DFS Alerts

J.J. Nelson (hamstring) and Jermaine Gresham (ribs) active Monday night, John Brown (quad), LG Mike Iupati (tricep), and LT D.J. Humphries (knee) inactive

With John Brown still out, Nelson will compete with Larry Fitzgerald and Jaron Brown for targets against the Cowboys. While Brown was sidelined for their Week 2 matchup with the Colts, Nelson broke out for 120 yards and a score. It was Jaron Brown who led the team in targets though; he received 11 to Nelson’s 7. Although Jaron only finished with four receptions, his lack of efficiency is a little misleading as he was only tossed four catchable balls from Carson Palmer. Without John Brown and David Johnson, Jaron Brown and Nelson will continue to see an uptick in targets. In Week 3, the Cowboys allowed Trevor Siemian to throw four touchdown passes. Two were credited to Dallas’ banged-up cornerback group. Across 17 targets towards Dallas’ corners, Siemien racked up 13 completions for 151 yards. Anthony Brown is the top-graded CB on Dallas, currently ranking 11th in coverage among 105 qualifying corners (84.1), per PFF, but his score may be inflated due to his first game against a weak, Beckham-less Giants offense. He only allowed one reception for six yards in that contest but in Week 2, he was credited with a 7/62/1 line on ten targets. He’ll see J.J. Nelson the most tonight. Jaron Brown will likely battle rookie Jourdan Lewis, who’s only played 31 cover snaps in the NFL (all last week); Siemian was 3-for-4 for 22 yards and a touchdown against him.

Tyler Eifert (back) expected to miss multiple weeks

The tight end is going to need “multiple weeks” to recover from his back injury, although surgery won’t be required, per Adam Schefter. As expected, A.J. Green was a target monster against the Packers with Eifert sidelined. The receiver tallied 13 targets and hauled in ten of them for 111 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have another enticing matchup with the Browns in Week 4, who 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. With fellow WR John Ross banged up, quarterback Andy Dalton should keep throwing Green’s way. Despite plenty of defensive attention on the star receiver, Dalton targeted his other wideouts just three times total in Week 3. Green will undoubtedly be a popular fantasy play this week and rightfully so.

Kamar Aiken placed in concussion protocol

Aiken exited early in Week 3 after suffering a concussion. Quan Bray ended up playing 50% of the offensive snaps while tight end Jack Doyle played 100% and the Colts added a second tight end on 50% of their plays. Doyle has now played on 97.3% of their offensive snaps this season and with Aiken sidelined against the Browns, he ran a route 95.3% of the time. It didn’t lead to a big stat line (2/5/16/0) this time around as T.Y. Hilton was doing most of the damage, but he would continue to run a ton of routes if Aiken is out in Week 4. Plus, quarterback Jacoby Brissett may need to rely on him like he did in Week 2 (8/8/79/0) if the Seahawks corners give T.Y. Hilton more trouble than the Browns did.

Randall Cobb (chest), Ty Montgomery (wrist), and several other Green Bay starters listed as "limited" or "DNP" Monday

Green Bay didn’t practice Monday but if they had, DT Mike Daniels (hip), LB Nick Perry (hand), LT David Bakhtiari (hamstring), and S Kentrell Brice (groin) would’ve been limited while RT Bryan Bulaga (ankle), T Kyle Murphy (foot), and CB Davon House (quad) wouldn’t have participated at all. It’s a very long injury list heading into a short week; the Packers play the Bears this Thursday night.

Andrew Luck ruled out for Week 4, CB Vontae Davis expected to play

The Colts quarterback may resume practicing this week but he won’t play this weekend. Davis doesn’t often travel into the slot, which means if Doug Baldwin (groin) plays, he should avoid him on the majority of his routes. Cornerback Nate Hairston has 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). The outside corners are the ones causing so many problems for Indy’s secondary and with Davis’ return, quarterback Russell Wilson may have the most success targeting Tyler Lockett, who should avoid the corner’s coverage the most. He should see Rashaan Melvin quite a bit, who allowed nine catches and 87 yards on 14 targets in Weeks 1 and 2 but improved against the Browns, limiting Cleveland receivers to three catches and 47 yards on ten targets while picking off two passes.

Ravens DE Brent Urban dealing with Lisfranc foot sprain

It’s a long-term injury that requires surgery, but a specific timetable hasn’t been set. 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 0.5 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 0.5 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.

Update: Buccaneers LB Lavonte David suffered a medial ankle sprain, considered week-to-week

Although it was previously reported that David suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3, an MRI showed David actually has a medial ankle sprain. The recovery timetable is much shorter but it seems unlikely he’ll play in Week 4. It would be a big loss as the linebacker currently owns the second-highest PFF grade among 85 qualifying linebackers. He’ll be particularly missed in their run defense; through two weeks, he’s posted a 10.6% run-stop percentage (19th) and has the second-best run defense grade among LBs (87.6). Fortunately, fellow LB Kendell Beckwith is fifth in run defense grading (84.5) and he has a stronger run-stop rate (12.2%, 10th). After being targeted ten times, Beckwith has limited receivers to a 6/40/0 line; his yards per cover snap (0.66) is the sixth-best rate among qualifying LBs, per PFF. Still, with Kwon Alexander also banged up, the Bucs are thin at the position right now.

Tyler Eifert uncertain as to when he'll return

Eifert declined to speak to reporters until he’s back playing again, and when he was asked when that might be, he responded that he “doesn’t know.” It doesn’t sound like we’re going to see Eifert on this field this coming week, which would lead to more Tyler Kroft at TE with A.J. Green dominating targets all over the field. It’s too early to rule Eifert out, but we should know more about him as the practice week moves along.

Rob Kelley, Jordan Reed still day-to-day

After missing Sunday night’s game against the Raiders, both Kelley and Reed remain day-to-day. 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. Vernon Davis found the end-zone in Week 3 and would become a strong punt play once again assuming Reed is inactive.

Derrick Henry expected to be fine; Corey Davis not yet ruled out for Week 4

Henry suffered a thigh contusion against the Seahawks yesterday, but is expected to be fine leading into Tennessee’s Week 4 meeting with the Texans. DeMarco Murray reminded us that he’s still firmly entrenched atop the Titans depth chart when he’s running well, so Henry isn’t going to be on the DFS radar barring an injury. Henry and Murray basically split carries this past weekend, but that should shift more in Murray’s favor against Houston with Henry now on the injury report. Rookie receiver Corey Davis has not been ruled out to return on Sunday, but it’s still looking more likely that he misses another game. We should have more concrete information on his status by Wednesday.

Julio Jones dealing with back issue, FS Ricardo Allen in concussion protocol

Head coach Dan Quinn said Jones will be limited in practice this week as he rehabs a lower back injury. Quinn added that Jones will be ready for their Week 4 matchup with the Bills. Jones currently has the second-best PFF grade among 109 qualifying receivers (88.4) and he’s seen an increase in targets each week this season. Against the Lions this past weekend, Jones hauled in seven of his 12 looks for 91 yards. The receiver was held scoreless again but he picked up three end zone targets. He’ll see a healthy dose of E.J. Gaines against the Bills this weekend. The cornerback has been solid this season; after being targeted 22 times through three weeks, he’s limited receivers to ten receptions for 79 scoreless yards and added a pick. Gaines currently has the seventh-best coverage grade among cornerbacks. Jones will also line up across from Tre’Davious White, who’s given up the 13th-most receiving yards this season (164) on ten receptions, although he’s limited receivers to a 50% catch rate. The Falcons opened up as 9.5-point favorites but it’s since dropped to an 8-point spread.

Bears S Quinton Demps suffered a broken arm Sunday

Chicago hasn’t set a recovery timetable yet. Demps has struggled in coverage so far this season, allowing the fifth-most yards among safeties (127) on only six targets and earning a 35.2 PFF coverage grade. Adrian Amos came in for Demps following the injury and he could continue to occupy the free safety position. Last season, he allowed a 74.3% catch rate and gave up the sixth-most touchdowns (4) among safeties. Chicago has a tough Thursday night matchup with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this week. Early lines have Green Bay favored by 7.5 points.

Buccaneers LB Lavonte David (ankle) expected to miss at least a month

David suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3. It’s a big loss as the linebacker currently owns the second-highest PFF grade among 85 qualifying linebackers. He’ll be particularly missed in their run defense; through two weeks, he’s posted a 10.6% run-stop percentage (19th) and has the second-best run defense grade among LBs (87.6). Fortunately, fellow LB Kendell Beckwith is fifth in run defense grading (84.5) and he has a stronger run-stop rate (12.2%, 10th). After being targeted ten times, Beckwith has limited receivers to a 6/40/0 line; his yards per cover snap (0.66) is the sixth-best rate among qualifying LBs, per PFF. Still, with Kwon Alexander also banged up, the Bucs are thin at the position right now.

Will Fuller (collarbone) could return for Week 4

Head coach Bill O’Brien said he’s hearing “good things” about his receiver’s prognosis. If he plays, he could be limited in his first game after breaking his collarbone, but when his health allows, he’ll step into the WR2 role behind DeAndre Hopkins. He’s a player to watch during practice this week as the Titans secondary looks exploitable, they’ve allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game this season (275.0) and the second-most touchdowns (7).

Week 3 injury roundup

Darren Sproles is likely out for the season after suffering a torn ACL and broken arm on the same play. With Sproles down early yesterday, Wendell Smallwood led Philly’s backfield with 43 snaps to LeGarrette Blount’s 22 but only narrowly out-touched him 13 to 12. Now the third back, Corey Clement picked up just seven snaps yet accumulated six carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run. They face a San Diego defense in Week 4 that got smashed by Kareem Hunt yesterday for 172 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. A week prior, Jay Ajayi racked up 122 rushing yards. While they may be a good team to pick on on the ground, it’ll still be hard to trust the Eagles backfield. Smallwood will likely start and pick up the most snaps but he could yield goal line work to Blount, as he did yesterday, limiting his upside.

Kelvin Benjamin exited Carolina’s Week 3 game in the first quarter with a knee injury. Details haven’t been released, although the team stated it wasn’t a “major injury.” It’s certainly possible he misses this week when the Panthers visit the Patriots. Cam Newton could be without his top two targets with tight end Greg Olsen out, which could spell trouble for the struggling quarterback, who appears to be hindered by off-season shoulder surgery. The Olsen-Benjamin duo accounted for 46.7% of Carolina’s receiving yards, 50.8% of their receiving yards, and 47.6% of their receiving touchdowns in 2016. Their third receiver, Ted Ginn, is now in New Orleans, which leaves Newton with Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard, and Curtis Samuel has his primary receivers with Christian McCaffrey as a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield. McCaffrey led the team with 11 targets, hauling in nine for 101 yards in one of the best matchups for receiving RBs. Funchess remained inefficient, catching just four of his ten looks for 58 yards. Shepard didn’t get a single target despite out-snapping Samuel 38-36. It was the biggest workload of the season for Samuel: 36 snaps, five targets (2/5/0 line), and the versatile player added a carry for 31 yards. Depending on how long Benjamin is sidelined and how Funchess steps up, Samuel could be in line for more touches in the next couple of weeks. The safer bet is McCaffrey though, he could become a terrific PPR asset. Backup tight end Ed Dickson didn’t do anything while Newton was on the field, catching his lone target for eight yards when Derek Anderson was in at QB in garbage time, although he did run a route 76.3% of the time.

Sammy Watkins and Tavon Austin are both in the concussion protocol but they’ve had a few extra days to heal with their Week 2 game played on Thursday. Watkins is coming off a monster 6/106/2 game against the 49ers. He has what appears to be a favorable matchup with a banged up and poor-performing Cowboys secondary. It’ll be worth watching how Dallas’ corners handle Arizona’s receivers tonight.

Doug Baldwin was forced from Seattle’s Week 3 game with a groin strain after piling up 15 targets for a huge 10/105/1 line. It’s reportedly not serious but he’ll undergo an MRI Monday to get a better idea of the injury. As of now, he appears questionable for their Week 4 date with the Colts, who’ve allowed the third-most passing yards this season (851). It’s possible they get Vontae Davis back, but he shouldn’t bother Baldwin too much in the slot if the receiver plays.

Michael Crabtree was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a chest injury but it doesn’t appear to be a serious concern. He has a tough matchup with the Broncos secondary next week if he suits up.

Melvin Gordon left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, although he was able to return. He should be able to play this upcoming weekend but it’ll be worth monitoring his progress in practice this week. If the issue lingers, the Chargers could potentially limit his workload.

Matt Forte left the Jets’ Week 2 game with a toe injury. He may have been able to return to the game if it had been closer. New York’s backfield is a three-man committee and not appealing from a fantasy perspective. If Forte misses time, it would help Bilal Powell but Elijah McGuire would eat into his workload. They have a tough opponent in the Jaguars in Week 4, so it may be a backfield to avoid even if Forte sits.