DFS Alerts
Jordan Howard (shoulder) limited in practice Thursday
Howard (shoulder) was seen sporting a sling after their game against the Buccaneers on Sunday but he’s been able to practice two days in a row, which is a good indication he’ll be able to suit up Sunday. Still, a shoulder injury is a problem for running backs; it’s harder to run the ball, especially near the goal line, and it hurts their ability to block in pass protection. As long as Howard is banged up, Tarik Cohen will benefit. The rookie has already piled up 16 receptions in his first two games and game flow could work in his favor again this week; the Bears are currently 7.5-point dogs.
Other tagged players: Tarik Cohen
Markus Wheaton removed from injury report, Benny Cunningham (ankle) practiced in full Thursday
Wheaton looks like he’s all set for Chicago’s Week 3 matchup with Pittsburgh. He won’t be much of a fantasy target in his return as their offense isn’t very efficient and there are several pass-catchers above him on the targets totem pole. With Cunningham back to full practice, he has a good chance to play this weekend. It’s possible he works onto the field for some passing-down plays in place of Tarik Cohen, but he shouldn’t have too much of a negative impact on Cohen’s bottom line.
Bears CB Prince Amukamara and LG Kyle Long practiced in full Thursday
Cornerback Amukamara (ankle) missed the first two games this season but he should be able to make his return this week. While the Bears held Julio Jones in check in Week 1, Mike Evans got the best of them for a 7/93/1 line. In Week 3, he’ll have a difficult challenge with Antonio Brown.
DeMarco Murray (hamstring) isn't practicing Thursday
He was dealing with hamstring tightness in Week 2’s victory over the Jaguars and it’s apparently lingering into the week. Murray hardly played in the second half of that game. It paved the way for Derrick Henry to rack up 92 yards and a score on just 14 carries. If Murray ends up inactive in Week 3, Henry will be an interesting fantasy option. He’ll have a tough matchup against the Seahawks but they got worked by Carlos Hyde for 124 yards on 15 carries Sunday. If Murray plays, Tennessee may employ a timeshare.
Dwayne Washington (quad) isn't practicing Thursday
He wasn’t able to practice Wednesday either as he rehabs a quad injury. He’s averaged 10.5 snaps per game this season as he’s buried behind Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. Detroit’s running game is currently struggling, but it doesn’t seem like Washington will supplant Abdullah anytime soon; he won’t be on the fantasy radar if he plays.
Lions LB Jarrad Davis (concussion) isn't practicing Thursday
The linebacker suffered a concussion against the Giants Monday night. The rookie has been off to a solid start, ranking eighth among linebackers in run defense with an 82.2 PFF grade. His absence could be a boost for Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.
Broncos LT Garett Bolles (ankle) and CB Bradley Roby (ankle) are practicing Thursday
It’s a surprise to see Bolles on the field as he was expected to miss a few weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2. He should still be considered very questionable for Week 3 but Denver would love to have him out there. Backup tackle Donald Stephenson would likely start in his place and he’s posted nothing but poor grades since entering the league in 2012. Last year, he scored an abysmal 31 across 12 starts, per PFF. Bolles had been off to a solid start in his rookie season, checking in as PFF’s 24th-best tackle in run blocking out of 66 qualifiers and 36th in pass blocking. Quarterback Trevor Simien’s blindside will be very vulnerable against the Bills as left guard Max Garcia has earned a 40.9 pass blocking grade, which is 52nd among 67 qualifying guards. Buffalo’s right defensive end, Jerry Hughes, has already picked up two sacks this season and he checks in as PFF’s 20th-best edge defender out of 88 qualifiers. On top of that, their right defensive tackle, Kyle Williams, has earned PFF’s 16th-best run defense grade out of 105 qualifying interior defenders. As a group, they’ve limited opposing running backs to 2.57 adjusted yards per carry, the fifth-best rate in the league. It looks like a tough spot for C.J. Anderson, especially considering 66% of Denver’s rights are between the guards and Buffalo’s defensive line ranks 6th in adjusted line yards per carry in that zone (2.98).
Other tagged players: C.J. Anderson John Ross (knee) didn't practice Thursday
He was limited Wednesday with an illness and he was absent today as he tends a knee issue. Tight end Tyler Eifert isn’t expected to play and if Ross is also sidelined, the Packers can really hone in on A.J. Green. Cincinnati could really use Ross’ ability to stretch the field and draw attention from Green Bay’s secondary this season. We’ll know more about the rookie’s status when the Bengals practice tomorrow.
John Brown (quad) isn't practicing Thursday
The receiver is looking closer to doubtful after missing his second straight practice. While Brown was sidelined for their Week 2 matchup with the Colts, J.J. 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. They face the Cowboys in Week 3, a team that allowed Trevor Siemian to throw four touchdown passes Sunday. Dallas is pretty banged up at corner right now with Nolan Carroll in the concussion protocol, Orlando Scandrick coming off surgery to repair a broken hand, and his replacement, Chidobe Awuzie, dealing with a hamstring injury. Their corners got worked by Siemian in Week 2; after targeting the group 17 times, he racked up 13 completions for 151 yards and two of his scores. Palmer will look to repeat that success in Week 3 with Larry Fitzgerald, Jaron Brown, and Nelson.
Update: Robby Anderson (knee) had a limited practice Thursday
He wasn’t on the field for the portion of practice open to the media but he got out there for a limited session later on. If he misses time, it would provide a bump in volume for Jermaine Kearse, Jeremy Kerley, and potentially Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who’s returning from a two-game suspension this week. On Wednesday, Head coach Todd Bowles seemed to imply Seferian-Jenkins would be limited in some capacity – or possibly inactive – this weekend when he said the tight end needed to get in better shape. However, with their tight end group banged up, he may need to suit up. Kearse is a volume-based fantasy target in an inefficient offense. He currently leads the team with 11 receptions and 123 yards and he’s the only player on the team who’s caught a touchdown this year – he pulled down two against the Raiders in Week 2. Not surprisingly, the Jets have the second-lowest implied total this week (18 points).
George Kittle (hamstring) expected to play Thursday night
Kittle is officially considered questionable but he’s expected to be active tonight for the 49ers. The tight end has played a ton of snaps – at least 87% in both of the first two games – and he’s run a route on at least 86.2% of his passing plays so far. He opened up the season with a solid five-catch performance but settled into the background against Seattle, catching 2-of-2 targets for 13 yards. Last week, the Rams allowed Jordan Reed to haul in all six of his targets and he led the team in receptions and yards (48). A week prior, Jack Doyle turned three targets from Scott Tolzien into two catches and 41 yards. Although the Rams have been solid against the pass so far, limited opposing quarterbacks to a 73.1 rating, the sixth-best mark in the league, Kittle may be able to find some room to work. Considering all three of San Francisco’s receivers in our WR/CB matchup model have negative ratings, quarterback Brian Hoyer may need to rely on Kittle quite a bit.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Randall Cobb, LT David Bakhtiari, CB Davon House, and DT Mike Daniels aren't practicing Thursday, Jordy Nelson is participating
Green Bay has a long injury list this week. LB Nick Perry isn’t practicing either and isn’t expected to play as he required surgery to repair his finger this week. Nelson expects to play while Cobb appears more questionable after missing two days in a row and showing up on the injury report with a chest injury – he left the Falcons game after suffering a shoulder injury. If Cobb can’t suit up on Sunday, Geronimo Allison would operate as their third receiver. The second-year receiver ended up playing 61 snaps against the Falcons, pulling in three catches for 24 yards. In the slot role, he would face cornerback Darqueze Dennard, who’s allowed a 77% catch rate this season, the fourth-highest rate among starting CBs this week, per PFF.
Other tagged players: Jordy Nelson, Geronimo Allison Colts CB Vontae Davis (groin) is practicing Thursday
Davis hasn’t played yet this season but he returned to a limited practice last Friday. It looks like he has a shot to suit up this week, which would provide a much-needed improvement for their struggling secondary. The cornerback had a down year in 2016, earning a poor 47.3 PFF grade, but he was battling injuries the entire season. The Colts are hopeful he can overcome his groin injury and regress towards his elite form. In 2014, he scored the second-best mark among all cornerbacks and limited opposing QBs to a 38.8 rating when targeting him, per PFF. While it’s doubtful he can have that type of success in his age-29 season, he should still be an upgrade for their pass defense. His presence could potentially help Rashard Higgins as the Browns receiver ran nearly all of his routes out of the slot – nine of his 11 targets came from the position, per Next Gen Stats. Davis could make things more difficult for outside receivers Kenny Britt and Ricardo Louis, opening up more opportunities for Higgins.
DeVante Parker (ankle) and Jay Ajayi (knee) aren't practicing Thursday, both expected to play Week 3
Neither injury is considered serious by the team, they should both be on the field come Sunday. Jarvis Landry (knee) wasn’t able to practice yesterday but he returned today; he’s also fully expected to suit up this weekend. He was able to play through the injury last week and amassed 13 receptions while DeVante Parker battled Casey Hayward. Parker was only able to haul in four of his nine targets but Cutler was looking for him downfield; the receiver finished with 18.3 air yards per target. With Landry targeted so close to the line of scrimmage (3.2 air yards per target) and only three other guys receiving looks during the game, Parker ended up accounting for 47.66% of the team’s total air yards. He has a much more favorable matchup this week against a poor Jets secondary, which should enable him to be more efficient with his opportunities. However, even in a close game that had them trailing heading into the fourth quarter, Miami ran the ball 32 times in Week 2. With the Dolphins heading into Sunday as 6-point favorites, they could break out to an early lead and lean on Ajayi. It’s a nice spot for the running back against a Jets defensive line that ranks 14th in adjusted line yards per carry (3.83) and has allowed a league-worst 185.0 rushing yards per game. When they do pass, both Landry and Parker should be effective. Parker may come with higher upside given his large market share and downfield opportunities. The pair combined for 72.8% of Cutler’s targets against the Chargers and the Jets have permitted the third-highest quarterback rating in the league (116.2) through two games.
As reported by: Armando Salguero Other tagged players: Jay Ajayi, Jarvis Landry Buccaneers LB Kwon Alexander (hamstring) isn't practicing Thursday
He wasn’t able to practice Wednesday either. Alexander suffered a hamstring injury against the Bears on Sunday, which forced him out of the game. His Week 3 status is up in the air and possibly trending towards doubtful. Last season, Alexander finished eighth with 58 tackles while defending the rush and eighth in run stops (35), per PFF. He struggled in pass coverage though, allowing a 73.4% catch rate and the seventh-most receptions among linebackers (58). Teams seemed to throw his way a bunch as he was targeted once every 6.8 cover snaps, the 16th-highest rate among LBs. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, all of their linebackers played well Sunday. Most notably, Lavonte David is now the top-graded linebacker (91.3) and Kendell Beckwith, who’s expected to move to MLB if Alexander is sidelined, is fourth (87.0), per PFF. Depending on how Sam Bradford’s knee responds to treatment this week, the Bucs could have the pleasure of playing a Case Keenum-led Vikings team.