DFS Alerts
Kerryon my Wayward Son
Kerryon Johnson is rocketing up the depth charts for the Detroit Lions backfield and now appears to be the favorite to begin the year as the starting running back. The #43 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Johnson was a work horse at Auburn. In the words of the great Evan Silva “Johnson blazed an above-par 4.52 forty at Auburn’s Pro Day and tested as a 63rd-percentile SPARQ athlete, good for top ten in this year’s running back class”. He looked more than adequate catching the ball out of the backfield in college and put up 18 rushing touchdowns last season. If he can somehow finagle his way into three down work and goal line opportunities, Johnson could have a huge season in Detroit.
As reported by: Evan Silva on Rotoworld
You got the Guice now Man
Derrius Guice appears headed to opening the season as the lead back for the Washington Redskins this year. The 2nd round pick out of LSU has 1st round talent but fell on draft weekend due to off the field issues. Samaje Perine looked terrible tiptoeing through the line last season and speedster Chris Thompson is coming off of a broken leg that ended his season.The arrow is pointing up for Guice to erupt at some point this season. If he earns goal line and even 3rd down duty, he would be a cash game consideration for DFS purposes. As of now he looks like a solid GPP option in week 1.
As reported by: ESPN Carson Injury Status Enough to Make you Wince
Eagles coach Doug Pederson won’t commit to Carson Wentz being healthy enough to start week 1 for the defending Super Bowl champs. The injury was suffered late in the season (week 14) so this may not just be coach speak. For season long fantasy purposes it is a bit of a gamble but we have the luxury in DFS of getting this news before the game starts. Considering Wentz was the most dominate fantasy QB in the NFL at the time of his injury, he is going to be a force again if the knee is ready. His injury status and lack of attention for Wentz due to the Nick Foles Super Bowl run could lead to an underowned stud for DFS rosters in week 1.
As reported by: NBC Sports Giant Season From Giant RB on the Way
Saquon Barkley looks poised to set the fantasy world on fire this season for the New York Giants. A can’t miss prospect, Barkley appears to be locked into three down work for the Giants offense and could seize goal line work with Jonathan Stewart looking “like a plodding veteran back trying to hang on”. In addition to the massive rushing stats from Barkley, he totaled 54 receptions last season at Penn State and demonstrated that incredible athleticism by returning 2 kickoffs for touchdowns. He is an early to mid 1st round pick in season long and will win tournaments for people in DFS at some point during the season.
As reported by: The NJ.com Giggy Up Cowboy
The Dallas Cowboys signed Allen Hurns in the offseason and subsequently released Dez Bryant while having Jason Witten retire on them. Now Hurns appears to be the #1 WR on a team with a massive run threat and solid QB. From a DFS perspective, Hurns seems like a solid boom or bust WR from week to week. The Cowboys style of play won’t let them get into many shootouts. However Hurns does have talent, as evidenced by his 1,000+ yards and 10 TD season back in 2015, before injuries have ruined the last 2 seasons.
As reported by: Marcus Mosher Twitter The Muscle Hamster Gets a new Cage
Former Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin could make a push to be the lead back for his new team, the Oakland Raiders, this season. Martin has showed a “renewed burst” in OTAs. The talent has always been there but Martin has always gotten in his own way during his career. This is a very impactful fantasy spot as the Oakland Raiders project to have a top offensive line in the NFL this season after drafting Kolton Miller in the first round to play alongside stars Donald Penn, Gabe Jackson, Rodney Hudson and Kelechi Osemele. The winner of this depth chart battle could pay huge dividends in season long fantasy as well as DFS.
As reported by: Vic Tafur Twitter Don't Call it a Comeback
With Hunter Henry out for the season and Antonio Gates being extremely limited, if he signs at all, Keenan Allen could take on an even bigger responsibility in the passing game than last season. Allen was able to shake the injuries and play in 16 games for the first time in his career. He went for a whopping 102/1393/6 stat line that included 7 100+ yard receiving games. As long as the Comeback Player of the Year can stay healthy look for more of this type of production from Philip Rivers main target.
Speed to Burn in Kansas City
Sammy Watkins signed a three year deal to play wide receiver for the Chiefs. He joins a talented group of pass catchers that include homerun hitting Tyreek Hill and, perhaps, the NFL’s best TE Travis Kelce. After being drafted number four overall in 2014, Sammy Watkins has largely been a bust having exceeded 1,000 yards receiving only once in his career. There is a thought that injuries and bad quarterback play have mostly contributed to the porous stats for Watkins and this could be an opportunity for him to rebound. With that being said, Travis Kelce is the week to week consistent option in this passing game and Watkins/Hill should provide tournament winning upside on the occasions that they go off.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Making a Case for Broncos new QB
Case Keenum signed a two-year deal to play in Denver for the Broncos this off-season. He immediately vaults to the top of the depth chart with very little competition. QB play in Denver couldn’t get much worse than they’ve had the last couple years and Keenum should breathe life into Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos also spent a second round draft pick on Courtland Sutton, so Keenum should have no shortage of weapons. At times Keenum has been a gunslinger and at other times a game manager, so his fantasy season should be a bit of a roller coaster ride. If you can find the correct game script weeks for Keenum he very well could be a tournament winning quarterback.
As reported by: Rotoworld Titan Up
Corey Davis was one of the stars during the early portion of off-season work for Tennessee. This bodes well for Davis taking over the #1 WR spot on the depth chart. At times the number five overall pick in the 2017 draft looked fantastic, but he was often injured and failed to reach the end zone during the regular season. The 6’3 209 pound Western Michigan star has the physical attributes to be a dominating wide receiver in the league. In order to do that he’s going to need to stay healthy and gain the trust of Marcus Mariota. In the meantime it looks as though Davis will be a weekly boom or bust option in this Tennessee system.
As reported by: Jim Wyatt Split Backfield in Tennessee
Derrick Henry looks poised to be the lead back for the Tennessee Titans this season, albeit just early down work. DeMarco Murray was lost due to retirement but the Titans added Dion Lewis. That should put a cap on the upside of Derrick Henry. Henry has a combined 24 receptions his first two years in the league. He should still receive goal line carries but Dion Lewis will play passing downs. From a DFS standpoint this may be a case where Henry is best left used on a site like Fanduel, that rewards touchdowns but receptions aren’t as big of a factor in the scoring.
As reported by: Titans Online A Slimmed Down Jaguar Ready to Pounce
The talk of early-season Jacksonville camp is Leonard Fournette and his desire to decrease his playing weight. The former LSU great and rookie stand out, Fournette wants to trim down into the 220s this season after hovering around 10 pounds more than that to start last year. I’m always more inclined to look favorably on a running back who decides to lose weight as opposed to gaining weight. Regardless, Fournette put up a 1,000+ yard season with 9 touchdowns last year on the ground and any improvement in those numbers would make him an RB1. Despite missing three games with injury in 2017 Fournette edged out Christian McCaffrey in total fantasy points in PPR leagues, which paid out handsomely for those having side bets on that matchup.
As reported by: Pro Football Talk Return of the Mack
With Frank Gore out of town now, Marlon Mack sits atop the Indianapolis Colts running back depth chart. This is news to monitor as Marlon Mack has the potential to be a playmaker in this Colts offense. In 2017 Mack broke six carries for gains of 20+ yards and averaged over 10 yards per reception. The offensive line and quarterback play are almost assured to improve for Indianapolis this season meaning that whomever gets the carries for this team could be a solid value in the early portion of the NFL season. An explosive running back at South Florida, Mack has comparable tendencies to Marshawn Lynch in his size and workout metrics. This could be a high upside sleeper.
As reported by: Indy Star Elementary my dear Watson
Deshaun Watson should be ready to go for training camp as his recovery from ACL injury is progressing on schedule. Once he’s ready to take the field healthy, Watson won’t sneak up on anybody this year. Armed with one of the best wide receivers in the game (DeAndre Hopkins) and a big time playmaker (Will Fuller), Hopkins was the talk of the NFL in his brief run last year before injury. He racked up 19 total touchdowns in the five games before being sidelined with an injury he suffered in practice headed into week 9. The early draft season ADP is aggressive and his week one DFS salary is sure to be on the high side but Watson has GPP winning skills each week he steps on the field.
As reported by: James Palmer Twitter This Holdout Rings a Bell
Le’Veon Bell is seeking a new deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers and their reluctance to give it to him may cause him to miss training camp. We’ve seen this before from Le’Veon Bell and other veteran players in the NFL. Sometimes these holdouts are more of a way to get out of a grueling training camp rather than a diehard desire to get more money. Either way expect Bell to be a full go in week 1 for Pittsburgh, which would make him a top 2 option for fantasy purposes.
As reported by: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review