DFS Alerts
Jalen Ramsey (ankle) and A.J. Bouye (illness) not expected to practice Thursday
The starting cornerbacks are sitting for the second day in a row. Fortunately, Bouye isn’t dealing with an injury but it’s a little concerning that Ramsey isn’t going to get back to practice today. It’s not clear when he sustained the injury as he played the entire game last Sunday. Following his stellar performance in Week 1, in which he held DeAndre Hopkins to a 3/23/0 line on six targets, Ramsey earned the tenth-highest cornerback grade from PFF (82.7). This weekend he’ll take on Rishard Matthews and the Titans if he plays. If he’s sidelined, it’s a clear upgrade for Matthews, who currently has a -3.46 matchup rating. It should also benefit quarterback Marcus Mariota and the passing game as a whole.
As reported by: ESPN
Bryan Bulaga (illness) didn't practice Thursday
Green Bay’s starting right tackle was inactive in Week 1 due to an ankle injury and now he’s dealing with flu symptoms. Bulaga earned the 14th-highest PFF grade among 76 qualifying tackles in 2016 (85.5) and he was the fourth-best in pass protection, scoring an 89.3. After Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times in the opener, the Packers could certainly use his help in their passing game.
As reported by: ESPN John Ross (knee) expected to play Thursday night
Ross is dealing with a knee sprain that prevented him from playing in Week 1 but it looks like he’ll be active tonight for the Bengals. The rookie receiver impressed at the combine, running an insane 4.22 40-yard dash while placing third at his position in the broad jump (11’1”) and fifth in the vertical jump (37”). After Cincinnati’s horrendous start to the season, they need Ross, who caught 81 passes for 1,150 yards and 17 scores last year at Washington, to immediately come in and make plays. Baltimore’s defense was able to key in on A.J. Green in Week 1, often doubling him with safety support over the top while leaving the opposite side of the field vulnerable. The Bengals are hoping Ross can either exploit opportunities that stem from that type of approach or draw attention from defenders to give Green some room to work. Tonight, he’ll likely be limited due to the injury, but he’s someone to watch out for in coming weeks as he brings big-play upside to the table. As for Green, he checks in as our WR7 on FanDuel and WR8 on Draftkings. Although he has a solid individual matchup with Kevin Johnson, which scores a 23.08 in our WR/CB matchup tool, he could be facing more double teams, potentially limiting his efficiency. Fighting through tough coverage in the opener, the Bengals’ top receiver caught 5-of-10 targets for 74 scoreless yards.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: A.J. Green Too Much Value to Pass Up at Tight End on DraftKings
Everyone’s favorite tight end to roster (where is the sarcasm font?) is in a great spot this weekend in what expects to be a shootout against the Patriots. And at only $3,100 on DraftKings, I find it very hard to believe that Coby Fleener won’t be a lock for my cash game roster. With Willie Snead still out serving a suspension, it is reasonable to expect at least a few more targets to trickle to Fleener. That certainly seemed to be the case in Week 1 in which Fleener saw six targets against the Vikings that he turned into five receptions, 54 yards, and a touchdown. Probably even more encouraging was that he was targeted three times in the red zone in that game. Fleener put together an even better performance when Snead missed last year’s Week 3 matchup against the Falcons. In that game, Fleener pulled in seven receptions (on a whopping 11 targets) for 109 yards and a touchdown. That is probably too small of a sample size to put too much stock into. However, what I am certain of is that Fleener gives me plenty of salary relief at $3,100 and gets me access to the highest o/u game on the board in Week 2. Lock him into your cash game lineup on DraftKings.
High Upside; Low Ownership; What More Could You Want?
In Week 1 – against a Bills team that remained non-aggressive throughout the game and did not put the game out of reach until the fourth quarter – Josh McCown was called on to throw the ball 39 times. This week, the Jets are 14 point underdogs against the powerful Raiders offense, and should end up throwing the ball plenty once more. This is a situation in which Matchup, Opportunity, and Price collide into a beautiful bundle – with a bow on top labeled “low ownership.” Robby Anderson saw eight of those Week 1 targets, and while he hauled in only four for 22 yards, he has the vertical speed to create issues for the bigger Raiders corners. Oakland ranked 25th in pass defense DVOA in 2016 – creating enough of a bump for this Jets offense that a good fantasy score just might come out of it. I like Anderson for another eight to nine targets this week – which makes him a high-upside tourney option.
This Cheap WR May Be Cash Game Viable on DraftKings
With Allen Robinson out for the year, it is next man up for the Jaguars at the wide receiver position. Trivia question for you: which team gave up the most DraftKings points per game last year to wide receivers at 44.6? If you guessed the Tennessee Titans, you are nothing short of a genius. Week 1 this year looked like more of the same with the Titans surrendering a total of 42.1 DraftKings points to wide receivers on the Raiders. How about another trivia question? Which team ranked 27th in pass defense DVOA in 2016? Ding Ding Ding! The Titans is the correct answer again. So the matchup is obviously favorable, but the downside to Lee is that he is an inconsistent player in an inconsistent offense. Luckily for us, a lot of that risk is mitigated at a $3,800 price tag on DraftKings. He will obviously see an uptick in targets with Robinson no longer around. When we factor all of that in, he is one of my favorite salary relief targets on DraftKings for cash games. That cheap price tag allows you to fit in another stud wide receiver or maybe even pay up for an elite quarterback in one of those high total games (New England vs. New Orleans; Green Bay vs. Atlanta).
The Best and Safest Cheap WR in Week 2
The matchup isn’t as appealing this week against the Steelers as it was last week against the Saints, but it is hard to pass up this type of volume from Thielen at only $5,800 on FanDuel and $5,000 on DraftKings. In Week 1 against the Swiss Cheese Saints, Thielen pulled in 10 targets, which was good for a whopping 31% market share of targets. Only five other players in Week 1 saw a higher market share of their team’s targets. Whether he continues to see that much volume going forward is not quite certain, but he did see at least nine targets in three of the final six games in the 2016 season. Even if we expect a dropoff in targets (which is probably appropriate), we are still getting a nice discount on him. As I already alluded to, the matchup isn’t as good against a Steelers team that was essentially a top 10 defense last year versus the run and the pass. Nonetheless, I think this game has some sneaky shootout potential, and I will gladly take the discount on Thielen in cash games on both sites in order to spend up in other spots.
Favorite High-End Spend in Cash Games on FanDuel
Saving some funds at running back on FanDuel allows us the luxury of easily being able to afford Julio in cash games this week. This Packers vs. Falcons game has the second highest o/u on the week at 53.5, and I can’t think of a better player to get exposure to that game with than Julio. This Dom Capers led defense held Julio in check in the regular season last year in Week 8. In that game, Julio was only able to muster three receptions (on just five targets) for 29 yards and no touchdowns. However, he came back and roasted them in the NFC Conference Championship game for nine receptions (on 12 targets), 180 yards, and two touchdowns. The opportunity should be there for another big game out of Julio in Week 2, considering the Packers finished 2016 ranked 23rd in pass defense DVOA. Cornerbacks Damarious Randall and Davon House stand little chance against him. The writing is on the wall for a big game out of Julio, making him my priority high-end spend on FanDuel.
Thomas Rawls (ankle) gets in a full practice Wednesday, Richard Sherman (hamstring) and K.J. Wright (ankle) didn't participate
Rawls was able to return to practice Wednesday after missing Seattle’s Week 1 game against Green Bay. Head coach Pete Carroll remains optimistic Rawls will be able to start this weekend when they host the 49ers. Following Eddie Lacy’s dismal five-carry, three-yard performance on seven snaps, Rawls 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. On the defensive side of things, Sherman and Wright were both added to the injury report and unable to participate in Wednesday’s session. It looks like it was a rest day for both of them though. The former played every defensive snap last Sunday and the latter didn’t appear to suffer an injury – Wright hasn’t missed a game since 2013.
As reported by: Bob Condotta Young Wide Receiver to Tower Over Depleted Secondary?
The Bears Secondary had trouble with Atlanta’s passing game last week, allowing the fourth most passing yards as they were missing cornerback Prince Amukamara. Bucs WR Mike Evans should have a 3-6” advantage on the Bears secondary even if Amukamara can suit up this week, and he also has the benefit of an extra week of preparation after Tampa Bay’s game last week was cancelled due to the hurricane. Evans led the league with 173 targets last season, and used those targets to put together 1,321 receiving yards and 12 TDs. He has the advantage of speedster DeSean Jackson lining up with him in the wide receiver corps this year as well.
George Kittle (hamstring, calf) and Jimmie Ward (hamstring) limited in practice Wednesday
Kittle was on the field for nearly all of San Francisco’s offensive plays, picking up 54-of-57 snaps, and he ran a route 87.5% of the time. He finished the game with a 5/27/0 line on six targets. Assuming he plays this weekend, it’s probably not the best time to target him. The 49ers will visit the Seahawks and their stout pass defense this weekend and currently have an implied total of 14 points, the lowest on the board. On the other side of the ball, Seattle has an implied total of 28 points. Free safety Jimmie Ward, who sat out their Week 1 loss to the Panthers, remains limited in practice but coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic he can return to the field. His presence would be an upgrade for their defense.
As reported by: Eric Branch Other tagged players: San Francisco 49ers Sam Bradford (knee) limited in practice Wednesday
Bradford is apparently dealing with a knee issue following his big performance Monday night, the extent of the injury is unknown at this point but it doesn’t appear to be a major concern. The Vikings quarterback expertly shredded the Saints defense for 346 yards and three touchdowns with an 84.4% completion rate, earning a 95.2 QBR. His 7.8-yard average depth of target was 1.2 yards above his 2016 average, although it’ll still would’ve only been tied for 32nd last year, and he attempted the fourth-most balls at least 20 yards downfield (5). He was very efficient on those deep passes too, completing all five for 130 yards – the second-most in Week 1 – and a touchdown. Heading into the regular season he was optimistic about Minnesota’s downfield passing game and he delivered in the opener. Next up, he’ll face the Steelers, who allowed rookie Deshone Keiser to complete 66.7% of his passes for 222 yards, a touchdown, and a pick in his NFL debut.
As reported by: Minnesota Vikings Jordan Howard (shoulder) added to injury report, limited in practice Wednesday
The running back wasn’t on the initial injury report Wednesday afternoon and the extent of the injury is unknown. Howard appears to be stuck in a timeshare following Tarik Cohen’s big performance in Week 1; he picked up 38-of-67 snaps to Cohen’s 28 and narrowly out-touched him 16 to 13. Cohen was much more productive with his opportunities though, accumulating 113 yards, including 66 on the ground across five carries. While both backs can be effective in the passing game, Cohen stood out with his 8/47/1 line on a team-high 12 targets. With the Bears expected to be trailing often this season, both Howard and Cohen should continue to pick up a bunch of looks, although it appears Cohen will be more active in the passing game. This week, they’ll face a Tampa Bay defense that ranked sixth in pass DVOA but 26th in both rushing DVOA and against receiving running backs. If Howard is healthy, he’ll start and should out-snap and out-touch Cohen again this week, but the latter will have some tournament appeal in full PPR formats.
As reported by: Rich Campbell Other tagged players: Tarik Cohen John Brown (quad) and Jermaine Gresham (ribs) didn't practice Wednesday
Brown’s quad injury continues to linger. He’s played through it in Week 1 and picked up nine targets, so it’s possible Arizona is just being cautious with their number two receiver. Now that David Johnson has been placed on the IR, 7.5 targets per game will open up for the receivers, which could come Brown’s way. They’ll need Brown to step up as a big playmaker to have success on the field. Brown had a down year in 2016 as he battled health issues but it appears his current ailment isn’t overly serious. Last season, he only caught 4-of-14 targets at least 20 yards downfield for 91 yards. A year prior, he hauled in eight deep passes and turned them into 379 yards. Although Brown failed to haul in his lone deep target against the Lions, he should get more opportunities this week against an awful Colts secondary. The extent of Gresham’s injury is unknown but he didn’t appear injured last Sunday as he played the whole game, finishing with a 3/15/0 line on four targets.
As reported by: Darren Urban Other tagged players: Jermaine Gresham Brian Cushing suspended ten games for violating NFL's PED policy
Cushing has been banned for ten games for using a performance enhancing substance. It’s the second time he’s been caught for taking PEDs, a third violation would lead to a two-year ban. He was already ruled out of their Week 2 matchup with the Bengals due to a concussion and now he won’t be eligible to return until November 28th, which is a major blow to one of the best defenses in the game.
As reported by: Sarah Barshop