DFS Alerts
Matt Forte (knee) active Sunday
Forte is active and will play in today’s game against the New Orleans Saints after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Jets’ injury report with a knee injury. The Jets are massive underdogs in Sunday’s matchup and Forte is a part of a full-blown three-running back committee, making him, Bilal Powell, and Elijah McGuire all irrelevant for daily fantasy formats in Week 15.
As reported by: Olivia Landis via Twitter
Chris Hogan (shoulder) now not expected to play Sunday
Hogan is now not expected to play in today’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after previously being listed as questionable on the New England Patriots’ injury report but was expected to play with a shoulder injury. With Hogan expected to be inactive, newly-signed Kenny Britt will make his Patriots debut and will play a part in a limited portion of the gameplan. He should end up forming a committee with Philip Dorsett on the outside opposite of Brandin Cooks, while Danny Amendola will primarily handle the slot receiver duties. This game has the highest total of the week, but the Patriots will need to find a way to exploit the Steelers sixth-ranked pass defense DVOA, that hopes to get top cornerback Joe Haden back from his back injury, in order to find success through the air.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter DeAndre Hopkins (toe) active Sunday, as expected
Hopkins is active, as expected, and will play in today’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars after previously being listed as questionable on the Houston Texans’ injury report with a toe injury. He’s a difficult sell in daily fantasy formats considering the designation on the injury report and a matchup with Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, and this stingy Jaguars secondary that has been not only great but historically great this season. That said, the opportunity will still be there as Hopkins has racked up 46 targets in his previous three games against the Jaguars the last two years but, due to poor quarterback play and elite coverage, has converted those opportunities into only a 20-190-1 line, equating to a 44 percent completion percentage and just over 10 yards per reception.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson via Twitter Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle) officially active Sunday
Rudolph is officially active and will play in today’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after previously being upgraded to questionable from doubtful on the Minnesota Vikings’ injury report due to an ankle injury that had held him out of practice all week. Even though he’s active, and was expected to play since early Sunday morning, it’s entirely possible that Rudolph sees limited snaps considering his meteoric rise in status since Friday afternoon. The Vikings only have two other tight ends on the active roster, so if Rudolph is limited, that would likely open up additional targets for Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, though Thielen has been running fewer routes from the slot than he was at the beginning of the season. Thielen has proven that he his Minnesota’s top wide receiver for several weeks in a row, but he’s priced as such now, making Diggs an interesting tournament option in hopes more targets are funneled his way with Rudolph possibly not at full strength.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport via Twitter Kelvin Benjamin (knee) active Sunday
Benjamin is active and will play in today’s game against the Miami Dolphins after previously being listed as questionable on the Buffalo Bills’ injury report with a knee injury. He has been practicing all week, so his status comes as no surprise as the Bills were confident he’d be available, but Benjamin has been playing through a torn meniscus and has been rather ineffective due to injuries as a member of the Bills wide receiver corps. He does have a great matchup with the Dolphins 26th-ranked pass defense DVOA but the question still remains whether or not he’ll be healthy enough to take advantage of it in Week 15.
As reported by: Sal Capaccio via Twitter Saints WR Ted Ginn (ribs) will be inactive Sunday
Ginn will be inactive and won’t play in today’s game against the New York Jets, according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater, after previously being listed as questionable on the New Orleans Saints’ injury report with a ribs injury. In his absence, Tommylee Lewis and Willie Snead figure to see increased roles in the Saints offense, but Ginn is averaging just over four targets per game over the past six weeks, as the offense continues to funnel through the running backs, Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas as the teams’ de facto number one wide receiver. Drew Brees and the passing attack do draw a great matchup against a Jets squad that ranks 27th in pass DVOA but with the Saints being the biggest favorites of the week, this contest has serious blowout potential and could lead to an even run-heavier approach than normal.
As reported by: Jane Slater via Twitter Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle) now expected to play Sunday
Rudolph is now expected to play in today’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Ian Rapoport, after previously being upgraded to questionable from doubtful on the Minnesota Vikings’ injury report due to an ankle injury that had held him out of practice all week. Even though he’s expected to be active, it’s entirely possible that Rudolph sees limited snaps considering his meteoric rise in status since Friday afternoon. The Vikings only have two other tight ends on the active roster, so if Rudolph is limited, that would likely open up additional targets for Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, though Thielen has been running fewer routes from the slot than he was at the beginning of the season. Thielen has proven that he his Minnesota’s top wide receiver for several weeks in a row, but he’s priced as such now, making Diggs an interesting tournament option in hopes more targets are funneled his way with Rudolph possibly not at full strength.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport via Twitter Juju Smith-Schuster (hamstring) expected to play Sunday
Smith-Schuster is expected to play in today’s game against the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after previously being listed as questionable on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury report with a hamstring injury. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are obviously the main cogs in this Steelers offense and have averaged nearly 21 targets a game combined the past six weeks, but Smith-Schuster has played 83 percent of snaps and averaged just over seven targets per game over his last four healthy games, ranking third on the team, and sets him up as an interesting pivot off of either Brown or Bell in tournaments if loading up on the Steelers passing attack.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter Leonard Fournette (quad, ankle) won’t play Sunday
Fournette has been ruled out and won’t suit up, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and his sources, for tomorrow’s game against the Houston Texans after previously being listed as questionable on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ injury report with a quad and a lingering ankle injury. In his absence, Chris Ivory will work as the Jaguars primary back and absorbed 52 percent of the running back’s snaps en route to 40 total touches in the previous two games Fournette has been sidelined. Not only that, but Ivory is the clear goal-line back sans Fournette after seeing 12 red-zone carries in those games, which is important with Jacksonville being double-digit home favorites. T.J. Yeldon also saw a healthy amount of snaps in those games (39%) with 23 total touches and will primarily handle the passing down work on Sunday afternoon.
As reported by: Michael DiRocco via Twitter Dolphins RB Damien Williams (shoulder) officially ruled out for Sunday
Williams has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Bills after previously being listed as doubtful on the Miami Dolphins’ injury report with a shoulder injury that has now kept him sidelined for three consecutive games. Kenyan Drake has thrived as the Dolphins lead back the last two weeks with Williams inactive, averaging 167 total yards and 28 touches, putting him firmly in play as a cash game staple for Sunday’s slates. Not only does Drake have an unprecedented workload for his price tag, but he also draws a juicy matchup against a Bills squad that ranks 24th in rush defense DVOA on the season and trending downward.
As reported by: James Walker via Twitter Bears TE Adam Shaheen (chest) inactive Saturday
Shaheen is officially inactive for today’s game against the Detroit Lions after previously being listed as questionable on the Chicago Bears’ injury report with a chest injury. In his absence, Dion Sims will handle a large majority of the tight end routes, while Daniel Brown will be included in two-tight end sets. A tertiary beneficiary with Shaheen off the field could be Kendall Wright, who runs his routes primarily out of the slot and converted a season-high 11 targets into a 10-107-0 line against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. This makes Wright an interesting source of value on the short two-game Saturday slate and on the Thursday-Monday contests around the industry.
As reported by: Jeff Dickerson via Twitter Ameer Abdullah (neck) active Saturday; Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner inactive
Abdullah is officially active for today’s game against the Chicago Bears after practicing in full all week and not being included on the Detroit Lions’ final injury report with a neck injury. In corresponding moves, the Lions have deactivated Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner for Saturday’s contest, meaning that Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Tion Green will serve as the running backs group for this afternoon’s matchup. Abdullah had been inactive the previous two weeks partly due to the aforementioned neck injury and partly due to performance, which casts some doubt on what his role exactly will be moving forward. It would be far from a shock if the Lions rolled with a full-blown three-man running back committee or if Abdullah played a limited role behind Riddick and Green.
As reported by: Dave Birkett via Twitter Other tagged players: Dwayne Washington, Zach Zenner Bengals RB Joe Mixon (concussion) ruled out for Sunday
Mixon has yet to clear the concussion protocol and has officially been downgraded to out on the Cincinnati Bengals’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Vikings after previously being listed as questionable with the aforementioned concussion. In his absence, Gio Bernard will assume the lead running back responsibilities for the second straight week, but he’s no longer priced near the minimum across the daily fantasy industry and draws a much tougher matchup a Vikings defense that ranks 11th in rush DVOA and is the third-best team in the NFL at limiting fantasy production to running backs out of the backfield, lowering Bernard’s floor and ceiling on Sunday afternoon.
As reported by: Jim Owczarski via Twitter Cardinals TE Jermaine Gresham (illness) ruled out for Sunday
Gresham was limited in practice earlier in the week with a rib issue but he has now been downgraded to out on the Arizona Cardinals’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Washington Redskins due to an illness. His absence should open up more snaps for Ricky Seals-Jones in the passing game, though the Cardinals running game could suffer a bit if Seals-Jones is asked to block. Since Week 11, when Blaine Gabbert took over at quarterback, Seals-Jones has played just 22 percent of snaps but has been third on the team in targets during that same span. He’ll set up as an interesting tournament target for his low price point on Sunday’s slate in a matchup with a Redskins defense that ranks 20th in pass DVOA versus opposing tight ends.
As reported by: Darren Urban via Twitter Falcons RB Tevin Coleman (concussion) ruled out for Monday night
Coleman has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers due to a concussion that has forced him miss practice the entire week. He remains in the concussion protocol and has obviously not yet been cleared for contact or contact drills. This news is a huge bump to the projected fantasy value of Devonta Freeman this week as he can moderately be expected to see at least 20-25 touches in what will likely be a good game script for a favored home running back that is facing off the Buccanneers’ 31st-ranked run defense DVOA.
As reported by: Kelsey Conway via Twitter