DFS Alerts
Andre Ellington (quad) not expected to play Sunday
Ellington had been listed as questionable on the Arizona Cardinals injury report with a quad injury for today’s game against the St. Louis Rams over in London but is reportedly not expected to play this afternoon. Ellington saw very limited snaps in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mostly due to the game script and the overall success of Adrian Peterson in the running game. Despite Ellington’s absence, Peterson should not be expected to take over the passing down role as it is more likely that those snaps will be absorbed by Kerwynn Williams if the Cardinals are trailing. Peterson does set up nicely as a tournament option against the Rams’ 22nd ranked rush DVOA, especially if Arizona is able to get out to a lead early in the game.
As reported by: Adam Schefter via Twitter
Leonard Fournette (ankle) not expected to be active Sunday
The Jacksonville Jaguars are not expecting Fournette to be active for today’s game against the Indianapolis Colts after previously being listed as questionable on the Jaguars’ injury with an ankle injury, but his official status will be determined closer to kickoff. If Fournette is unable to suit up, look for Chris Ivory to receive the majority of the backfield work against a Colts team that ranks 20th in rush DVOA and 31st in DVOA versus pass-catching running backs. T.J. Yeldon has been a healthy scratch all season but should be expected to be active and likely receive work as a complementary third-down back in Sunday’s contest.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport via Twitter Other tagged players: Chris Ivory Monday Night Football injury update
Josh Norman, as expected, has been ruled out making the Eagles receivers a much more viable option, especially Alshon Jeffery as he won’t have to deal with the All-Pro corner. On the other side of the field, Wendell Smallwood is questionable for the Monday Night tilt – he’s expected to play but probably won’t serve as more than a third-down/change of pace back in relief of LaGarrette Blount. The Eagles running game as a whole can be avoided as it is their passing game that you will want to attack. For the Redskins, Rob Kelley should return to action this week and is listed as questionable on the injury report. That’s another running back situation to avoid as he’ll split time with Samaje Perine and Chris Thompson will take most of the passing down work.
As reported by: Zach Berman on Twitter
Tough Matchup But Too Much Volume
Demaryius Thomas certainly has a difficult matchup ahead of him in Week 7. It is likely he is shadowed by Casey Hayward, who grades out as the 13th best cornerback according to Pro Football Focus. However, the price ($5,800) coupled with the expected volume DT should see in this game with Emmanuel Sanders out still makes him a lock for me in cash games on DraftKings. DT and Sanders each saw roughly a quarter of the targets through the first four weeks of the season (bye in Week 5) . With Sanders out essentially half of the game in Week 6, DT racked up 14 targets. The next closest to that (besides the eight Sanders already had received) was Bennie Fowler also with eight. The matchup has me leaning towards shying away from him in tournaments, but the sheer amount of volume at a cheap price tag makes DT pretty safe in my eyes for cash games.
A Very Safe RB Play For Cash Games On DraftKings
With his insane usage in the passing game, Le’Veon Bell grades out as a much better play on full-point PPR sites. The matchup is certainly difficult, as Cincinnati is third in overall defense DVOA. However, volume often trumps matchup, and that is certainly the case here. Bell leads all running backs in snap percentage, total carries, and market share of red zone opportunities. In addition, he ranks fourth in total targets amongst all running backs. The volume lately has just been crazy too. In the last three weeks alone, here are his touches: 35, 25, and 39. And the price tag on a site like DraftKings ($9,100) makes him the safest bet for fantasy production on the entire slate. Despite a difficult matchup, I think he should be a fixture in any cash game lineup on sites with full-point PPR scoring.
This WR Is Still Too Cheap On FanDuel
Rishard Matthews remains criminally underpriced on FanDuel at only $5,500, and utilizing him as one of your wide receivers in cash games allows you to pay up at some other premium positions. There is a tad bit of risk involved considering Jason McCourty is graded as the best cornerback in the league according to Pro Football Focus. However, it is not even a lock that he plays (questionable with an ankle injury) nor that he shadows Matthews (if he does play). Besides, that cheap price tag and the volume mitigate most of that risk anyways. Matthews has the highest market share of targets on the Titans at almost 24%. He will probably see an even bigger boost there if Delanie Walker is forced to miss the game due to injury. Matthews is a nice bet to post a solid outing in Week 7, and I love what he allows me to do with the rest of my cash game lineup on FanDuel.
Volume Trumps Matchup For This WR
Yes, Baltimore ranks second in the league in pass defense DVOA, but Adam Thielen is still a lock for me in cash games across the industry. Despite Baltimore’s stoutness in defending the pass, Thielen has a few things working in his favor that make it too difficult to pass him up. The first is obviously volume. With Stefon Diggs out in Week 6, 13 of Case Keenum’s pass attempts were targeted at Thielen. That is good enough for a 36% market share of targets. Secondly, Ravens slot cornerback Lardarius Webb is graded 98th out of all cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus, which is where Thielen will run roughly half of his routes if last week is any indication. So while Baltimore may be much tougher on the outside, Thielen should be able to roast Webb when he is in the slot. Thielen will be a fixture in my cash lineup across all sites.
Jeremy Lane ruled out for Seahawks on Sunday
The starting slot CB for the Seahawks, Jeremy Lane, has been ruled out this week. It will be Shaquill Griffin starting in the slot with Justin Coleman coming in on nickel packages, both are upgrades over Lane who is one of PFF’s worst rated coverage CB’s. Sterling Shepard is still a viable option for the Giants, however, if he plays given the lack of receiving options on the Giants.
As reported by: Bob Condotta on Twitter My RB1 For Cash Games On FanDuel May Surprise You
While I certainly love Le’Veon Bell this week per usual, the $1,000 discount down to Ezekiel Elliott is just too meaningful to pass up when it comes to cash game roster construction. With his involvement in the passing game this season, Zeke now checks off all of the boxes we want out of a bellcow running back. He is rarely taken off of the field (second amongst running backs in snap percentage) and is third in the league in market share of carries (trails only Lev and Ajayi). And while San Francisco ranks 13th in rush defense DVOA, they have yielded the second most FanDuel points per game to running backs this season. Accordingly, I like locking in Zeke as my RB1 on FanDuel and using the savings from not playing Lev to upgrade at other positions.
This Guy Is Good At The Quarterbacking
The cheap “value” plays at quarterback on FanDuel are a tad too risky for cash games in my opinion. That makes me want to go extremely safe at the position and just plug in Tom Brady. The Patriots have the highest team total on the week by almost 2.5 points, and the best way to get access to all of those touchdowns is via Brady. He should be able to pick apart a Falcons defense that is ranked 22nd in pass defense DVOA. While Brady may not be the best point per dollar play at the position, there is a decent gap between his raw projected output and the rest of the position. And with some very appealing cheap plays at wide receiver, it is pretty easy to plug him in with two stud running backs as well. That is certainly the route I will be taking in FanDuel cash games.
DeVante Parker not expected to play Sunday
The Dolphins are preparing as if Parker will not be active Sunday, so we should be doing the same. Kenny Stills played nearly 90% of the Dolphins offensive snaps in Week 6 and while he didn’t light the field on fire, he’s one of the few viable punt plays at WR with considerable upside. Jarvis Landry’s floor and ceiling both rise without Parker in the lineup, as he’s basically a lock for at least 10 targets and his TD upside has risen as he’s gotten more involved towards the goal-line. It’s a little nerve-wracking putting faith into Jay Cutler’s pass-catchers, but both Landry and Stills offer solid value this weekend.
Other tagged players: Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry
Willie Snead questionable for Sunday
Snead is considered questionable for Sunday’s game with the Packers. He’s still looking more likely than not to suit up, which does eat into the value of all of the Saints pass-catchers not named Michael Thomas. Snead hasn’t been very involved while he’s been out there so far, but figures to pick things up as he re-acclimates to the team. Ted Ginn had his best game of the year last week even with Snead in the lineup, but you are rolling the dice targeting anyone outside of Brees and Michael Thomas in this passing attack. Mark Ingram is arguably the top overall target on the New Orleans side.
As reported by: Mike Triplett Keenan Allen suffers minor injury in practice, set to be a GTD but Chargers are hopeful he plays
We’ll need to monitor this one closely through Sunday, as it would open up a ton of target share on the Chargers side if Allen is ruled out. The problem with that is there are still plenty of mouths to feed in Los Angeles even without Allen in the fold, as Mike Williams has recently returned and Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates are all still healthy. Benjamin may see some extra slot time if Allen is inactive given that it’s not all that likely that Mike Williams is going to make a massive jump in snap rate in his second game with the team. We’ll continue to update this situation through the weekend.
As reported by: Jack Wang Other tagged players: Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Mike Williams Rex Burkhead expected to return Sunday night; Eric Rowe, Stephon Gilmore will both miss Week 7
Burkhead is finally expected to return to the lineup in Week 7 after leaving the Patriots with just a three-headed backfield since Week 2. Given that Burkhead has missed over a month and is still vying for playing time behind several other runners, he’s not on the DFS radar in Week 7. Dion Lewis could see his reps drop a little as a result.
As reported by: Kevin Duffy Other tagged players: Dion Lewis Leonard Fournette listed as questionable, but expected to play on Sunday
Fournette is fully expected to suit up on Sunday, so we can proceed as usual. He’s getting a Titans defense that will be on a short week after getting flamed by both Titans RBs, most notably Derrick Henry as Tennessee was trying to ice the clock late on Monday night. While his injury issues are definitely a legitimate concern going forward, Fournette seems destined to take on a normal workload in a plus spot against Indy. Chris Ivory will pick up any slack left over.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Chris Ivory