DFS Alerts
Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) practices in full Wednesday
Head coach Kyle Shanahan originally told reporters on a Zoom conference that Aiyuk wouldn’t practice on Wednesday, but the 49ers’ official practice report later reflected the complete opposite with Aiyuk categorized as a full participant in today’s individual and team drills. If Aiyuk is able to continue practicing in full the next two days, his presence in the wide receiver corps would allow San Francisco to ease newly-signed Mohamed Sanu into the offensive gameplan, if he’s even active for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets since he’s unable to practice until Friday at the absolute earliest. With George Kittle’s status in doubt, the Niners will have to continue relying on Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne, and Trent Taylor for the time being, while Jordan Reed would slot in as the starting tight end if Kittle is ultimately inactive this weekend.
As reported by: Matt Maiocco via Twitter
Miles Sanders (hamstring) and RT Lane Johnson (ankle) practice in full Wednesday
Sanders was limited in all three Eagles’ practice sessions leading up to Week 1, so this is the first full practice he’s been able to participate in since injuring his hamstring in the early stages of training camp. As long as Sanders is able to practice fully the next two days and doesn’t suffer a setback, it appears he’ll be ready to go for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, which will demote Boston Scott and Corey Clement back to their complementary roles in the backfield rotation. On a likelier even import note, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson returned to practice today and is also fully expected to play in Week 2 after missing the loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon. His mere presence on the offensive line is an upgrade for Sanders and this entire Philadelphia offense’s projected value in this week’s daily fantasy contests across the industry.
As reported by: Dave Zangaro via Twitter Jack Doyle (ankle, knee) and Zach Pascal (ankle) don't practice Wednesday
Doyle was unable to participate in practice on Wednesday due to what’s been listed as an ankle and knee injury. Doyle was only targeted four times in Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars as he appeared to most affected by Parris Campbell’s emerging role in the Indianapolis offense after the second-year wideout was peppered with nine targets and led the team with six receptions and 71 receiving yards. The Colts were already forced to place Trey Burton on injured reserve prior to Week 1, so if Doyle is unable to suit up, Mo Alie-Cox would likely assume the starting tight end duties and has flashed elite athleticism in his limited snaps over the past few seasons. As for Pascal, there doesn’t seem to be much concern from beat writers on his availability for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, but if he’s somehow inactive, it would clear the way for rookie Michael Pittman to see nearly all of the available routes on the outside opposite of T.Y. Hilton at wide receiver.
As reported by: Joel A. Erickson via Twitter Other tagged players: Zach Pascal George Kittle (knee) won't practice Wednesday
Kittle won’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, but head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned to reporters that he’d be confident with Kittle playing effectively in Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets as long as he gets the green light from team doctors. This means that Kittle could theoretically play without participating in a single practice for the remainder of the week. However, even if Kittle is active, it would seem unlikely he’d be able to handle a full workload of snaps which would open up additional route running opportunities for Jordan Reed, who also would project as a fantastic value option in daily fantasy formats if Kittle is unable to suit up for the 49ers’ upcoming game this weekend.
As reported by: Matt Maiocco via Twitter Phillip Lindsay (toe) doesn't practice Wednesday, considered day-to-day
Despite NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting earlier in the day that Lindsay was expected to miss a “few weeks”, head coach Vic Fangio disclosed with reporters that the Broncos are listing him day-to-day and the team is optimistic with the MRI results for Lindsay’s turf toe injury. It’s tough to tell if there is any gamesmanship in Fangio’s assessment of the injury, but it’s probably safe to assume that Lindsay is currently on the wrong side of questionable for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers even is he’s going to try to prepare to play. It’ll be important to monitor Lindsay’s status on the practice report the next two days, but if he’s unable to give it a go, Melvin Gordon would become the undisputed lead running back for Denver with Royce Freeman mixing in as a change pace or just to spell Gordon for a play or so at a time.
As reported by: Nick Kosmider via Twitter Chris Godwin (concussion) enters the NFL's concussion protocol Wednesday
Godwin didn’t show any concussion-like symptoms on Monday or Tuesday, but the Buccaneers have officially placed him in the NFL’s concussion protocol, putting his status for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Carolina Panthers in some doubt. Head coach Bruce Arians admitted to reporters on a Zoom conference that the team will be extremely cautious with Godwin, and if he’s unable to suit up, Mike Evans would be in prime position to lead the Bucs in target market share by a wide margin and was even able to practice in full on Wednesday following Sunday’s contest where he was initially not expected to play with a hamstring injury. Should Godwin be inactive, Justin Watson would likely be elevated to the primary wide receiver opposite Evans on the outside, while Scotty Miller should have all the available slot routes to himself after accumulating a 5-73-0 line on six targets in Week 1.
As reported by: Greg Auman via Twitter John Brown (foot) doesn't practice Wednesday
Brown will not participate in practice on Wednesday due to a foot injury. Brown managed to be on the field for 93 percent of snaps in Sunday’s Week 1 win over the New York Jets, so it’s certainly possible that his absence from individual and team drills is just a maintenance day for the veteran wide receiver. If his status on the Bills’ practice report isn’t upgraded on Thursday then his availability for the Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins may begin to come into question. Brown surprisingly out-targeted Stefon Diggs this past Sunday en route to a 6-70-1 stat line on 10 targets, but Diggs was still more efficient with his market share of passes as he recorded more receptions and yards than Brown and is firmly entrenched as Josh Allen’s top wide receiver moving forward.
As reported by: Joe Buscaglia via Twitter Jarvis Landry (hip) plans to play Thursday night
Landry didn’t participate in any individual or team drills on Tuesday due to a hip injury, but he reportedly believes that the rest is just precautionary and fully plans to play in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. With all the weapons the Browns have on offense, Landry’s role will likely fluctuate week-to-week, and he only managed to rack up five receptions on six targets for 61 yards in Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and was significantly behind Odell Beckham in target market share. The absence of David Njoku, who was placed on injured reserve, for at least the next three weeks could open up a few additional looks for Landry, making a potentially intriguing stacking partner with Baker Mayfield on Thursday’s single-game slates across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: Jeremy Fowler via Twitter Michael Thomas (ankle) expected to miss several weeks
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that Thomas’ ankle injury is worse than the Saints originally believed, and he is currently expected to miss several weeks, effectively ruling him out of Week 2’s Monday night matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders and making him a candidate to placed on short-term injured reserve. This is obviously a devasting blow to the Saints offense, and with Thomas unavailable, it elevates Emmanuel Sanders to the de facto number one wide receiver role for Drew Brees, while Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook also figure to absorb a larger market share of the Saints’ targets. It should also be expected for Tre’Quan Smith to see a significant increase in snaps and routes run for the duration of Thomas’ absence, and he’ll be an intriguing tournament flier this weekend’s primetime and single-game slates across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: Tom Pelissero via Twitter 49ers sign WR Mohamed Sanu
The 49ers have announced that they’ve reached an agreement with Sanu on a contract to fill the currently vacated spot on their 53-man active roster that was created when placing Deebo Samuel on short-term injured reserve after he suffered a setback in his recovery from a Lisfranc injury. If Sanu is healthy, which was something that was frequently questioned while he was participating in the New England Patriots’ training camp, he could assume a significant role in the wide receiver rotation with rookie Brandon Aiyuk on the mend from a hamstring injury. It’s still too early to tell if Sanu will be active for the Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets, but even if he’s inactive, the Niners figure to have found some depth at the receiver position for however long Samuel and Aiyuk are sidelined.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Le’Veon Bell (hamstring) placed on injured reserve, eligible to return in three weeks
The Jets announced that they have placed Bell on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 1’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, and he’ll be eligible to return after three weeks, assuming he is healthy enough to be activated. New York also placed rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims on injured reserve, a move that was expected following his absence for a majority of training and Sunday’s contest. In a corresponding transaction, the Jets recalled Kalen Ballage up from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster. This leaves Ballage, Frank Gore, Josh Adams, and La’Mical Perine as the available running backs in a potential backfield rotation, and following their disastrous performance against the Bills, it may be a situation to avoid in daily fantasy formats moving forward.
As reported by: Kim Jones via Twitter Jarvis Landry (hip) doesn't practice Tuesday
Landry was on the field observing practice Tuesday, but he didn’t participate in any individual or team drills due to a hip injury. Landry wasn’t listed on Monday’s practice report with any type of ailment, so he was more than likely held out as part of a planned maintenance day to limit his reps following offseason hip surgery. With all the weapons the Browns have on offense, Landry’s role will likely fluctuate week-to-week, and he only managed to rack up five receptions on six targets for 61 yards in Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and was significantly behind Odell Beckham in target market share. The absence of David Njoku, who was placed on injured reserve, for at least the next three weeks could open up a few additional looks for Landry, making a potentially intriguing stacking partner with Baker Mayfield on Thursday night’s single-game slates across the daily fantasy industry.
As reported by: Jake Trotter via Twitter Courtland Sutton (shoulder) will be inactive Monday night
Sutton landed awkwardly on a diving catch towards the end of Thursday’s practice, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’ll be inactive for Monday night’s season opener against the Tennessee Titans due to a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. With Sutton officially unable to suit up, rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will suddenly become the presumed number one target on the outside for Drew Lock, while Tim Patrick should see a large portion of the snaps on the opposite side of the field and certainly has the chemistry advantage with Lock following a shortened offseason and abbreviated training camp for the Broncos’ number one pick. Additionally, DaeSean Hamilton will also mix into the wide receiver rotation and will likely be running a majority of his routes from the slot this evening.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Golden Tate (hamstring) inactive Monday night
Tate was limited in practice all week and will officially be inactive for Monday night’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers after testing out his injured hamstring during pregame warmups. The Giants are taking the cautious approach in an attempt to prevent Tate from aggravating his ailing hammy, and his absence from the receivers corps will open up more space for Evan Engram to operate in the middle of the field, while Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton also figure to see an increase in their target market share. With no clear backup to Tate, it would seem likely that Engram and Shepard absorb a majority of the vacated routes from the slot whereas C.J. Board and Damion Ratley benefit from whatever snaps are leftover at the wide receiver position this evening.
As reported by: Jordan Raanan via Twitter David Njoku (knee) placed on injured reserve, expected to miss three weeks
The Browns announced that they have placed Njoku on injured reserve and expect him to return in three weeks when first eligible to be activated after sustained a sprained MCL in Week 1’s blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. Njoku managed to compile three receptions and score a touchdown prior to his exit, but he still trailed rookie Harrison Bryant in total snaps and was clearly the third-string tight end. The Browns are likely to be one of the league-leaders in 12 personnel, which should allow Bryant to carve out a decent role in the offense with Njoku unavailable to steal opportunities in the passing game for at least three weeks, but his absence is more beneficial to Austin Hooper, who is now the clear-cut first option at the tight end position for Cleveland.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter