DFS Alerts
Chris Ivory (healthy scratch) inactive Sunday
Ivory is inactive and won’t play in today’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite not being listed on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ injury report, meaning he is being classified as a healthy scratch this afternoon. His absence will enable T.J. Yeldon work as the primary backup to Leonard Fournette and will possibly siphon away some of the third-down and passing game work away from Fournette, potentially limiting Fournette’s upside in daily fantasy formats should Pittsburgh get out to an early lead. That said, he’ll still be the team’s clear feature back and has averaged just over four targets per game since Week 10, on top of his typical 20-25 carries on the ground, making him slightly less game flow dependent than it may appear on the surface.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter
Antonio Brown (calf) officially active Sunday
Brown is officially active and will play in today’s Divisional round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars after previously being listed as questionable on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury report with a calf injury. However, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’ll “give it a go” despite still not being 100% healthy. Brown did not practice Friday and there are lingering concerns about how well his partially torn calf muscle will hold up in the frigid weather expected in Pittsburgh this afternoon. Given the difficult matchup with the Jaguars top-ranked defense and the growing suspicion that Brown could be utilized as a decoy when on the field, he’ll be a tournament option only, and a decreasingly viable one at that.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Antonio Brown (calf) likely to “give it a go” Sunday, but still not close to 100%
Brown officially remains listed as questionable on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury report for today’s Divisional round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’ll likely be active and “give it a go”, despite still not being 100% healthy. Brown did not practice Friday and there are lingering concerns on how well his partially torn calf muscle will hold up in the frigid weather expected in Pittsburgh this afternoon. Given the difficult matchup with the Jaguars top-ranked defense and the growing suspicion that Brown could be utilized as a decoy when on the field, he’ll be a tournament option only, and a decreasingly viable one at that.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Rex Burkhead (knee) and Mike Gillislee (knee) inactive Saturday; James White (ankle) active, as expected
Burkhead and Gillislee are officially inactive and won’t play in tonight’s Divisional Round game against the Tennessee Titans after previously being listed as questionable on the New England Patriots’ injury report and not expected to suit up with their respective knee injuries. Meanwhile, James White is active, as expected, in wake of his earlier questionable designation, meaning that the Patriots backfield will now consist of White, Dion Lewis, and special-teamer Brandon Bolden this evening. Even with White likely reclaiming his usual third-down role, Lewis should continue to see close to the massive usage he absorbed the last few weeks of the regular season, equating to 25 carries and five receptions per game over that span. Lewis may experience a small dip targets with White active, but the Patriots are still huge 13.5-point home favorites and should lead to a substantial workload in the running game and ample goal-line opportunities as well.
As reported by: Nora Princiotti via Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Gillislee, James White Antonio Brown set to be a game-time decision Sunday
Brown’s calf is reportedly still an issue, and it’s sounding more and more like his status is going to be determined close to kickoff. It still seems more likely that Brown suits up – even if he’s acting as a decoy – but we’ll continue to update this one as the weekend unfolds. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant would both see upticks in targets, but they’d also end up seeing seeing far more of Jalen Ramsey.
As reported by: Pro Football Talk
Malcolm Mitchell ruled out for Saturday night
As expected Malcolm Mitchell has been ruled out for Saturday night. Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola will continue to work as the team’s three main wide receivers. Still waiting for official Hogan news, but all signs are pointing to him playing vs the Titans.
Other tagged players: Chris Hogan
Brandon Colmen ruled out for Sunday
The Saints slot receiver Brandon Coleman has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs the Vikings. Coleman was not a primary option on this team, but his absence will now open the door for Willie Snead. Snead should have a great chance to dominate 39-year old Terence Newman this weekend, and his minimum price of $3,000 should have plenty of appeal as a salary relief tournament play. Snead is the forgotten man in this offense but has the ability to pay off his salary in one big play.
Other tagged players: Willie Snead Antonio Brown sent home with an illness, but expect to play
According to coach, Mike Tomlin Antonio Brown was sent home on Friday due to a “flu bug” but said that he looked “really good” this week. Brown should play this weekend and he was the only player who managed to gain 90 yards on Jalen Ramsey and the tough Jaguars defense this season. In week five Brown converted his 19 targets into a 10/157/0 line.
As reported by: Aditi Kinkabwala on Twitter Rex Burkhead officially questionable but making progress
According to Jeff Howe, a beat writer for The Boston Herald, Patriots running back Rex Burkhead made progress today and it appears there’s a “very real possibility” he is back after missing Weeks 16 and 17. Both Mike Gillislee and James White are listed as questionable for Saturday night, but the team expects White to suit up. Gillislee is trending on the wrong side of questionable, but with Burkhead back he would have very little chance to play even if he was healthy. There is still a better than average chance that Dion Lewis carries the workload for the Patriots this week, as he has been an absolute tear over the final few weeks of the season.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Gillislee, James White Chris Hogan not on the final injury report
Chris Hogan has been removed from the injury report an will play Saturday night.The return of Hogan could be just what Tom Brady needs as he was on fire in the first part of the season. Through the first five games of the season, Hogan converted 23 receptions into 5 touchdowns. Injuries would force him to miss almost three months this season, but Hogan could provide a boost to this offense if he is, in fact, healthy this week. Hogan’s return could hurt the value of Brandin Cooks, as Brady has been known to spread the ball around throughout his career.
Falcons confirm that they will be at full strength on Saturday
Just as expected the Falcons announced today that key players Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and Mohmed Sanu would all play on Saturday. The team won a hard fought game this last weekend, so it’s not a surprise to see some key players end up resting early in the week. While Devonta Freeman and Mohamed Sanu both practiced in a limited fashion on Tuesday and Wednesday, Julio Jones took both days off to rest his ankle. All three players returned to practice on Thursday and appear ready to go in the divisional round vs the Eagles.
As reported by: Kelsey Conway Twitter Other tagged players: Devonta Freeman, Mohamed Sanu Chris Hogan, Rex Burkhead and Malcolm Mitchell all practice on Thursday
Chris Hogan and RexBurkhead have been limited in practice this week, but both appear on track to play. Mitchell’s return to practice signifies that he is closer to playing, but it’s still very possible that the Patriots leave him on IR for the remainder of the season. The return of Hogan could be just what Tom Brady needs as he was on fire in the first part of the season. Through the first five games of the season, Hogan converted 23 receptions into 5 touchdowns. Injuries would force him to miss almost three months this season, but Hogan could provide a boost to this offense if he is, in fact, healthy this week. Hogan’s return could hurt the value of Brandin Cooks, as Brady has been known to spread the ball around throughout his career. Burkhead was reported to be limited in yesterday’s practice, so his health is worth monitoring moving forward. There is concern that if Burkhead plays this week he could still be very limited. If Burkhead were to miss then we could potentially see another massive workload for Dion Lewis, as he dominated touches for this team over the last few weeks.
Other tagged players: Rex Burkhead, Malcolm Mitchell Mike Gillislee returns to practice on Thursday
In somewhat of a surprise, Mike Gillislee returned to the practice field for the first time in over three weeks. Unless Rex Burkhead is somehow unable to suit up, then Gillislee should be a scratch this weekend.
Julio Jones returns to practice on Thursday
As expected Jones returned to practice on Thursday after his normal early week rest. The true status for Jones has never been in doubt as the Falcons look to have one of the best wide receivers in the game ready to play in a Divisional matchup vs the Eagles on Saturday. Jones has been a target monster of late and gets a very winnable matchup against the Eagles this weekend. With 51 total targets in his last five games, we can expect to see a similar workload on Saturday, as the Falcons will look to ride their superstar in order to make it to the conference championship.
As reported by: Vaughn McClure Twitter Chris Hogan limited in practice on Wednesday
Chris Hogan was officially listed as a limited participant on Wednesday’s practice report but is expected to play this weekend vs the Titans. Prior to a midseason injury, Hogan was on fire in the first part of the season. Through the first five games of the season, Hogan converted 23 receptions into 5 touchdowns. Injuries would force him to miss almost three months this season, but Hogan could provide a boost to this offense if he is, in fact, healthy this week. Hogan’s return could hurt the value of Brandin Cooks, as Brady has been known to spread the ball around throughout his career.