DFS Alerts
Curtis Samuel (knee) officially listed as questionable for Sunday
Samuel was limited in practice all week and has officially been listed as questionable on the Panthers’ injury report for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the New Orleans Saints due to an ankle injury that already forced him to miss one game. Samuel hasn’t been seeing enough volume in the passing or running game to be a viable option in daily fantasy formats, but his potential absence is enough to boost the expected fantasy value of the other Carolina wide receivers and running back Mike Davis as Samuel has a respectable 13.3% target share on the season and frequently receives carries on end-around plays or out of the backfield. With Samuel sidelined last week, D.J. Moore accumulated a massive 40.7% target share and 57.0% of the team’s air yards, so even though those metrics aren’t sustainable, he may be an intriguing tournament option at his currently depressed price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Joe Person via Twitter
Austin Hooper (appendicitis) ruled out for Sunday
Hooper missed practice on Friday with a non-COVID illness, but head coach Kevin Stefanski later revealed to reporters on a Zoom call that Hooper was suffering from appendicitis and had to undergo an appendectomy. This obviously rules Hooper out of Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it could sideline him for the Browns’ Week 8 contest as well. The Browns have been among the league leaders in 1-2 personnel (double tight end sets), so both Harrison Bryant and David Njoku will be in line for an increased opportunity through the passing game this weekend. Although we don’t have a great sample size with both Bryant and Njoku on the field together, Bryant clearly ran ahead of Njoku in Week 1 before Hooper established himself as the undisputed alpha at the tight end position in the weeks to come.
As reported by: Jake Trotter via Twitter Joe Mixon (foot) officially ruled out for Sunday
Mixon was held out of practice for a third consecutive day on Friday, and he’s already officially been ruled out of Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Cleveland Browns as recovers from a foot injury. Mixon was in the midst of his usual workhorse role before being forced to exit this past week’s contest with his aforementioned injury, and now that he’s set to be inactive this weekend, Gio Bernard will undoubtedly step into a similar role given his prowess in the passing game out of the backfield. Even with just a 27.8% snap rate on the season, Bernard has managed to accumulate an 8.4% target share from rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, giving him a sizable floor and similar ceiling to Mixon, even if he cedes some carries to the likes of Semaje Perine and Trayveon Williams.
As reported by: Ben Raby via Twitter Sterling Shepard (toe) officially active Thursday night
The Giants officially activated Shepard from injured reserve earlier this afternoon, and he’s officially been cleared to play and will be active for Thursday night’s Week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing four games due to a toe injury. There haven’t been any reports on how limited Shepard might be, if at all, but assuming he’s close to full health, he should regain the starting wide receiver role opposite Darius Slayton on the outside and likely cut into the massive target share Slayton has accumulated over the previous two weeks. However, outside of the single-game contests around the daily fantasy industry, Shepard will be a difficult option to target given the uncertainty surrounding his injury and role in the offense moving forward.
As reported by: Ralph Vacchiano via Twitter Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Bennie Fowler (shoulder) don't practice Thursday
Thomas tweaked his hamstring at practice earlier in the week, and his absence from Thursday’s practice officially puts his status in some doubt for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Carolina Panthers due to the aforementioned ailment. If Thomas is ultimately inactive, not many things change for the Saints offense since Thomas has been sidelined since Week 2, so Emannuel Sanders and Tre’Quan Smith would remain the top two wide receivers for quarterback Drew Brees for at least one more game. Sanders would an especially interesting option in daily fantasy formats after amassing at least a 29.8% target share and a minimum 32.0% market share of the team’s air yards over the previous two contests.
As reported by: Nick Underhill via Twitter Other tagged players: Bennie Fowler Robert Tonyan (ankle) doesn't practice again Thursday
Tonyan did some rehab work on the side, but he was still unable to participate in practice for a second consecutive day, putting his potential availability in some question for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Houston Texans due to an ankle injury. The Packers run a fair amount of two-tight end sets, so if Tonyan is unable to suit up, both Jace Sternberger and Marcedes Lewis would enter the conversation as punt options at the tight end position in daily fantasy formats across the industry. Both have similar target shares thus far on the season, so it’d be interesting to see who takes over the primary pass-catching role if Tonyan is sidelined, though Sternberger easily profiles better as Tonyan’s direct backup and likely gives him the higher upside for tournaments.
As reported by: Tom Silverstein via Twitter Joe Mixon (foot) doesn't practice again Thursday
Mixon was held out of practice for a second consecutive day, which raises concern about his potential availability for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Cleveland Browns as he tries to recover from a foot injury. Mixon was in the midst of his usual workhorse role before being forced to exit this past week’s contest with his aforementioned injury, and if he’s unable to suit up this weekend, Gio Bernard would undoubtedly step into a similar role given his prowess in the passing game. Even with just a 27.8% snap rate on the season, Bernard has managed to accumulate an 8.4% target share from rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, giving him a sizable floor and similar ceiling to Mixon if the latter is ultimately inactive this upcoming Sunday afternoon.
As reported by: Ben Raby via Twitter John Brown (knee) and Dawson Knox (calf) don't practice again Thursday
Brown and Knox were both observers at practice for a second straight day with their respective ailments, putting both of their availabilities for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the New York Jets into serious question. Knox has already missed two games this season, and in those contests, Tyler Kroft took over as the primary pass-catching tight end but had mixed results for fantasy purposes. As for Brown, his potential absence is much more impactful and would elevate Gabriel Davis to the number two outside receiver role that enabled him to accumulate nine targets for a 20.0% target share and a 31.0% market share of the team air yards in Week 5, which was the last time Brown was sidelined with his lingering knee injury.
As reported by: Joe Buscaglia via Twitter Other tagged players: Dawson Knox Sterling Shepard (toe) plans to play Thursday night
The Giants haven’t officially activated Shepard from injured reserve to the active roster at the time of this writing, but that is reportedly something they plan to do before the deadline this afternoon. Therefore, Shepard plans to go through a pregame workout to gain clearance to play in Thursday night’s Week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing four games due to a toe injury. If Shepard is active, there haven’t been any reports on how limited he might be, but assuming he’s close to full health, he should regain the starting wide receiver role opposite Darius Slayton on the outside and cut into the massive target share Slayton has accumulated over the previous two weeks. Outside of the single-game contests around the daily fantasy industry, Shepard will be a difficult option to target given the uncertainty surrounding his injury and role in the offense moving forward.
As reported by: Art Stapleton via Twitter Diontae Johnson (back) practices in full Wednesday
Johnson was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, which gives him a tremendous chance of being able to suit up for this Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Tennessee Titans after missing the previous game with a back injury. With Johnson on track to play, the target distribution in Pittsburgh could become infinitely murkier following Chase Claypool’s breakout performances the last two weeks, but Johnson would still be a viable tournament option for daily fantasy formats across the industry in Week 7, especially if he just steps into the role James Washington occupied in this past Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, which equated to a 30.4% target share and 51% market share of the team’s air yards through the passing game.
As reported by: Mark Kaboly via Twitter DeSean Jackson (hamstring) will play Thursday night; Alshon Jeffery (foot) remains out
Jackson still hasn’t put in a full practice after being limited in Tuesday’s session, but head coach Doug Pederson still believes that Jackson will be ready to go for Thursday night’s Week 7 matchup against the New York Giants despite still recovering from a hamstring injury that’s kept him sidelined for three straight games. Meanwhile, Jeffery is set to be inactive once again and it’s beginning to feel like the Eagles are in no rush to have him active on gamedays with the emergence of Travis Fulgham and rookie Jalen Reagor on track to return in one of the next few games. Even though Jackson will likely be active, it’s almost guaranteed that he will be eased back into action and won’t see a full complement of snaps with Jon Hightower flashing serviceable downfield ability over the last couple of weeks
As reported by: Tim McManus via Twitter Other tagged players: Alshon Jeffery Dolphins name Tua Tagovailoa as starting quarterback beginning in Week 8
The Dolphins will be on bye in Week 7, but the organization announced this morning that Tagovailoa will be the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams and moving forward. The timing of the decision is so peculiar that the quarterback change following the bye week had to be Miami’s original plan going into the season, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick leading them to a 3-3 record and playing extremely well through six games. This means that Fitzpatrick now is a backup quarterback once again for the remainder of the 2020 season barring a trade to a quarterback-needy team prior to the NFL trade deadline in two weeks.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Raheem Mostert (ankle) will be placed on injured reserve
Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed with reporters on a Zoom conference call Monday that Mostert has a high ankle sprain and will likely be placed on injured reserve in the coming days, effectively ruling him out for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots and the following two weeks. Shanahan also reiterated that Tevin Coleman isn’t expected to return any time soon, so Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson Jr., and JaMycal Hasty are set to be the Niners backfield for the foreseeable future. Hasty actually out-carried McKinnon 9-6 in this past Sunday night’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, but with Wilson inactive for that contest, it’ll be tough gauge what Hasty’s role will be moving forward, especially since McKinnon handled over 92% of the running back snaps the last time Mostert and Coleman were both sidelined.
As reported by: Eric Branch via Twitter Titans activate Corey Davis from Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday
The Titans announced that they have activated Davis from the Reserve/COVID-19 listed, and he is set to return to practice this week, putting him on track to be ready for this Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers after being sidelined for nearly two weeks. Davis won’t be in a position to receive the same market share of targets he was seeing earlier in the season with A.J. Brown now back in the mix following his injury absence, but with Jonnu Smith suffering an ankle sprain in this past Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to suit up this coming weekend. If Smith does end up inactive, it would reopen extra opportunities in the passing game for Davis, Anthony Firkser, and the other ancillary Titans’ players on offense.
As reported by: Jim Wyatt via Twitter Jeff Wilson, Dante Pettis inactive Sunday
Jeff Wilson and Dante Pettis are both inactive. The 49ers will have Raheem Mostert and Jerick McKinnon as their top RBs, with FB Kyle Juszczyk possibly getting some work. Dante Pettis being inactive isn’t surprising, as he hasn’t had a real role in the offense since Week 1.
As reported by: San Francisco 49ers Other tagged players: Dante Pettis, Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon