DFS Alerts
Giovani Bernard limited in practice on Thursday
With Joe Mixon listed as questionable for the season finale, Bernard’s health status is worth watching closely over the next few days. 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. The team has nothing to play for this week, so for all intensive purposes, this is a prime spot to avoid for DFS roster construction this weekend.
Other tagged players: Joe Mixon
The Future Starts Now For This WR
While it has been a mediocre year for the sophomore Redskins WR, he’s been coming on of late with 3 TDs in his last 5 games. I expect Washington to feature him this week after getting 13 targets last week against a tough Broncos pass defense. While he only hauled in two of those targets, he did manage to find the end zone, and in general he is one of the team’s most consistent red-zone options. We can expect a similar workload this week against a terrible Giants pass defense, which should lead to much better fantasy production. His ownership will likely be fairly high, but he’s hard to ignore given his upside and price. I will have Doctson in about 30 to 50 percent of my lineups this week.
Kyle Rudolph practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday
Rudolph has played through a lingering ankle injury in recent weeks but is expected to suit up Sunday against the Bears. Rudolph has been very unproductive over the last few games and should be considered a low-end fantasy option this week.
Devin Funchess and Russell Shepard both back at practice on Thursday
The Panthers got some much needed good news today as both Russell Sheppard and Devin Funchess both returned to practice today. With rookie Damiere Byrd (knee, IR) done for the season the team will need all available weapons if they want to make a deep playoff run. The emergence of Greg Olson has made Funchess less of a reliable option in the offense, but he should be able to perform as a serviceable WR2 option this week.
Other tagged players: Russell Shepard DeMarco Murray doesn't practice again Thursday
The Titans are still holding out hope that Murray can play this Sunday, but he is still very questionable with a third-degree MCL sprain.Derrick Henry figures to work as the Titans’ feature back regardless of Murray’s game status 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, potentially makes this a great spot to attack in Week 17.
Other tagged players: Derrick Henry Jeremy Maclin did not practice Thursday
Maclin didn’t suit up last week due to a knee injury and should be considered very questionable for the team’s last game of the season. If healthy Maclin should see between 4 to 8 targets in what should be a less than desirable matchup vs the Bengals passing defense.
Emmanuel Sanders not at practice again on Thursday
The offense could once again be without Emmanuel Sanders who is considered day-to-day with a bad ankle. With another missed practice on Thursday, it looks like Demaryius Thomas will work as the team’s featured receiver if Sanders is not able to play. The prospect of targeting anyone one piece of this offense has been a scary proposition over the last few weeks, and with Lynch expected to start, we can expect more of the same in terms of inconsistent play.
Let's Give This Talented TE One More Try
When Jordan Reed went down, everyone thought that Vernon Davis would step right in and put up big numbers, but he’s been very disappointing. That said, he does have TDs in two of his last three games and faces a Giants team that is second worst in the league against the TE position. There is some major upside here, especially when you consider how lackluster the Redskins run game is and the likelihood that Cousins is going to air it out 40+ times in this matchup. Davis is a nice contrarian pivot off the likes of Jack Doyle and Antonio Gates, and I’ll have him in about 10 to 15 percent of my lineups this week.
Green Bay offense severely depleted for last game of the season
In addition to shutting down Aaron Rodgers for the final few weeks of the season both Jordy Nelson and DaVante Adams are expected to miss Week 17. Geronimo Allison & Richard Rodgers are not practicing 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: Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison, Richard Rodgers A Rookie Making His NFL Debut is One of My Top Plays
There is very little reason to pay down at QB this week, but one guy I am looking at as a long-shot GPP option is the Chiefs rookie QB, Pat Mahomes. This has more to do with the player (I am very high on him for the future), the ownership, and his price, as his matchup in Denver is not ideal. I am not entirely sure what we can expect from the young gunslinger, considering he has not played a snap this season, but I do know he can sling it, and the Chiefs are going to want to see what they have heading into next season in what is an otherwise meaningless game. This play is extremely speculative, so reserve it for large-field GPPs only. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if Mahomes puts up 25 fantasy points this week, so I’ll be playing 5 to 10 percent of him in my lineups.
DeAndre Hopkins unclear for 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. 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 Deonte Thompson suffered a shoulder injury in practice Thursday
Thompson is currently being evaluated for a shoulder injury he suffered during practice on Thursday. The severity of the injury is not known at this time, but if he were to miss then Zay Jones will see an uptick in snaps. Kelvin Benjamin is also expected to play through his injury on Sunday and returned to the practice field today.
Other tagged players: Zay Jones This QB Wants to Prove He Belongs in the NFL
One low-priced QB I am really high on is Jacoby Brissett. I love the Texans/Colts game stack and Jacoby is the QB I will be using in this matchup. He put up 23 fantasy points the last time these two played, and I am expecting a similar performance this week. These teams have nothing to play for and the decimated Texans defense has been awful all season long. With Andrew Luck likely to return next season, Brissett’s future will be up in the air and I expect him to want to show as much as he can in the final game of the 2017 season. Pair him up with T.Y. Hilton and/or Jack Doyle and you can run it back with a Texans player in what should be a high scoring game. Even if you don’t want to stack the game, he is still a terrific play and could wind up as the top QB on a point per dollar basis for the slate. I am currently planning to play him in around 25% of my lineups this weekend.
Mt. St. Julio is about to Erupt
Julio Jones has been one of the most frustrating players in NFL DFS this season. He has underwhelmed most weeks and he’s been dealing with a number of nagging injuries. These might be concerns for the average DFS player, but I see him as a must play this week. The Panthers have been dreadful against wideouts this season, especially WR1s. Julio Jones dropped 300 yards on them in a game last year and he nearly had a 200 yard game against them earlier this season. If you recall, Matt Ryan missed him on a 50-yard bomb and then Jones dropped a wide open touchdown. In a must win game for the Falcons, I expect Jones to see 12+ targets.
One More Shot to Roster This Better Version of Alshon Jeffery
The hype for DeVante Parker heading into this season was at an all-time high as his QB Jay Cutler labeled him Alshon Jeffery with speed but he’s largely been a disappointment this season. That said, the price on him is crazy low for a player with his talent… so low that I am not going to concern myself too much with his high ankle sprain unless we get more news. He has double digit targets in back-to-back games and that should continue this week. We know he has big play upside and facing a Bills team that needs to win, it’s easy to see a game script where the Dolphins pass early and often. I’m going to take advantage of this price and matchup and play Parker in 25 to 50 percent of my lineups.