DFS Alerts
Ben Watson (calf), Maxx Williams (ankle), and DT Brandon Williams (foot) aren't practicing Thursday
DT Brandon Williams appears to be on the doubtful side of things heading into Sunday’s game with the Steelers. His absence wouldn’t hurt their rushing defense as he’s earned PFF’s 11th-highest grade among 120 qualifying interior defenders (85.4) and he’s 12th in rushing defense specifically (82.2). With DE Brent Urban out for the season, the Ravens are thin up front ahead of their Week 4 matchup with Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers. Bell hasn’t had a big game yet this season but he averages an extra 16.6 rushing yards and 0.3 touchdowns more per game when he’s played with Ben Roethlisberger on the road (90.5 rushing yards and 0.7 touchdowns total). If tight end Watson can play, he’ll have a favorable matchup with safety Sean Davis, who PFF ranks 69th in coverage among 81 safeties. Both he and Maxx Williams are looking questionable for Week 4; they’ll probably need to get back on the field tomorrow in order to suit up Sunday.
Other tagged players: Maxx Williams, Baltimore Ravens
Kenny Britt (knee) is practicing Thursday
Britt returned to practice after missing yesterday’s session. The receiver had his biggest game of the season in Week 3, amassing a team-high ten targets, although he remained inefficient, catching just three. He’ll likely see Adam Jones the most this weekend when the Browns take on the Bengals. Jones was solid against the Packers last week, allowing just seven receiving yards on five targets. However, Britt should also work into Dre Kirkpatrick’s coverage a decent amount a week after the cornerback was exposed for two touchdowns and 92 yards on eight targets while allowing a 75% catch rate. Kirkpatrick is now the 90th cover corner by PFF’s grading.
Rex Burkhead (ribs) not expected to play Sunday
Reporter Ben Volin believes Burkhead will remain sidelined for Week 4 after he sat out practice again Thursday. Without the running back available last week, New England was expected to increase Dion Lewis’ workload but he only picked up 12 snaps and five touches. James White led the backfield with 32 snaps to Mike Gillislee’s 21 as the game stayed competitive throughout. They have a tough test against a strong Carolina defensive unit that ranks in the top-ten in pass DVOA (9th) and rush DVOA (5th), per FO. Even so, the Patriots are still favored by nine points and they could get out to an early lead if the Carolina offense continues to stumble, which would help Gillislee and hurt White.
Sammie Coates (hamstring) and Myles Garrett (ankle) are practicing Thursday, DT Danny Shelton isn't participating
Head coach Hue Jackson said Garrett may be able to play Sunday. It seems like a long shot but his return to practice implies he has a solid chance to return next week if he’s ultimately ruled out for Week 4. Coates was inactive this past weekend, if he suits up Sunday, he’ll be buried on the depth chart and won’t be a strong fantasy target. Shelton is dealing with some type of injury but the team hasn’t released any details yet.
Other tagged players: Cleveland Browns Bears DE Akiem Hicks (foot, questionable) expected to play Thursday night
Hicks was added to the injury report this morning but he should be fine for tonight’s game against the Packers. If he’s out there, it would be great for Chicago’s rush defense. The defensive lineman is currently second among interior defenders in run-stop rate (17%), per PFF. Hicks has also been effective when rushing the passer, picking up nine pressures and two sacks so far this season. Green Bay’s line has been poor as they deal with several injuries; they’ve given up the fifth-most pressures (45) and they’ve been charged with six of Rodgers’ 13 sacks (8th). Applying pressure on Rodgers could be an important element for the Bears defense to successfully contain a strong offensive attack. The Bears already rank 27th in adjusted line yards per carry (4.48, per FO), but they’ll have a better chance against Ty Montgomery with Hicks’ run-stopping ability.
John Ross (knee) isn't practicing Thursday
Ross is looking doubtful heading into Week 4 as he continues to deal with a knee injury. Without Ross or Eifert last Sunday, A.J. Green was a target monster against the Packers. The receiver tallied 13 looks and hauled in ten of them for 111 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have another enticing matchup with the Browns in Week 4; their pass defense just let T.Y. Hilton smash them for 153 yards and a score while catching 7-of-9 targets. In Week 1, Antonio Brown got loose for 182 yards and caught all 11 of his looks. Quarterback Andy Dalton will keep throwing Green’s way and he should be in for another huge week. As noted by Rotoworld’s Evan Silva, Green has posted huge away splits over the course of his career. When on the road, he’s averaged 20.4 PPR points per game with a 6.59/10.77/97.98/0.66 line compared to 14.8 PPR points at home on a 4.8/8.23/69.84/0.48 line. Despite plenty of attention on Green from the Packers last week, Dalton targeted his other wideouts just three times total. Green will be a popular fantasy play this week and rightfully so.
Other tagged players: A.J. Green Shane Vereen (calf), Orleans Darkwa (back), and Olivier Vernon (ankle) aren't practicing Thursday
Darkwa says he expects to play Sunday, but he’ll probably need to return to practice tomorrow to do so. Despite logging ten fewer carries (13) than Paul Perkins (23), Darkwa leads the team in rushing yards (53); 43 of Darkwa’s rushing yards came on three carries of 11 or more yards. Through three games, he’s the only Giants running back to pick up a gain longer than eight yards and appears to be the “most effective” RB option they have. There were rumblings last week that he could become the featured back but Perkins remained the starter. Vereen would remain their passing-down back either way, but he’s looking questionable for Week 4. He’s currently second on the team with 14 receptions and he’s been incredibly efficient, catching all but one target through three games. With the Giants road dogs, game flow could turn in his favor and he could benefit from Tampa Bay’s injuries at linebacker. Still, it may be best just to avoid this mess of a backfield altogether.
Other tagged players: Orleans Darkwa Matt Forte (toe) isn't practicing Thursday
Forte is dealing with turf toe and isn’t expected to play Week 4. Bilal Powell truthers have been waiting for this moment when Forte would inevitably get injured and Powell would slip into the featured role. Unfortunately, he’ll get his opportunity against a tough Jaguars defense that just held Buck Allen and Terrance West to a combined 41 yards on 14 carries. Alex Collins showed up in the box score with 82 yards on nine attempts but a big chunk of his production came in garbage time. Powell has struggled running the ball himself, averaging 2.6 yards per carry, which has paved the way for Elijah McGuire to pick up more snaps and touches. As a team, the Jets rank 20th in adjusted line yards per carry, per FO. Powell is a skilled pass-catcher as well but he’s been surprisingly quiet with 17 receiving yards through three games; it doesn’t help that Forte has seen an equal number of targets (8). The Jaguars are 3.5-point favorites heading into Week 4; if the game stays competitive or the Jets end up behind, the game flow would be in Powell’s favor as his ceiling games come when he’s catching passes and he won’t have Forte taking away receiving work. Fortunately for Powell, they haven’t used McGuire in the passing game at all – he’s only seen two targets – and Jacksonville’s corners are very good, which may force quarterback Josh McCown to look his way a bunch. Due to these factors, Powell will have more appeal in full PPR scoring and his $4.6k price tag on DraftKings is beatable in this tough matchup given his expected volume.
Other tagged players: Bilal Powell Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey (ankle) will practice Thursday, Jaelen Strong won't participate
Ramsey continues to battle an ankle injury but he’s returning to practice today. Despite not practicing for the past two weeks, he’s played in both games and is the top-ranked cornerback by PFF (89.4). Assuming he’s able to play this weekend, he’ll cause plenty of trouble for Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse. Ramsey is currently limiting opposing quarterbacks to a ridiculous 9.8 passer rating when targeting his coverage, which tops all corners this season. On the offensive side of things, it doesn’t look like Strong will suit up this week. Blake Bortles will continue to focus on Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns at receiver.
Other tagged players: Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns Cheap Wide Receivers on DraftKings are a Must
We will definitely need to get salary relief from at least two of our wide receivers in cash games on DraftKings, and Rishard Matthews is my favorite cheap guy to target. Through the first three weeks of the season, he leads the Titans with a 25% market share of targets. He is also tied with Eric Decker for the most red zone targets (4) on the team. Despite going up against a good defense this week in the Texans, I am not shying away from him at all in my cash games. We are only a week removed from him catching six balls for 87 yards and a touchdown against a good Seahawks defense. Besides, the Texans are only ranked 19th in pass defense DVOA so far this year; not exactly something we should be avoiding. The price on Matthews has barely budged and, quite frankly, we just don’t have many players on DraftKings this week that will see his kind of opportunity for such a cheap price tag. At this point in the week, in terms of cash game roster construction, Matthews seems like a lock to me on DraftKings.
Adrian Peterson dealing with a knee issue, didn't practice Thursday
Peterson wasn’t able to participate in Thursday’s practice after tweaking his knee Wednesday, although the day off was also attributed to a vet day, per Ian Rapoport. As of now, he’s expected to play Sunday. Despite having just five fewer carries than Mark Ingram, Peterson has 48 fewer yards. Ingram has been much more active in the passing game, he’s now second on the team with 11 receptions. With Peterson and Alvin Kamara still rotating on the field, Ingram is playing 48.6% of the snaps. It’s not a very appealing rate for a running back, but he’s the clear leader of the New Orleans backfield. Miami’s defensive line has been strong, ranking seventh in adjusted line yards (3.29, per FO). Their linebackers are poor though, particularly in coverage, and they check in at 30th in receiving RB DVOA. They’re also 17th in second-level yards. While Ingram’s volume isn’t ideal, he will carry some upside if he keeps getting work as a pass-catcher and can break past their line.
Other tagged players: Mark Ingram Don't Overlook the League's Top Point Scorer
Sometimes our search for hidden gems causes us to overlook the obvious. Tom Brady and the Patriots have the highest implied point total this week. The Patriots QB leads the league in passing yards with 1092, already by more than 100 yards than the next-closest player, Aaron Rodgers with 967. Brady also leads the league in passing TDs with eight, all of which have come in the past two games after his Week 1 dud against Kansas City. Yes, Brady is the most expensive QB on both sites, but he’s averaging about 4 FanDuel and DraftKings points more than the next-highest QB. Sometimes you need to take those points and figure out the rest of your lineup later, and with the Patriots topping the implied point totals at home against Carolina this Sunday, this may be a bad week to overlook Brady.
Pay Down for this Tight End in Your Cash Games on DK
My early cash game builds this week have me looking for salary relief at tight end on DraftKings, and Charles Clay appears to be the best guy for that ($3,700). Clay is Tyrod Taylor’s most targeted pass catcher on the Bills who isn’t named LeSean McCoy. That has resulted in a 23% market share of targets, which is fourth amongst all tight ends. In addition to that, the red zone use has been extremely promising. He already has five red zone targets through the first three weeks, which is actually tied for fourth most among all players according to Pro Football Reference. He has been able to turn all of that opportunity into two touchdowns at this early stage of the season. The game script should be favorable for Clay to continue to see a ton of volume, as the Bills are more than a touchdown underdog to the Falcons. If you can’t get up to one of the big dogs at tight end in cash games (and it is really tough to do so because of efficient pricing), Clay is by far my favorite guy to target.
Bears DE Akiem Hicks (foot) added to injury report, questionable for Thursday night
If Hicks can’t go, it would be a big loss for Chicago’s rush defense. The defensive lineman is currently second among interior defenders in run-stop rate (17%), per PFF. Hicks has also been effective when rushing the passer, picking up nine pressures and two sacks so far this season. Green Bay’s line has been poor as they deal with several injuries; they’ve given up the fifth-most pressures (45) and they’ve been charged with six of Rodgers’ 13 sacks (8th). Applying pressure on Rodgers could be an important element for the Bears defense to successfully contain a strong offensive attack. Plus, the Bears already rank 27th in adjusted line yards per carry (4.48, per FO); Ty Montgomery would have an even better outlook if he can avoid Hicks’ run-stopping ability.
Other tagged players: Ty Montgomery, Aaron Rodgers Melvin Gordon (knee) will play Week 4
Head coach Anthony Lynn confirmed he gave Gordon a rest day on Wednesday, adding the running back is “fine.” Los Angeles will continue to keep an eye on his sore knee, but he’ll suit up this weekend against the Eagles. Philly currently ranks 20th in rush DVOA and they’ve been even worse in receiving RB DVOA, checking in at 29th. That sets up a nice spot for Gordon, who’s been productive through the air this season with 12 receptions, 90 yards, and a score while he’s struggled to a poor rate of 3.3 yards per carry. Even though he’s a bit banged up, he’s expected to continue to shoulder a large workload. Through three weeks, he’s accounted for 71% of the team’s rushing attempts and 41% of their total touches. Due to his inefficiency on the ground, Gordon may have more appeal on full PPR sites.
As reported by: SiriusXM NFL Radio