DFS Alerts
Zach Ertz and Ryan Mathews not practicing
Both players are dealing with concussions and have to go through the league’s concussion protocol. With a Thursday game this week against the Lions, it’s unlikely either will find the field. Brent Celek, Darren Sproles, and Demarco Murray would all get a bump in value if those two sit against a Lions defense that has been soft this season, but has looked better the last two weeks.
As reported by: Zach Berman
Michael Floyd inactive for SNF
John Brown is active, and it’s very likely he resumes a full time role despite being somewhat limited over the last few games. He’s a nice option on late-swap sites, with Jaron Brown also playable if you’re in need of a minimum priced WR. Jaron will see time in 3 WR sets and will see his snap count rise above his season average, but it’ll still be Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown eating up the majority of Carson Palmer’s targets.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano on Twitter
Joe Flacco out for the season with torn ACL
The Ravens got hit hard with injuries in their game vs. the Rams. Joe Flacco tore his ACL on the last drive of the the game, and Justin Forsett broke his arm early. Matt Schaub is the backup QB for the Ravens, but it will be really hard to roster anyone other than possibly RB Javorius Allen taking over for Forsett in the coming weeks for the Ravens.
As reported by: Field Yates
Marshawn Lynch is inactive
Marshawn Lynch will not play today in a juicy matchup against the very bad 49ers run defense. Look for Thomas Rawls to get the majority of the carries for the Seahawks on Sunday with Fred Jackson getting a few touches in there. Rawls has gone 16-104-0, 17-48-0, and 23-169-1 in 3 games with Lynch out. Rawls is an elite play on a late-swap site such as DK for only $3,800.
As reported by: Eric Branch Ladarius Green is active
After speculation that Green would likely sit out today’s contest, it appears as if he will try to give it a go today. Antonio Gates is banged up (he is active) as well as Malcolm Floyd and Keenan Allen inactive today. Maybe Gates is not as healthy as we thought he may be, and it is hard to tell how Green and Gates will be managed today as we don’t know the extent of their injuries. Stevie Johnson still remains an elite option and Gates could also very well have a double-digits target game as well, but with Green playing today the chances may be a bit smaller.
As reported by: San Diego Chargers Weather will be a factor in Miami
It’s pouring rain in Miami right now and there have been reports of tornado warnings in the area. This is typically a good thing for RBs, but it’s worth noting that Darren McFadden is dealing with a groin issue which may be harder to deal with given the conditions. Still, he’s a very solid target on Sunday as he’s expected to see a heavy workload. He should meet value if he’s able to make it through the game. Downgrade both passing attacks as a result of the weather.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano on Twitter Brian Hoyer is out, T.J. Yates to start
As expected, Brian Hoyer will sit out this week vs. the Jets and T.J. Yates will get the start. Yates is not a DFS option vs. a good Jets defense. The Texans are without Hoyer and Chris Polk this week. DeAndre Hopkins may be affected slightly by the downgrade at QB, but with his talent level is still a possible low-owned, high-priced GPP play this week.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Antonio Gates expected to start, but not at 100%
There aren’t many players in the league at 100% at this point in the season, but Gates is clearly more banged up than most. He’s going to gut it out and should benefit from the Chargers coming off their bye week. Double-digit targets is a very good possibility if Gates is able to make it through the game unscathed. Ladarius Green is expected to sit out, so the Chargers don’t really have another viable option at TE.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken on Twitter Ryan Mathews officially inactive
This was the prevailing thought later in the week, and as a result the backfield duties will be left to DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles. Murray is a very nice GPP target as his volume of touches should exceed 20, but the Tampa Bay run defense has been sneaky good this season. Per Football Outsiders, Tampa owns the 4th toughest run defense to date. Sproles should also see a slight uptick in snaps, although he’s nothing more than a dart-throw GPP play.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano on Twitter Vincent Jackson officially active, Seferian-Jenkins inactive
We now have confirmation that Jackson will be active. He should slot right back into a featured role alongside Mike Evans, and will run the majority of his routes against beatable outside CBs Nolan Carroll and Byron Maxwell. Downgrade Evans slightly with Jackson active. With ASJ inactive, the Bucs will continue to turn to a combination of Brandon Myers and Luke Stocker.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano on Twitter Chris Polk inactive Sunday
There isn’t much DFS relevance here this week, as no Houston RB is a viable play in any format. However, it’s worth watching how the workload is distributed between Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes. Blue has been more of a between-the-tackles guy for Houston with Grimes taking on more of a third-down/pass-catching role, but there is a chance Grimes continues to eat more and more into Blue’s workload. The Houston RBs will be in a much better spot next week against the Saints.
As reported by: Michael Fabiano on Twitter Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte officially inactive
Just passing along confirmation. Jeffery’s absence should lead to more work for Marquess Wilson and Martellus Bennett, both of whom have nice ceilings given their price. Bennett has spent a lot of time blocking in recent weeks, but he should be counted on more as a receiver today with the Bears going to 2-TE sets fairly often. Josh Bellamy should be the #2 WR, but doesn’t project as a viable DFS play.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Matt Forte to sit out Sunday
Forte will miss another week of action but the fact that he’s been questionable the last two weeks suggests he’s likely close to a return. Jeremy Langford will once again head up the Chicago backfield, and while the match-up isn’t ideal, Denver is allowing an average of six receptions per game to RBs, and they were just ran over by Charcandrick West last week, who plays with a similar style. He’s still better utilized in tournaments, but there is definitely upside here.
As reported by: Matthew Berry Emmanuel Sanders will not play Sunday
Sanders reportedly looked shaky in warmups and will not play against the Bears. It’s good news for the value of Demaryius Thomas, who will be the clear top target for Brock Osweiler this afternoon in a game with a relatively high total. Thomas caught 6 of Osweiler’s 14 completions last week, and the two had a week of practice to become more familiar with working together. With a handful of high-end WRs stuck in poor matchups (DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones), Thomas is playable in any format. Bennie Fowler, Andre Caldwell and Cody Latimer are all candidates to see more work with Sanders out. Latimer and Caldwell each had 5 targets this week while Bennie Fowler had 3.
As reported by: Jamey Eisenberg Julio Jones expected to draw Vontae Davis in coverage
Davis does not always shadow opposing #1 WRs, but it’s looking very much like he’ll be following Julio Jones around this afternoon. The Falcons lack any real threat on the outside opposite of Julio, and their next best receiving weapon (Leonard Hankerson) lines up in the slot, where Davis has played just 3% of his snaps. Jones is best approached as a GPP target this week given how much salary it takes to roster him. While Davis hasn’t been elite in coverage this season in terms of his PFF grade, he’s still one of the league’s best.
As reported by: Adam Schefter