DFS Alerts

Greg Olsen Returns to Practice After Missing Monday

Greg Olsen practiced Wednesday after not being seen at the Monday practice. It appears that his absence was either rest or personal, and that he will be fine for the Week 1 opener.

Andre Roberts (Quad) Not Practicing, Tyler Kroft (Foot) Limited

Kroft has just started working back from his injury and still appears to have work left before he can return to game action. If ruled out, this will allow Dawson Knox, their number 1 TE option, to see a slightly larger role. Still, Knox is far from an elite option, and the Bills are underdogs in one of the lowest Vegas total games of the week. Andre Roberts is buried deep on the depth chart at WR, and his absence wouldn’t have a DFS impact.

Odell Beckham Jr. (Hip) Ready for Week 1

Odell Beckham Jr. is ready to play week 1 according to Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens. The hip injury was thought to be minor and Kitchens confirmed that today. Expect OBJ to be ready to go full speed. Beckham’s production slowed over the past two seasons, but he will now have Baker Mayfield at QB. Mayfield set the rookie record for touchdown passes last season and will be leading a much improved Browns team.

Ezekiel Elliott Signs Contract, Partial Workload Expected Week 1

Ezekiel Elliott signed a 6-year contract, ending his holdout just four days prior to the Cowboys first regular season game. The current plan is to have Elliott play 20-25 snaps, Pollard to back him up and FB Jamize Olawale to see time on 3rd down due to his blitz pickup ability. Elliott led the NFL in touches, rush attempts and rush yards last season while breaking 2000 yards from scrimmage and pulling in 77 catches. The increased role in the passing game pushed the already elite Elliott to a new level.

With the Cowboys offensive line remaining strong, Elliott should produce at similar levels this season once up to full speed. Even with limited snaps Elliott is capable of a big game, but it will be riskier than usual given his high price and limited role. Pollard takes a significant hit with Elliott’s return but is still in position to produce Week 1. His is reasonably priced and should get nearly all the remaining touches out of the backfield. Olawale received 4 targets total over 16 games last season and is a non-factor for DFS.

Too Cheap to Ignore

Breida was named the starter going into the Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and while Tevin Coleman should still see a good deal of work, Breida getting the first shot is very intriguing considering the amazing spot he is in this week while still being very underpriced ($4k on DK and $5.4k on FD). This very well may be a 50/50 split Week 1, but the price in which Breida is at for a matchup against Tampa appears to be a very great opportunity to leverage some value at project low ownership (as of now).

Elite Option At The Position

Travis Kelce was 10th in targets overall last season with double-digit DK points in all but one game last season. The corners for the Jaguars are very tough, but Kelce should see linebackers or safeties in this matchup, and that is just a mismatch. Last year the Jaguars gave up 5 receptions for 100 yards to Kelce — he will work that short to intermediate area, and if the Jaguars try to cover him with Myles Jack again, this could be a long day for that defense.

Underpriced RB

Chris Carson is an awesome play against the Cincinnati Bengals. Seattle was 2nd in rush attempts and 1st in yards per game last season, while the Bengals struggled last year with stopping the run, giving up the 4th-most yards per game. This Seahawks team wants to just run the ball as much as possible and have also talked about getting Carson more involved in the passing game. Him seeing more passing volume makes him an even better play, on top of it being a great matchup for him on the ground.

RB In A Great Spot

Leonard Fournette is a three-down back in a great spot against the Chiefs. The Jaguars will want to try and control the ball and run it with Fournette, and he is also a much better pass catcher than people give him credit for — he should see plenty of work in the passing game. There are not many three-down backs left in this league, but I do consider Fournette one of them in a matchup where they will need to put up points to contend with this high-powered Chiefs offense.

Kenyan Drake Listed as Week 1 Starter

Kenyan Drake is listed as the Week 1 starter at RB over Kalen Ballage. There had been talk of Ballage stealing the starting job, particularly as Drake struggled with some injuries during training camp. However, it appears Drake has held onto the starting job, at least on paper. Both running backs are likely to share similar roles to start the season, with neither a clear lead back. The Dolphins will be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, meaning they will be playing from behind often. This should limit the upside of both running backs.

Eat The Chalk With This RB

Simply put, Dalvin Cook is too cheap everywhere. The explosiveness was on display in the one preseason game where he got a chance to perform, and by all accounts he is completely healthy. Mattison is a long-term threat for a handful of carries, but Cook is still the primary runner on a team that will likely run the ball early and often. There isn’t a threat to his workload, and this should be a game where the Vikings can play with a lead. Cook is an explosive play-maker who has massive upside at a reasonably affordable price tag.

Elite Value

I absolutely LOVE Hunter Henry this week. He’s healthy, he’s cheap, he won’t be over-owned, and he has a great matchup. Hello, quadfecta? On a schedule adjusted basis, the Colts allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends a year ago. Henry is capable of being a matchup nightmare when healthy, and I think he is going to be a breakout performer in 2019. The Colts don’t have any linebackers capable of covering Henry, and their tendency to play a zone scheme should give Henry plenty of room to work over the middle of the field. I believe that Henry should push for an 18-20% target share this year, a clear #2 on the team in addition to Keenan Allen. We’ve seen Rivers have chemistry with his tight ends, especially in the red zone, too.

Ready to Break Out Again

While this may not look like the best matchup on paper against a solid rush defense, I really like David Johnson in this spot. He might be the player I am most overweight on compared to the field in Week 1, as he provides a lot of upside at a cheaper price tag than the likes of Barkley and McCaffrey. I think our projected carry share of 59% is too low, as I would peg this as a 75/25 split in Johnson’s favor. He is one of the few backs that is capable of being an every down player in today’s NFL. He should have more open space this year with an athletic quarterback and the “spread it out” nature of a Kingsbury offense. It’s also worth noting that Johnson is a capable pass catcher who once caught 120 passes in a season in 2016. There’s tons of upside here, and this might be the cheapest tag he has all season.

Increased Role If No MG3

It looks like Austin Ekeler is poised for a big Week 1 role with Melvin Gordon looking increasingly unlikely to suit up. Ekeler will split work with Justin Jackson but is still likely to see 15-20 touches in a favorable matchup. The Colts zone defense combined with the Chargers depleted offensive line should translate into a lot of short targets for Ekeler whose value increases on PPR sites.

Underpriced Bellcow

Leonard Fournette is getting a lot of hype as a Week 1 tournament option but I think you could easily make an argument for him being one of the better cash game RBs of the main slate. Fournette looks teed up for a true bellcow role out of the gate as pass-catching back T.J. Yeldon is no longer with the Jaguars and Jacksonville’s RB depth is truly dreadful with Ryquell Armstead and Devine Ozigbo being the only other true RBs on the roster. In addition to a monster role, this is a great matchup for Fournette as Kansas City ranked dead last in run-defense DVOA last season and allowed the fifth-most receiving yards to RBs. Kansas City @ Jacksonville is the highest total game (52) on the slate and Fournette is expected to be a large part of the Jaguars offensive production.

Jimmy Graham (Finger) Full Practice Participant

Jimmy Graham (Finger) was a full participant in practice Tuesday after being limited on Monday. Last season was Graham’s worst fantasy season, driven entirely by his inability to reach the end zone. Compared to his prior roles in Seattle and New Orleans, Graham is much less of a red zone target for the Packers. He had 10 touchdowns in 57 catches with Seattle in 2017, but just two touchdowns on 55 catches last year. Unless the Packers start to look towards him more often in the red zone, there will be a ceiling to his production.