DFS Alerts
Caleb Sturgis (quad) expected to miss several weeks
Philadelphia will work out kickers this week to find a replacement.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport
D'Onta Foreman expected to get an increased workload going forward
Head coach Bill O’Brien was not happy with Lamar Miller’s 3.8 yards per carry against Jacksonville. Foreman only received one carry for four yards in the loss but that’ll increase starting Thursday and he has a chance to carve out a larger role if he does well. Alfred Blue was ruled out Week 1 with an ankle injury; his Week 2 status is undetermined. The Texans are going to need to improve their running game to have a chance to score points this week against Cincy. They’ll be without their top three tight ends and receiver Bruce Ellington, leaving them with DeAndre Hopkins, Jaelen Strong, and Braxton Miller. The Bengals allowed 157 rushing yards a touchdown against the Ravens in Week 1 as Baltimore got out to an early lead and ran 42 times. Foreman isn’t a viable option in fantasy but he will take away from Miller’s volume.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Other tagged players: Lamar Miller C.J. Fiedorowicz and four other Texans players expected to miss Thursday night with concussions
Houston lost all three of their tight ends – Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, and Stephen Anderson – to concussions Sunday, along with receiver Bruce Ellington and linebacker Brian Cushing. None of them are expected to play against the Bengals Thursday night. That leaves the Houston with even fewer options in the passing game, so it’s likely whoever is in at quarterback will heavily lean on DeAndre Hopkins, who nabbed 16 targets in the opener. Coach Bill O’Brien declined to name a starter but Ian Rapoport believes the Texans will stick with Watson.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Ryan Griffin, Bruce Ellington Eagles will work out kickers this week as Caleb Sturgis deals with hip injury
The starting kicker, who knocked in three field goals Sunday (including a 50-yarder), should be considered questionable for Week 2. Philadelphia is waiting on more information regarding the injury prior to making an official statement.
As reported by: Jeff McLane Duke Johnson played all 50 of his snaps at receiver Sunday
Johnson didn’t take a single snap at running back Sunday. Instead, he primarily served as a slot receiver, finishing with two receptions for 20 yards on five targets. Starting running back Isaiah Crowell was on the field for 52 of plays (79%) while Matthew Dayes worked in the backfield as his backup on 13 occasions. Crowell wasn’t efficient, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry – 17 carries for 33 yards – but he caught both of his targets for 33 yards. It’ll be best to target Johnson in full PPR formats, although he won’t be particularly appealing considering he won’t have opportunities to accumulate points from rushing yards and he’s behind a couple guys on the targets totem pole Plus, DeShone Kizer showed a willingness to spread the ball around, hitting eight different receivers Sunday.
Other tagged players: Isaiah Crowell, Matthew Dayes Jaelen Strong (suspension) will return for Week 2
The receiver was serving a one-game suspension following a violation of the NFL substance-abuse policy. With Will Fuller sidelined, Strong will jump into the number two or three role. Current second option Braxton Miller failed to catch his lone target Sunday and earned a 44.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, right on par with his 2016 score (43.1). Strong wasn’t much better than Miller last season (48.7), catching 14-of-24 passes over eight appearances. Houston desperately needs one of them to step up as a playmaker so opposing defenses aren’t able to simply focus on taking away DeAndre Hopkins. This is especially true in Week 2 as both C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin are dealing with concussions in a short week. Although Strong should be given some opportunities Thursday, he doesn’t appear to be a good target in this poor offense.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Week 1 injury roundup
Allen Robinson tore his left ACL Sunday, which will end his season. Jacksonville will now start Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee at receiver with Keelan Cole operating as the third option. With the Jaguars jumping out to an early lead, quarterback Blake Bortles only attempted 21 passes (and completed just 11) Sunday. Hurns led the team with four targets while Lee didn’t get a single look. They’ll get the Titans next week, which should open up more receiving opportunities.
David Johnson sprained his wrist against the Lions. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported he would miss a “few weeks” or “half the season or more.” However, Pro Football Talk countered that, saying it hasn’t yet been determined if DJ will miss time. It’ll be an important situation to monitor this week as the Cardinal’s get a mouth-watering matchup with the Colts on Sunday.
Kevin White, the perpetually-injured receiver, may have suffered a broken collarbone that ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes will require season-ending surgery. Expected to be without their top two receivers going forward, Chicago will need to lean on Kendall Wright as their WR1. Wright only saw four targets against the Falcons while tight end Zach Miller topped him with six and breakout running back Tarik Cohen led the team with 12, hauling in eight for 47 yards and a touchdown. the 5’6” rookie added 66 rushing yards on five attempts.
Danny Woodhead was carted off the field on Baltimore’s opening drive. The team fears he’ll miss significant time due to the injury. That 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.
Ronald Darby, the starting right cornerback for the Eagles, will be out 4-6 weeks with a dislocated ankle. Philadelphia’s defense was already vulnerable on the outside; his absence should help the Chiefs passing game in Week 2.
Orlando Scandrick, the starting left cornerback for the Cowboys suffered a broken left hand Sunday night. It hasn’t yet been determined how many games he’ll miss, but Dallas was optimistic Sunday night. The Cowboys visit the Broncos in Week 2.
Deshaun Watson expected to start for Texans in Week 2
The rookie QB immediately generated a touchdown drive when he came in for Tom Savage to start the second half. He struggled the rest of the way though, ending up with 102 yards, a touchdown, and a pick while completing 12-of-23 attempts. Due to the lack of pass-catchers on this team, DeAndre Hopkins finished with a week-high 16 targets. On Thursday in Cincinnati, Watson should continue to pepper Hopkins with looks. Whether he can be efficient with his opportunities is a different story as the Bengals with undoubtedly focus on taking him away. Against Jacksonville, he only caught seven passes for 55 yards but managed to find the end zone.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Tom Savage, DeAndre Hopkins Darren McFadden will not play Sunday Night
What a difference three days makes. McFadden appeared to be the Cowboys main running back to start the season with Ezekiel Elliott suspended for the first six games. Now, Elliott’s suspension is on hold after he was granted a temporary restraining order and Alfred Morris will step in to serve as Zeke’s backup.
As reported by: Todd Archer
Odell Beckham is officially inactive
This is by no means a surprise, but the definitive news was one of the last key question marks of NFL’s opening weekend. Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall and Evan Engram figure to absorb the targets that otherwise would have been headed Beckham’s direction.
As reported by: Jordan Raanan Thomas Rawls officially inactive
Rawls is officially inactive, paving the way for Eddie Lacy to see the majority of the RB snaps with CJ Prosise and Chris Carson set to shuffle in. Prosise figures to take most of the passing down work, but Lacy is the best bet for DFS production. He’s an interesting GPP pivot off of a guy like Christian McCaffery.
As reported by: Field Yates Other tagged players: Eddie Lacy
Afternoon overlay update
Good afternoon grinders !!! The next slate of NFL games is just over an hour away, and there a few good overlay spots left to attack.
On DraftKings, the afternoon only slate’s three big GPP’s all look to offer overlay. Both the Wildcat ( $333 entry) and the Bootleg ( $33 entry) are currently running 30 % or more in overlay. The $350K Afternoon Clash ( $5 entry) is running at 15% in overlay.
FanDuel also looks to have a decent amount of overlay in the late sun-mon slate, and the $40K NFL rush($4 entry) is currently offering an overlay of 22%.
Make sure to check out the new LineupHQ tool when building your lineups.
Jeremy Kerley a surprise inactive for NYJ
Kerley was expected to man the slot for the Jets, but he’ll join Bryce Petty on the inactive list for the season opener. It’s possible that his recent addition to the roster plays into his status, but it’s not as if he’d have a steep learning curve even with less than a week to prepare. This news certainly bodes well for Robby Anderson who is now a safer bet for looks on the outside while guys like Jermaine Kearse and ArDarius Stewart also candidates to step up for the league’s least talented receiving corps.
As reported by: @Jets Other tagged players: Robbie Chosen, Jermaine Kearse, ArDarius Stewart Odell Beckham will go through pre-game warm-ups, but he's looking more likely to end up inactive
Much like last year in London, the plan is for Beckham to go through his pre-game routine to test his ankle, but it’s looking more likely that he ends up missing this game entirely. Even if he does end up active, there is a very real chance that he’d simply act as a decoy or play limited snaps, taking him off the DFS radar regardless of his status. Given that we won’t have word on Beckham’s status before lineup lock, it’s still possible that we’ll be able to roster Brandon Marshall at a reasonable ownership percentage. Neither Evan Engram nor Sterling Shepard are expected to be popular plays regardless, but Engram has some GPP appeal against a Cowboys defense that allowed the most FPPG to TEs last season. It’s likely that we don’t get an official word on Beckham until this evening.
As reported by: Jordan Raanan Other tagged players: Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall, Evan Engram Mike Iupati active for ARI, Robert Nkemdiche inactive
Iupati’s active status is great news for the Arizona offensive line, which helps the outlook for all of the offensive playmakers. Robert Nkemdiche won’t suit up against the Lions, but it’s possible that he’s able to return to the field next week.
As reported by: Mark Dalton