DFS Alerts
Larry Donnell placed on IR
Donnell will miss the rest of the season due to the neck injury he suffered back on November 1st against the Saints. This leaves the TE spot to Will Tye for the rest of the season, and he may actually be a sneaky GPP target in the season’s last few weeks. Tye saw just 4 targets last week, but had averaged 7 per game in his last three contests (the first three games Donnell missed). With that type of target count, Tye will find the end-zone before long (he hasn’t scored yet this season). He’s in a very nice spot this week against a Dolphins defense that has allowed the 4th most FPs to opposing TEs.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Other tagged players: Will Tye
Marshawn Lynch behind on 3-week timetable for return
This is the third week of Lynch’s recovery, but Pete Carroll still seems to think it may be another few games before Lynch is back, and there is a realistic chance he doesn’t play again in the regular season. The Seahawks haven’t really missed a beat with Thomas Rawls running the show, and with Russell Wilson now clicking, there isn’t any real reason for the Seahawks to rush Lynch back. Rawls will be the starter again on Sunday, although he’s not in a great spot against a Baltimore defense that is much stronger against the run than the pass. Still, Rawls’ volume should be there, and he’s still priced a tier or two below where he should be considering the workload he’s expected to receive.
As reported by: ESPN 710 Seattle Other tagged players: Thomas Rawls Martellus Bennett placed on IR, will miss rest of the season
The Bears have placed Martellus Bennett on IR, ending his season. Chicago no longer has any real playoff hopes and they’ll err on the side of caution with Bennett. In his absence, Zach Miller will act as the primary tight end and may actually be a solid GPP punt play at the position going forward. He’s not in an ideal spot this week against a Redskins defense that has allowed the 12th fewest FPs to the TE position, but without any real viable targets behind Alshon Jeffery, Miller may see his fair share of work.
As reported by: Adam Jahns Other tagged players: Zach Miller Allen Hurns cleared to play this week
After missing last week’s shootout against the Tennessee Titans, Allen Hurns has been cleared to play for this weeks game against the Indianapolis Colts who were just lit up by the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Jaguars probably won’t do the same damage that Big Ben and company did, it’s still a very favorable match up as the Colts are 21st in WR DvP. Before his last two games, Hurns had been one of the more consistent performers in DFS having scored a TD in seven consecutive games. Allen Robinson, and Julius Thomas to a lesser extent, will continue to be the preferred targets of the Jaguars offense but Hurns is in play in GPP’s.
As reported by: Inside Injuries on Twitter
Ryan Mathews practices for first time in three weeks
It’s been a long ride back for the Eagles backup running back but he finally took the field for the first time since November 15th today. The Eagles backfield is a mess, however, and it’s hard to trust any of them. DeMarco Murray is disgruntled and only played a handful of snaps last week when Darren Sproles received the majority of the work. None of them are reliable DFS options until we get a clearer picture of what Chip Kelly has in mind in terms of their workload. All Mathews return does is muddy that situation up even further.
As reported by: Martin Frank on Twitter Colts expect Matt Hasselbeck to start in Week 14
Andrew Luck remains “week-to-week” and won’t play on Sunday, but could return for Week 15. Hasselbeck wasn’t able to finish Sunday’s game which led to Clipboard Jesus seeing some time on the field, but the Colts outlook would be much worse if he was forced to start on Sunday. Hasselbeck at least gives the passing game a chance for success, although it’s still harder to justify rostering guys like T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief outside of GPPs with Hasselbeck at the helm. Hilton has had a handful of strong games with Andrew Luck out, and he is a solid bounce back candidate against the Jags on Sunday. He saw 13 targets the first time these teams faced off (with Hasselbeck starting), but finished with just 7-67-0 in that contest.
As reported by: Mike Chappell on Twitter Travis Benjamin not expected to miss any time
Benjamin injured his shoulder in Sunday’s game with the Bengals, but reportedly will not miss any time as a result of the injury. The fact that Johnny Manziel is expected to be under center helps Benjamin’s outlook (that goes to show how poor the Browns QB situation is right now), as the two connected on a few big plays earlier this season before multiple off the field blunders by Manziel. We still don’t really trust either Manziel or Benjamin, but both are interesting upside plays against a San Francisco defense that has struggled with both QBs and WRs this season.
As reported by: Ian Rapaport on Twitter Eagles RB rotation to be re-evaluated each week
DeMarco Murray played just 14 snaps in the Eagles win over the Patriots, which has brought to light the fact that he is no longer a true “workhorse” back. Darren Sproles saw 19 touches to Murray’s 8, finishing with exactly 100 yards combined through the air and on the ground. It’ll be hard to confidently target any of the Eagles backs going forward unless we get some clarity on the roles of Murray/Sproles with Ryan Mathews out. Mathews still does not have a concrete timetable for a return. Next week’s match-up with the Bills is a sneaky good spot for RBs, but again, it’s hard to know which of them will see the majority of the work. Both are potential deep GPP plays.
As reported by: @EaglesInsider Other tagged players: Darren Sproles Johnny Manziel back as starter for Cleveland Browns
After being benched for the last two games due to off-field missteps, the Browns have announced that Johnny Manziel will return to the starting role this week. The Browns season is lost so they are going to try and see if Manziel has anything to offer them going forward. The Browns are at home against the 49ers this week, which would on the surface appear to be a favorable match up but the 49ers did play relatively well this past weekend against the Bears and it’s tough to trust Manziel and the anemic Browns receivers to put up DFS relevant numbers.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Heath Miller officially inactive on Sunday night
Updating a previous alert, Heath Miller is inactive for Week 13. Miller missed practice all week and was never expected to play tonight. This gives the rookie Jesse James an opportunity for an expanded role and his size gives him an advantage in the red zone.
As reported by: Will Graves Other tagged players: Jesse James Danny Amendola is Active vs. Eagles
Danny Amendola will be active for the Patriots today against the Eagles. Amendola should be in for double-digit targets against an Eagles defense that has been picked on by passing games. Amendola’s low price combined with his high floor for targets makes him a great play and Rotogrinders’ #1 WR in Pt/$/K Projections.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport
Kenny Stills Active for Week 13
Despite the report by Ian Rapoport earlier that Stills was unlikely to play, Kenny Stills will be active today for the Dolphins. This hurts DeVante Parker’s fantasy outlook some today for those hoping he would eat up all of Stills’ snaps, but Parker should still see plenty of snaps.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: DeVante Parker Heath Miller Not Likely to Play - Questionable
Heath Miller is listed as questionable and considered not likely to play according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette due to his rib injury. Miller missed practice all week and if he sits, rookie Jesse James will draw the start in what should be a game with a lot of points scored. The 6’7” James has the physical tools to be a red zone threat for the Steelers, but has also had some ball security issues with drops earlier in the season. Miller’s absence could also mean more short-range targets for the Pittsburgh outside WR’s.
As reported by: Gerry Dulac Other tagged players: Jesse James Jarvis Landry may be a possible fade Sunday
Jarvis Landry will be a popular pick against the bad Ravens’ pass defense today, but the Dolphins just changed offensive coordinators switching from Bill Lazor to Zac Taylor. Word is that the Dolphins were frustrated with the lack of a rushing attack and thought Lazor called too many pass plays, which could be true as Ryan Tannehill threw the ball 58 times last game vs. the Jets. This is likely part of the reason that Landry went for 13-165-1 last week. This week with the emphasis on the ground game, it is not unreasonable for Tannehill to only throw the ball 30 times or so, obviously cutting the opportunity in half for Dolphins’ receivers such as Landry. This gives a bump to Lamar Miller, who is an interesting GPP target as he has shown the ability to have monster games if given the opportunity. While the Ravens don’t defend the pass very well and Rishard Matthews will be out today, the opportunity could be there, but you may want to see how things play out this week with OC Zac Taylor. It might be best to stay away from all Dolphins in cash games. In this case it might be best to roster a guy like DeVante Parker, Matthews’ replacement who is a good value, if you want exposure to the Dolphins passing attack vs. the Ravens only in a GPP scenario and Miller still remains a contrarian GPP target.
Kenny Stills Not Expected to Play - Questionable
Armando Salguero reported on Friday that Kenny Stills was expected to play after injuring his ankle in practice. Ian Rapoport is reporting that Stills will give it a try in pre-grame warm-ups, but is expected to sit. With the Ravens ranking 26th in pass defense DVOA, Stills being out along with Rishard Matthews (ribs) already ruled out, would give a boost to Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker today. Parker is listed as Rotogrinders’ #1 Pt/$/K WR play.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker