hurt at the most important offensive skill positions with Joe Flacco and Steve Smith out for the year, the Seahawks are a great DST play for Week 14. The road match up is less than ideal, but the Seahawks should be fine away from home in this one.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Seattle Seahawks Eddie Lacy to regain starting role for Packers
After missing curfew last week, causing Eddie Lacy to be demoted and getting few touches behind James Starks, Lacy met with the team and the team is reporting he has had a good week of practice and has been named their No. 1 back. Before last week’s demotion, Eddie Lacy has rushed for over 100 yards in 2 straight games against the Vikings and Bears. The Cowboys’ rush defense comes in ranked #22 in the Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings. Lacy is in play as a GPP target with touchdown upside in a game where the Packers are expected to be leading, going up against the Cassel-led Cowboys.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin "good to go
Johnny Manziel will have his two top weapons this week with Gary Barnidge (ankle) and Travis Benjamin (shoulder) both expected to play today against the 49ers. Manziel has shown big play ability in his starts this season with Travis Benjamin the main beneficiary of Manziel’s broken play ability. Benjamin will be a GPP play with his inconsistent target volume this season with totals of 3, 4, 10, 10, 12, 13, 8, 5, 6, 11, 13, 2 and the 49ers coming in ranked #18 vs. WR’s in the Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings. Barnidge will be in play for both cash and GPP games, receiving 7 targets or more in his last 8 games – 10, 9, 7, 11, 7, 8, 11, 8 – though his match up is not spectacular with the 49ers ranked #14 against the TE in our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings (DvP). Manziel faces a 49ers defense who comes in ranked #21 against QB’s.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Travis Benjamin, Johnny Manziel Ronnie Hillman to start / CJ Anderson to be very limited
After missing some practice time this week himself, Ronnie Hillman has been named the starter for today’s game while CJ Anderson missed practice all week with his “very sore” ankle injury. Reports are saying CJ Anderson will be very limited if he is active for Week 14. Anderson is a RB to avoid this week and Juwan Thompson should get some work today backing up Ronnie Hillman. After a solid start to the season, the Oakland rush D has faded, coming in this week ranked 24th against the run in the Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings (DvP). The Broncos have been running a run-first ball-control offense with Brock Osweiler at the helm, so Ronnie Hillman should see his fair share of touches today, though the Broncos could wind up going to a hot-hand approach with Thompson stealing carries from Hillman as we have seen in the past.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: C.J. Anderson Philip Rivers expected to play Week 14
Philip Rivers is battling the flu, but will play Week 14. The Chargers are expecting to make both backups Kellen Clemens and Brad Sorensen active this week, perhaps suggesting the Chargers are not sure if Rivers will be able to finish the game today. In what could be a wet day in Arrowhead Stadium, Rivers will be without Stevie Johnson and Dontrelle Inman this week, leaving the Chargers with their three WR’s as Malcom Floyd, Javontee Herndon and Tyrell Williams. Antonio Gates is an intriguing GPP play as he should see targets this week with their lackluster WR corps. Last time out against the Chiefs, Gates had 3 targets with 1 reception for 6 yards and the Chargers lost at home 33-3. Using our Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings (DvP), the Chiefs are #5 against the TE, with their weakness on defense being the WR position, coming in ranked #30. With this game being in Kansas City and less than ideal to poor weather conditions, the Chiefs are a top-end DST play today across the industry.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Antonio Gates, Kansas City Chiefs Gronk to be available, "if needed"?
Rob Gronkowski is recovering from a knee injury and went on the flight with the team to Houston. Rapaport also said that Gronk’s status is “up in the air”, suggesting he will go through warm-ups to see how he feels before a decision is made before game time. With the Patriots playing later tonight at 8:30 pm, we probably will not get confirmation on Gronkowski’s status early enough to have many options to pivot to from either Rob Gronkowski or Scott Chandler. Those with Chandler in their lineups in a Thursday-lock contest will hope for Gronkowski to be named inactive before the game or plays limited snaps. Houston’s defense is ranked 12th in Notorous’ Schedule-Adjusted Defense vs. Position Rankings (DvP), however, we have seen the Tight Ends from New England have good fantasy outputs against “tough” defenses. With Gronk getting injured during the Week 12 game, Chandler has received 11 and 7 targets the last 2 weeks, scoring a touchdown in both games. If Gronkowski plays tonight, Tom Brady’s fantasy outlook will also get a boost with his number one receiving option back.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Travis Benjamin is a sneaky GPP target Sunday
In what will likely be one of the worst games in the NFL this season, the Cleveland Browns will be playing the San Francisco 49ers with Johnny Manziel as the starting QB. This is good news for the likes of Travis Benjamin because in the four games that Manziel has started this season, Benjamin has gone for 3-89-1, 3-115-1, 3-22-0, and 7-113-0. Those are some pretty good numbers for a guy priced at only $5,000 on DraftKings and $5,700 on FanDuel. Benjamin is usually Manziel’s favorite target and while he may not be the most talented QB in the world, he does make some exciting plays. Benjamin is one of those boom-or-bust guys best played in GPPs, and he may be in store for some exciting plays this week vs. an atrocious 49ers defense. Benjamin is not very consistent, but he does have some major upside this week with Manziel back at QB.