DFS Alerts
Isaiah Crowell (ankle) doesn't practice Wednesday
Isaiah Crowell missed practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury. Coming off of his insane 219 rushing yards in week 5 it isn’t entirely surprising Crowell may need a maintenance day, but keep an eye on his practice status Thursday and Friday to get a better feel for his availability for the Jets week 6 matchup with the Colts. If Crowell were unable to suit up, Bilal Powell would become a lock for a heavy workload at an affordable price across the industry.
Rookie WR Remains Cheap Despite Leading Team in Receiving
The Minnesota pass defense has been shockingly bad so far this season, ranking 31st in the league in passing yards per attempt allowed (9.1) and 25th in passing yards per game allowed (279). This week the team takes on an Arizona Cardinals team that has had some problems on offense, but still has some weapons in RB David Johnson and WR Larry Fitzgerald. Surprisingly, however, the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards isn’t either of those star players – it is rookie Wide Receiver Christian Kirk, who caught a 75-yard TD pass from fellow rookie Josh Rosen last week. Kirk is dirt cheap on FanDuel ($5,400), DraftKings ($4,200), and FantasyDraft ($9,000) and should continue to thrive, particularly if the Vikings focus their defense on stopping Fitzgerald and Johnson.
Good Value Plays Found At Every Position In this Team's Passing Offense
The Jacksonville passing offense has looked surprisingly good this season, ranking 12th in passing yards per game, and QB Blake Bortles has thrown for at least 376 yards in three of his last four games, yet the team’s passing weapons remain cheap across all sites this week. The team is favored on the road against a Dallas defense that ranks 21st in passing yards per attempt allowed, and the Jaguars should continue to lean more on the pass than expected with RB Leonard Fournette unavailable. Tight End Niles Paul is particularly cheap considering he steps into the starting role with Austin Seferian-Jenkins out, and the former Wide Receiver saw nine targets (seven catches) filling in after ASJ was injured in the last game. WR Dede Westbrook also remains cheap despite leading the team in receptions (24) and receiving yards (349).
Other tagged players: Dede Westbrook, Niles Paul TE Evan Engram ruled out for TNF while TE Rhett Ellison is questionable
Engram is still working out a knee injury after getting in a limited practice on Tuesday. Fellow TE Rhett Ellison (foot) hasn’t been much of a factor in Engram’s absence, though if he ends up sitting as well, TE Scott Simonson should see the majority of snaps at the position on Thursday night and comes in at the minimum price on the Showdown slate.
As reported by: @Giants Other tagged players: Rhett Ellison
RB Darren Sproles (hamstring) ruled out for TNF; RB Corey Clement (quad) expected to play
With Jay Ajayi (knee) out for the season, the Eagles should form a 2-man committee with Clement and Smallwood until veteran Darren Sproles returns. Both are underpriced wthis week for their expected roles against a below-average Giants run defense. Though DE Olivier Vernon will make his debut this season, providing a little more resistance up front.
As reported by: Mike Garafolo Other tagged players: Corey Clement RB Lamar Miller (chest) confirms he'll play in Week 6
The veteran back said he’s “definitely” going to play Sunday against the Bills. Alfred Blue handled 28 touches in Week 5 but Miller is expected to take over the lead back duties again. However, given Blue’s adequacy and Miller’s struggles so far this season it would not be surprising to see closer to an even timeshare moving forward as opposed to the 75-25 split seen in Weeks 1-4.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Other tagged players: Alfred Blue TE Greg Olsen (foot) practicing Wednesday
The veteran tight end is expected to return this week and take over lead duties from Ian Thomas. This should provide a small boost to Cam Newton and slightly lower the target projection for RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Devin Funchess, though the latter didn’t see any production increase in Olsen’s absence so perhaps his presence opens things up more for Funchess. It’s unclear whether Olsen will be on a limited snap count when he returns but he figures to be at higher risk of an in-game injury moving forward and is still expected to require foot injury at the end of the season. However, Olsen’s price has come down substantially around sites which should likely keep him in weekly consideration.
As reported by: Jourdan Rodrigue Other tagged players: Ian Thomas, Cam Newton T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle Questionable
Reich labels T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle as “week-to-week”. Reporter goes on to say “Doesn’t sound like Jack Doyle or T.Y. Hilton will be ready to play this Sunday in New York”. We could have more fun Eric Ebron times in the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Zac Keefer Twitter
Fournette Ruled Out
Jaguars say RB Leonard Fournette (hamstring), LT Josh Wells (groin), and CB D.J. Hayden (toe) are out for Sunday’s game at Dallas. This lines up to be another nice workload for TJ Yeldon.
As reported by: Michael DiRocco Twitter Darren Sproles Close to Returning
Doug Pederson says Darren Sproles is close to returning. With Jay Ajayi out for the year it will be a boost to get Sproles back. He may even find his way on the field with the Eagles shorthanded at RB now.
As reported by: Eliot Shorr Parks Twitter Still Flying Under the Radar
Carson might gain a bit of traction as the week goes on, but I hope he continues to fly under the radar. The Seahawks draw a great matchup here against an Oakland squad that is allowing 127 yards per game on the ground, a mark that is the fifth worst in the league. Carson also showed no ill effects from his injury in Week 5, returning to post 116 yards and 6.1 yards per carry in an impressive performance against the Rams. The newfound presence of Mike Davis is a bit of a concern, but Carson still has the upper hand for snaps, and the price tag is still very cheap. Fire him up as a nice value this week.
Can A Popular Value TE Finally Pay Off?
For most of this season, we have seen value tight ends fail on a weekly basis. Jared Cook, Eric Ebron, George Kittle, and most recently Vance McDonald have all laid eggs on weeks where they were popular. Perhaps Austin Hooper can buck that trend here. He’s a great way to get reasonably-priced exposure to the highest total game of the week, and he is coming off a 9/77 line on 12 targets last week against the Steelers. These two teams are allowing the most points in the league this year, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Hooper find the end zone for an affordable price in this one.
Trust The Air Yards!
Of all starting wide receivers in the NFL, the leaders in targeted air yards per attempt are John Brown, Kenny Stills, and Mike Williams. All three are dirt cheap in DFS formats and offer intriguing GPP upside despite relatively tough matchups this week. Brown is one of my favorite plays, as he has shown great chemistry with Joe Flacco, and I expect the Ravens to bounce back from a woeful offensive performance last week with a big game against the Titans. Brown is averaging 20.1 air yards per target and makes for a phenomenal GPP option this week. He also has one of our highest RG Leverage scores of the week, adding fuel to the fire for those GPP roster builds.
The GPP Swerve Away From Julio Jones
The Steelers made a statement with a big win last week, but this is still a team that is allowing 27 points per game and 296 yards per game through the air, both of which rank them in the bottom third in the NFL. The Bengals are playing great football right now and have an implied team total of 28 points, but yet nobody seems to be talking about their offense. The Steelers have consistently gotten beat via big plays, and I absolutely love A.J. Green in this spot. With everyone talking up Julio Jones in the same price range, Green makes for a fantastic GPP pivot.
The Best Combination of Price, Floor, and Ceiling
The Carolina running back has simply become one of the most consistent fantasy performers in the league. Despite having just one total touchdown on the season to date, he has accrued the following fantasy point totals in full PPR formats: 14, 31, 24, 20. We can live with an average of 22.25 fantasy points per week for anyone, especially since McCaffrey doesn’t quite command the price tag of a guy like Todd Gurley or Alvin Kamara. This week’s matchup is a fine one against a Redskins team that is playing on a short week and got trounced by the Saints on Monday night. McCaffrey has a great combination of floor and ceiling and is a fine option in any format.