DFS Alerts
Chris Hogan limited in practice on Thursday
After playing in his first action in the last six weeks, Hogan finds himself back on the injury report heading into a crucial matchup vs the Pitsburg Steelers. Hogan played around 90 % of the snaps last week but as expected he looked rusty after missing quite some time with an injury. Hogan’s injury status should be worth monitoring the rest of the week, and if he is trending towards a healthy start, then we can look to roster him as a high upside play vs the Steelers.
JuJu Smith-Schuster added to the injury report
Smith Schuster was added to the injury report as a limited participant on Thursday with a hamstring injury. The Steelers are hopeful to have all available weapons ready for a key matchup against the Patriots in week 15. If Smith-Schuster is unable to go look for Martavis Bryant to receive a small bump in both snaps and targets this week.
Other tagged players: Martavis Bryant Alvin Kamara on track to play week 15
Kamara practiced on Wednesday and told reporters that he was good to go and expected to play. Coach Sean Payton confirmed on Thursday that he is also expecting Kamara to play. WIth a high price tag on DraftKings Kamara will need to continue to make the most of his touches in order to pay off his salary. From a team standpoint, the Saints appear closer to getting back to full health and the offense should continue to score a ton of points. The Saints also had Ted Ginn back at practice on Thursday and he appears ready to play in week 15.
Other tagged players: Ted Ginn Mike Wallace confirms he will play
Wallace did not practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury but said he is ready to go for the Ravens’ Week 15 matchup against the Browns. The Ravens offense looked great against the Steelers last week, and the ability of Wallace to stretch the field has been a big boost to the offense over the last few weeks. Wallace has 8 receptions and 188 yards over the last two weeks has been the primary wide receiver threat for Joe Flaco and the Ravens.
DeAndre Hopkins doesn't practice Thursday
With 88 receptions and almost 12 targets a game this season, Hopkins has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the game. The team announced today that Hopkins sat out Thursday’s practice with an injured toe. Like many other players this time of the season, a missed practice can be more about rest than the actual injury, but Hopkins name on the injury report is worth keeping an eye during the remainder of the week. The Texans draw an extremely tough matchup vs the Jaguars this week, and at $7,700 Hopkins should look to garnish one of his lowest ownership levels of the season. Hopkins has the talent to put up a good game against the number one ranked DVOa pass defense, but his price tag and the insertion of new quarterback T.J. Yates should make many in the industry wary of him as a roster spend.
Devin Funchess back to practice on Thursday
As a precautionary measure, Funchess was a limited practice participant on Wednesday. WIth his true status never in doubt, the Panthers clear-cut number one wide receiver is expected to play after getting in a full practice on Thursday. Since Week 8, Funchess leads the Panthers with 39 targets and has emerged as the player Cam Newton looks at in almost all situations. He draws a matchup against a Packers defense that is ranked 31st in pass DVOA against No. 1 receivers. With Aaron Rodgers expected to play in this week’s game, there is a good chance that the game pace could increase due to a potential shootout. At $6,600 Funchess is inline to be a very popular play in a large majority of formats for week 15
Lions offensive line banged up
Ameer Abdullah and the very bad Lions rushing game will be without two of it’s five starting offensive linemen for this week’s matchup vs the Bears. In addition to not having tackle Ricky Wagner and C Travis Swanson, the Lions could also be without G T.J Lang on Sunday. Abdulah appears ready to play in week 15 despite reports that surfaced last week that suggested the team would rest a healthy Abdulah due to a desire to get other effective running backs into the game. As a team, the Lions really struggle to run the ball, and Abdullah’s lack of production lies at the center of this problem. Abdullah has only topped the 75-yard mark twice this season and his last two full games he is averaging a dismal 2.3 ypc. The addition of Abdullah to the backfield makes it harder to roster a player like Theo Reddick. In the last two games without Abdullah, Reddick was a solid source of salary relief on DraftKings, but the potential lack of healthy offensive linemen makes this running game go from bad to worse.
Giovani Bernard limited in practice on Thursday
Bernard is expected to play on Sunday vs the Saints but Joe Mixon is still questionable as of late Thursday afternoon. Bernard put up 130 total yards on 17 touches last week and should be in for a similar workload if Mixon is once again ruled out. With a less than desirable matchup vs the Vikings this week and an increased price, the need to roster Bernard is no longer needed. The Vikings ranked third in DVOA against the running backs, thus creating a hard case for either or both Bengals running backs to have a productive day. If Mixon returns, you could easily see a scenario where he and Bernard split time moving forward, thus making this an almost clear spot to avoid in week 15.
Other tagged players: Joe Mixon Amari Cooper expected to miss this week's game
Last week we saw a very questionable Cooper give it a go in a key matchup vs the Chiefs. Cooper lasted less than 15 snaps last week, and it’s no surprise that he is expected to miss this week’s game vs the Cowboys. The Raiders are preparing for a primetime game against the Dallas Cowboys in week 15. With Copper expected to miss we can look for Michael Crabtree to see a large number of targets. In last week’s game, Crabtree had 13 targets and could turn out to be an excellent target for any slate that features the Sunday night game.
Adam Thielen practices in full on Thursday
As expected the surprise designation of Thielen on yesterday’s injury report was more precautionary than an actual concern. Thielen practiced in full on Thursday and is on track to play this Sunday. Having already topped double-digit targets in seven games this year, Thielen has quickly emerged as the number pass option for the Vikings. If Kyle Rudolph were to miss this week, expect Thielen to pick up a few more targets than normal.
Mike Wallace did not practice on Thursday
Wallace did not practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury and should be considered questionable for the Ravens’ Week 15 matchup against the Browns. The Ravens offense looked great against the Steelers last week, and the ability of Wallace to stretch the field would be missed if he were not able to play. Wallace has 8 receptions and 188 yards over the last two weeks has been the primary wide receiver threat for Joe Flaco and the Ravens.
Alshon Jeffery not at practice on Thursday
Jeffery does not practice on Thursday, but the team still expects him to suit up in a matchup with the Giants on Sunday. The Eagles offense will have a new QB in play this week, and the addition of Jeffery on the field would be a big boost for Nick Foles. The veteran QB will look to fill in for the injured Carson Wentz with hopes of keeping this Eagles offense trending in the right direction.
Tyler Kroft limited in practice on Thursday
Tyler Kroft was limited in practice due to a hamstring on Thursday. If Kroft is unable to play this week, we should look for even more attention to go the way of A.J. Green. Even in an extremely tough matchup vs Xavier Rhodes and the Minnesota defense, Green at $6,500 should draw some consideration in a tournament build.
Jets backfield banged heading into week 15
The three-headed monster known as the Jets backfield could potentially be down to one by Sunday. Two of the three featured backs in the Jets backfield found themselves on the injury report following Thursday’s practice. Matt Forte did not practice at all on Thursday and Elijah McGuire practiced in a limited role ahead of a week 15 matchup vs the Saints. If both backs were to miss this week, Bilal Powell would be in play as a feature back at just $4000 on DraftKings. But if either Forte or McGuire can suit up, the value diminishes quickly due to the fact that carries will be split. Regardless of the injury situation, the matchup vs the Saints is not one in which you are excited about attacking, but a $4,000 Powell with all the carries does merit some tournament consideration.
Other tagged players: Elijah McGuire, Bilal Powell Sterling Shepard limited in practice on Thursday
The often injured Giants wide receiver once again appeared on the injury report this week. Shepard ( hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday and should be considered questionable in week 15. What many consider to be the current number one wide receiver option for the Giants failed in a great matchup last week vs the Cowboys. Shepard only managed 2 catches for 16 yards against a a defense that has ranked near the bottom in terms of pass efficiency. At this point in the season, even if healthy Shepard is probably best used as deep GPP flyer.