DFS Alerts
Ryan Shazier out for the season
Shazier had spinal surgery on Wednesday night and now will begin the process of recovery. It’s not sure whether Shazier will play football again, and to this point, the details surrounding the overall prognosis for his future have been closely guarded. As a leader of the defense, Shazier will be missed both on and off the field for The Steelers.
Doug Martin is cleared to play
The addition of Martin to non-injury report is not good for DFS players. With Martin out last week, Peyton Barber out-snapped Jacquizz Rodgers 52-5 and rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries. The addition of Martin to this backfield makes it harder to declare any real value to the three backs, as the Buccaneers are likely to use all three moving forward.
Amari Cooper misses practice again
With the concussion protocol behind him, Cooper must get his ankle in working order if he plans to play this week vs The Chiefs. In what has been an overall disappointment of a season, if healthy Cooper could best be used as a GPP option only. If Cooper can’t play look for Seth Roberts to step up as a popular streaming wide receiver option this week. The Raiders will get back Michael Crabtree from suspension this week, so if Copper were to miss there would be clear-cut path for great production from their leading receiver.
Other tagged players: Michael Crabtree Delanie Walker did not practice on Thursday
With a history of playing on weeks that he is listed on the injury report, Walker owners should not put too much stock in his missed practice this week. The Titans passing attack looks to get Rishard Matthews back this week thus making it harder to decern where Marcus Mariota will distribute passes moving forward. Walker is still one of the best tight ends in the league and if healthy should still be considered a favorite target of Mariota despite a now full arsenal of pass catchers.
Jeremy Maclin did not practice Thursday
Considering his inconsistent role in the Ravens passing game Maclin should be off the radar of most players in the industry. It is, however, worth noting that Maclin was limited in practice on Wednesday and his downgrade to out on Thursday makes it somewhat uncertain if he will see the field this week vs The Steelers. Maclin has only surpassed 60 yards once this season.
Robby Anderson was limited in Thursday practice
One of the league’s most surprising and consistent wide receivers suffered a hamstring injury during practice Thursday and should be considered questionable for the Jets’ Week 14 matchup against the Broncos. Anderson’s five-game touchdown streak is finally over, but his 8-107-0 line last week against the Chiefs still provided enough upside to make Anderson a great roster option last week. The No Fly Zone defense has not lived up to its name this year, and if healthy Anderson makes for a great option in large field GPP’s.
Will Fuller practices on Thursday
Fuller practiced on consecutive days this week and is hopeful to return to the field for the first time in over a month. If healthy, Fuller remains a threat to score a touchdown from anywhere on the field. Always more of a boom or bust play, Fuller has seen unreal touchdown production this season. 7 of his 17 catches this season have resulted in touchdowns, and with Hopkins demanding most of Tom Savage’s attention, it will be interesting to see if Fuller can continue this unheard of touchdown pace.
Adrian Peterson misses practice again
The combination of missing last week’s game and little or no practice time this week makes Adrian Peterson very questionable for this week’s matchup vs The Titans. Kerwyn Williams stepped in as the lead back in Peterson’s absence last week and is in line to face a decent amount of work vs a Titans front seven that will be without DaQuan Jones.
Matthew Stafford on track to play Sunday
Barring any major setbacks with his injured hand, Matthew Stafford appears ready to take the field in a week 14 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Stafford is indeed healthy enough to perform at a high level, he will get the benefit of facing the league’s 31st ranked defense in terms of DVOA. At $6,300 on DraftKings, Stafford is in line to be one of the highest projected quarterbacks of the week.
Sterling Shepard returns to practice on Thursday
If Shepard can suit up for Sunday’s NFC matchup vs the rival Dallas Cowboys, he will have the benefit of facing one of the worst pass defenses in the league. As the 26th ranked defense in terms of DVOA, The Cowboys have repeatedly given up yards in chucks to slot receivers. Amidst the turmoil that is The NY Giants, Sheppard has seen a pretty noticeable decrease in his DraftKing salary. At $5,500 and with Eli Manning back in action as his QB, Sheppard is in a great spot vs a Cowboys team that should not provide a ton of resistance for in terms of preventing a big day.
Chris Hogan practicing again on Thursday
Hogan has not played in a game since week 8 and remains questionable to play in Monday nights primetime game against The Dolphins. If healthy, Hogan expects to return to his role as one of the lead receivers in the Patriots offense. An early season touchdown machine, Hogan’s 11 red zone targets are still higher than any of the other Patriots wide receivers. If Healthy Hogan would replace Phillip Dorsett as the receiver opposite of Brandin Cooks.
Joe Mixon misses practice again
Firmly entrenched in the league’s concussion protocol, Bengals star running back Joe Mixon is in danger of missing this week’s game vs The Chicago Bears. With Jeremy Hill already on the IR, Gio Bernard stepped in as the feature back in the absence of Mixon during last weeks game vs The Steelers. If Mixon is unable to go, Benard should figure to be one of the highest owned players on this week’s slate. At $3,100 on DraftKings, Benard should see three down work this week vs The Bears and becomes an obvious source of salary relief for this week’s slate.
Other tagged players: Giovani Bernard Jaguars expect Lee to practice, but will once again not have Hurns
As no stranger to missing early week practice time, Marquise Lee is expected to return to practice today and is in line for another start on Sunday. The Jags do not expect Allen Hurns to practice this week and remains very doubtful to play in week 14. Lee played well against The Colts last week and should have a chance to play well against a very banged up Seahawks secondary this week. In the absence of Hurns, Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole will continue to work with Marqise Lee in 3-WR sets.
Other tagged players: Allen Hurns Plenty of Cap Space to Pay up at Running Back
There are some truly great values in this slate, most notably Giovani Bernard, Josh Gordon, and Stephen Anderson. There are also a number of cheap quarterbacks on my radar. With all of the value available, we can load up on a few different studs. While Todd Gurley doesn’t have the best matchup of the week, he is game script-proof. The Rams do a great job of getting him the ball in space, both on the ground and in the passing game. He’s the safest bet on the board to get 25+ touches and when it comes to running backs, we are more concerned with volume than efficiency.
Tyrod Taylor returns to practice Thursday
If healthy enough, Taylor will start for the Bills in week 14. Taylor looks to have avoided major ligament damage and if he is healthy the matchup could not be better for fantasy purposes this week. The Colt’s rank 28th in Pass DVOA and if healthy Taylor could really be a force in the prime week 14 matchup. The Bills also announced that Kelvin Benjamin would return to practice on Thursday. Benjamin has not played in the last two weeks, and his discounted price of $4,600 on DraftKings makes for an interesting upside play in GPP’s.
Other tagged players: Kelvin Benjamin