DFS Alerts
Carlos Hyde, Anquan Boldin not practicing Wednesday
Hyde’s absence is not a surprise, as he’s not expected to play this week and will very likely miss time beyond this week. Boldin was inactive last week with a hamstring injury, but the 49ers will desperately need him to suit up to give new starter Blaine Gabbert any hope at moving the ball. The ATL D/ST unit is a very solid target given the bevy of injuries to the 49ers skill position players and the obvious lack of talent at QB. Jerome Simpson will fill in opposite Torrey Smith if Boldin has to miss another game.
As reported by: Cam Inman on Twitter
Ryan Fitzpatrick participating in throwing drills
Given that the Jets have yet to add another QB to the roster, it’s a good sign that either Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith will be ready to play this week. We’re still leaning towards Fitzpatrick getting the nod, with the saving grace being that his injury is to his non-throwing hand. In the event that neither Fitzpatrick or Smith are able to suit up, Bryce Petty would be the next man up.
As reported by: Brian Costello on Twitter Heath Miller offers great DFS value in Week 9
Miller takes on an Oakland defense that has been historically bad against the TE position so far this season. They’ve allowed big games to Tyler Eifert (9-104-2 in Week 1), Crockett Gillmore (5-88-2 in Week 2), Gary Barnidge (6-105-1 in Week 3), Martellus Bennett (11-83-1 in Week 4) and Ladarius Green (4-45-1 in Week 7). They also managed to allow a receiving touchdown to Kellen Davis last weekend, which marked his first reception of the year. It’s no surprise that the Raiders have allowed the most FPs to opposing TEs by a fairly wide margin (the Dolphins are slowly creeping up on them). Heath Miller is somehow available at just $2,700 on DraftKings, making him a premier target in cash games and tournaments this week. While his $5,800 price tag on FanDuel isn’t as attractive, he’s still very much in play in all formats.
Lamar Miller practicing
The Dolphins feature running back practiced today which is good news for his likelihood to play on Sunday. He does, however, have a tough match up against the Bills and there are better options at his price point across the industry. He should be low-owned which would make him an interesting GPP play.
As reported by: Armando Salguero on Twitter
Percy Harvin's status still up in the air
It seems unlikely that Harvin will suit up this Sunday which was to be expected given recent updates on his status. With Sammy Watkins iffy, this makes players like Robert Woods and Chris Hogan potential value plays come this Sunday.
As reported by: Joe Buscaglia on Twitter Karlos Williams full participant in practice
The Bills RB is practicing in full today. This doesn’t have much DFS impact with a healthy LeSean McCoy dominating the bulk of the offensive snaps but it could slightly decrease how much Shady does get the ball.
As reported by: Joe Buscaglia on Twitter Jeremy Hill set to explode on Thursday?
Bengals OC Hue Jackson said “the arrow is pointing up” on Jeremy Hill. Hill has been an afterthought in DFS circles during a very up-and-down year, but this week’s match-up with the Browns is a great opportunity for him to explode. Hue Jackson clearly wants to get him more involved since he’ll be an important piece of their potential playoff run, and the Browns league-worst run defense will provide a perfect chance to give Hill a heavy workload. Cleveland is allowing over 130 yards on the ground to opposing RBs this year. Hill is priced at a very fair $6,800 on FanDuel and can be targeted confidently in Thursday contests.
As reported by: Paul Dehner Jr. on Twitter Branden Oliver sent to IR, ending his season
Oliver will miss the rest of the season with turf toe. He hasn’t played an integral role in 2015, with first-round pick Melvin Gordon eating up most of the work on 1st and 2nd downs, so this news doesn’t change much for the Chargers. Gordon will continue to eat up early down work with Danny Woodhead solidified as the 3rd-down/pass-catching back.
As reported by: Alex Flanagan on Twitter Orleans Dwarka dealing with badly bruised tailbone
Dwarka suffered the injury on Sunday and may not be able to practice tomorrow, but he’s still expected to play on Sunday. He saw just four carries and was not targeted in the passing game, while Rashad Jennings finished with 10 carries to go along with two catches on three targets. Dwarka is not a recommended DFS option in Week 9, and the Giants RB situation as a whole is one to avoid.
As reported by: Ralph Vacchiano on Twitter Johnny Manziel expected to start Thursday
With Josh McCown (ribs) expected to sit out Thursday, Johnny Manziel is tentatively expected to start against the undefeated Bengals. The big takeaway here is that the Bengals D/ST unit becomes a stronger play on Thursday night, because it’s nearly impossible to trust any of the Browns skill-position players with Manziel at the helm. He’s connected with Travis Benjamin on a few big plays this year, but they’ve seemed fluky and we’ve begun to see Benjamin coming back to earth over the past two weeks. The entire Browns offense is best left alone this week in DFS.
As reported by: Rand Getlin on Twitter Matt Jones, Alfred Morris to continue sharing work
DFS owners would love to see one of these two (preferably Jones) unleashed in a feature role, but that does not appear to be happening this week. Morris has been absolutely dreadful this season, topping double-digit fantasy points just once all year, and his match-up against the Patriots this week is definitely one to avoid. The Skins are expected to fall behind early and will be playing catch-up most of the afternoon, making some of the receiving options interesting GPP targets. Matt Jones will continue to take on passing down work until Chris Thompson returns, so he’s the back you’ll want to target if you have to choose between these two. Avoid all Washington running backs in DFS this week.
As reported by: ESPN.com Keenan Allen placed on IR, out for the year
This is a huge blow to what has become a very volume heavy passing attack in San Diego. Allen has had some huge games in 2015, but he’ll miss the rest of the year which will open up opportunity for Stevie Johnson, Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green. Stevie Johnson is likely to see the biggest bump in value due to Allen’s absence, and he becomes a really strong play at bargain prices on FanDuel ($5,400) and DraftKings ($3,200). If you need a punt play at WR, Johnson is a great candidate. Danny Woodhead may also see his workload increase a bit with Philip Rivers top target out of action.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken on Twitter Joseph Randle released by Cowboys
After looking like the Cowboys new lead back just a few weeks ago, Randle has done a complete 180 and is now without a job. Darren McFadden has looked great in his last two games as the Cowboys bell cow, and will continue to see the large majority of the work with Christine Michael backing him up. McFadden is still underpriced across the industry ($6,500 on FanDuel, $4,300 on DraftKings), and is a solid DFS target in most formats heading into this week’s matchup with the Eagles. Randle will likely find himself on a roster at some point this season if teams are able to get past his off field issues.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter Reggie Bush done for the season
As if the 49ers needed any more bad luck, Carlos Hyde’s backup is now out for the season after slipping on the sidelines following a run on Sunday. Until Hyde returns, new QB Blaine Gabbert will have to get by with Pierre Thomas, Shaun Draughn and Kendall Gaskins. None of them are DFS relevant with the state this offense is in. You’ll be wanting to stream opposing D/ST units against this team for the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Ian Rapaport on Twitter Blaine Gabbert to start for 49ers vs. Falcons
What a fall from grace for Colin Kaepernick. A few years ago he’s taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and now he’s being unseated as the starter by Blaine Gabbert. The 49ers skill position players were risky with Kaepernick at the helm, but they are basically unplayable with Gabbert under center. The Falcons D/ST is an attractive target this week with the 49ers likely to have a lot of trouble moving the ball with any consistency.
As reported by: @SportsCenter