DFS Alerts
Adrian Peterson misses another practice
Reports surfaced late yesterday that Peterson could potentially be out for the year. While that news has yet to be confirmed, we do know that Peterson did not practice yet again on Thursday. Peterson initially provided an immediate boost to the depleted Cardinals backfield, but what was once looked as a positive signing now trends towards a potential bust. Peterson hasn’t played since Week 12 and should be considered questionable for the Cardinals’ Week 15 matchup against the Redskins. Kerwynn Williams has worked as the team’s early-down back over the last few weeks and has a less than desirable matchup vs the Redskins this week.
Pass-Catching Ability Makes Me Appealing For Week 15
This guy’s been killing it over the last three weeks, yet no one seems to play him, and with his price rising over $6K, I don’t see people starting now. Burkhead is playing in the highest O/U game of the week (53) and has racked up five touchdowns over the last three weeks. I know that it’s never a good idea to trust a Patriots RB, but with Burkhead’s work in the passing game, we can reasonably expect 10+ carries and 3+ receptions in nearly every matchup. A showdown against the Steelers gives Burkhead an extra boost, as Pittsburgh ranks 31st in DVOA against receiving RBs and give up the highest percentage of targets to RBs in the entire league (over 25% of opposing offenses’ pass attempts are to the RB spot). With Burkhead’s TD upside and the plus matchup for a receiving back, we can expect him to crush value in this matchup, and he could even be the top scoring back on the entire slate.
Kyle Rudolph did not practice on Thursday
Rudolph injured his ankle last Sunday against the Panthers and left the game in a walking boot. As of now the status for Ruldoph in this week’s matchup vs the Bengals is still up in the air, but the team should know more as the week progresses. The fact that the team has not ruled Randolph out as of yet, gives hope that Rudolph can play through the pain in a big must-win game on Sunday. If Rudolph does not play that could lead to even more targets for Adam Thielen who posted another solid 6-105-1 line against the Panthers last Sunday. We should get a better idea of his true status on Friday’s injury report.
Tevin Coleman has still not cleared concussion protocol
The news coming out of the Falcons camp on Thursday has running back Tevin Coleman still listed in the concussion protocol. The Falcons don’t play on Monday night, so this could boost the chances that Coleman plays, but for now, he should be considered questionable for the Falcons matchup against the Buccaneers. The biggest benefactor of Coleman potentially missing time would be Devonta Freeman, who looks to serve a potential three-down back for the Falcons in a potentially great matchup vs a Buccaneers team that ranks 31st in rush DVOA.
Other tagged players: Devonta Freeman Leonard Fournette misses another practice
For the second straight day, Leonard Fournette misses practice. Without knowing the exact reason behind him missing practice, we can only speculate to the extent of his injury. Fournette could just be resting up his banged-up body in anticipation of another heavy workload, but his status needs to be monitored leading up to the Jaguars’ Week 15 matchup against the Texans. As a double-digit home favorite vs the Texans 29th ranked scoring defense we should expect to Fornette to be in for another big fantasy day. In his first matchup vs the Texans, Fournette gained 124 total yards and scored a touchdown in route to a 24.4 DraftKings scoring day. The Texans have allowed over 100 rushing yards in six of nine games since losing defensive stars J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus.
Tyrod Taylor on track to start
Prior to last week’s battle in the snow with the Bills deemed the mobility of Tyrod Taylor as a major concern thus opting to start rookie Nathan Peterman instead. With a full practice under his belt on Wednesday, and what appears to be another full practice today, Taylor should be on track to start Sunday. If healthy the matchup should be great for Taylor and the Bills. The 24th ranked Dolphins defense comes to town after a big win vs the Patriots, thus potentially setting up for a great letdown spot for a defense that played awesome on Monday night. At only $5,400 on DraftKings, Taylor’s dual-threat abilities should make him an interesting week 15 quarterback option.
Kelvin Benjamin back at practice on Thursday
Benjamin will have to play the remainder of the season with his torn meniscus in his knee. The hopeful number one passing option in the Bills offense was back in practice on Thursday after suffering a setback in Sunday’s game vs the Colts. Still considered questionable for Sunday, Benjamin looked good last week on the targets he saw in less than ideal playing conditions. In addition to his touchdown grab last week, Benjamin made a great sideline catch in the second half. Benjamin has racked up 15 targets in almost eight quarters of action with his new team. If healthy he should be a great play this week vs a Dolphins team that ranks 26th in DVOA vs the pass.
This Struggling TE Could Turn Things Around This Week
I don’t feel good about paying down at the TE position this week other than a few shots at David Njoki, and while Vernon Davis has struggled the last few weeks, he did have a TD to salvage his fantasy owners last week. He did, however, have seven targets but was only able to haul in two. Davis is too cheap for his upside and target share, and I don’t think his ownership will be that high. Arizona is below average against TEs, and with Peterson locking down the outside WR1, the targets will funnel to the TE, so the potential for a massive game is definitely here.
Joe Mixon back at practice, but still questionable to play
While it’s encouraging that Mixon has returned to the practice field, he should be considered questionable to return to the field of play for week 15. Gio 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.
A High-Risk, High-Reward TE With a Good Matchup
I am likely to pay up at tight end this week, but when I am paying down, Njoku is my favorite option. It’s an extremely risky play, but since he’s facing the Ravens, I simply can’t help myself, as they are seventh worst in the league against tight ends and have allowed some huge games to low usage tight ends (see Marcedes Lewis and then Jesse James last week). This young man is a beast and has some extreme raw talent. The Browns have done a good job getting him the ball in the red zone too, as he has four touchdowns and nine red-zone targets. With the way the Ravens funnel the ball to the middle of the field, Njoku should have plenty more opportunities this Sunday.
Great Upside At Low Ownership For This WR
This is strictly a price play, as Fuller is only $3.5K on DraftKings. He’s played six games and scored seven TDs. While he only had three receptions on five targets last week, it was his first game coming back from injury, and he should be getting plenty more opportunities moving forward. It’s a bad matchup against the elite Jaguars pass defense, but with DeAndre Hopkins drawing the coverage of Jalen Ramsey, Fuller could see more targets come his way. I am curious where his ownership will be, and that will be the determining factor on how much Fuller I use in my lineups. This is only a large-field GPP play, but no one offers this much upside at extremely low ownership for this price.
It's Rare to have a Quarterback that I'm Scared to Fade
Quarterback is the one position where the expected outcome of each player falls within a certain range. We rarely see 30+ fantasy point outings, but Russell Wilson is making them look easy. He as accounted for every one of his team’s offensive touchdowns with the exception of one this season and he’s on pace to have one of the best fantasy seasons of all time. He can beat you with his arm and with his legs, which makes him a tremendous fantasy option. The Rams may have a stout defense, but we said the same thing about the Jaguars in Week 14.
Workhorse Running Back that Could be Underowned
The first time the Seahawks and Rams squared off, Sean McVay abandoned the run early even though they were playing with a lead for most of the first half. Todd Gurley nearly scored a touchdown on their first drive, but it was eventually overturned and was a touchback since he fumbled over the pylon. Anyway, I don’t expect a repeat performance. Gurley has arguably been the best running back in football this season and McVay told the media on Tuesday that he needs to do a better job of getting Gurley touches. Against a banged up Seahawks’ defense, I will continue to ride the Gurley train.
This Offense is Humming and they have a Dream Matchup
After the Patriots were shredded by Jay Cutler and company, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown have to be licking their chops. Over the years, we’ve been able to stack the three Bs when at home and that’s a viable strategy once again in tournaments. For cash games, we might need to decide between Bell and Brown. Given the fact that Brown scores most of his touchdowns at home and that Bell scores most of his on the road, I’m leaning toward Brown. He has a good track record against the Patriots and should see plenty of targets in what could be the highest scoring game of the week.
Don't Let One Bad Game Make You Fade This Great Play
Kearse has had 26.5 and 27.7 fantasy points two of the last three weeks, but because of an awful game in Denver last week, no one wants to play him despite him being just $4K. This seems like a great spot to jump back on the wagon, even with Petty at QB, in a game in which the Jets will be forced to throw 35-plus times. As of today, I am expecting Lattimore to match up with Robby Anderson, and while I like the Saints DST overall, outside of Lattimore they don’t scare me enough to ignore the upside for Kearse at this price. The Saints are 16-point favorites, and as I mentioned the Jets will have to throw the ball a ton while playing from from behind. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kearse with double-digit targets, which gives him immense upside, especially on PPR sites. It is a high risk/high reward play, and he will be on many of my rosters.