DFS Alerts
DeMarco Murray ruled out Sunday
Derrick Henry will finally get to work as the Titans’ feature back in a must-win game at home against the Jags Sunday. The timeshare has not been pretty this season, and at times Henry has appeared to be the most explosive back on the Titans team. For fantasy purposes, the combination of Henry getting all the work and the game script of needing a win to have a chance at the playoffs makes this a great spot to attack in Week 17. With nothing to play for, there is a chance that the Jaguars sit some players in this game, thus making it easier for Henry and the Titans to potentially score points on Sunday.
Other tagged players: Derrick Henry
Rob Gronkowski returns to practice on Friday, but Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead do not
Gronkowski returned to practice on Friday after sitting out due to an illness the prior day. The Patriots number one pass catching option should be in for a big day against the Jets. With an implied team total of 30.25, Gronkowski and the rest of the healthy Patriots offensive weapons should all make for great DFS plays. With both Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead missing practice today, Sunday once again sets up for Dion Lewis to dominate both through the ground and the air. Lewis became the must play in Week 16 as he piled up 24-129-1 on the ground and 5-24-1 through the air. Even if Gilislee is ready to go, Lewis will again be one of the strongest plays in Week 17 with the Patriots needing a win for the No. 1 seed.
Other tagged players: Rex Burkhead, Mike Gillislee, James White, Dion Lewis Tavarres King ruled out Sunday
With both Engram and Shepard already ruled out for Sunday, a healthy Tavarres King would have been in line to be the number one passing option for the Giants. King was unable to pass the concussion protocol and will miss this week’s game. At this point, the best DFS play in the Giants passing game might be the Redskins defense. Extremely thin on offensive talent, the Redskins should be able to keep the Giants offense at bay in Week 17.
Joe Mixon questionable for Sunday
Mixon injured his ankle during the Bengals’ Week 16 win over the Lions and didn’t return. Mixon was able to practice in a limited fashion the last two days, so there is a chance he will try to play on Sunday. Giovani Bernard has worked as the team’s featured back with Mixon sidelined but draws a tough matchup against the Ravens’ sixth-ranked defense in overall DVOA.
DeAndre Hopkins won"t play Sunday
The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported Thursday that Hopkins is expected to miss his first career game Sunday due to a calf injury. Today when asked about his chances of missing this week’s game Hopkins told Wilson that he is “ kind of upset” about missing his first career game. In what would be a great fantasy matchup, The Texans offense would be without perhaps one of the best wide receivers in the game this Sunday. Coach Bill O’Brien is still holding out hope that Hopkins can play, and has labeled his star receiver as a game-time decision for Sunday. If Hopkins does not play then T.J. Yates and company will have to figure out other ways to score points against the 31st ranked DVOA Colts this week. The team has struggled to score more than 7 points in each of the last two weeks.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Twitter Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard both did not practice on Friday and are not expected to play
Key pieces of the Giants passing attack have now been listed as out for the season finale vs the Redskins. In a year plagued by injuries, rookie tight end Evan Engram has emerged as the number one passing option for the Giants averaging 7.7 targets per game. Shepard has been a little less consistent than Engram, but he is second on the team in receptions and had two monster weeks where he averaged almost 15 targets per game. The Giants will run out a young and unexperienced pass-catching group on Sunday, and at this point, it’s purely a guessing game if a Giants wide receiver is worth a roster consideration.
Other tagged players: Sterling Shepard Green Bay offense shutting down players for the last game of the season
In addition to shutting down Aaron Rodgers for the final few weeks of the season, the Packers announced on Thursday that both Jordy Nelson and DaVante Adams are expected to miss Week 17. The team announced today that they will also be without Richard Rodgers and Aaron Jones. Geronimo Allison did not practice again on Thursday leaving the team with Randall Cobb as the only recognizable pass catcher left on the team. From a DFS standpoint even if Allison and Rodgers are able to suit up on Sunday, the addition of Brett Hundley as quarterback drastically limits the upside of any one piece of the Packers offense.
Other tagged players: Aaron Jones, Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams Deonte Thompson will be a game time decision on Sunday
Thompson hurt his shoulder during practice on Thursday and will be a game-time decision on Sunday. If he is unable to go the Bills will rely on both Zay Jones and Kelvin Benjamin to pick up the slack. Benjamin is battling injuries as well but was able to practice in full yesterday. The Bills have a great matchup this week as the Dolphins are ranked 26th in pass DVOA.
Amari Cooper limited in practice on Thursday
Cooper has been a big bust this season but was able to get back and play in Week 16 week after missing time with an injury. With one big touchdown catch, Cooper was able to pay off his salary last week but will draw a very tough matchup against Casey Hayward and the eight ranked Chargers defense in Week 17. At this point, Cooper can be used as only a deep sleeper in large field GPP’s.
James White and Chris Hogan are both limited participants in practice on Thursday
With both James White, Rex Burkhead & Chris Hogan inactive last week, the Patriots leaned heavily on Dion Lewis through both the ground and the air. Lewis became the must play in Week 16 as he piled up 24-129-1 on the ground and 5-24-1 through the air. Hogan and White were able to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday, but even if they were ready to go, Lewis will again be one of the strongest plays in Week 17 with the Patriots needing a win for the No. 1 seed.
Other tagged players: Chris Hogan, Dion Lewis Melvin Gordon officially limited in practice on Thursday
The news around Gordon seems to change every minute, but it’s very promising that he was able to participate in practice in a limited fashion on Thursday. Gordon was originally on track to test his ankle on Friday, so the news of his practice today could perhaps point to him being healthier than first expected. It’s still very likely that Gordon will be a game-time call on Sunday, and will have his status updated on Friday.
As reported by: Chargers Twitter Michael Thomas limited in practice on Thursday
Thomas was a game-time decision last week and was clearly bothered by his injury. He’ll likely end up playing again in Week 17 against the Buccaneers, but we’ll have to watch the health of his hammy closely. Thomas participated in a limited practice on Thursday and is worth keeping an eye on once the Friday injury reports are released.
Eric Ebron limited in practice on Thursday
Ebron will likely be fine for the finale, but this is worth monitoring considering the Lions were just eliminated from the playoffs last week. With nothing to play for this week, the team could very easily rest key players during the last week of the season, but for now, the team plans on playing starters. Ebron’s role has grown over the last few weeks of the season, and if healthy he should still see between 5 to 8 targets in Week 17.
Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell are expected to sit out Sunday
Fellow teammate Marcus Gilbert broke the news during a radio interview on Thursday. The Steelers must feel as though the Jets don’t have much of a chance vs the Patriots on Sunday, so the team will rest key players in order prepare for the playoffs. Landry Jones will lead the team as the starting QB for a Week 17 matchup against the Browns, and the combination of Fitzgerald Toussaint and Stevan Ridley will attempt to replace the volume of Bell out of the backfield.
As reported by: Joe Rutter on Twitter Other tagged players: Ben Roethlisberger Rob Gronkowski does not practice on Thursday
The Patriots star tight end sat out practice on Thursday due to an illness, but he will suit up and play in a crucial game on Sunday. The Patriots have an implied team total of 30.25 points and Gronk has a great matchup against the Jets’ 23rd-ranked defense in pass DVOA.