DFS Alerts
Russell Shepard (Foot Sprain), Status Unknown This Week
Shepard missed practice Wednesday, putting his Week 4 status in doubt. He has only caught 3 of his 8 targets for 25 yards this season.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport
Vance McDonald (Shoulder) Not Expected to Miss Extended Time
Ian Rapoport reported that McDonald isn’t expected to miss extended time, but he had a shoulder sling on Tuesday. The Steelers also traded for Nick Vannett, but the Steelers are indicating that is more about depth than McDonald’s injury. Vannett will be the top TE option for the Steelers if McDonald is out.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Nick Vannett TE Luke Willson Signing with Seattle
Willson will be the backup to Will Dissly, which won’t leave a significant role for him. He spent his first 5 seasons with the Seahawks, averaging 15.7 yards per game over 72 games.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Seahawks Trade TE Nick Vannett to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Vannett was acquired by the Steelers and will have a chance to start while Vance McDonald recovers from his shoulder injury. He will be a low-level DFS option.
As reported by: Adam Schefter This TE in Great Spot
Howard just flashed some of that big play ability, hauling in 3 catches for 66 yards in Week 3. This Rams secondary is tough on wide receivers generally, so Tampa may lean heavily on its tight end in Week 4.
Heavily Targeted WR in Great Matchup
Samuels led all WRs in targets (7) in Kyle Allen’s first start this season. Now he takes on a Houston secondary that has given up stat lines of 13/183/2 (Keenan Allen), 7/55/1 (DJ Chark), and 10/123/0 (Mike Thomas) to opposing #1 WRs. I’ll be targeting Samuel heavily here in Week 4.
Melvin Gordon Considering an Early End to Holdout, No Date Set Yet
Melvin Gordon is considering reporting early, although no date has been set yet. He had originally been planning to report in October, so the Chargers might get a few extra games out of him. Ekeler’s value would take a significant hit if Gordon returned.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Austin Ekeler Mack Daddy
With at least 19 touches in every game this season, Mack now takes on a tough Raiders run defense this week. However, they started to show weakness in Week 3, allowing 16/110/1 to Dalvin Cook and another 12/58/1 to his backup, Alexander Mattison. This appears to be a great spot for Mack in Week 4.
Like This Rookie in GPPs
This game is going to have a lot of points scored, in my opinion, and it was a very encouraging sign to see Murray finally start running (8 carries, 69 yards) in Week 3 after deferring in the first 2 weeks. He is going to have multiple ways to beat this vulnerable Seahawks defense.
Plenty of Opportunity
The Giants can’t catch a break with everyone being healthy at the same time, and now it’s Saquon Barkley who is sidelined. Now that they have a competent quarterback at the helm, we can upgrade the other passing game weapons. Expect loads of targets for both Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, and both were heavily involved with 100+ yards and a touchdown each in Week 3 against Tampa Bay. This isn’t a bad matchup against Washington, and both pass catchers are in play as reasonably priced mid-range options.
Other tagged players: Evan Engram
Stack 'Em Up
The passing game for the Rams always goes under-owned because nobody knows who to play. I like the idea of getting a little wild with Rams exposure this week, as they have a great home matchup against the winless Bucs to go along with an implied team total around 30 points. Cooper Kupp was fantastic on Sunday night against the Browns with ten catches on eleven targets, and he’s my favorite GPP wide receiver on the slate. You can add either Cooks or Woods as an upside stack with Goff at QB. I rank my interest as Kupp > Cooks > Woods, but I will have exposure to all of them.
Other tagged players: Brandin Cooks Fire Up The Passing Game Stacks
The passing game for the Rams always goes under-owned because nobody knows who to play. I like the idea of getting a little wild with Rams exposure this week, as they have a great home matchup against the winless Bucs to go along with an implied team total around 30 points. Cooper Kupp was fantastic on Sunday night against the Browns with ten catches on eleven targets, and he’s my favorite GPP wide receiver on the slate. You can add either Cooks or Woods as an upside stack with Goff at QB. I rank my interest as Kupp > Cooks > Woods, but I will have exposure to all of them.
The Contrarian Stud?
A difficult matchup against the Bears combined with an elevated price tag is going to have the masses off Cook this week. After all, it makes sense to simply pay up for Christian McCaffrey in a much better matchup. However, we’ve seen the entire skill set from Cook in the early going, as he has 20+ touches and 110+ rushing yards in each of Minnesota’s first three games. He lost snaps last week as a result of the blowout, as Mattison and Boone handled six fourth quarter carries while Cook rested. The NFL rushing leader is absolutely in play despite a tough matchup, especially since his ownership will be criminally low in GPP formats.
Top Play on the Slate
The running back board is surprisingly barren this week. Elliott and Kamara are facing off in a prime time game. Saquon Barkley is hurt. Dalvin Cook has a tough matchup (though I like him in GPP formats as a pivot). Austin Ekeler has been priced through the roof given a matchup against the Dolphins. By process of elimination, that leaves McCaffrey as the clear cash game core play at running back. The star Carolina back has played on nearly every snap this season (100% in two games and 92% last week), and he is involved with every facet of this offense. He is coming off a 24/153/1 game against the Cardinals and should eventually catch more passes as he gets more comfortable with Kyle Allen at QB. Pay up for C-Mac and build from there.
David Njoku (Wrist) Avoids Surgery, Increasing Chance of Return This Season
David Njoku will not have surgery on his wrist, increasing the chance that he is able to return this season. However, it will still be a significant amount of time before Njoku can return for the Browns.
As reported by: Mary Kay Cabot