DFS Alerts
Coach John Harbaugh confirms Danny Woodhead (hamstring) will miss at least four weeks
While Baltimore has stated his injury will keep him sidelined for “at least four weeks,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that he’ll miss six to eight weeks. If that’s indeed the prognosis, the Ravens will likely send him to the IR. They currently have two healthy backs on their active roster in Terrance West and Buck Allen. Woodhead’s injury should provide a nice boost to Allen, who ended up seeing 33-of-66 snaps on Sunday. Overall, the Ravens rushed the ball 42 times in their shutout victory over the Bengals and Allen led the way with 21 attempts, turning them into 71 yards. It appears that he’ll enter into a timeshare with starter Terrance West, who played 27 of the offensive snaps. Buck will likely take over the passing-down role vacated by Woodhead, although there has been some chatter surrounding Michael Campanaro filling that role to some degree. Baltimore also has Jeremy Langford and Alex Collins on their practice squad.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Javorius Allen, Terrance West
Bills CB E.J. Gaines (shoulder) expected to play Sunday
He was considered questionable following a shoulder injury in Week 1. Although he’ll be limited in practice Wednesday, coach Sean McDermott said he expects Gaines to be on the field Sunday against the Panthers. The starting right cornerback will match up with Kelvin Benjamin quite a bit this week, which could cause the receiver some trouble. Gaines earned PFF’s sixth-best cornerback grade in Week 1 (86.3), marking a great start to the season following a very poor 2016 campaign with the Rams. In Los Angeles, Gaines permitted the fourth-most fantasy points per route defended (0.44) but he didn’t appear fully healthy coming off surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury. Prior to missing all of 2015 while rehabbing, he posted a very solid rookie grade in 2014 (78.8). It looks like he’s returning to form this season.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Kelvin Benjamin Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey (ankle) not expected to practice Wednesday
It’s a new injury for the second-year cornerback as he played the entire game against Houston; the severity of the issue has not been reported and it’s possible this is simply a precaution or rest day. Following a stellar Week 1 performance 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). Next up: Rishard Matthews and the Titans. Ramsey’s presence on the field will make a big difference for Tennessee’s receivers and Marcus Mariota. Blake Bortles (wrist) and T.J. Yeldon (hamstring) are expected to get in limited practice sessions Wednesday.
As reported by: Hays Carlyon WR Tanner Gentry promoted to Bears active roster
Gentry will add some depth to the depleted receiving corps in Chicago. Buried on the depth chart, Gentry won’t be on the fantasy radar. Quarterback Mike Glennon will likely be forced to air it out this week on the road in Tampa Bay. Week 1 saw him favor breakout running back Tarik Cohen with a team-high 12 targets. Starter Jordan Howard received five looks while the two tight ends, Zach Miller and Dion Sims, combined for nine opportunities. All in all, 65% of Glennon’s passes went towards tight ends and running backs. Most likely, he’ll continue to favor shorter passes and checkdowns to those positions. While Tampa Bay – a team that returns seven defensive starters – was solid against TEs a year ago, ranking 4th in DVOA against the position, they were not efficient against pass-catching backs, checking it at 26th.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Another RB Likely to be Heavily Involved in the Passing Game
Everyone is going to get excited about the 21 carries that Allen logged in Week 1, but that’s not what I’m most excited about. Allen is a guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield in droves. Back in 2015, when he had a shot at the starting back role, he recorded five or more catches in five of the last seven games of the season, and he even racked up 12 catches one week. This week Allen gets a favorable home matchup against the Browns, who may be better than last year yet still don’t own a great defense. You can forget Week 1 after they held the Steelers to a measly 21 points, as that was likely just another case of Ben Roethlisberger struggling on the road and Le’Veon Bell failing to find his footing and get involved in the offense. This is a spot where, if Allen is heavily featured in the game plan, he offers you both a high ceiling and a high floor at a crazy cheap price tag. The game script is extremely likely to be in his favor as well, with Baltimore currently favored by eight points, making Allen a very interesting target in Week 2.
The Prodigal Son Returns
Allen is someone I’m going to own heavily this weekend. This guy may legitimately be the best route runner in the entire league, but he’s been injured so often in the past two years that he rarely gets talked about. When he’s healthy, he is Rivers’ favorite target and someone he relies on often. In Week 1, he got one of hardest matchups against the Broncos, yet still saw Rivers sling 10 targets his way, coming out of that game with a respectable five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown. If you think this is in any way an outlier, just look at Allen’s 2015 season; his target totals for Weeks 1-7 (before he got injured) were as follows: 17, 4, 18, 7, 10, 15, 13, 5. Any time I can get a wideout that will most likely get double-digit targets with a chance at close to 20, and at low ownership no less, I am going to use him everywhere. He’s a play I trust in cash and love in GPPs.
Can This QB Bounce Back in Week 2?
I was tempted to put Carson Palmer here, but I actually watched him play last week (and last season for that matter), and I simply can’t, in good conscience, recommend anyone who looked that awful, even in a dream matchup in Indy. I will probably have some shares of Palmer in large-field GPPs, but he will not be one of my main QBs this week, especially when you consider he may have reasonable ownership. As for Cousins, he looked pretty bad against the Eagles last week, but the good news for him is that his matchup is much better this week. Philadelphia’s defense looked stout, especially up front, and Cousins needs time more than most QBs due to his somewhat limited mobility and lack of versatility to throw on the move. This week, Cousins and the Redskins face a Rams team that was all over Scott Tolzien (worst QB in the NFL) and the Colts last week. While they are a good defense, they are nowhere near what they appeared to be Sunday. I like this matchup as a sneaky game stack, as Washington’s D (or lack thereof ) should allow the Rams’ much improved offense to move the ball and score regularly. Washington, in a forced throw situation like this, is a team you need to target, Cousins especially. Look to pair him with Terrelle Pryor, Jamison Crowder or Jordan Reed in GPPs, as they are each in a better spot than meets the eye. Cousins is a great GPP play this week, but make sure to check Chris Gimino’s Projected Ownership, because if he gets chalky at all (which I doubt), he is by no means a must play and should be pivoted off.
Colts RT Denzelle Good (undisclosed) placed on IR
The Colts’ starting right tackle has been sent to the injured reserved for an unknown injury. He didn’t appear to suffer the injury during the game as he played all 50 offensive snaps. A bad defensive line will be worse without Good. Although he didn’t play very well in 2016, earning a 41.6 PFF grade across ten starts, he was the highest-graded offensive lineman on the team against the Rams (78.7) while the two guards and center all picked up poor scores. Whether it’s Scott Tolzien or Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, they’ll likely be under duress most of the afternoon; Tolzien was sacked four times over 22 dropbacks. It won’t help their ground game either. As a team, they averaged 3.1 yards per carry, although Frank Gore managed to pick up 42 yards on ten carries. Arizona stuffed Ameer Abdullah for 30 yards on 15 carries a week ago and the Colts will likely play from behind, further limiting Gore’s upside. Somewhat surprisingly, the Colts only have the sixth-lowest implied total this week, but it’s still just 18.25 points.
As reported by: Indianapolis Colts This Tight End is Extremely Sneaky
I love paying down at tight end to be different, and I especially love targeting options that no one is thinking about. I imagine Seattle’s defense will be popular this weekend, so I doubt anyone targets players for the 49ers. Kittle caught five of six targets in Week 1, and he also had a red-zone target. He played 54 of 57 snaps too, and that kind of usage certainly bodes well for him this season. I expect the 49ers to be playing from behind in the second half and throwing the ball a lot. Seattle ranked 18th in DVOA against tight ends last season, and the Green Bay tight ends had five catches for 61 yards against them in Week 1. This 6’4” tight end could be a legitimate red-zone threat, and at minimum salary, I like taking a shot on him in large-field GPPs this weekend.
The Potential Hidden Gem in the Highest Scoring Game of the Weekend
White is one of my favorite plays this weekend, and I’m hoping he doesn’t get a lot of love because of Gillislee’s three-touchdown game. White was on the field for 43 of 80 snaps and 30 of the 44 passing snaps in Week 1 against the Chiefs. And, we know the matchup couldn’t really be any better in Week 2. The Saints ranked 32nd in DVOA against pass catching backs last season, and they allowed an average of 51.3 receiving yards to running backs per game. With Julian Edelman out for the season, I expect the Patriots to use White a lot in the passing game. He accumulated 86 targets last season, which was the third most among running backs, and he averaged 5.4 targets per game. He also recorded 551 receiving yards and 60 receptions, which were both third among running backs last season. He has a great price on DraftKings this weekend, and he could be the forgotten piece in the highest implied total game of Week 2.
Pay Up To Be Contrarian
I am hoping a lot of people get scared off of Elliott because of the matchup with the Broncos. Denver ranked first in DVOA against the pass last season, yet they were 21st in DVOA against the run. Meanwhile, the Cowboys ran the ball 499 times last season, which ranked first in the NFL. Elliott led the NFL with 321 carries and finished the season with 38 red zone carries. He also led the league with 1,632 rushing yards and finished the season with 16 touchdowns. He runs behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and Denver’s Peko and Wolfe are beatable inside of this defensive line. Elliott had 29 touches in Week 1, touching the ball on 52.73% of the Cowboys’ plays, and he had over 20 touches in 12 of 16 games last season. There is no reason he shouldn’t be a target in tournaments this weekend.
It's Not Always the Long Ball That Wins GPPs
Many may think his three-touchdown game was a fluke, but Sam Bradford looked great on Monday night. Let’s not forget that he led the NFL with a 71.6% completion rate, not to mention the fact the Vikings ran 626 pass plays in total, which was the 12th most in 2016. Within this offense, Bradford has four legit options at his disposal, and as long as they stay healthy, I’m going to be targeting the Minnesota QB a lot this season. I never worry about ownership with quarterbacks, but this weekend, Tom Brady should eat up a lot of the ownership at quarterback. I think this MIN/PIT matchup has sneaky shootout upside though, and I actually think the Vikings have a chance to upset the Steelers this weekend. Williams and Shazier are beatable in the middle of the field, so Bradford should excel with short, accurate passes here.
This Running Back Is Cheap, With A Sturdy Workload
While Christian McCaffrey handled 13 carries and saw seven targets in Week 1, Jonathan Stewart was no slouch himself, taking 18 carries and seeing a couple targets. In Week 2, the Panthers take on a Bills squad they project to handle as easily as they handled the 49ers (the Panthers have been installed as early seven-point favorites), which means we can expect J-Stew’s touch floor to be similarly sturdy this week. In 2016, the Bills ranked 30th in DVOA against the run and 28th in yards allowed per carry, while Stewart also brings solid touchdown upside after seeing 16 carries inside the five-yard-line last year (fifth most in the NFL, and 11 more carries than Cam Newton had). J-Stew may not be a sexy option, but he’s a strong salary-saver this week.
Deshaun Watson will start for Texans Thursday night
Head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t want to name his starter publicly so Ian Rapoport decided to do it for him. He and James Palmer confirm Watson will be under center for Houston when they visit the Bengals this week. Watson isn’t coming into a great situation. Their offensive line is poor – which played a big part in the ten sacks the offense gave up and Lamar Miller’s 3.8 yards per carry – and they’re incredibly thin at receiver and tight end. Will Fuller is sidelined with a broken collarbone and their top three tight ends are dealing with concussions. Watson will have to rely on Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong, neither of whom have proven to be effective at the NFL level, and rookie tight end Evan Baylis, who’s fresh off the practice squad. It would be hard for most quarterbacks to succeed with this group, let alone a rookie making his first start. It seems very safe to expect DeAndre Hopkins to have an enormous target share but the Bengals will be ready and focused on taking him away. That will make it challenging for Hopkins to be efficient with his opportunities. The game total is currently sitting at 38 points and bettors have been hitting the Bengals’ side of the spread since they opened as three-point favorites. They’re currently favored by five, which leaves Houston with an implied total of 16.5 points.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick (foot) returned to practice Tuesday
He got in a full practice after being held out of Monday’s session. He was seen wearing a walking boot but remained optimistic he would suit up Thursday night and it looks like he will. The right cornerback should have his hands full against the Texans as he’ll see DeAndre Hopkins on a sizable portion of his routes. Last season, he held opponents to 0.21 fantasy points per route defended, which was one of the best rates in the league. Bengals Wide receiver John Ross continued to practice in full Tuesday, a positive sign for his Week 2 status. He’s deep on the depth chart behind A.J. Green, Brandon LaFell, and Tyler Boyd, so he isn’t expected to make much of an impact.
As reported by: Paul Dehner Jr. Other tagged players: DeAndre Hopkins