DFS Alerts

Texans CB Kevin Johnson (knee) limited in practice Tuesday

It’s an upgrade after being held out of yesterday’s session. The starting right cornerback is dealing with a knee issue but his return to practice indicates he has a good chance to play Thursday. Although he got off to a poor start, earning a 36.9 game-grade from PFF in Week 1, he should do better going forward. He’ll need to this week against the Bengals as he’ll match up with A.J. Green quite a bit. Last season, Johnson scored an excellent 84.9.

The New Man on Campus Should See the Ball....A LOT

The word anemic doesn’t even begin to describe the Jets offense right now. They managed to put up just 12 points opening week, and their implied point total for Week 2 is a putrid 14.75. Guess what, though? You’re getting their number one receiver at extremely appealing prices across the industry here in Week 2. Kearse was acquired from the Seahawks just a few weeks ago, and I thought it would take a little while for him to get acclimated to the Jets offense, but those seven catches on nine targets are making me think a bit differently. Kearse is a guy that was one of Russell Wilson’s favorite red zone targets over in Seattle, and if the Jets actually find their way into scoring position, you can bet there’s a pretty good shot Kearse is going to get targeted. Add that potential TD threat to the likely double-digit targets he’ll receive, and you have someone that could be one of the top pt/$ plays on the entire slate.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (concussion) placed on IR

The tight end suffered a concussion in Week 1 against the Jaguars. He had just cleared the concussion protocol the week leading up to the game following another one in the preseason. Having those injuries back-to-back was serious enough for Houston to put him on the IR. With fellow tight ends Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson also dealing with concussions, the Texans promoted TE Evan Baylis to the active roster. He’s expected to start Thursday night against the Bengals as the other two are doubtful. Baylis isn’t available on DraftKings or FanDuel this week.

Texans didn't name a starting QB Tuesday

It was reported earlier in the day that head coach Bill O’Brien would name Deshaun Watson (ankle) the starter if he was able to get through practice. By all accounts, he made it through and he took all of the first-team snaps during the portion of practice open to the media. As of now, it appears that Watson will start but we may not know for sure until Thursday.

UPDATE: Beat writer Aaron Wilson reports his sources reiterated Deshaun Watson is expected to start Thursday, adding it “would take an unanticipated setback with [Watson’s] ankle for that to change.”

The Centerpiece of the Buffalo Passing Game

If you were on Charles Clay Week 1, you are probably content with yourself. He totaled just under what the chalky Zach Ertz recorded in terms of fantasy points. In Week 2, you’d be happy with a similar performance, and you should get one. The Buffalo passing attack is one that is just chock full of lackluster weapons, which led to Clay getting 15.3 DK points and nine total targets (tied for the most of any tight end this past weekend). We have a situation here in which Tyrod Taylor is going to have to throw the ball to Clay simply because he doesn’t have other options. I’m expecting a double-digit target game for Clay going against a Panthers team that allowed the third-most points to the TE position in 2016.

Danny Woodhead (hamstring) expected to be out 4-6 weeks

Woodhead was carted off the field on Baltimore’s opening drive in Week 1. It looks like he will miss a significant amount of time, likely four to six weeks. His injury should provide a major boost to Buck 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 looks like he could enter into a timeshare with starter Terrance West, who played 27 of the offensive snaps.

Bears place Kevin White, Jerrell Freeman on IR

White shoulder injury could potentially lead to surgery which would likely end his season, but at this point he’s still eligible to return after Week 8. The former 1st round pick hasn’t been able to stay healthy during his short stint in the NFL and he’d be no sure bet to stay healthy even if he returns this year – Donte Moncrief suffered a similar injury last season, missed five games and re-injured the shoulder upon returning. Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson and Markus Wheaton (when healthy) will pick up the slack at WR, but the Bears appear willing to involve the RBs (Howard/Cohen) and TEs (Miller/Sims) more to offset the lack of talent at the receiver spot.

Bears LB Jerrell Freeman not expected to play Sunday

Freeman is dealing with a concussion and a pectoral injury, putting his Week 2 playing status in serious doubt. Practice squad linebacker Jonathan Anderson has been promoted, which implies Chicago doesn’t expect Freeman to play. It would be a big loss as he was their leading tackler a year ago (110) and earned an elite 93.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. If Freeman misses, it would provide an upgrade for running backs Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims.

Jaguars sign Max McCaffrey to add receiver depth

Following Allen Robinson’s season-ending injury, Jacksonville has added Max McCaffrey from the Saints practice squad. He’ll be buried on the depth chart behind Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns, Keelan Cole, and Arrelious Benn, so he won’t make much of an impact. Lee and Hurns will operate as the top two receivers now that Robinson is done for the year. The former appears to be a nice bargain on FanDuel ($5.9k) and very underpriced on DraftKings ($3.8k). He failed to haul in any of his four targets against the Texans but game flow worked against him; he should receive more opportunities this week against Tennessee.

Eagles sign K Jake Elliott, send Caleb Sturgis (quad) to IR

The Eagles will bring in Elliott off the Bengals practice squad to replace the injured Caleb Sturgis. He won’t be available on FanDuel this week but may be worth a look in the future. The Eagles attempted the second-most field goals last season (41).

Jeff Allen (ankle) out for Week 2

Houston’s starting right guard has been ruled out for their Thursday night matchup with the Bengals. Greg Mancz will start in his place, which may be an improvement. Mancz was an 18-game starter last season with the Texans and earned a 79.9 grade from Pro Football Focus while Allen scored a 41. As highlighted by Jacksonville’s ten sacks in Week 1, Houston has a bad offensive line. Three of the other starters earned poor grades last season between 44.8 and 59.1 and center Nick Martin will be making his second career start on Thursday. That will make things difficult for Lamar Miller on the ground and could lead to more pressure on their quarterback (likely Deshaun Watson).

Stephon Tuitt (biceps) may return for Week 2

There was some concern in Pittsburgh their defensive end would need season-ending surgery following a biceps injury against the Browns Sunday. Fortunately, he appears to be fine and coach Mike Tomlin said he may be able to suit up this weekend against the Vikings. He wouldn’t rule out linebacker Bud Dupree returning this week either. If both players can return it should boost their pass rush; Dupree and Tuitt finished second and third on the team last season with 4.5 and 4.0 sacks, respectively.

David Johnson (wrist) will have surgery this week, expected to miss 2-3 months

After seeking a second opinion, it was concluded Johnson’s sprained wrist will require surgery; it’s expected to keep him sidelined for two to three months, per Adam Schefter. Johnson will be placed on IR with the possibility to return. Beat writer Mike Jurecki believes Arizona will use all three backs – Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, and newly-signed D.J. Foster – to replace the injured David Johnson (wrist). It’s unclear how much Foster can play in Week 2 against the Colts, given the short time he has to learn the playbook. Williams will likely earn the start and could eventually share early-down duties with Foster while Ellington is expected to operate as the passing down back. Complicating matters further, Arizona will reportedly re-sign Chris Johnson for depth. With a timeshare like this, it’ll be hard to trust any of them to make a huge fantasy impact. Although we only have a one game sample, the Colts rush defense was able to stuff Todd Gurley and the Rams on the ground, limiting them to 1.9 yards per carry as a team (Gurley averaged 2.1 on 19 carries). At the same time, Arizona struggled to run against the Lions, averaging 2.5 yards per carry, even with David Johnson handling 11 of their 18 carries. Of course, the Colts pass defense was atrocious, permitting Jared Goff to rack up 306 yards and a touchdown with a 72.4% completion percentage. Palmer may have to air it out more than expected game flow would indicate with a 7.5-point spread and he should be successful doing so. The receivers will pick up some of Johnson’s targets; he had nine in Week 1 and averaged 7.5 in 2016.

Zach Strief (knee) may be out until Week 6

The Saints right tackle suffered a sprain MCL Sunday night. Beat writer Mike Triplett notes this type of injury would normally take at least a few weeks to heal but a firm time table hasn’t been set. Strief has been a consistent performer over the past several years, grading between an 82.3 and 86.5 in each of the past four seasons, per PFF. New Orleans is already without starting left tackle Terron Armstead, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury. The Saints only picked up 60 rushing yards on 21 carries last night and they may continue to struggle on the ground. In addition to a thin offensive line, the Saints have a crowded backfield. Rookie Alvin Kamara out-snapped Mark Ingram 31 to 26 – both players picked up 11 touches – while Adrian Peterson saw the field for nine plays and nabbed six carries. Unless one of these backs breaks away from the pack, their upsides will be limited.

Evan Baylis expected to start at tight end for Texans Thursday

With all three active tight ends in the concussion protocol, Houston is expected to activate Baylis from their practice squad for their Thursday night matchup with the Bengals. Baylis isn’t available in DFS this week.