DFS Alerts
Charone Peake (ankle) placed on IR
Peake suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 and it was serious enough for the Jets to put him on the injured reserve. He hasn’t been much of a factor yet this season, failing to log more than 16 snaps in any of the first three games. ArDarius Stewart will solidify his role as their WR4 and isn’t on the fantasy radar.
Other tagged players: ArDarius Stewart
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (calf) isn't practicing Wednesday
Cox suffered a calf injury in Week 3, which forced him from the game. Cox currently holds the 12th-best pass rush grade from PFF among 104 qualifying interior defenders with six hurries and two sacks. His absence would be a boost for Philip Rivers as San Diego’s offensive line hasn’t been off to a great start. They’ve allowed 35 pressures and rank 21st in PFF’s pass blocking efficiency metric.
Rex Burkhead (ribs) isn't practicing Wednesday
He’s the only Patriots player not practicing today. Burkhead was inactive for Week 3 and his status for this weekend is up in the air. Without the running back available, 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. If Burkhead is able to suit up, he’ll remain their RB3.
Other tagged players: Dion Lewis, Mike Gillislee, James White Sam Bradford (knee) won't practice Wednesday
Head coach MIke Zimmer said they’ll do their “best” to get him ready for Sunday but it’s not a great start to the week for the Vikings quarterback. 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 hasn’t set a line for this game yet as they await more concrete news surrounding Bradford’s injury.
Other tagged players: Case Keenum, Stefon Diggs Giants LB B.J. Goodson (shin) is practicing Wednesday, Orleans Darkwa (back) and RT Bobby Hart (ankle) aren't participating
Goodson hasn’t been able to suit up the past two weeks but he appears on track to return this Sunday. If Goodson can return this week, it would be good news for the Giants defense; he currently ranks eighth among linebackers with an 84.6 PFF grade.
Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict will return from suspension this week
The linebacker, who earned a stellar 87.1 PFF grade in 2016, will play Week 4 as Marvin Lewis said he has no concerns about his conditioning. His presence will immediately bolster the Bengals rush defense, which has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game (129.7). Burfict posted the ninth-highest run-stop rate last season (10.2) among linebackers, which could cause problems for the struggling Isaiah Crowell, who’s averaging 2.9 yards per carry this season.
Other tagged players: Isaiah Crowell Bills DE Marcell Dareus (ankle) and LT Cordy Glenn (ankle) will be limited in practice this week
Both players were inactive last week and they’re questionable for Week 4. Dareus has scored the 26th-best PFF grade among 124 qualifying interior defenders. If he sits out again it would be a boost for Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Even without him last week, Buffalo stymied C.J. Anderson (36 yards) and moved from fifth to third in adjusted line yards per carry (2.91, per FO) – although it’s worth noting Jamaal Charles picked up 56 yards and a score on nine attempts. Buffalo’s starting left tackle Glenn has struggled in run blocking this season, earning a 34.8 grade in the area. As a unit, they rank 31st in adjusted line yards per carry after playing two difficult matchups with the Panthers and Broncos. They’ll have a softer opponent this week in Atlanta, who ranks 25th in adjusted line yards per carry and 16th in receiving running back DVOA. As with last season, they’ve struggled to contain backs in the passing game, allowing the second-most passes (10.0) and fourth-most receiving yards (73.3) to the position. LeSean McCoy is in a great spot this week, particularly in full PPR formats.
Other tagged players: LeSean McCoy Ravens DE Brent Urban (foot) officially ruled out for season
Urban is dealing with a Lisfranc foot sprain that requires surgery. It was expected to be a long-term recovery process and Baltimore confirmed it will keep him out for the remainder of the season. The Ravens are pretty banged up on the defensive line with starting DT Brandon Williams (foot), the eighth-ranked DT by PFF, sidelined Week 3. It’s a boost for Le’Veon Bell’s Week 4 outlook. The Steelers running back hasn’t had a monster game yet but he’s still accounted for 88.1% of the RB carries and 50.1% of the team’s total touches. He’ll look to top 100 total yards for the first time this season in Baltimore this weekend. Across his career, he’s seen an uptick in production on the road when playing with Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps due to Big Ben’s notorious road splits, Bell posted 90.52 rushing yards and 0.7 touchdowns per game in that scenario (21.89 PPR, 19.58 half PPR), whereas he’s averaged 73.9 rushing yards and 0.38 rushing scores at home with Roethlisberger at quarterback (20.66 PPR, 18.21 half PPR), per RotoViz. Predictably, his production as a receiver drops to a 4.61/6.52/37.91/0.04 line from a 4.9/5.81/49.38/0.19 pace at home with Ben.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Le'Veon Bell Kelvin Benjamin (knee) is practicing Wednesday
Benjamin was forced out of Week 2’s game against the Saints after injuring his surgically-repaired knee. Fortunately, he’s able to practice today, which is a good sign for his chances of suiting up this weekend. If he plays, 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 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 a Saints secondary that was playing backups in their already-poor secondary, he tossed three picks while being held to 167 scoreless yards.
Matt Forte (toe) not expected to play Week 4
Forte is considered week-to-week and is “likely out Sunday,” per Ian Rapoport. The Jets signed RB Travaris Cadet to add depth at this position. 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 he tends to have more fantasy success 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 he has a beatable price tag on DraftKings at $4.6k given his expected volume.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Bilal Powell, Elijah McGuire Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey (ankle) and Jaelen Strong aren't practicing Wednesday
Ramsey continues to miss practice as he battles an ankle injury. He hasn’t practiced the past two weeks but has played in both games and is the top-ranked cornerback by PFF (89.4). If he’s able to play this weekend, he’ll cause plenty of trouble for Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse. The cornerback is currently limiting opposing quarterbacks to a ridiculous 9.8 passer rating when targeting his coverage, which tops all corners this season.
Other tagged players: Robbie Chosen, Jermaine Kearse Willie Snead (suspension) and CB Marshon Lattimore (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday
Snead is coming off a three-game suspension that kept him away from the team for nearly a month. New Orleans will test him in practice this week before deciding how much they can use him in Week 4 against Miami. He’ll have a more difficult spot than the outside receivers as slot corner Bobby McCain has only allowed one reception for four yards, per PFF. Overall, he’s earned a solid 78.4 grade (33rd) while Xavien Howard and Byron Maxwell have both scored 40.8 or lower. Howard has allowed the fifth-most receptions over the past two weeks (12) and he’ll primarily line up across from Michael Thomas. On the defensive side of things, Lattimore was held out of last week’s game with a concussion but he appears to be on track to suit up in London this weekend. The rookie cornerback has been solid to open his career, he currently ranks 21st in PFF grading (82.4) among 109 qualifying corners. In Week 2, he played a big part in limiting Brandin Cooks to a tiny 2/37/0 line while the rest of the Patriots offense went off. He could cause problems for DeVante Parker while Jarvis Landry may end up with a terrific matchup inside with P.J. Williams. It’s possible Ken Crawley and Sterling Moore (pectoral), both of whom have played much better, take snaps away from Williams but he’s currently considered the starter. On three-wide sets, he slips into the slot and he’s been poor. Williams has given up the sixth-most yards (211) and 11th-most receptions (13) among corners and he’s permitting a 112.6 passer rating when quarterbacks target his coverage. If he remains the starter, Landry would be in a great spot. The receiver is averaging 13.0 targets per game to open the season.
Other tagged players: New Orleans Saints, Jarvis Landry, Michael Thomas Randall Cobb (chest) expects to play Week 4
The Packers receiver was able to get in a full practice Tuesday and he believes he’ll be a go this Thursday night against the Bears. Cobb will battle Bryce Callahan in the slot if he plays. It’s a tough draw as Callahan has been excellent this year. When defending the slot, he’s limited receivers to a 6/39/0 line on 13 targets, per PFF. With Prince Amukamara healthy, the Bears have a solid cornerback group that will also challenge Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams on the outside. Marcus Cooper was targeted seven times by Ben Roethlisberger last week and he only allowed the QB to complete one pass for ten yards. Most of the Steelers’ damage through the air came when picking on Kyle Fuller, who allowed seven receptions and 82 yards on ten passes. Fuller out-snapped Amukamara 51 to 36 but that may have been due Amukamara’s ankle injury – it was the first time he’s played this season. Now that he’s had more time to heal, Amukamara should take snaps away from Fuller, which will make things more difficult for Rodgers and his receivers. Rodgers could look towards Ty Montgomery quite a bit if his wideouts struggle to get open; Roethlisberger efficiently connected with Le’Veon Bell for six catches on seven targets, although they only went for 37 yards. If Cobb plays, it would move Geronimo Allison back into the WR4 role.
As reported by: NFL.com Other tagged players: Aaron Rodgers, Geronimo Allison A Great High Ceiling/High Floor Play
Denver has the third-highest implied team total on the slate, and you know that Sanders is going to be one of the guys who will be heavily involved in those points. So far, his targets have risen each week throughout the season, starting with six in Week 1 and upping to 15 in Week 3. Although we cannot expect that kind of volume to continue to rise, we can still expect double-digit targets most weeks. Sanders lines up about half the time on both the right and left side, whereas David Amerson and Sean Smith should stick to their respective sides, as there is no need to shadow considering the Broncos have two top wideouts. This means that Sanders will get half his matchups against the struggling Amerson (36.99 CB rating) and half against the slightly above average Smith (53.79 CB rating). This is a high floor, high ceiling play that I think will go underowned even though he is priced too cheaply this week.
Old Reliable Should be Heavily Involved Again
So, I don’t mind eating some chalk if there’s a tiny chance that player will kill your lineup. Fitzgerald is the definition of that guy. Because he wasn’t on the main slate and because of the stinker he put up in Week 2, he really wasn’t talked about this last week. Fitz obviously exploded on Monday night, and because the pricing came out prior to the game, it is not reflected in this week’s contests. He has two weeks of 13 or more targets (which is not unexpected considering the passes have to go somewhere with David Johnson out of the lineup), and he gets a matchup against an entirely mediocre 49ers CB core (the highest CB rating is K’Waun Williams, who has a below average mark of 47.8). You have a really high floor here with Fitz because of the large number of targets coming his way, and as we saw Monday night, you also have an extremely high ceiling at a reasonable price.