DFS Alerts
Blaine Gabbert will start at QB for the Cardinals on Sunday
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians made it official Friday afternoon announcing that Blaine Gabbert will be the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans after Drew Stanton was ruled out with an injured knee he sustained in last Thursday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals passing has predictably struggled without Carson Plamer under center, but they do draw a juicy matchup against the Texans 31st-ranked ranked scoring defense and has been leaky downfield in recent games, surrendering 320 or more yards in three of the last five games. That said, Gabbert has shown in the past that he can produce as a starting quarterback from a daily fantasy standpoint and will be an intriguing tournament option for his low salary around the industry, especially with the Cardinals receiving corps looking as healthy as they have all season.
As reported by: Josh Weinfuss via Twitter
Charles Clay (knee) and Jordan Matthews (knee) questionable for Sunday; Mike Tolbert (hamstring) ruled out
Clay and Matthews have been listed as questionable on the Buffalo Bills’ injury report for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers with separate knee injuries. Despite the questionable designation, Clay practiced in full the entire week and is fully expected to play. Matthews is a different story as he was only able to be a limited participant in the Bills’ practices and his status is a little more in doubt. Even if he is able to suit up, he’ll join a suddenly crowded pass-catching corps that consists of Clay, Kelvin Benjamin, and Zay Jones that is being forced to be on the receiving end of Nathan Peterman passes, something that isn’t a source of optimism for their fantasy value in Week 11 and moving forward. The Chargers rank 9th in pass DVOA so Peterman and his pass catchers look to possess low floors and even lower ceilings on Sunday’s slates across the industry.
As reported by: Vic Carucci via Twitter Other tagged players: Jordan Matthews Chris Hogan (shoulder) officially ruled out for Sunday
Hogan has officially been ruled out and won’t suit up for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders with a shoulder injury that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, the Patriots are likely to deploy Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, and Phillip Dorsett as their top-three wide receivers for the second time in as many games. That said, Rex Burkhead is actually the biggest beneficiary of Hogan’s absence, as he will now continue to see snaps as a slot receiver in addition to the snaps that he has already been siphoning away from Dion Lewis and James White in the New England backfield. He remains extremely cheap across the industry and is shaping up to be a cash game staple for Sunday’s main slate.
As reported by: Jeff Howe via Twitter Broncos TEs A.J. Derby (shoulder) and Jeff Heuerman (knee) out for Sunday; Cody Latimer (Achilles) questionable
Derby and Heuerman didn’t practice all week and have officially been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a shoulder and an ankle injury, respectively. This will allow Virgil Green to work as the team’s primary pass-catching tight-end, though that role has held little value all season with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders soaking up a massive 48 percent of the Broncos target share through 10 weeks. With Latimer questionable, Bennie Fowler and Jordan Taylor could see some additional snaps at wide receiver if Latimer ends up inactive, but just as with the tight ends, remain relatively nonexistent for daily fantasy purposes.
As reported by: Nicki Jhabvala via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Heuerman, Cody Latimer Leonard Fournette (ankle) questionable for Sunday; Dede Westbrook (core) expected to be activated from IR
Fournette was downgraded to a nonparticipant in Friday’s practice, which is not a good sign for his availability for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns and has officially been listed as questionable. Even if Fournette is able to suit up, he’s expected to be limited, which will likely lead to more third-down snaps for T.J. Yeldon while Chris Ivory should be expected to mix in on the early downs. With Allen Hurns and Arrelious Benn sidelined, the Jaguars are expected to receive some reinforcements to their receiving corps as the team is reportedly ready to activate Dede Westbrook from injured reserve. There have been conflicting reports on just how involved he will be in the Jaguars’ game plan for Week 11, but he put up monster 13-288-2 line in just 78 snaps during the preseason, obviously exhibiting his potential upside at a low price tag if he is allowed to see the field on a regular basis.
As reported by: Michael DiRocco via Twitter Other tagged players: Dede Westbrook Alshon Jeffery (ankle) practices fully Friday, expected to play Sunday night
Jeffery is still listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys but is expected to play after being a full participant in Friday’s practice. He’ll continue his normal role as the Eagles top receiver on the outside alongside Zach Ertz, who typically does most of his damage in the middle of the field. The Cowboys rank 26th in pass DVOA versus starting tight ends as well, so Ertz will remain an elite option in tournaments on FanDuel’s main slate and a key cog in all formats for the primetime slates across the industry.
As reported by: Dave Zangaro via Twitter Bears TE Dion Sims (illness) questionable for Sunday
Sims has been listed as questionable on the Chicago Bears’ injury report for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions due to an illness that already forced him to miss one game. His absence allowed Adam Shaheen to work as the team’s featured pass-catching tight end, though only saw two targets and converted them into 39 receiving yards. Clearly, regardless of Sims’ availability, both tight ends possess extremely low floors in a run-first offense that has limited Mitchell Trubisky to 165 yards passing or less in all but one of his five starts.
As reported by: Jeff Dickerson via Twitter Jordan Reed (hamstring), Terrelle Pryor (ankle) ruled out for Sunday; Ryan Grant (concussion) and Brian Quick (concussion) questionable
Reed and Pryor have both been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints due to a hamstring and ankle injury, respectively, while Ryan Grant and Brian Quick have each been listed as questionable. Vernon Davis has performed extremely well the last two weeks with Reed inactive and has seen a massive 20 targets, so despite the tough matchup with the Saints defense, will remain firmly in play for tournaments as a mid-priced tight end option. Meanwhile, Josh Doctson could end up working as the Redskins primary outside receiver with Pryor unavailable and Grant also questionable, though he will now almost assuredly draw shadow coverage from Marshon Lattimore, likely making Jamison Crowder the more appealing wide receiver to target for daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: John Keim via Twitter Other tagged players: Terrelle Pryor, Ryan Grant, Brian Quick This WR Continues To Be Overlooked For Cash Games
Due to the fact that he hasn’t exploded for a huge game yet (not to mention how good the Saints running game has been), Michael Thomas continues to fly under the radar. However, he has been about as consistent of a cash game play at the wide receiver position that there is in the league. This is due in large part to the fact that he has a 28% market share of targets on the season, which is good enough for seventh highest in the NFL. And his next closest teammate in market share of targets is a running back, which is Alvin Kamara coming in at 18%. This has resulted in a steady diet of (save for one outlier against Detroit) DraftKings production anywhere between 14-23 fantasy points over the past seven games. And that is with only two touchdowns. Thomas has a huge game coming once he experiences some positive touchdown regression. However, the floor is extremely high regardless of whether he can find the end zone, which makes him a phenomenal cash game play on DraftKings in Week 11.
A Great Cash Game Play On Full-Point PPR Sites
At $3,600, Burkhead makes for a great cash game play on the DraftKings main slate that is largely starving for viable plays that are priced below $4,000. Now that it appears he is back to full health, the snaps have been on the rise over the course of the past three games. He played 18% of the snaps in Week 7, 31% in Week 8, and was all the way up to 51% in Week 10. The touches, of course, have followed (7, 11, and 13, respectively). He is a great way to get cheap access to a Patriots team that faces the WORST defense in the NFL, the Oakland Raiders (dead least in defense DVOA). Considering the Patriots have a team total of 31 points, I want as much exposure to it as I can get. On full-point PPR sites like DraftKings, Burkhead just makes too much sense for cash games at this cheap of a price tag.
Vance McDonald and S Mike Mitchell inactive Week 11
McDonald and Mitchell are both dealing with ankle injuries that will keep them sidelined for Pittsburgh’s Thursday night showdown with the Titans. McDonald has become a little involved in the passing game in recent weeks, pulling down a pair of receptions in each of the past two games including one touchdown grab against the Colts. His absence won’t change a whole lot though, it will primarily open up more snaps for Xavier Grimble. With CB Joe Haden out for several weeks, the Steelers will thin in their secondary with Mitchell also down. Coty Sensabaugh played poorly in place of Haden last week, allowing a 3/83/1 line on four targets. He’ll primarily battle Rishard Matthews on Thursday. The receiver was second on the team with five catches and 50 yards in Week 10 but he was out-targeted by Corey Davis 10-7. Davis will have his hands full with Artie Burns on roughly half of his routes. Burns’ 52% catch rate has elevated him to 19th in cover snaps per reception (14.1, per PFF). That could encourage Marcus Mariota to send more passes in Matthews’ direction, although Davis will get some run into Sensabaugh’s area as well. Martavis Bryant was out with an illness Wednesday but was removed from the injury report yesterday; he’s good to go tonight. He’s a distant third receiver behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s now scored in three straight games. While Tennessee is 10th in WR1 DVOA, they’re 29th against WR2s and they’re funneling the fourth-most passes to the position (7.1/g, per FO). Last week, Bengals WR2 Brandon LaFell posted his best game of the season, finishing with a 6/10/95/1 line.
Other tagged players: Pittsburgh Steelers
Philip Rivers had a full practice Thursday, expected to play Week 11
Rivers is in the concussion protocol after he reported symptoms Tuesday. He was able to practice in full today and coach Anthony Lynn said he thinks he’ll suit up this weekend. Although there are no guarantees when dealing with concussions until a player has cleared the protocol, it appears Rivers will be fine. The aging quarterback is having a bit of a down season, his 60.1% completion rate is the lowest since he’s taken over as the Chargers starter and his 7.01 yards per attempt is the worst average he’s posted since 2012. He’s still finding the end zone quite a bit though, he’s tossed 15 TD passes and posted five multi-score games. In Week 11, he’ll have a stiff opponent. The Bills are limiting QBs to the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game and the fewest touchdown passes (0.78/g). Buffalo’s weak point appears to be in their run defense as highlighted by the Saints last week when they rolled over the Bills defense for 298 yards and six scores in the ground. Melvin Gordon will try to emulate that success this weekend. He’s been inefficient all year, delivering 3.8 yards per carry (3.2 if his 87-yard run is removed), but he’ll be in a great spot to improve those numbers. The Chargers are currently favored by 4.5-points and they’re facing a rookie QB in his first start, so game flow should be in Gordon’s favor. However, even with a positive game script, he could begin losing more touches to Austin Ekeler, who found the end zone twice last week. The rookie racked up 15 touches to Gordon’s 21 and it was the second time in three games he picked up double-digit touches.
Other tagged players: Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler Saints DB Kenny Vaccaro didn't practice Thursday
The Saints are fourth in pass DVOA and holding receivers to the sixth-fewest PPR points per game. Outside corners Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley have been excellent and converted safety Vaccaro has performed well in the slot. Vaccaro was absent last week with a groin injury though and collected a DNP today. If he remains sidelined, the Saints would have a soft spot inside. Jordan Matthews wasn’t able to take advantage of that last week as the entire Bills offense tanked, but Jamison Crowder has a shot to exploit the weakness. He’s come alive the past couple of games as he and Kirk Cousins have finally rekindled their 2016 chemistry, collecting 11 and 13 targets in those contests. P.J. Williams will be the primary slot defender for the Saints if Vaccaro can’t go. His 1.53 yards per cover snap would be the sixth-most if he qualified (per PFF) and he’s allowed a 71% catch rate. Crowder is just $4.3k on DK with projected ownership of 3%, making him an interesting GPP option. While it’s certainly risky targeting the Saints pass defense, Crowder should pick up a high number of targets for his price point. Despite that potential weak point, the Saints defense should remain strong as a whole and thier D/ST appears to be an appealing fantasy option. Washington was much healthier up front last game after battling injuries across their entire line for the past couple of game but they didn’t perform well. They struggled against a Vikings defensive front that was without one of their most productive pass-rushers, Everson Griffen, conceding the second-most pressures of the week (18). Cousins hasn’t responded well to pressure this season, throwing the fourth-most interceptions when under duress (5). That bodes well for the Saints defense as they’ve posted the third-best pressure rate this year (7.1%) and picked off the seventh-most passes (10). With New Orleans favored by eight points at home and the Redskins rolling with the ineffective Samaje Perine as their lead runner, Washington may need to abandon the run at some point and go pass-heavy. Not only would that make them predictable, but it would open up a lot of opportunities for sacks and picks. The Saints D/ST is priced up on DraftKings this week as the fourth-most expensive option ($3.5k) but they’re 14th on FanDuel ($4.5k).
John Brown didn't practice Thursday
Brown has been second among the Cardinals receivers in snaps the past five games but he hasn’t caught more than three passes in any of them and he now has a 38% catch rate on the year. He’s now dealing with a mid-week downgrade due to a back injury and he’ll likely have Blaine Gabbert throwing to him if he plays. Should he sit this one out, Jaron Brown would enter the starting lineup. Despite the favorable matchup, it’ll probably be best to avoid both Browns this week. Gabbert will probably lean on Larry Fitzgerald like Drew Stanton did. Over his two starts, Stanton sent 31% of his targets in Fitzgerald’s direction and it helped him tremendously. While the quarterback has been inefficient overall, completing just 48.4% of his passes while averaging 5.93 yards per attempt, he has a 65% completion rate and averages 7.96 yards per attempt when passing to Fitz over the past two games. If Gabbert follows a similar pattern, Fitzgerald should find success against Texans slot corner Kareem Jackson, who’s earned PFF’s 109th cover grade out of 116 qualifiers.
Other tagged players: Larry Fitzgerald Albert Wilson, DE Allen Bailey, and LB Dee Ford didn't practice Thursday
It’s the second missed practice in a row for all three players. Wilson was inactive for the Chiefs last game, leaving De’Anthony Thomas as their WR3. Thomas was on the field for 67% of their snaps and was targeted three times. Demarcus Robinson led the receivers in snaps once again, which he has done three times in the last four games – he’s played 92% of the snaps during that stretch. He put up another dud though, catching two passes for 18 yards. Although we can expect him to be on the field a ton, he’s only received three targets over the past two weeks and clearly isn’t a priority in this offense. Considering how poorly the Giants have been against tight ends, it seems very likely Smith will focus on Travis Kelce. New York has now allowed a tight end to score a touchdown in ten straight games and as a result, they’re giving up the most PPR points to the position this season (19.61/g). Kelce has a 74% catch rate and he’s returning 9.1 yards per target. Not surprisingly, he projects as our TE1 in points and ownership across the industry this week. Ford and Bailey have both graded poorly this season but nonetheless, their absence would be an upgrade for Orleans Darkwa. The running back has taken control of the Giants backfield with 17.0 touches per game over the past four weeks. He’s posted 5.1 yards per carry over the course of the season while the Chiefs defense ranks 31st in adjusted line yards (4.71, per FO). On top of that, KC has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns to the position (0.89/g). Darkwa is a sneaky GPP value at $4.8k on DK and $5.9k on FD with projected ownership of 2% and 1%, respectively.
Other tagged players: Demarcus Robinson, Travis Kelce, De'Anthony Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs, Orleans Darkwa