DFS Alerts
Shane Vereen Placed on IR
The New Orleans Saints have just placed Rb Shane Vereen on IR, leaving Alvin Kamara and Jonathan Williams as their two primary running backs heading into Week 1, with Mark Ingram serving a four-game suspension. Vereen is a pass catching specialist and his absence will most likely leave Kamara and Williams with extra touches in the passing game.
As reported by: @nick_underhill Other tagged players: Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Williams, Mark Ingram
Jermaine Kearse Injury Update
Jermaine Kearse remains sidelined with an abdominal injury and there’s no clear timetable for his return. With Ardarius Stewart suspended, the Jets are thin at Wr for their Week 1 matchup at Detroit, leaving Robby Anderson in line to see an increased target share from rookie Qb Sam Darnold.
As reported by: @BrianCoz Other tagged players: ArDarius Stewart, Robbie Chosen, Sam Darnold Week 1 Salary Saver
The Texans have just waived Braxton Miller, opening the door for Ellington to see more snaps. Houston faces a NE secondary in Week 1 that allowed the 5th most points/game to the Wr position on both DK and Fanduel. Ellington had his best game of the season in 2017 in a Week 3 matchup vs. the Patriots in which he was targeted 7 times, and had 3 receptions for 59 yards and 1 touchdown.
As reported by: @RapSheet Other tagged players: Braxton Miller Tampa Bay Bucs Backfield
Bucs rookie, and 38th overall pick, Ronald Jones, has struggled greatly this preseason. His 22 yards on 28 carries will likely assure Peyton Barber sees the majority of the work in Week 1 vs. the Saints. With no Jameis Winston, and a tough NO pass defense, Barber could be a legitimate DFS play at $4100 on Draftkings – Jones is actually priced higher at $4900. The Saints allowed the 5th most DK points to RBs last season @ 0.91 pts/touch, and he may go largely overlooked on opening Sunday.
As reported by: @gregauman Other tagged players: Ronald Jones It's All a Matter of Health
We have a lot of unknowns on the Indianapolis side of things, and that mainly rests with the big question: How ready is Andrew Luck? His preseason results weren’t great, but the good news is that he seems healthy for the first time in a year and a half. That’s the first hurdle. Many will forget that he is capable of posting big time fantasy numbers, and others will be skeptical to pull the trigger in his first regular season action since 2016. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole in cash games, but remember, we are looking for upside, upside, upside with our GPP rosters! Hilton is the only reliable receiver on this roster and could push to lead the league in targets this season. He’s a sensible GPP pairing with Luck if you are going all-in on the Colts. It’s risky, but we want to get on the train before the herd in GPP formats.
Other tagged players: T.Y. Hilton
Can You Diggs It in Week 1?
The SF/MIN game is my favorite sneaky game to target in Week 1. Both teams have reasonable talent on both sides of the ball, and it’s easy to decide to fade this game entirely. However, I love the potential shootout here with two offenses that are capable of putting up points. I’ll lean slightly to favor the Minnesota side since they are playing at home, and it will be interesting to see how Kirk Cousins acclimates to his new team. I expect him to have good rapport with both wide receivers in Diggs and Thielen, but I am partial to Diggs’ talent in the long run. You can’t go wrong with either player, and this is largely a guessing game on a weekly basis. There might not be enough volume to go around, so I won’t likely pair Cousins with both guys, but I expect one to have a 100+ yard day. Give me Diggs as the slight favorite for said production.
One of the Few True Bell Cow Backs Remaining
Dallas doesn’t have much in the way of passing game weapons, with Dez Bryant gone and a cast of average to below average wide receivers in place. Allen Hurns is not a #1 wide receiver at the NFL level. This is going to mean a lot of touches for Ezekiel Elliott. As long as Dallas can keep this game competitive, you could see 30 touches in this game, and I expect him to be a little more involved in the passing game this year. He has a fine combination of both floor and ceiling and is one of my favorite “stud” plays to pay up for on this Week 1 slate.
Nice Value Because He Isn't Hurt... Yet.
The good news is that it is Week 1, so Jordan Reed has not spontaneously combusted with six injuries as of yet. As it stands, we can certainly target him as a value tight end in Week 1. New quarterback Alex Smith loves to check down and is obviously used to playing with an elite pass-catching tight end from his time with Travis Kelce in Kansas City, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Reed lead this team in targets as long as he stays healthy. That’s a big “IF” in the long run, but the beauty of DFS is that we only need him to stay healthy for one week. Arizona was solid against tight ends a year ago with a DVOA rank of #7 in that department, but Reed is a top notch tight end when healthy. If the DVOA numbers from a year ago keep people off the train, the more interest I have in tournaments.
A Fine GPP Connection
On the Chargers’ side of this game, we get our first opportunity to attack a Kansas City secondary that could be downright awful this season. Marcus Peters is gone, and health questions remain with Eric Berry. Good luck, guys. Philip Rivers is no MVP candidate at this stage of his career, but he tends to thrive in good matchups, and the Rivers-to-Allen connection could very well be one of the sneakiest upside combinations in Week 1. Don’t sleep on this one, as we have potentially huge ceilings here.
Other tagged players: Keenan Allen Feeling Grungy in Seattle
Seattle WR Doug Baldwin says the knee injury that has sidelined him for much of training camp is an ongoing injury that he will have to manage all season long. In Baldwin’s own words he is “80 to 85%”. Before the injury Baldwin was looked at as a potential top 5 pass catcher with massive upside for the Seahawks new look team. This is not good news for those who took a stab at Baldwin early in Best Ball leagues during the mid-summer months. This appears to be a situation we have to monitor each week in DFS. Tyler Lockett has big play capability and racked up 6 TD’s in his rookie season. With a lack of quality options in Seattle, Lockett could be the beneficiary if Baldwin stumbles.
As reported by: Mike Vorel Twitter
Flash That Gordon Upside
Josh Gordon is now off the active/non-football injury list meaning he can participate in football activities moving forward. It’s step in the right direction for Gordon. There is no doubt about the physical ability of Gordon, although he is entering this season at the age of 27 already. The issue is that he hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and only has 2 such seasons under his belt. Nevertheless, he will be one of the biggest playmakers from the WR position as long as he is healthy and playing. Best Ball drafts are difficult to gauge as his season can seemingly come to an end at any moment with off the field issues. However for DFS purposes he will be a supreme high upside option each week and we should have confirmed word when he will be active and inactive.
As reported by: Nate Ulrich Twitter Carolina Injuries Piling Up
We may have to temper expectations of a Christian McCaffrey “between the tackles” breakout for Carolina to start the season. The offensive line took another big hit as Matt Kalil had an arthroscopic procedure on his knee Tuesday. Carolina was already grading out as a bottom 10 offensive line before they lost their best lineman, Right Tackle Daryl Williams, to a dislocated kneecap early in camp. Now Kalil could miss regular season time also. McCaffrey looked great in the pass catching department his rookie year snagging 80 receptions and 5 TD’s through the air. He may see a similar usage early in 2018 if the line cannot open holes for him. This definitely throws a wet blanket on the 92 yard rushing effort we just saw from McCaffrey in week 2 of preseason.
As reported by: David Newton Twitter Team Titans Go
Rishard Matthews has received a contract extension through 2019. A holdout is what could have been at the root of Matthews’s mysterious absence from camp thus far. The presence of a healthy Matthews should put a damper on the Taywan Taylor love that ensued after his 2 TD effort against Tampa Bay this weekend in preseason. Tennessee has a plethora of pass catchers that should each be viewed as weekly boom or bust options in DFS. When ranking these guys for Best Ball purposes, I am sliding Matthews in behind Corey Davis and in a deadlock with Delanie Walker. This group also has Tajae Sharpe, Taywan Taylor and Dion Lewis nipping at their heels for target share. Mariota’s outlook seems brighter while the other pass catchers take a slight bump down with Matthews returning.
As reported by: Field Yates Twitter Cleveland Rocks at Wide Receiver
Josh Gordon is back with the Browns after taking some time to help himself at a Florida treatment center. It also appears like the home run hitting wide receiver could be ready to contribute in week 1. At 6’3 and 225 lbs. with an 85th percentile speed score, Gordon has been a monster since his first days in the NFL. He’s battled a myriad of personal issues in his career but the 1,646 yard/9 TD 2013 season shows how dominate he can be. He should be moved up the board in Best Ball drafts and a weekly target in DFS contests.
As reported by: Cleveland Plain Dealer Value of the Penny has Dropped
Rashaad Penny will have surgery to fix a broken finger and will miss 3-4 weeks according to reports. It’s a massive blow to the rookies’ chances to contribute to the box score early in the season. It looks as though the backfield belongs to Chris Carson full time. Carson showed some life in the Seattle running game averaging 6.5 yards per carry in week 1 of 2017 then following that up with a 100 yard from scrimmage game against San Francisco. He went on to injure himself midway through the week 4 game and spent the offseason recovering from ankle surgery. He certainly should be moved up the board in Best Ball drafts and looks much more secure for DFS duties in week 1 when Seattle takes on Denver.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Twitter