DFS Alerts
Dez Bryant will play Week 10
Bryant (knee, ankle) says he’ll be suiting up Sunday against the Falcons. He doesn’t line up on CB Desmond Trufant’s side often which should mostly leave him with Robert Alford, PFF’s 75th-ranked cover corner if he plays. Alford is coming off a solid game in which he limited Panthers receivers to a 3/26/0 line after being targeted eight times. Despite picking up 11 looks against the Chiefs, Bryant finished with six catches for 73 scoreless yards. While the yards haven’t been there for Bryant yet this season, he’s averaging 9.5 targets per game. On top of that, he leads the league with 14 red zone targets and he’s second with eight looks inside the ten-yard line. He should continue to pick up opportunities in scoring position against a middle-of-the-pack Falcons RZ defense allowing a touchdown on 52% of their opponent’s trips inside the 20 (14th).
Browns CB Jason McCourty expected to play Week 10
McCourty is expected to return from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury and he’ll likely shadow Marvin Jones, who popped off for 107 yards and two scores in Week 9. The receiver is 14th with nine red zone targets and tenth with five inside the ten-yard line. He’s only caught one of his looks within ten yards of the goal line and two total passes in the RZ but he has a great chance of improving those catch rates this weekend against the Browns, whose defense is allowing the highest touchdown rate inside the 20-yard line (74%). Fantasy players may be scared of Jones because of McCourty’s high marks this season – he’s earned the fifth-best rating in our CB tool. However, McCourty’s underlying numbers aren’t horribly intimidating. He’s allowed a 66% catch rate and 0.97 yards per cover snap (32nd, per PFF). His grade appears to be a bit inflated because he’s picked off three passes which has lowered his passer rating to 56.3, the fifth-best mark in the league. He hasn’t really been beaten for touchdowns though, allowing just one so far. Either way, he appears to be a better matchup for receivers than slot corner Briean Boddy-Calhoun, who’s posted the best yards per cover snap (0.34) and second-best cover snaps per receptions rates (31). He could pose a tough challenge for Golden Tate, who’s only picked up one look inside the ten this season.
Other tagged players: Marvin Jones, Golden Tate Jamison Crowder, Jordan Reed, and several Redskins linemen practiced again Thursday
The Redskins are getting healthier. RG Brandon Scherff, LG Shawn Lauvao, and C Spencer Long all participated in some individual drills Wednesday after missing Week 9’s game, although LT Trent Williams remained sidelined. Crowder (hamstring) and Reed (hamstring) were doing the same and both appear to have a shot at suiting up this weekend against the Vikings. It’s a tough spot for Crowder as he’ll battle Terrence Newman in the slot; the CB has limited receivers to the 12th-fewest yards per cover snap (0.95) when lined up inside and a solid 59% catch rate – which is low for slot corners. The receiver had posted his best game of the year in Week 8, hauling in nine balls for 123 yards on 13 targets, and he’ll try to pick things up where he left off. Reed (hamstring) hasn’t been fully healthy all season and could play limited snaps if he suits up. On top of that, Minnesota has held tight ends to the eighth-fewest yards this season (45/g). The Vikings rank seventh in adjusted sack rate, so a healthier line will be very important for the Redskins offense. Cousins has taken the most sacks in the league over the past two weeks (10), in large part due to the injuries up front.
Other tagged players: Jordan Reed, Washington Commanders Curtis Samuel limited Thursday with an ankle injury
ESPN’s David Newton reported Samuel was limited with a concussion but it appears he’s just dealing with the ankle issue listed on the injury report. He suffered the injury in Wednesday’s practice but it’s a good sign he was able to participate. With Kelvin Benjamin in Buffalo, Samuel played a season-high 49 snaps last week and ended up catching three passes on five targets. His role is expected to expand in the coming weeks as the Panthers try to add speed on the field. He’s also a capable runner and he’s picked up 64 yards on four carries this season. The team could add some creative ways to get the versatile player more involved on the field if he plays this week. They’ll take on the Dolphins, whose defense ranks 30th in pass DVOA. At $3.5k on DraftKings, he’s a potential value option in tournaments.
Markus Wheaton and Dontrelle Inman are expected to play Week 10
Chicago’s receiving corps is a mess and the team is committed to keeping the ball out of their rookie quarterback’s hands. That said, with Zach Miller out, more targets should head towards the receivers. The pecking order isn’t very clear. Tanner Gentry has led the group in snaps for three straight weeks but he’s only picked up three targets and one reception during that stretch while Kendall Wright leads them with eight. They appear to be high on Tre McBride but he hadn’t attracted a single pass until last week. He seized the opportunity though, turning five looks into three catches for 92 yards. It will be Inman’s first game with the team. Although he’s not a particularly exciting talent, he could work his way towards the top of this group in the coming weeks. It looks like Wheaton will be the odd man out. He’s been terrible in limited action this season, catching one of his nine targets. They take on the Packers this week, whose defense is giving up the fifth-most PPR points per game to receivers but it’ll be tough to predict which, if any, Bears receiver can exploit the matchup. It may be best to focus on their ground game in fantasy like they will in real life. Jordan Howard has picked up at least 19 touches in six straight games and he’s averaged 21.7 carries per game. Although Howard has been on a scoreless drought for the past four outings, he may be in a good spot to find the paint as the Packers are allowing the seventh-most rushing touchdowns per game (0.8) and the back has picked up the tenth-most carries inside the ten-yard line (9).
Other tagged players: Dontrelle Inman, Kendall Wright, Tre McBride, Tanner Gentry, Jordan Howard, Mitchell Trubisky He Went To "Ha Vud"
I’m looking to punt at quarterback this week and find myself ending up with Fitzpatrick in a huge percentage of my lineups. Yes the Bucs offense has looked bad and Mike Evans being suspended is a blow, but I still think there is major upside here and I like stacking this game for a number of reasons, the least of which is the pricing of players in this game. I’ll skip the revenge narrative as I’m not sure how much of a factor that will play. The Jets have allowed the most passing TDs in the NFL this season at 19, Fitzy is minimum cost across almost all sites and pairing him with the likes of Jackson, Humphries, Brate, or Howard will barely make a hit on your salary cap. That will allow you to pay up for studs like Le’Veon, Brown, Green, Julio, and Gurley.
Paul Richardson expected to play Week 10, could be limited
Adam Schefter reports Richardson (questionable, groin) will likely suit up tonight against the Cardinals but added he “could be limited some.” Although he’ll likely avoid Patrick Peterson most of the game, the injury risk hinders his fantasy outlook. Doug Baldwin has the best matchup among Seattle’s receiver group against PFF’s 83rd cover corner, Tyrann Mathieu, who’s allowed the eighth-most yards per cover snap when lined up inside (1.36) and the seventh-most receptions (23). Russell Wilson has been firing Baldwin’s way a ton over the past three weeks, peppering him with 10-12 targets each game. There doesn’t seem to be much reason for that trend to end given the matchups the receivers will face tomorrow night. Further elevating Baldwin’s spot is Wilson’s aggressiveness over the past few weeks. He leads the league in deep passes by a wide margin since Week 8 with 20 attempts while Stafford is second with 13. Baldwin has attracted six of those, the fourth-most in the league. On the season, he has the seventh-best deep-passing catch rate (40%) and the 12th-best yards per route run. Teammate Tyler Lockett is second over the past three weeks with eight looks 20+ yards downfield but if he’s stuck with Peterson, those looks could shift in Baldwin’s direction.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Wide Receiver Looks to Stay Hot With Team Strongly Favored
Over the last three weeks, Marvin Jones has averaged 12 targets per game, with an average of 6.3 catches and 110.3 yards, and he has three touchdown receptions over that span. So why is he still only the 24th-most expensive Wide Receiver on FanDuel at $6,400, and the 12th-most expensive on DraftKings at $6,200? It’s not because he’ll be facing a tough pass defense, with Cleveland allowing 7.4 passing yards per attempt (21st in the league) and giving up a 103.0 passer rating to QBs this season, second-to-last among all pass defenses. With Detroit sitting as the second-highest projected scoring offense this week, Jones will be looking to put up big numbers at an affordable price again this Sunday.
Seahawks CB Richard Sherman will play Week 10
Sherman is listed questionable with an Achilles injury but he’ll suit up tonight against the Cardinals. Sherman has earned the third-best rating in our CB model, setting up the sixth-worst matchup rating of the week for receiver John Brown. It won’t help having Drew Stanton under center either. The quarterback has a career 6.3 yards per attempt rate, which would be 27th in the league this season. Plus, he’s only completed 52.6% of his passes and Brown has had some serious efficiency problems the past two seasons, hauling in just 49.1% of his targets (38.9% this season), while primarily catching passes from a much better QB in Carson Palmer;
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: John Brown Dolphins S Michael Thomas isn't practicing Thursday
Thomas is starting for the Dolphins with safety Nate Allen on the injured reserve. He’s earned solid grades in limited snaps this season (122), checking in as the tenth-ranked safety in run defense by PFF grading while picking up the eighth-most run stops among safeties over the past two weeks (3). If he plays, his presence could make it a little tougher for Christian McCaffrey on Monday night. The rookie hasn’t been very productive on the ground as it is, only averaging 2.9 yards per carry this season, but he’s been very productive in the passing game; he’s third in the league with 54 receptions. The Dolphins are 18th in receiving RB DVOA, setting up a decent spot for McCaffrey to continue producing through the air. With Plus, with Kelvin Benjamin in Buffalo, the targets should keep coming his way.
Other tagged players: Christian McCaffrey High-Powered Offense Meets Weak Pass Defense
It still seems surprising to see the Los Angeles Rams as the highest projected scoring team this week, higher than more traditionally prolific offenses such as New England, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New Orleans, but it makes sense given the Rams lead the league in points-per-game with 32.9. The performance of quarterback Jared Goff has been a big reason for their success, ranking 10th in passing yards per game and adding 13 passing touchdowns with only four interceptions on the season. This week Goff takes on a Houston pass defense that is third-from-last in the league allowing 8.1 yards per passing attempt, just allowed 302 passing yards to Jacoby Brissett last week, and gave up 452 passing yards to Russell Wilson the week before. Despite the high point totals, Goff is only the sixth-most expensive QB on both DraftKings ($6,700) and FanDuel ($8,200), making him a good value play with upside this Sunday.
Charles Clay is practicing Thursday, Zay Jones isn't participating
Clay (knee) will return from a three-game absence when Buffalo hosts New Orleans this weekend. The Saints currently have the league’s most-improved pass defense from a season ago and that’s extended to tight ends. In addition to ranking fourth in TE DVOA (per FO), they’ve allowed the third-fewest PPR points to the position. Considering the added injury risk, Clay, who remains the team’s leading receiver despite being sidelined, may be a tough sell in fantasy this week. On the bright side, the Bills are at home and he could benefit from quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s home splits as he normally does. Since 2016, Clay hasn’t caught a touchdown on the road (10 games) but he’s averaged 0.6 at the Ralph (10 games). Jones appears doubtful at this point, we’ll have to see if he can return tomorrow. If he’s sidelined this weekend, it could open up targets for newcomer Kelvin Benjamin. Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, PFF’s top-graded corner, will likely follow Benjamin around this weekend. Lattimore frustrated Mike Evans in Week 9; the Bucs top WR finished with just one catch for 13 yards and earned a suspension for fighting the CB. Lattimore’s raw numbers are nothing short of impressive. Despite taking on opposing WR1s all year, he’s limited QBs to the second-lowest passer rating (37.4) while allowing the eighth-fewest yards (160), posting the ninth-best cover snaps per reception rate (16.3), and he hasn’t been charged with a single touchdown.
Other tagged players: Zay Jones Struggling Veteran QB Could Turn Things Around This Week
Ben Roethlisberger has had a disappointing season to say the least, with only 10 passing touchdowns through eight games, no games with 18 FanDuel points or more, and a terrible zero-touchdown, five-interception game on his resume in Week 5 against Jacksonville. He’s heading into the best get-right situation a quarterback can find, however, with this Sunday’s matchup with Indianapolis. The Colts rank last in the league in passing yards-per-attempt allowed (8.3), second-to-last in passing yards per game allowed (280), and just released cornerback Vontae Davis. Roethlisberger is still the same quarterback who averaged over 4,200 passing yards per season from 2013-2016, he still has Antonio Brown, and he gets Wide Receiver Martavis Bryant back into the fold this week as well. While his numbers this year are a concern, at only $7,600 on FanDuel and $6,600 on DraftKings, Big Ben is worth taking a chance on this weekend.
Jeremy Hill isn't practicing Thursday
Hill was a late scratch Sunday after suffering an ankle injury in warmups. If he can’t go, it will allow Joe Mixon to start again and pick up a few more touches. He garnered 16 in Jacksonville last Sunday and scored, although he only managed 45 yards. On the season, he’s produced just 2.9 yards per carry and his Week 10 opponent, the Titans, have held opponents to the fourth-fewest ypc this season (3.6). On top of that, they’ve given up the fewest rushing touchdowns (3). Setting up as a pass funnel defense, the Titans rank 22nd in pass DVOA and have permitted the seventh-most scores through the air (1.9/g). That opens up a nice spot for Andy Dalton on the road. Since 2015, the QB has tossed 1.7 touchdowns per game when away, a 0.5 touchdown bump over his production at home. His go-to receiver A.J. Green will square off with A’doree’ Jackson, who’s allowed the tenth-most touchdowns this season (3).
Other tagged players: Joe Mixon Dez Bryant isn't practicing Thursday
Bryant was expected to return to practice today but it looks like he won’t be able to get out there. The receiver is dealing with knee and ankle injuries he suffered in Week 9. There’s still optimism he can play this weekend, we’ll have to see if he can participate tomorrow. Bryant doesn’t line up on CB Desmond Trufant’s side often which should mostly leave him with Robert Alford, PFF’s 75th-ranked cover corner if he plays. Alford is coming off a solid game in which he limited Panthers receivers to a 3/26/0 line after being targeted eight times. Despite picking up 11 looks against the Chiefs, Bryant finished with six catches for 73 scoreless yards. While the yards haven’t been there for Bryant yet this season, he’s averaging 9.5 targets per game. On top of that, he leads the league with 14 red zone targets and he’s second with eight looks inside the ten-yard line. He should continue to pick up opportunities in scoring position against a middle-of-the-pack Falcons RZ defense allowing a touchdown on 52% of their opponent’s trips inside the 20 (14th).