DFS Alerts
Darren McFadden practices
The Cowboys feature RB took part in drills and caught passes from QB Tony Romo today – a good sign that he will take the field on Sunday. Owner Jerry Jones said the team was just being cautious and didn’t expect there to be any issues with McFadden playing. McFadden has a great match up this week and at his price point is an option in both cash games and GPP’s.
As reported by: Brandon George on Twitter
Sam Bradford officially out for this week
No big surprise here as it was expected that Bradford would miss this week. Mark Sanchez will get the start and gets to face a Tampa Bay defense that is 19th in QB DvP and 30th in WR DvP. At only $6,400 on FanDuel and $5,000 on DraftKings, Sanchez is a strong value play at the QB position this week. Jordan Mathews should also benefit from the change as he had 54 targets and 6 TD’s in 2014 when Sanchez was his QB.
As reported by: Albert Breer on Twitter Ryan Mathews out this week
The backup Eagles RB has been ruled out with a concussion this week. This benefits Darren Sproles the most as he should receive increased usage but it will also benefit DeMarco Murray who will probably get 3-5 more carries as a result of Mathews sitting and also eliminates any threat of red zone vultures.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport on Twitter Antonio Gates misses Thursday's practice
Gates is dealing with injuries to both his knee and his hip, and has been dealing with them for weeks. While it’s very likely that he’ll try to play through the ailment with Keenan Allen and Malcom Floyd (most likely) out, Friday’s practice should shed more light on whether or not we’ll see Gates on Sunday. Ladarius Green is also dealing with an injury, so Philip Rivers may be short quite a few weapons. Stevie Johnson is an elite punt play this week. If Gates is able to suit up, he’s among the top overall options at the TE position.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken on Twitter
Frank Gore to be unleashed on Sunday?
Frank Gore will reportedly not be on any kind of pitch count against Atlanta, which makes sense considering the Colts will be without Andrew Luck. Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t have the same type of arm strength and can’t stretch out defenses in the same way that Luck can, so this could be a great spot for Gore to explode. 20-24+ touches isn’t out of the question here, and given how cheap he is on some major sites ($6.6 on FanDuel), he’s an excellent tournament play that should be underowned.
As reported by: D. Orlando Ledbetter Vincent Jackson gets in limited practice Thursday
Jackson was considered very doubtful at best to return in Week 11, although his participation (albeit limited) in practice puts somewhat of a question mark around that. It’s also worth noting that Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been a limited practice participant for two weeks and has not yet seen the field, so it’s still more than likely that Jackson sits out. Friday’s practice report will shed more light on his status.
As reported by: Scott Smith Darren McFadden limited in practice to keep him fresh
Darren McFadden was listed as a limited practice participant, but it was only an effort to keep him fresh. McFadden isn’t young (in NFL terms) anymore, and he’s been seeing upwards of 20 carries a week since taking over for Joseph Randle, so it’s understandable that the Cowboys will want to limit his practice reps. Expect McFadden to continue to see workhorse-type usage as long as he stays healthy. His carry count may drop slightly with Tony Romo back, but he’s going to be a weekly candidate for 20+ touches regardless. McFadden is one of the top dollar per point plays at RB across the industry and is playable in any format this week.
As reported by: Ian Rapaport on Twitter Ronnie Hillman will start Sunday, C.J. Anderson still in the mix
Ronnie Hillman will get another start at RB this week against Chicago. Like in recent weeks, C.J. Anderson will continue to act in a complementary role. In last week’s game (which was out of hand early), Hillman touched the ball 13 times (11 carries, two receptions) and scored the lone RB touchdown, while C.J. Anderson saw just two total touches. This week’s spot is much better for both RBs as the Bears have struggled to slow down opposing tailbacks this season, and game flow should keep the RBs involved throughout. Hillman is a solid GPP target given that he’s still priced towards the bottom of the salary pool.
As reported by: Lindsey Jones "No way" Bradford is able to return for Week 12
This seems to put to rest any hope of him suiting up against Tampa, and he shouldn’t be considered anything better than doubtful for Week 12 at this point. Bradford is dealing with a separated shoulder and a concussion – the shoulder still has about a week of healing ahead, while Bradford has not yet passed the league’s concussion protocol. Mark Sanchez will draw the start on Sunday against the Bucs, and is a very intriguing GPP punt play. He showed some good rapport with Jordan Matthews at times last season, so pairing the two in tournaments is viable given that it allows you to spend up at other positions.
As reported by: NJ.com Emmanuel Sanders expected to be a "full go"
This is great news for Brock Osweiler, as he’ll have his top two targets in action in his first career start. Sanders’ value doesn’t change much with the QB switch, although he’s not playable in cash games this week despite a plus matchup. We’ll need to see how the offense operates under Osweiler before recommending Sanders as anything more than a GPP target. There does not appear to be any doubt that he should be good to go for Sunday.
As reported by: Troy Renck Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery both miss Thursday's practice
It’s looking very much like Matt Forte will miss another game this week, which leaves Jeremy Langford as the lead dog yet again. Langford has looked very explosive in his first few games as the bell cow, and while this week’s matchup is far from ideal, he still holds some contrarian upside appeal given his middling price tag across the industry. Jeffery may just be getting extra rest since he’s been dealing with injuries most of the season, but his status for Friday’s practice will go a long way in determining whether or not he’s able to suit up. We’d be surprised if he didn’t play in a game the Bears need to win.
As reported by: Jeff Dickerson on Twitter Michael Floyd misses Thursday's practice
He’s looking very questionable for Sunday’s game with the Bengals. John Brown also didn’t do much in practice today, although he at least had his helmet on and was taking part in stretching. Floyd did not participate at all, so it’s hard to gauge exactly what to expect from the Cardinals 2nd and 3rd WRs. Jaron Brown is set to see an increased snap total if either of the two sit. Expect a big workload for Larry Fitzgerald regardless.
As reported by: Darren Urban on Twitter Vontae Davis expected to shadow Julio Jones "at times"
Since Jones lines up all over the field depending on formations, he was going to see some of Davis regardless of whether or not shadow coverage was in play. With minimal talent at WR behind Jones, it makes a ton of sense for the Colts to try to make the secondary receivers beat them. Leonard Hankerson gets a slight bump in value if he’s able to suit up this week, while Jones is better used as a high-upside GPP target as opposed to a cash game option. Given the tough match-up, Jones isn’t worth the large portion of your salary cap in a H2H or 50-50 game.
As reported by: Stephen Holder Mike Evans one of the few elite WRs in a plus Week 11 matchup
Vincent Jackson has already been ruled out and Austin Seferian-Jenkins has had a very tough time getting back on the field, so it should be Evans’ show once again on Sunday. Dating back to the Bucs Week 7 matchup with Washington (in which Jackson was hurt), Evans is averaging 13.25 targets per game and has crossed 120 yards receiving in three of those four games. He hasn’t found the end-zone in the past few weeks, but with target totals in line with what he’s seeing, the touchdowns will come. Evans has a nice matchup this week against the outside corners of the Eagles. Both Byron Maxwell and Nolan Carroll haven’t exactly slowed opposing #1’s this season, and the Eagles best DB play has come in the slot where safety Malcolm Jenkins roams. The Eagles have allowed the 3rd most FPs per game to opposing WRs on the year.
DeAndre Hopkins misses practice but should be ok to play this weekend
Hopkins sat out practice today but Head Coach Bill O’Brien stated “I think he’ll be ready to go” for this weekends game. For now, it appears they are being cautious but it’s a situation that requires being monitored. Practicing Friday would go a long way towards alleviating any concerns DFS players might have in rostering the target monster.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson on Twitter