DFS Alerts
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore expected to start Week 13
Despite being hobbled up by an ankle injury, there is optimism Lattimore will give it a go this afternoon, per Ian Rapoport. He ranks eighth in yards per cover snap (0.74, per PFF) while holding passers to the third-lowest rating (47.4) even though he often follows WR1s. Devin Funchess is coming off his first 100-yard game of the season (108) and he should see Lattimore plenty. The injury should help the receiver a bit as the corner isn’t 100% but it’ll still be a very challenging spot. Christian McCaffrey should be heavily involved and he could see a little boost if Funchess has to contend with Lattimore. Last time McCaffrey played the Saints, he went off for 101 receiving yards on nine catches. On the season, the Saints are giving up the ninth-most receptions and sixth-most receiving yards to RBs.
Other tagged players: Devin Funchess, Christian McCaffrey
Chargers CB Casey Hayward will play Week 13
Hayward is mourning the loss of his brother but he’ll suit up this weekend against the Browns. Per ESPN’s Tony Grossi, the Chargers have been planning to have Hayward follow Josh Gordon, which spells trouble for the receiver. Hayward has earned PFF’s top coverage grade among all CBs and he’s limited receivers to an impressive 45% catch rate (per PFF). That would leave Corey Colemen with Trevor Williams most of the game. Williams has allowed fewer fantasy points per route defended than Hayward (0.16 to 0.19) and he’s earned PFF’s 13th-best cover grade. As a unit, the Chargers are sixth in pass DVOA, fifth in receiving yards allowed to WRs, and 12th in PPR points given up to the position. It’s a tough spot for Gordon’s first game back.
Other tagged players: Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon Cardinals "pessimistic" Peterson can play Week 13, remains a game-time decision
Both the offensive coordinator and head coach had different opinions during the week but apparently, Peterson’s neck injury hasn’t progressed as well as they thought it would by now. Adam Schefter reports Peterson will be a game-time decision Sunday. If he can’t go, Kerwynn Williams will start with D.J. Foster working in on passing downs. However, Williams is dealing with a ribs injury he suffered last week. It’s possible he can’t handle a full workload or leaves the game early. Bruce Arians also praised Foster, adding carries “could easily fall into his lap quickly.” It’s an uncertain situation but Foster appears to have the better outlook among the two and he’s got a nice matchup with the Rams, whose defense is giving up the second-most PPR points to RBs this season.
Other tagged players: D.J. Foster, Kerwynn Williams Greg Olsen isn't expected to play Week 13
Olsen re-aggravated his foot injury last week against the Jets and the team wants to be cautious with him. His absence will give Ed Dickson another go as the TE1. He hasn’t topped 36 yards over the past six games and the Saints are allowing the ninth-fewest PPR points to TEs this season. It doesn’t look like a great spot for Dickson.
Other tagged players: Ed Dickson Ameer Abdullah isn't expected to play Week 13; Theo Riddick will start
Abdullah returned to practice Friday but his neck injury is expected to keep him sidelined today. According to Ian Rapoport, Theo Riddick “will be treated as the starter.” He averaged 9.3 carries per game last season over the eight games he started as he’s a much better receiver than runner. He’ll have a tough matchup against a Ravens defense allowing the eighth-fewest receiving yards and seventh-fewest PPR points to RBs. Dwayne Washington, who’s slated to return today, will likely take on some of the early-down work and Zach Zenner should mix in as well. It appears to be a backfield to avoid this week.
Other tagged players: Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, Zach Zenner Aaron Jones expected to play Week 13; Jamaal Williams should get most of the work
Williams is averaging 3.2 yards per carry and hasn’t returned more than 3.4 in any of the three games he’s been the featured back. While he’s averaged 22.7 touches game during that stretch, that number will likely decrease today with Jones back in the mix. It looks like a pretty solid matchup against a Tampa Bay defense that ranks 14th in adjusted line yards (per FO) and has given up the 11th-most PPR points to RBs. However, there is plenty of risk surrounding this backfield given the situation.
Other tagged players: Jamaal Williams Chargers place K Nick Novak (back) on IR, sign K Travis Coons from practice squad
The Los Angeles Chargers have officially placed Nick Novak on injured reserve with a back injury, effectively ending his season. In a corresponding move, the team has signed Travis Coons from the practice squad and he will now be the third kicker the Chargers have utilized this season. The Chargers do own the highest implied team total on Sunday’s main slate at 29 points and are home favorites, two of the key game environment factors that have consistently proven to predict kicker performances in daily fantasy, this would normally put Coons firmly in play but he is not available on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jack Wang via Twitter Other tagged players: Travis Coons
My Workload Should Go Up This Week
Cook is my favorite tight end play on the weekend, and even though he’s going to be chalk, I’m still going to play him in this spot. Without Cooper and Crabtree, we could see a bump in targets for Cook. He’s averaging 5.9 targets per game, which is the eight most among tight ends this season. He has a 17% target share, and a 23.1 red zone target share, which is the 11th highest among tight ends. He also has seven end zone targets this season. He’s run at least 25 routes in five of the last six games, and without the two studs, I have a hard time seeing him fewer than 25 this weekend. The Giants are 19th in DVOA against tight ends, but they’re allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Their allowing an average of 5.64 catches for 69.82 yards and .91 touchdowns per game this season.
My Cheap Wide Receiver For This Weekend
A lot of people are talking about the Oakland options this weekend, and I’m going a completely different route with Josh Reynolds. Robert Woods is officially ruled out again this weekend, and he’s playing 84.2% of the snaps for the Rams this season. Reynolds played 62 of the Rams 77 snaps last weekend, and was on the field for 43 of 52 pass plays. He ran 41 routes, had six total targets; with two of those six targets being red zone targets. Patrick Peterson will be shadowing Watkins, and Kupp has a tough matchup in the slot; Tramon Williams has allowed a 55.7 passing rating when being targeted this season and Arizona is allowing 73.7 yards per game to the third option this season. Opposing teams are targeting the third option 9.1 times on average against Arizona. Reynolds is one of my favorite value plays this weekend, and I think he’s a great pivot off the Oakland cheap guys.
Falcons CB Brian Poole downgraded to questionable for Sunday
Poole has been downgraded to questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Vikings after previously being cleared to play with a back injury. With Desmond Trufant already ruled out with a concussion, his potential absence could have a significant impact on this Atlanta Falcons secondary and would be a huge upgrade from a matchup standpoint for primarily Adam Thielen and even Stefon Diggs, who quietly runs about a quarter of his routes from the slot, and obviously already benefits from Trufant being unavailable as well. If Poole ends up being inactive, free safety Ricardo Allen would likely man the slot and should be at a disadvantage no matter who he matches up against between Thielen and Diggs, adding to the Vikings wide receiver duo’s appeal in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Kelsey Conway via Twitter Let's Try This Again
I’ve been on this train, and it’s been a losing train for a while now. I think Hunt is talented, but I do worry about how bad this team has been playing. Charcandrick West has been ruled out this week, and he’s playing 26.1% of the snaps this season and has at least four targets in three straight games. Hunt is averaging 20 touches per game, and his 19 red zone attempts are the six most in the NFL this season. Hunt also leads all running backs in touch percentage (42.72%) this season. I don’t typically do my write ups on Saturday morning, but being bust actually worked out for me this week. I was shocked to see Hunt’s projected ownership under 10% this week. Also, this is the lowest his price has been since week two against Philly. He’s been horrible, but at this price and ownership, I’m going right back to the well this weekend.
I'm Being Overlooked Because Of My Price
Alvin Kamara has been an absolute stud, and I’m hoping people get scared off because of his price tag this weekend. I’m not hearing a lot of talk about him, and I don’t see his name mentioned in my articles this week. Using full point PPR scoring, Kamara has been a top ten scoring running back in six straight games, and he’s been in the top four in four straight games. He’s yet to top 12 carries on the season, and he’s still the second running back in this offense. With that said, he has 27 targets in the last four games, and he’s caught at least six passes in three of the last four games. He leads the NFL in receiving yards among running backs, and he’s second in total touchdowns. The Saints are first in run blocking efficiency this season, and they’ve really succeeded in running the football this season. Kamara will get work in any game script here, and he’s one of my favorite plays for GPPs on DraftKings.
My Best Matchup This Season
After a slow start, Hundley looked great in the game against the Steelers last weekend. Tampa has struggled badly against the pass this season, as they’ve struggled with getting pressure on the quarterback. With a young quarterback, I feel a lot more comfortable targeting him against a team that has issues generating pressure. Tampa is last in the league in adjusted sack rate (4.2%), and the Bucs are also 22nd in DVOA against the pass, while allowing at least one passing touchdown in every game this season. Hundley is averaging 4.48 fantasy points per game on the ground in five starts, and he has at least 14 fantasy points in three of his last four games. I really like this game overall and will target both passing games this weekend.
A Cash Game Lock at WR on FanDuel
Since Brett Hundley’s first start in Week 7, it has been apparent that Davante Adams is his preferred target. In that timespan, Adams has played on almost 90% of snaps while amassing a whopping 28% market share of targets. Jordy Nelson is a distant second at almost 18%. And despite putting up 16.7 and 16.6 FanDuel points in his last two games, the price has actually come down to $6,500. That is obviously just too cheap for a guy seeing this much volume. And when we add on the fact that he now gets to face a Bucs defense that ranks 30th in pass defense DVOA, Adams becomes a plug-and-play at wide receiver in FanDuel cash games.
This Wide Receiver Is Still Too Cheap For His Increased Role
In the past three games with Chris Hogan sidelined, Brandin Cooks has played on 93% of snaps while soaking up an almost 27% market share of targets. The next closest pass catcher on the Patriots is Rob Gronkowski at slightly below 18%. Cooks has turned his 27 targets in those three games into 18 receptions for 306 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t think that the price has risen enough for this increase in volume. Cooks is a great way to get exposure to a Patriots team that has the second highest team total on the slate. He will be a fixture in my cash game lineups across the industry.