DFS Alerts
Big Game Hunting
Kareem Hunt was back on the field practicing after a minor hamstring injury cost him 2 days. Hunt could be in for a huge year with Spencer Ware still nursing a devastating knee injury and 3rd down back, Charcandrick West, already suffering a concussion just days into camp. Andy Reid has always featured a RB friendly system, dating back to his days with Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook in Philadelphia as well as monster seasons from Jamaal Charles immediately following his arrival to Kansas City. Hunt is already in line to produce big numbers, and if West is hampered by a head injury this season then Kareem could approach top 5 RB stats.
As reported by: Chiefs Website
Are you Feeling Lucky
Andrew Luck appears to be in no pain and making Andrew Luck type throws as he navigates through training camp for the Colts. “There have been four or five throws that have been like, ‘Oh yeah, that looks 100 percent like normal,’” Coach Frank Reich said before practice Sunday. This is great news for Luck and the Colts skill players. Capt. Luck can be a high level fantasy performer when healthy and makes his WR’s viable. Namely TY Hilton, who has averaged nearly 77 yards and .41 TD’s per game with Luck at QB and only 61.3 YPG and .23 TD’s without him.
As reported by: Indy Star Will Cain be Able
News out of the Indianapolis camp is that rookie Deon Cain is making a push for playing time in the wide receiver rotation. He’s checking off all the buzzwords like “turning heads” and “showing flashes”. It sounds like hyperbole but there are a lot of interesting aspects to this story. Cain was drafted out of Clemson, a school that has produced more NFL wide receiving talent over the last decade than any other. Andrew Luck appears to be getting healthy and a top tier quarterback can drastically improve the outlook of a receiving corps. Finally the depth chart at this position for Indianapolis looks terrible. Outside of WR1 T.Y. Hilton, the only other challengers for next in line to eat in the system are names like Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant. It’s a situation to keep your eyes on as Cain could pay dividends sooner rather than later.
As reported by: Indy Star Battle of the Slot Receivers in Miami
Early in camp it looks like Danny Amendola is going to get the first crack at slot receiver for the Miami Dolphins this season. There were thoughts that newly signed, fantasy community sweetheart, Albert Wilson was going to be a great sleeper play this season, but those plans may be put on hold. That thought could still come to fruition but it appears it may take an injury for Wilson to get a legitimate crack at playing time in this offense. Meanwhile Amendola has developed a rapport with quarterback Ryan Tannehill already. We’ve seen many instances where a lesser talented wide receiver puts up the best numbers on the team due to a solid relationship with quarterback. This is definitely a situation to monitor for your DFS lineups headed into the season.
As reported by: Miami Dolphins Website Striking Gold with 49ers RB
With Carlos Hyde taking his talents to Cleveland, the San Francisco 49ers will turn to SPARQ wonder boy Jerick McKinnon to carry the load this season. This is an offense that can be very conducive to fantasy production from the running back position. Hyde totaled nearly 1,300 yards and 59 receptions in 2017. McKinnon racked up 51 receptions while splitting time in the Minnesota backfield last season. McKinnon should be the bell cow running back in a good system with a good quarterback guiding the way. He is everyone’s preseason darling in season-long fantasy drafts. He will have narrative street on his side in week one DFS, as he travels back to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in his first game with his new team.
Seahawk Flies Under the Radar
Doug Baldwin has typically gone underappreciated from a fantasy aspect for several years now. He was 9 yards short of his third straight 1,000+ yard season in 2017 and has a combined 29 receiving touchdowns over that three year span. In addition to a solid track record there is more reason to believe that 2018 could be even bigger for Baldwin. Jimmy Graham and his 16 targets inside the 10 yard line are gone now and that should open up even more production in the red zone for Baldwin. Also gone is Paul Richardson and the only competition for targets appears to be speedster Tyler Lockett. This could be the breakthrough year for Doug Baldwin although we may have to temper our expectations in week 1, as he is traveling to Denver to take on a tough secondary that still features shut down CB Chris Harris Jr.
Rams RB Reaches Elite Status
Todd Gurley signed a four-year contract extension to remain in Los Angeles as the centerpiece of the Rams offense. Unlike other big name running backs, Gurley is being taking care of by his team. One of the biggest surprises of 2017, Gurley reached 20+ fantasy points in 10 of his 15 games played. It all culminated in weeks 15 & 16 when he combined for nearly 100 DraftKings points. To say he has GPP winning upside is an understatement. However with a full off-season for defenses to game plan around him and more mouths to feed in this offense it will be interesting to see if he can duplicate last year’s performance. His first game of the 2018 season will come on a two-game Monday night slate in week one.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Twitter Cardinals get new Quarterback
Sam Bradford appears likely to be the Arizona Cardinals opening day starter at quarterback. Carson Palmer is gone and Bradford should hold down the fort until he gets injured or Josh Rosen is ready to play. This isn’t a situation to get overly excited about as the Arizona’s WR1 is 34-year-old Larry Fitzgerald, followed by an overhyped free-agent signing (Butler) and a rookie WR3 (Kirk). New coach Steve Wilks also looks to be implementing a run oriented scheme. If we get the right price and the right matchup for Bradford than he is in play for DFS purposes, otherwise this is probably a player to avoid.
As reported by: Arizona Republic Put Down the Crab Legs
Jameis Winston will miss the first three games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Winston had his worst professional season of his short career in 2017 partly due to missing three games with injury. He’s been a consistent fantasy presence since being drafted in 2015. He was well on his way to another 4,000+ yard/20+ TD campaign until the mid-season injury derailed him. Winston should return in time to take on the Bears in week four before receiving a bye week. In deep season-long fantasy leagues Winston will be a good buy-low candidate because the production has been there his entire career. For DFS purposes he can thrive in the right matchup and typically comes in at a reasonable salary, so he is very playable.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Twitter Bleak Outlook for Tampa Stud WR
The former Galveston Ball High School product Mike Evans is looking to rebound from his most disappointing season in the NFL since being drafted in the first round in 2014. He accumulated 1,001 yards, which makes it four straight years of 1,000 yards or more receiving. However he found his way in the end zone only five times and had a career low 71 receptions. He’s alternated big touchdown seasons in the NFL with 12,3,12 and the 5 last year, so if that trend holds true he could return to double-digit form. His starting quarterback is suspended the first three games of the year, so it won’t be easy. Considering Evans opens up the season against the Marshon Lattimore led New Orleans Saints defense in addition to playing with a backup quarterback, it may be best to try and buy low on Evans after the first few weeks in season long leagues. He will be a GPP only option for DFS until his quarterback returns in the schedule gets better.
Big Expectations in the Big Easy
Alvin Kamara looks poised to be the centerpiece of the New Orleans offense this season. Kamara was already showing signs late in the year last season of taking over the #1 spot for Mark Ingram. The most telling stat was his seven carries inside the 10 yard line compared to one carry for Mark Ingram over the last five games of 2017. Now add on a four game PED suspension for Ingram and a coach extremely unhappy that the suspended running back skipped OTAs. We have seen Ingram land in the head coach’s doghouse before, and with the young talented Kamara ready to seize the backfield, this could be the final straw. The 6.1 yards per carry and massive touchdown ratio are unsustainable, but the former 3rd round pick out of Tennessee will more than make up for that with the extra volume this season. He’s heading into week 1 as an elite option at Running Back.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Twitter McCaffrey Getting Ripped
Carolina coaches have hinted that Christian McCaffrey could reach 200 carries this season. Ron Rivera: “The staff is confident McCaffrey can run between the tackles, as he did at Stanford. McCaffrey has bulked up about five pounds to 210 to be better prepared for the pounding”. That last statement could be a red flag. McCaffrey averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his rookie year and may not be suited to run between the tackles in the NFL. His strength is his pass catching ability and his 98th percentile agility score which makes him elusive after the catch. Additional weight gain could negatively affect his biggest asset as a player. With the addition of CJ Anderson to the backfield, we may not get the goal line carries anyhow from McCaffrey. He heads into the season as a great PPR option.
As reported by: ESPN Dirty Bird Grounded
A situation to monitor is developing in Atlanta where superstar wide receiver Julio Jones could skip training camp and has threatened to sit out the entire season. This feels like more than just a veteran player wanting to get out of camp. The Falcons front office quickly shot down the notion of giving Julio Jones a new contract this year, while Julio is now only the 8th highest-paid receiver in the NFL. He is still under a six-year contract worth $81 million so he’s not starving. This could be a posturing move for the superstar wide receiver to take the rest of the summer off and just show up and dominate in week one, but we will have to see how it plays out. With or without a training camp, Julio Jones is an elite option at WR if he is in uniform against the Eagles to open the season on Thursday, September 6.
As reported by: Chris Mortensen Twitter My Cousins (in) Minny
The Minnesota Vikings signed Kirk Cousins to a three year deal in the off-season. The rich get richer in offensive talent out there in Minnesota. Already a solid offense that will bring back the play making ability of Dalvin Cook, speed of Stefon Diggs, sublime route running of Adam Thielen and red zone presence of Kyle Rudolph, the Vikings added the number one free-agent quarterback on the market. His impact however could be felt more in real life football rather than the fantasy version. The shootouts should be less than they were in Washington and the running game will be called upon much more in Minnesota. Minnesota will be a juggernaut marching into the playoffs, barring injury, but with so many weapons and a solid defense this is going to be boom or bust each week in DFS to pick the proper Viking.
Slippin Jimmy Looks to Rebound in Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers have churned through tight ends over the last few seasons. They also parted ways with Jordy Nelson in the off-season. That could open the door for newly signed Jimmy Graham to have a major impact in the red zone in 2018. Graham led the NFL in red zone targets last year and scored seven touchdowns inside the opponent’s 5 yard line. This is a very similar skill set to what Jordy Nelson displayed his last couple of years in Green Bay. With Aaron Rodgers threading the needle, Jimmy Graham has the potential to lead all tight ends in touchdown receptions. His touchdown scoring should propel him to a decent fantasy season and his ability to put up multiple scores on a weekly basis is going to make him a big tournament attraction in DFS.