DFS Alerts

Falcons LB Vic Beasley (hamstring) expected to miss a month

Beasley suffered a slight hamstring tear Sunday, an injury that typically entails a 4-6 week recovery period. His absence will be a downgrade to the Falcons pass rush. In 2016, he rushed the quarterback on 92.7% of his snaps and accumulated 16 sacks, which led the league, per PFF. Last night against the Packers, he sacked Aaron Rodgers once and forced a fumble in the process. On top of leading the league in sacks, he forced the most fumbles in 2016 (6). Atlanta’s defense will take a hit in fantasy without him available.

Jimmy Graham is dealing with an ankle injury, "unclear" if he'll play Week 3

Graham injured his ankle against the 49ers Sunday and head coach Pete Carroll said his Week 3 status is uncertain at this point. He’s had a poor start to his season along with the rest of the offense. The tight end has only pulled down four of his ten targets for nine scoreless yards.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins eligible to return for Jets in Week 3

Seferian-Jenkins was suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He’s expected to be activated this week and return to game action against the Dolphins. There was a lot of hype surrounding the tight end in training camp after he lost some weight and got in great shape. He didn’t have a huge preseason, posting a combined 4/55/1 line after appearing in all four games, but he could come into a solid role on this offense. They haven’t gotten much production from the position or their receivers this season outside of Jermaine Kearse. Will Tye is leading their tight ends with four catches for 38 yards and he should slide into a backup role. It’s not a great offense to target in general, but Miami let Hunter Henry get loose for seven receptions and 80 yards while Antonio Gates added two catches, 11 yards, and a score. New York opened up as 6.5-point home dogs with an implied total of 17.75 points against Miami.

Tyler Eifert is dealing with back and knee injuries

Adam Schefter reports his Week 3 status is uncertain. It’s bad news for a Bengals offense that has been struggling so far the season. Eifert’s production has been poor as a result; through two games, the tight end has only caught four passes for 46 scoreless yards. His absence could cause Andy Dalton trouble. Over the course of his career, Dalton has averaged 21.85 fantasy points (255.89 yards, 1.76 touchdowns) across the 37 games with Eifert and 18.49 (226.6 yards, 1.35 touchdowns) in the 67 without him, per RotoViz. In turn, A.J. Green has also seen a slight decrease in production when Eifert is out; he’s averaged 18.55 PPR points in 34 games with him (6/9.97/88.32/0.62) and 16.91 in the 52 games without him (5.42/9.15/80.88/0.54). Green should be able to post a big game against the Packers, but it’s a little hard to trust this offense at the moment. Dalton has been woeful and after the team failed to score a touchdown through two games, they fired their offensive coordinator. Eifert is a major presence in the red zone and they could certainly use his help to turn things around. His absence would allow the Packers to hone in on Green, potentially hurting his efficiency and taking away end zone targets. Even so, Green Bay’s secondary will be a welcome reprieve from their tough schedule and Green appears to be a solid target this week with or without Eifert.

Greg Olsen (foot) will undergo surgery, expected to miss 6-8 weeks

Olsen needs an operation to repair his broken foot and Chris Mortensen reports it could lead to the tight end being placed on the IR. Even if he goes on the injured reserve, the team still expects him to return this season. The injury could elevate pass-blocking tight end Ed Dickson into a pass-catching role. Dickson tallied 55 snaps in Week 2 and ran a route on 67.5% of their plays, per PFF. He caught two of his three targets for 26 yards. Now in his eighth season, Dickson has been targeted over 43 times just once. It came back in 2011 with the Ravens when he posted a 54/528/5 line on 89 targets. For what it’s worth, he’s asked offensive coordinator Mike Shula to keep the playbook the same and let him try to fill the Olsen role. He’ll have a great opportunity to prove himself this week against the Saints. A safer bet would be an uptick in targets for Kelvin Benjamin, who posted a 6/77/0 line on eight looks against the Bills in Week 2. Based on how the Vikings and Patriots receivers have feasted on New Orleans this season, Benjamin will be a strong (and popular) fantasy target.

As Browns feared, Corey Coleman has a broken hand

It’s the second season in a row Coleman has suffered a broken hand. He missed six games due to the injury in 2016. Rashard Higgins ending up leading the wideout group with 54 snaps in Week 2, picking up a team-high 11 targets in the process, and finished with a 7/95/0 line. They don’t seem to like Kenny Britt too much (42 snaps, two targets), which could lead to Higgins becoming a sneaky GPP fantasy target against the Colts this weekend.

Jordan Howard (shoulder) seen wearing a sling after game Sunday

Howard was listed questionable heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Buccaneers due to a shoulder injury, so this is worrisome. He ended up being out-touched by Tarik Cohen 15 to 9 and out-gained 68 to 7. Following another eight-reception day for Cohen, it seems clear he’s a top target in the passing game and will continue to take snaps away when the Bears are in passing situations and/or trailing, which will likely be often. We’ll find out more on Wednesday but a lingering shoulder injury is bad for a running back, especially in scoring situations near the goal line. The Bears host the Steelers in Week 3 and opened as 7.5-point underdogs.

Week 2 injury roundup

Greg Olsen broke his foot Sunday, which is expected to cost him “around six games” according to Ian Rapoport. The injury could elevate pass-blocking tight end Ed Dickson into a pass-catching role. Dickson tallied 55 snaps in Week 2 and ran a route on 67.5% of their plays, per PFF. For what it’s worth, he’s asked offensive coordinator Mike Shula to keep the playbook the same and let him try to fill the Olsen role. He’ll have a great opportunity to prove himself this week against the Saints. A safer bet would be an uptick in targets for Kelvin Benjamin, who posted a 6/77/0 line on eight looks.

Rob Gronkowski suffered a groin injury against the Saints but it doesn’t appear to be serious. He’s looking questionable for their Week 3 matchup with the Texans. New England’s group of pass catchers is already thin with Danny Amendola working through concussion protocol. Gronk’s absence would increase the market share for Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and it’ll benefit running backs James White and Rex Burkhead as it did this past weekend. Dwayne Allen would be the starting tight end, but he didn’t log a single target Sunday.

Corey Coleman injured his hand Sunday and the Browns fear it’s broken. The second-year receiver missed six games with a broken hand in 2016. Rashard Higgins ending up leading the wideout group with 54 snaps, picking up a team-high 11 targets in the process, and finished with a 7/95/0 line. They don’t seem to like Kenny Britt too much (42 snaps, two targets), which could lead to Higgins becoming a sneaky GPP fantasy target against the Colts this weekend.

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both exited early Sunday night – Nelson took a knee to his quad and Cobb hurt his shoulder. The extent of their injuries remains unclear. If either one needs to miss time, it’s a clear bump to Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery, both of whom caught touchdown passes yesterday. It’ll also help Martellus Bennett, who led the team with 11 targets.

DeMarco Murray hardly played in the second half of the Titans’ game against the Jaguars after experiencing tightness in his hamstring. 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 full-blown timeshare.

Rob Kelley may have suffered a fractured rib against the Rams. There isn’t a timetable for his return yet, but we should get a better idea later today. Chris Thompson exploded for 116 yards and two scores in Week 2 and picked up seven targets. He’s better suited for full PPR formats as Samaje Perine took the lion’s share of the carries, racking up 21 for 67 yards to Thompson’s three. They play Oakland in Week 3, a team that’s allowed 4.8 yards per carry over two games, the seventh-highest rate in the league.

Sam Bradford wasn’t able to play Sunday due to concerns surrounding his surgically-repaired knee. Head coach Mike Zimmer refused to say when his starting quarterback would play again, instead telling the media “he might play one game from now, he might play six weeks from now.” However, Ian Rapoport said if his rehab goes well this week, the Vikings believe he’ll play Week 3. Backup QB Case Keenum was predictably poor against the Steelers, logging a 24.7 QBR. As long a he’s the quarterback, it’s a downgrade for their skill players and an upgrade for opposing defenses.

Odell Beckham (ankle) remains a game-time decision Monday, CB Janoris Jenkins (ankle/hand) also questionable

Reports over the past several days have stated Beckham is trending in the right direction but Adam Schefter said his status is “up in the air” Monday morning. We may not know for sure until after warmups this evening. If he plays, he may be shadowed by Darius Slay, which presents a difficult matchup for any receiver, let alone one who isn’t 100%. Sterling Shepard is a potential pivot option whether Beckham plays or not as Slay would likely follow Brandon Marshall in the event OBJ sits. That’ll provide Shepard a comparative advantage in either scenario. If Beckham plays, Shepard will get plenty of run out of the slot against Quandre Diggs, a matchup that earned one of the highest scores this week in our WR/CB model. He’ll likely lose some snaps after playing all 56 in Week 1 and picking up eight targets, but the Giants used three wide receivers on 41-of-56 plays last game. On the defensive side of things, Jenkins has been downgraded to questionable. He was very effective against Dez Bryant in shadow coverage last week and he’s expected to follow Marvin Jones tonight, who struggled against Patrick Peterson in Week 1. SInce 2016, Jenkins has limited receivers to a 44% catch rate, the third-best mark among Week 2 starters, and 0.18 fantasy points per route defended, per PFF.

Bryan Baluga, David Bakhtiari inactive for SNF

Bakktiari seemed to be faring well in pre-game per Packers beat Rob Demovsky, but he’ll be inactive for Sunday night’s meeting with Atlanta. Baluga’s absence isn’t as surprising but both losses should be felt by Ty Montgomery. Fortunately for Montgomery, the Falcons don’t defend the run all that well and have been particularly generous to backs who are able to contribute as receivers. Even without two starting lineman, Montgomery’s price tag and situation in the Green Bay offense still make him a solid dollar per point target on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Terrance Williams active Sunday, Darren McFadden inactive

Williams will play through his sprained ankle this afternoon. He’s headed into the no-fly zone in Denver though, so he’s not looking like a great fantasy target despite hauling in 6-of-7 targets last week and leading the team in receiving yards (68). He’s going to see Aqib Talib the most. Among Week 2 starters, the cornerback has allowed the fewest fantasy points per route defended since 2016 (0.15) and a stellar catch rate of 52%. Facing a tough cornerback group last week, Dak Prescott targeted Jason Witten a team-high nine times and provided Ezekiel Elliott a career-high five receptions. Dallas was expected to use the running back more in the passing game this season and this is another great spot to follow through on that plan. With McFadden inactive, Alfred Morris will be Elliott’s backup. He only picked up four touches and eight snaps last week; he isn’t a threat to Elliott’s workload.

Richard Sherman active Sunday

Since 2016, Sherman has limited opposing receivers to a 48% catch rate and 0.2 fantasy points per route defended, per PFF. His presence should make things difficult for Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon, although he was poor in coverage last week, earning 51.0 grade, which was good for 58th among 90 qualifying cornerbacks. Even so, Brian Hoyer doesn’t present a huge threat at quarterback and it would be surprising if he and his receivers could get the best of Sherman today. Plus, wet and windy weather expected in Seattle is a downgrade for the San Francisco’s passing attack. The 49ers are 13.5-point road dogs and implied to score a slate-low 13.75 points. Seattle’s defense will be a popular option; we’re projecting the third-highest ownership on DraftKings (10.0%) and a tie for the second-highest on FanDuel with Oakland and Arizona (12.5%).

Eddie Lacy inactive Sunday

Lacy is a healthy scratch following his poor performance in Week 1. Thomas Rawls will start and may be in for a bigger workload than originally anticipated. Still, it’s a crowded backfield with rookie Chris Carson leading the team against Green Bay with 26 snaps and six carries and C.J. Prosise adding four carries for 11 yards on 16 snaps. Rawls will almost certainly lose snaps to those young backs today but with tough weather ahead, Seattle could go run-heavy, especially if they get out to an early lead – they’re currently 13.5-point favorites at home.

49ers FS Jimmie Ward active Sunday

Ward wasn’t able to play in Week 1 but he’s active today and expected to start against the Seahawks at free safety. It’ll be his first game since making the move from cornerback to safety.

Broncos S Darian Stewart (groin) and RG Ronald Leary (concussion) active Sunday

Leary suffered a concussion Monday night against the Chargers and Stewart injured his groin. Leary has cleared the concussion protocol and will play Sunday, which will help Denver’s running game and pass protection; he earned an above-average 80.2 PFF grade last season. Although Denver’s starting free safety Stewart was rarely targeted in coverage last season – just 35 times – he managed to pick off three passes.