DFS Alerts
The Time Has Come
The time has come for Joe Mixon to be the featured back in the Cincinnati backfield. I noticed last game that Jeremy Hill didn’t see the field a lot, and after re-watching it twice on Tuesday, I feel great about playing Mixon this week. Hill played 14 snaps in Week 3, and 10 of those were in the first half, with seven of his eight touches also coming in the first half. After the first drive of the game, the Bengals turned to the rookie, and not only was he involved in the rushing game, he was heavily involved in the passing game. He played 34 of 61 snaps in Week 13, 15 passing snaps and 19 rushing snaps. He carried the ball on 18 of those 19 rushing snaps, and he had three catches for 39 yards on his passing snaps. Cleveland played Pittsburgh in Week 1, and I’m looking past that because Le’Veon Bell wasn’t ready, but Baltimore rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Browns, and then the Colts rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown last we. I think Mixon has a monster game this weekend, and I’m jumping on before everyone realizes just how much he’s going to be involved in this offense.
Finally -- A Decent Matchup!
Poor Dez Bryant has been stuck facing the likes of Janoris Jenkins, Patrick Peterson, and the elite Denver cornerbacks through three weeks. That could be one of the toughest three week stretches in the league for any wide receiver. He finally gets a breather this week against the Rams, who have a decent but not elite defensive unit. The Rams have not faced an elite wide receiver yet (T.Y. Hilton with Scott Tolzien under center doesn’t count), and I expect Bryant to have his first huge game here. His price has come down a bit across the industry, and he showed a ton of effort on his touchdown grab against the Cardinals on Monday. Fire him up as an elite tournament option in Week 4.
This Rookie Will Continue to Shine
The combo platter of Fournette and the Jacksonville defense could be my favorite pairing of the week. The Jaguars should be able to control the flow of this game thanks to their stout defense, and they have shown a willingness to feed Fournette when he is rolling. Don’t expect that to change this week. Even though the Jets stifled Jay Ajayi and the Dolphins a week ago, let’s not forget that they were shredded on the ground in the first two games. Fournette could be my favorite dollar-for-dollar RB option on this entire slate, and that goes for all formats.
Chuckin' It in the Desert
The Cardinals have no choice but to throw, throw, and throw some more. With Chris Johnson, Kerwynn Williams, and Andre Ellington roaming the backfield it will be on Carson Palmer to win them some football games. He has already thrown for 925 yards in three games, and the 49ers don’t exactly have a stout defense. Fire up Palmer as a great mid-range tournament option with upside.
Packers RT Bryan Bulaga (ankle) upgraded to limited practice Tuesday
Cornerback Davon House is the only Green Bay player on the injury report that’s “for sure” out for Week 4, per Rob Demovsky. Bulaga’s participation is good news for the Packers as they placed backup tackle Kyle Murphy on the IR earlier today. Both starting tackles, including David Bakhtiari, are questionable for Thursday night. Safety Kentrell Brice was a full participant along with linebacker Nick Perry while defensive tackle Mike Daniels remained limited. They’ll release official game statuses tomorrow after practice.
As reported by: Rob Demovsky
Doug Baldwin (groin) expects to play Week 4
The Seahawks receiver said the injury wasn’t “as serious as it could have been” and believes he’ll be able to take on the Colts this weekend. He’ll match up with cornerback Nate Hairston, who’s manned the slot admirably this season, limiting opposing quarterbacks to a 64.2 quarterback rating. When in the slot, he’s only allowed a reception every 15.2 cover snaps, per PFF; only Chris Harris has a better rate (one reception every 23.5 cover snaps). With Vontae Davis expected to be back this weekend, the Colts secondary will be able to limit the snaps of their weakest corners. Opposite Davis will be Rashaan Melvin, who’s currently a top-ten cover corner by PFF grading (83.7). After starting the season by allowing nine receptions for 87 yards on 14 targets, he bounced back in Cleveland with two interceptions and limited receivers to three catches on ten targets – although one of them was a touchdown grab by Kenny Britt. As a team, the Colts have allowed 284 passing yards per game (third-most) but they’ve limited opposing quarterbacks to the seventh-lowest rating (78.5) and fourth-lowest completion rate (55.8%). With Davis replacing the weakest link at cornerback, the Colts may have a better pass defense than it appears, although it remains to be seen if Davis can improve upon his poor 2016 campaign.
Randall Cobb (chest) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice
It looks like the receiver will be ready to take on the Bears this Thursday but he should still be considered questionable. 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.
Other tagged players: Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers, Ty Montgomery Orleans Darkwa expects to play Week 4
He’s dealing with a back issue that forced him from the game this past Sunday. He may not practice tomorrow but he believes he’ll be good to go this weekend. 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. With Darkwa banged up, he could potentially stick to a similar workload. It’s probably best to just avoid this backfield when they take on the Bucs this weekend.
Other tagged players: Paul Perkins Dolphins LB Lawrence Timmons (suspension) will play Week 4
Miami reinstated Timmons from suspension Tuesday and he’ll suit up against the Saints this weekend. While his return should be an upgrade over his replacement, Mike Hull, who’s received poor grades from PFF across the board, he’s an older player past his prime. As a 16-game starter with the Steelers in 2016, he earned a poor 43.6 grade. Even with Timmons back, Miami remains weak at the position, which could help the New Orleans running back trio of Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, and Adrian Peterson. Ingram is still leading the backfield with 39 touches and he’s been active in the passing game, accumulating 14 targets over three games. However, with the return of Willie Snead from suspension, he may see his receiving usage decline a bit. It’ll be hard to trust him to get enough volume to be a strong fantasy asset with the other two RBs getting plenty of work in the backfield, but he’ll have the first chance to establish the hot hand.
Other tagged players: Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Adrian Peterson Colts promoted WR Krishawn Hogan to active roster
With Kamar Aiken in the concussion protocol and Chester Rogers still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Indy needed some depth at receiver. He’ll remain buried on the depth chart though and may be waived once the other two are healthy.
Randall Cobb (chest) and several other injured Packers practicing Tuesday, RT Bryan Bulaga (ankle) and CB Davon House (quad) aren't participating
Green Bay has a very long injury list at the moment featuring starters in all areas. They’re getting healthier though; Bulaga and House are the only two players not practicing Tuesday. Head coach Mike Montgomery said players would be “hard-pressed” to play Thursday night if they couldn’t get on the field today, which means Bulaga and House are doubtful. Ty Montgomery (wrist) is participating and is fully expected to start at running back Thursday. Other notable players practicing today and looking questionable for Week 4: DT Mike Daniels (hip), LB Nick Perry (hand), LT David Bakhtiari (hamstring), and S Kentrell Brice (groin). It’ll be important for the Packers to get Bakhtiari back as Bulaga is not looking like he can suit up and they sent backup LT Kyle Murphy to the IR this morning. If Bakhtiari can’t go, they’re going to have to dig further into their bench to protect Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. With the litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, including at linebacker, defensive coordinator Dom Capers played as many as four safeties at a time last week against Cincinnati. With S Kentrell Bryce sidelined, Josh Jones got an opportunity and made the most of it; he racked up 12 tackles and two sacks while primarily lining up as an ILB. With House injured and Quinten Rollins off to a horrendous start, S Morgan Burnett moved into the slot, leaving Damarious Randall and Kevin King on the outside. A.J. Green turned up the heat on them, hauling in 10-of-13 targets for 111 yards and a score but they won’t face the same type of competition this week against the poor Bears receiving corps. Deonte Thompson and Markus Wheaton will see them the most, potentially providing them a better spot than top receiver Kendall Wright. Depending on the how the Packers injuries all shake out, Burnett could man the slot again, which would be bad news for Wright considering Burnett has earned an excellent 86.0 PFF pass coverage grade. He was only targeted once last week in the 26 passing snaps he was in the slot and didn’t allow a completion.
Other tagged players: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Deonte Thompson, Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, Ty Montgomery Steelers will monitor Jesse James (shoulder) this week, hopeful DE Stephon Tuitt and DE T.J Watt can play Week 4
James banged up his shoulder this past Sunday but was able to finish the game. Still, Pittsburgh plans to keep an eye on him in practice this week. If he can’t suit up this weekend, it would elevate Vance McDonald to the starting lineup against the Ravens. Over the past two weeks, the Browns and the Jaguars both used their tight ends quite a bit against Baltimore’s stout secondary. Marcedes Lewis hauled in three touchdown grabs in London and in Week 2, Seth DeValve and David Njoku combined for a 5/8/88/1 line. James has been quiet since opening the season with two scores on the Browns, being limited to 27 yards or fewer in each of the past two games. It’s possible he sees his usage rise a bit in this matchup if he plays. On the defensive side of things, Tuitt’s and Watt’s presence would be a boost for their pass rush. In 2016, Tuitt led their interior defenders with 46 pressures, which was 14th in the league at his position, per PFF. The rookie Watt forced four pressures in the first two weeks, including a pair of sacks.
Other tagged players: Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers Cardinals hopeful LT D.J. Humphries and LG Mike Iupati can play Week 4
General manager Steve Keim is feeling optimistic about Humphries’ and Iupati’s health and believes they can return for the Cardinals this weekend after both players were inactive Monday night. He added backup LG Alex Boone is dealing with a pectoral strain and will have an MRI today. Arizona’s offensive line has been one of the worst units in the NFL, allowing a league-high 61 pressures through three weeks, including eight sacks (second-most). Iupati played injured in Week 1 and got off to a poor start but he’s been a pretty consistent performer his entire career. Humphries earned a solid 72 PFF grade last season as a 13-game starter. He’ll be an upgrade from John Wetzel, who’s scored an abysmal 35.5 pass block grade this year and currently leads all tackles with 20 pressures allowed (139 passing snaps).
Chiefs placed K Cairo Santos on IR, signed K Harrison Butker
Kansas City put Santos on the injured reserve Tuesday due to a lingering groin issue that was re-aggravated on a roughing the kicker penalty in Week 3. They brought in Butker from the Panthers practice squad to take his place but he won’t be available on FanDuel this week.
Other tagged players: Harrison Butker Terrance Williams (ankle), Brice Butler (ankle), and CB Orlando Scandrick (hand) active Monday night, CBs Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and Nolan Carroll (concussion) inactive
Darren McFadden is also inactive again, leaving Alfred Morris and Rod Smith with the backup running back duties. Dallas will be without two of their corners tonight when they take on the Cardinals, opening up an opportunity for Carson Palmer to emulate Trevor Siemian’s success through the air in Week 2. They’re healthier on the offensive side of the ball with Williams and Butler active. Cornerback Patrick Peterson is expected to shadow Dez Bryant tonight, which could cause the receiver some trouble. Through two weeks, Peterson has been in lockdown mode. Quarterbacks have only targeted his coverage six times and completed just two passes for 22 yards, although one of them was a touchdown for Marvin Jones. Peterson leads all cornerbacks by a mile in cover snaps per reception (43), per PFF. A tough matchup for Dez could lead to quarterback Dak Prescott firing towards Williams more often. In Week 1, when Bryant was under Janoris Jenkins’ shadow, Williams led the team with 68 receiving yards. In both the first two games, tight end Jason Witten pulled down team-highs in receptions, and he’s scored twice in a row. Arizona allowed tight end Jack Doyle to catch all eight of his targets for 79 yards a week ago. It’s possible old man Witten continues to see a large market share and rides his hot start to the season.
Other tagged players: Brice Butler, Dallas Cowboys, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant