DFS Alerts
Mike Wallace (ankle) ruled out for Sunday
Wallace has officially been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bears due to an ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined since Week 2, which will enable Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor to continue working as the Eagles top-two wide receivers. Nick Foles has been a full participant in practice the last two days, and head coach Doug Pederson confirmed earlier in the week that Foles would start at quarterback this weekend. The Bears have been significantly more stingy versus the run this season, ranking second in rush DVOA, so the Eagles should be expected to attack Chicago through the air, setting up Foles for a significant floor in terms of volume.
As reported by: Zach Berman via Twitter
RB Austin Ekeler (groin) questionable for Sunday
The Chargers change-up back was limited in practice all week after seeing a quarter of the snaps in Week 17. If he can suit up for Sunday’s Wild Card game at Baltimore, he may see that snap count rise a bit as the main complementary back given his experience over fellow back Justin Jackson. The Chargers come in as 3-point underdogs which could help to bolster Ekeler’s passing game usage behind lead back Melvin Gordon as well.
As reported by: @Chargers Other tagged players: Justin Jackson
Bears' top 3 wideouts all good to go for Sunday
Robinson, Gabriel, and Miller were all full participants in Friday’s practice and will round out 3-WR sets in Sunday’s game against the Eagles where the Bears boast the second-highest implied total of Wild Card weekend. Expect Robinson to lead the offense in targets against arguably the weakest secondary on the slate.
As reported by: Bob LeGere Other tagged players: Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller Melvin Gordon Ready for Wild Card game
It appears as a tough match-up on the surface and one that will cause Gordon to go lower owned than normal. However Gordon is a true workhorse and this Baltimore defense has allowed 27 receptions to running backs over the last 4 weeks. Gordon is known for his pass catching ability out of the backfield. This could be a sneaky DFS spot for MGIII
As reported by: Gilbert Manzano Twitter
T.Y. Hilton (ankle) and Dontrelle Inman (shoulder, finger) questionable for Saturday
Hilton has officially been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Texans due to an ankle injury that’s hampered him for the last several weeks, while Inman is also questionable with shoulder and finger injuries, respectively. Despite being held out of practice al week, Hilton is still expected to play on Wild Card weekend, and he has absolutely dominated the Texans this season, posting a 13-314-0 line on 18 targets in two games this season. As for Inman, he is second among Colts wide receivers in snaps the last six weeks, so his potential absence could open up more playing time for Zach Pascal and Ryan Grant, though Hilton and Eric Ebron clearly remain Andrew Luck’s preferred targets.
As reported by: the Indianapolis Colts via Twitter Other tagged players: Dontrelle Inman Nick Foles (ribs) returns to full practice Thursday; Wendell Smallwood (hand) and Mike Wallace (ankle) limited
Foles was able to participate fully in Thursday’s practice after being limited in Wednesday’s session due to bruised ribs, while Wendell Smallwood and Mike Wallace were limited for a second straight day because of hand and ankle injuries, respectively. This news all but confirms head coach Doug Pederson’s statements that Foles was “feeling good” and would start in Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bears on Wild Card weekend. The Bears have been significantly more stingy versus the run this season, ranking second in rush DVOA, so the Eagles should be expected to attack Chicago through the air, setting up Foles for a significant volume floor in terms of pass attempts.
As reported by: Jeff McLane via Twitter Other tagged players: Wendell Smallwood, Mike Wallace Colts WR Ryan Grant (toe) ruled out for Saturday
Fellow wideouts Dontrelle Inman, Chester Rogers, and Zach Pascal should all see around two-thirds of the snaps behind T.Y. Hilton who is expected to play on Saturday but may be at less than 100%. With Grant’s snaps down last week and Hilton struggling, Inman was the one to excel with 5 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
As reported by: Kevin Bowen Other tagged players: Dontrelle Inman, Zach Pascal, Chester Rogers Ryan Kelly practicing today; all signs point to him starting Saturday
This is huge for Marlon Mack. He is a much more successful runner with Kelly in the lineup. It’s a tough match-up against a stout Houston run defense, but a lack of top options at the running back position this week could lead you to Mack, a sneaky play with Kelly blocking for him
As reported by: Zac Keefer Twitter TY Hilton Does Not Practice Thursday, but Still Expected to be Full Go on Saturday
Hilton doesn’t practice this time of year. He’s fully expected to suit up and be Andrew Luck’s #1 target this week in the Wild Card showdown with Houston. Fire him up as normal despite lack of practice.
As reported by: Zac Keefer Twitter Keke Coutee 'Trending in the right direction.'
Bill O’Brien on Keke Coutee: ‘Trending in the right direction’. His presence would be a boost to this offense and he is squarely on the radar for DFS purposes if he is active for this game. He was healthy in Week 4 versus this Colts team and racked up 11 receptions for 109 yards.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Twitter Allen Robinson (ribs), Taylor Gabriel (ribs), and Anthony Miller (shoulder) practice in full Wednesday
Robinson returned to practice as a full participant in Wednesday’s session after missing the Week 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings due to a ribs injury, while Gabriel and Miller also managed to practice in full despite dealing with their respective ailments. This news is a positive sign for the trio’s availability in this weekend’s Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles and they should be good to go barring a setback later in the week. Robinson has a 22 percent target share in this Bears offense, so he would be the preferred Chicago receiver to target on the abbreviated four-game Wild Card weekend slates.
As reported by: Brad Biggs via Twitter Other tagged players: Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller WR T.Y. Hilton (ankle) not practicing Wednesday
The Colts’ star receiver is still expected to play this week though he’s been at less than 100% of late including last week’s play-in game where he pulled in just 2 catches on 6 targets. However, Hilton’s upside remains massive and he’s excelled against the Texans historically as well as this season where he’s produced over 300 receiving yards in 2 games versus Houston. He’s a first-tier receiver for this weekend’s playoff slate along with Deandre Hopkins.
As reported by: George Bremer Rookie WR Recovering From Injury For Playoff Matchup
In only six games this season, rookie wide receiver Keke Coutee put up 28 receptions for 287 yards and a touchdown, including a week 4 game against the Colts in which he tallied 11 receptions for 109 yards on 15 targets. Coutee has been recovering from a hamstring injury since week 12, and has been practicing in full for this week’s matchup against that same Colts team. It is difficult to know if Coutee will step right back into a prominent role in the Texans offense, and if he misses the game then DeAndre Carter comes into play, with either of the Texans secondary wide receivers being intriguing salary-savers this weekend.
Other tagged players: DeAndre Carter
Looking For Leverage At A Highly Variant Position
A good chunk of tight end ownership this week will be concentrated on Ertz and Ebron, and they are clearly the top projected plays at the position. However, we all know that tight end can be a highly variant position. Ertz has a tough matchup against a good Bears defense, and the wide receivers are just as capable of leading the way for the Colts. Enter Blake Jarwin, who did virtually nothing all year but exploded in Week 17, showing a very impressive connection with Dak Prescott in the process. While this could very well be a smoke-screen that tries to draw us in for the playoffs, I’m willing to take a chance on there being something to look at here. With ownership flocking to Elliott and Cooper, don’t sleep on the Prescott/Jarwin connection as a sneaky combination that would also free up a lot of salary for you to spend up at the RB and WR positions.
Looking For A Value Option at RB
There’s nothing sexy about targeting Lamar Miller in DFS contests, but there is merit to considering him on a four game slate, especially at his current price point. He returned from injury in the season finale and out-carried Alfred Blue 17 to 3, so there is no concern over the workload. The backups on this team simply aren’t capable of producing at the NFL level. As such, we’re likely looking at somewhere close to 20 touches for Miller in a game where the Texans are a slight home favorite. In addition, his price tag is still cheap as a result of the injury a couple weeks ago. Miller has the best floor of the cheaper RB options in the wild card round.