DFS Alerts
Prime Bounce-Back Candidate at RB
If you’re looking to take advantage of price in Week 4, consider taking C.J. Anderson, who draws a juicy matchup against an overrated Oakland defense. Back home at altitude where he plays his best football, Anderson has averaged 91 total yards per game, 5.12 yards per carry, and has scored 18 of his 22 career touchdowns in 17 games in Denver. Oakland meanwhile enters Week 4 with a middling run defense and a front seven that ranks dead last in pass DVOA against opposing running backs. With a positive game script likely in his favor throughout much of Sunday’s contest, look for Anderson to bounce back in a big way at a very reasonable salary.
Don't Write Off This Veteran QB
Fresh off a 325-yard, two-touchdown performance on Monday Night Football in Week 3, veteran Carson Palmer should once again be heavily relied upon to carry a banged up Arizona offense. He should have no problems building upon last week’s strong effort against a weak San Francisco defense that ranks 30th in pass defense DVOA and owns the second worst adjusted sack rate in the NFL this season. This bodes well for the veteran Palmer, who has averaged 332.6 passing yards per game in five career games against the 49ers with Arizona. Without a capable rushing attack to lean on and talented receivers at his disposal, look for Palmer to easily pay off his very manageable price tag in a game that should play at an up-tempo pace.
Sam Bradford (knee) ruled out for Week 4
This was the expected outcome after the quarterback missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. Case Keenum will get another start under center this Sunday. He was able to work the Buccaneers for 369 yards and three scores in Week 3 but he’ll have a tougher spot in Week 4 against a Lions pass defense that currently ranks 5th in both pass DVOA and passer rating (70.2). Receiver Stefon Diggs is expected to be shadowed by Darius Slay, who’s limited opposing quarterbacks to a 38.9 rating, the fifth-best mark among all cornerbacks. Minnesota has an implied total of 22.5 points as two-point home favorites.
Martavis Bryant (illness) didn't practice Thursday
He’s been sidelined two days in a row with an illness but the receiver still “hopes to play” this weekend, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. As of now, he looks questionable for Week 4 and he’ll probably need to return to the field tomorrow in order to suit up Sunday. If he does end up playing, he’ll have to contend with Ben Roethlisberger’s road splits and Baltimore’s tough secondary. Through three games, the Ravens are second in pass DVOA after limiting opposing quarterbacks to the lowest passer rating (58.5) and second-lowest completion rate (52.8%). Roethlisberger is off to a slow start this season, completing 62.4% of his passes while averaging 6.74 yards per attempt, which would be good for the fourth-lowest and lowest rates of his career, respectively. The most notable problem in Ben’s game has been his deep passing. He’s completed just four of his 16 attempts at least 20 yards downfield for 134 scoreless yards and a pick, which comes out to a 35.9 passer rating (30th), per PFF. Last season, he topped all quarterbacks with 13 touchdowns on deep throws and posted a 110.4 passer rating (8th). That’s a major issue for Bryant, who thrives on big plays. So far this season, he’s seen the second-most deep targets (8) but only two of them have been considered catchable by PFF. A game on the road, against one of the top secondaries – notwithstanding their oddly poor showing in London – is a tough spot to turn things around. If Bryant suits up, he appears to be a low-floor GPP play in an unfavorable matchup.
Other tagged players: Ben Roethlisberger A Value Running Back with Huge Potential
A lot of people are going to see what happened last week and are going to want to stay away from the Ravens entirely, but there is one guy that you shouldn’t avoid. Buck Allen could go nuts in this matchup. The Steelers, so far this season, have given up the fourth-most targets to RBs, as well as the fifth-most points. These numbers were given up to MIN, CHI, and CLE, none of whom are premier RB matchups. Allen is one of the better pass catching backs in the league and could see double-digit targets in virtually any matchup. Last week, even though he wasn’t playing much in the second half, Allen still managed five receptions out of the backfield, and if the game would have been close and Flacco looked less like a guy who didn’t realize he was on a football field, he could have been in store for a monstrous game. Allen is a high floor, high ceiling PT/$ play this week.
Delanie Walker (hamstring) practiced Thursday
The tight end returned to full practice Thursday and said he’ll play Sunday. He appears to have a solid spot against Houston this weekend. Although they hadn’t given up too much production to tight ends entering Week 3, the Texans were worked by Rob Gronkowski for an 8/10/89/1 line. A week prior, they faced Tyler Eifert and limited him to three catches for 42 yards but the Bengals offense was a complete mess and Eifert got banged up in that game. Walker is currently third among tight ends with 168 receiving yards and he’s posted an excellent 78.9% catch rate.
This Wideout May be Overlooked This Weekend
At his bargain price on FanDuel, just play Adam Thielen. It’s as simple as that. I know it’s half-point PPR over there and that Stefon Diggs is the TD guy, but this week I’m all about Thielen. Even on DK he makes for a great GPP play. If you watch the Lions as much as I do, you probably know Darius Slay is a good (and always improving) corner. He has done a nice job on Julio, Fitz and all the Giants wideouts so far this season. The general rule of thumb against Detroit is to avoid number one receivers and target number twos and threes. This has been true for almost three years, and it has made me a lot of money. Last week Sanu should have had a monster game against these Lions, but drops and poor throws hurt; Gabriel had a nice game, while Jones was decent and targeted heavily but just wasn’t what you needed to win GPPs. I bring this up because I see the same thing happening to Diggs (a poor man’s Julio) this week, and while I think he’ll still be solid, I believe Thielen could have a massive game and end up as one of the top WRs of the week. It’s still GPP only, but look out for a monster performance (at low ownership) this week for Thielen.
Rookie QB to Consider for Week 4
As I write this, I am very curious as to what ownership will look like for Watson. He was solid (for the price) in a difficult matchup versus Cincinnati and played really well against the Pats last week too. Now Watson faces a Titans team that has an awful secondary, one that just let Seattle (who previously couldn’t score) go off last week. It was nice to see that Wilson and Baldwin were able to get going, and I think you will see something similar with Watson and Hopkins this week. On the season, Tennessee has allowed seven throwing TDs and two rushing TDs to QBs, and that’s against two lousy offenses and only one good one. Plus, Watson has shown a solid floor because of his legs. Like I said, I love the Watson/Hopkins combo this week and my exposure there will depend on Gimino’s ownership projections; right now he’s projected to be 15% on DK and 10% on FD. However, at only $5,100 on DK and an affordable $7,300 on FD, I will be at least double the field on the rookie QB. Watson is a great GPP play, though there are others who are better suited for cash.
Kelvin Benjamin (knee) expected to play Week 4
Benjamin was forced out of Week 2’s game against the Saints after injuring his surgically-repaired knee. After being held out of practice yesterday, he was able to return to full participation today and coach Ron Rivera expects him to suit up on Sunday. He could see a healthy dose of Malcolm Butler, who’s gotten off to a mixed start. While he’s allowing the 12th-highest passer rating among corners (117.6) and an 84.6% catch rate, he’s posted the 13th-best yards per cover snap (0.66) and given up the 17th-fewest total receiving yards (79). In other words, he’s been getting beaten on small, high-percentage passes and hasn’t been beaten by anything big yet – although one of those small-yardage plays was a six-yard touchdown to Brandon Coleman. New England tends to prefer Butler on smaller receivers but both Devin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin are large human beings at 6’5”. Benjamin has an extra 20 pounds though, which could encourage New England to line up Stephen Gilmore across from him. Gilmore has been solid, limiting passers to a 54.4 pass rating (14th) and 0.83 yards per cover snap (22nd). Of course, Benjamin’s matchup won’t matter if quarterback Cam Newton doesn’t improve his play. He doesn’t appear fully healthy and he’s posted a 69.7 passer rating this season. In a smash spot last week against the Saints, who were playing backups in their already-poor secondary, he tossed three picks while being held to 167 scoreless yards.
Speedy Wide Receiver Should Reach End Zone Sunday
The Patriots top the projected point totals this Sunday at home against Carolina, and wide receiver Brandin Cooks could be a major factor in their scoring. The Patriots Wide Receiver targets have been distributed fairly evenly with Cooks receiving 18 targets and Chris Hogan receiving 17, and both players have 10 catches on the season. Cooks has turned those catches into 256 receiving yards however, with his 25.6 yards/catch the highest total in the league by far (second best is Martavis Bryant at 19.3 yards/catch). Cooks has the speed to get behind Carolina cornerback Daryl Worley, and if he does, he should hit paydirt this Sunday.
Kenny Golladay (hamstring) and Dwayne Washington (leg) aren't practicing Thursday, Jarrad Davis (concussion) is participating
It’s a downgrade for Golladay, who was limited Wednesday. Washington was inactive last week and it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to return for Week 4. LB Davis wasn’t able to play last Sunday either after suffering a concussion in Week 2 but he appears on track to suit up this Sunday. Golladay is now looking legitimately iffy for Sunday, which would likely open up the 3rd receiver role for T.J. Jones, who has been playing roughly half as many snaps as Golladay through the first three weeks. Marvin Jones and Golden Tate are out there for nearly every play, with Golladay settling for around 40-55% of the snaps, a figure that Jones will likely hit with Golladay on the sidelines. The Lions outside receivers are in a tough spot against Minnesota, namely with Xavier Rhodes, who figures to line up against Marvin Jones (-6.18 Matchup Rating for Jones) for the majority of his snaps. Detroit’s passing attack isn’t one of the more appealing units for DFS purposes in Week 4, but Golden Tate and Eric Ebron have some deep GPP appeal. It’s not going to be surprising to see Washington on the inactive list again Sunday.
Other tagged players: Dwayne Washington Jets DL Muhammad Wilkerson (shoulder) didn't practice Thursday
Wilkerson is dealing with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain and expects to play through the injury. If the Jets monitor his workload, it could provide more snaps to Steve McLendon and Mike Pennel, both of whom have earned poor grades from PFF this season. Due to their lack of depth, Wilkerson’s injury will be a downgrade for the Jets rush defense which ranks 25th in rush DVOA but eighth in adjusted line yards per carry (3.31). Although the defensive line has been solid, it wouldn’t be surprising to see their production drop. That’s good news for rookie Leonard Fournette and the Jaguars in Week 4, although this game isn’t expected to be very fantasy-friendly; it currently has the lowest total of the weekend at 38 points.
Other tagged players: Leonard Fournette Sam Bradford (knee) isn't practicing Thursday
Head coach MIke Zimmer said they’ll do their “best” to get him ready for Sunday but the Vikings quarterback has now missed two practices in a row and looks doubtful. If Bradford misses more time, Case Keenum would get another start under center. He was able to work the Buccaneers for 369 yards and three scores in Week 3 but he’ll have a tougher spot in Week 4 against a Lions pass defense that currently ranks 5th in both pass DVOA and passer rating (70.2). Receiver Stefon Diggs is expected to be shadowed by Darius Slay, who’s limited opposing quarterbacks to a 38.9 rating, the fifth-best mark among all cornerbacks. Vegas still hasn’t set a line for this game yet as they await more concrete news surrounding Bradford’s injury.
Other tagged players: Case Keenum Kamar Aiken (concussion) and Marlon Mack are practicing Thursday
That makes it two practices in a row for Aiken after he suffered a concussion on Sunday. Mack was inactive in Week 3, but his return to a limited session is a step in the right direction. Aiken hasn’t had too much of an impact this season, catching just five passes for 43 scoreless yards. If he clears the concussion protocol in time to play Sunday, he won’t be a very strong fantasy option as quarterback Jacoby Brissett will continue to look for T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Jack Doyle ahead of him. If Mack returns, he’ll return to his backup role behind Frank Gore.
Other tagged players: Marlon Mack Rob Kelley (ribs) and Jordan Reed (chest) are practicing Thursday
Samaje Perine (hand) is also participating in today’s session. After missing Sunday night’s game against the Raiders, both Kelley and Reed remain day-to-day but their participation in practice is a positive sign. The Redskins backfield duo of Perine and Thompson was actually pretty effective against the Raiders, although it was Thompson doing most of his damage as a receiver out of the backfield rather than as a true runner. If Kelley is forced to miss another game, look for a similar distribution of work with Perine eating up early down work and Thompson shifting in for passing situations. If Kelley can suit up, he appears to be a decent spot. Kansas City has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns this season (4) and ranks 26th in rush DVOA. However, he’ll continue to lose passing downs to Thompson, which limits his upside. Vernon Davis found the end-zone in Week 3 and would become a strong punt play once again if Reed is inactive.
Other tagged players: Jordan Reed, Samaje Perine