DFS Alerts
Phillip Dorsett expected to be active for Patriots Thursday
With Malcolm Mitchell headed to the IR, Ian Rapoport reports Dorsett is going to be active tonight for New England. He most likely won’t make much of an impact tonight as the Patriots have Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola ahead of Dorsett. Plus, some beat writers are speculating they could use James White in the slot at times. The Patriots are loaded with offensive weapons, so it’s hard to picture Dorsett carving out a role for himself after joining the team less than a week ago.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport
DeAndre Hopkins (hand) removed from injury report Thursday
Hopkins had a full practice yesterday and said he felt “1,000 percent” earlier this week. He’ll start with Braxton Miller at receiver as Will Fuller and Jaelen Strong are both out. Considering Miller has yet to become an effective receiver at the NFL level, Hopkins should get plenty of targets from Tom Savage – the problem is those targets will be from Tom Savage, who hasn’t thrown a touchdown in five career appearances. Plus, he’ll be lining up across from Jalen Ramsey, which has provided him the tenth-lowest rating in our WR/CB matchup tool. Both teams are expected to play slow-paced football while emphasizing their running games. Although Week 1 doesn’t appear to be the best time to target Hopkins, he still projects as our WR11 this week and he has an affordable price tag on DraftKings at $5.9k.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson WR Looking To Score In First Game With New Team
Is Eric Decker an injury concern as the season goes on? Yes. Is highly-drafted rookie Corey Davis likely to take some targets away from Decker as he gets more experience later in the season? Also yes. But neither of those factors are in play this week, as Decker is healthy and ready to connect with Marcus Mariota against the Raiders secondary. Decker has scored 43 TDs on 335 receptions over the past five seasons, and Oakland has injury and effectiveness concerns on its defense, leading to Tennessee having the sixth-highest projected point total this week.
Third-Year QB Popular for a Reason
Marcus Mariota is currently projected to be one of the highest-owned QBs on both FanDuel ($7,800) and DraftKings ($6,800), and there are good reasons why. The Raiders defense gave up the ninth-most passing yards per game last year at 257.5, Vegas currently has Tennessee as the sixth-highest projected point offense this week, and the Titans focused this offseason on adding passing weapons to help Mariota. The additions of Eric Decker through free agency and Corey Davis as the fifth pick in the NFL draft should help Mariota’s passing stats, but don’t forget about his legs, either – he finished last season with the sixth-most running yards of all QBs at 349 yards.
Malcolm Mitchell placed on IR
Mitchell has been placed on IR due to knee issues which certainly led to the Patriots being more aggressive in pursuit of another receiver (Phillip Dorsett) to provide some depth. With Mitchell on the shelf, the targets should be spread a little more narrowly, although we should expect to see Dorsett get more involved behind Hogan and Amendola on the outside. It’s very possible that a guy like James White gets more involved as a receiver with injuries piling up to Pats wideouts, but the entire New England backfield remains more or less a mystery even while we’re only a few hours out from kickoff.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Phillip Dorsett
A Sleeper DFS Pick at Tight End
Somehow I feel like this play will be crazy low owned, but I have no idea why. Charles Clay has immense upside with or without Tyrod Taylor on the field. We know inexperienced QBs love to target tight ends as safety blankets, and Taylor made nice use of Clay when Sammy Watkins was always out injured. The Jets are awful on D yet can probably keep this game close, due to overall incompetence on both sides. Clay averaged around seven targets over his last six games last season, and to me he appears to be an awesome pivot off an incredibly popular Zach Ertz.
Now That This WR is Healthy, Will He Produce?
I am very interested to see what a healthy Kevin White can do this season. White has massive talent, and I’ve been very high on him since he was at West Virginia. Injuries have slowed the start to his NFL career, but this year he should be good to go, and with Cameron Meredith now injured, he should be the number one target in Chicago soon, even if most people have Kendall Wright in that spot right now. The Bears should be forced to throw the ball a ton, as Atlanta can rack up points in a hurry and consequently (along with the fact they have a mediocre defense) give up a ton of passing attempts, yards and TDs. This is one of the best games to stack of the week, and White is one of the top plays involved. The ownership will all be on Wright, but I’m playing White in my GPPs.
Kenny Golladay (ankle) remained limited in Thursday's practice
The rookie is still expected to play Sunday and split reps as the WR3 with T.J. Jones. Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter hinted that T.J. Jones will be ahead of Golladay in the wide receiver rotation while adding that both guys would split reps in three-wide sets. Cooter made it clear the rookie Golladay could earn a larger role as the season progresses if he can get open and be productive with his opportunities. There’s been plenty of speculation about Golladay’s use in the red zone this season after he scored twice in the first preseason game. Standing tall at 6’4”, 213 pounds, he has four inches and nearly 25 pounds on Jones, which makes him a better target in scoring position. With Anquan Boldin’s departure, 22 red zone targets are unaccounted for from 2016. Between Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and breakout-candidate Eric Ebron, he’ll have plenty of competition near the end zone but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the field ahead of Jones inside the 20-yard line this weekend.
As reported by: Mike O'Hara Value WR Looking To Impress In First Game With New Team
Pryor is entering only his second full season as a wide receiver after spending his first three years after Ohio State trying to make his NFL career as a quarterback. Last year as the primary receiver for the Browns, he collected 77 receptions on 140 targets for 1007 yards and 4 TDs from the likes of Robert Griffin, Cody Kessler, and Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback. This year he gets a major upgrade at the quarterback with Washington and Kirk Cousins at the helm. The Eagles were middle of the pack in passing yards allowed last year, but Pryor will take a major height advantage into his matchup with Philadelphia’s cornerbacks in what should be a close, high-scoring game. Pryor’s price is also attractive on both FanDuel ($6,200) and DraftKings ($6,100).
Feeling Frisky? Target This Rookie in Week 1
Admittedly, I don’t know as much as I should about this kid, but I do know he is an awesome GPP play. The prices are as low as they get, and this matchup against Pittsburgh gives Kizer some serious upside. As I’ve pointed out the last two years, playing the Steelers is like playing at Coors (at least, Coors before 2017), and in general you need to get as much exposure to these games that routinely become shootouts. We have the best offense in football in Pittsburgh coming to Cleveland, yet we’ll also see a Steelers defense that can give up huge plays. The word on Kizer is he can play; very raw but talented. He has given new life to what was looking like a potentially awful situation in Cleveland. This type of game environment against the Steelers should bring the best out of Kizer (or the worst), so we may get to see his athleticism and underrated gun. I like pairing him with Corey Coleman or Kenny Britt in large-field GPPs as extremely low owned players with massive upside.
Giants CB Eli Apple (ankle) practiced Thursday
The second-year corner injured his ankle in the third preseason game and was limited in practice earlier this week. He appears to be ready for the Giants Week 1 matchup with the Cowboys, although he should still be considered questionable for Sunday night. New York will release game statuses tomorrow afternoon. Apple earned a poor 46.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2016 but he put on weight and added some speed this offseason and many expect him to make some significant strides in 2017.
As reported by: Jordan Raanan Quarterback Starting Contract Year Against Divisional Foe
Washington is in the middle of the pack for projected point totals this week, but there is something to be said for a quarterback that is playing at home in a game that is projected to be relatively close (Washington +1.5) and high-scoring (48 o/u). Cousins finished third in the league with 4917 total passing yards last year, and is heading into the first game of another one-year deal in what has been an ongoing, sometimes contentious contract negotiation saga with Washington’s front office. Both of Washington’s starting wide receivers from last year have moved on to other teams, but route-running dynamo Jamison Crowder returns to an expanded role, Cousins safety-valve Jordan Reed also returns, and Terrelle Pryor could have a particular advantage with his 6’4” height against an Eagles secondary where each member stands 6’0” or shorter.
Jamison Crowder (hip flexor) added to injury report Thursday, limited in practice
It doesn’t appear to be too serious as he was able to participate in today’s practice session, albeit in a limited fashion. With DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon out of D.C., Crowder finds himself as the WR2 with Terrelle Pryor serving as the Redskins’ WR1. He may have a chemistry advantage over Pryor as it’s his third season playing with Kirk Cousins. Crowder made marked improvements last season, turning in 847 yards and seven touchdowns on 97 targets. 67 of those looks came from the slot, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to lining up out wide in two-receiver sets this season. It seems likely he’ll slip back into the slot when Washington has three wide outs on the field. Crowder boasted the fifth-lowest drop rate out of the slot in 2016 (4.17%) as he hauled in 44-of-46 catchable passes. Crowder finished ninth in total yards from the positon (618) and in yards per route run (1.55), a nice indication of the upside he brings to the table. In other good news, Crowder has a favorable matchup rating with Patrick Robinson, earning a 24.76 in our WR/CB matchup tool.
As reported by: Washington Redskins John Ross (knee) returned to practice Thursday, still expected to miss Week 1
He was held out of Wednesday’s practice, so his return to the field today is a positive sign. Even so, he isn’t expected to play on Sunday. Quarterback Andy Dalton should provide plenty of targets to A.J. Green, who was second in the league in yards per route run last season (2.86) according to Pro Football Focus. Tyler Eifert should be in line for a nice chunk of work as well, particularly in the red zone. Across nine appearances in 2016, the tight end was targeted nine times and converted all five of his catches into touchdowns.
As reported by: Geoff Hobson Jamaal Charles held out of practice Thursday
Denver is expected to be extremely careful with Charles this season due to his history of knee injuries. It appears this was simply a rest day and he’ll be ready to suit up Monday night. He’s going to back up C.J. Anderson but the Broncos appear open to rolling with the hot hand. It’ll be tough to trust this backfield in fantasy at the beginning of the season as it may be tough to project market share out of the gates, especially with both of these guys coming off knee injuries. Devontae Booker (wrist) isn’t going to play in the season opener, which will be helpful for Anderson’s and Charles’ workloads. Our projections model gives the edge to Anderson and his salary is low enough on DraftKings to consider him for GPPs – he’s our RB3 in terms of points-per-dollar – but he doesn’t appear to have a very strong outlook in what could amount to timeshare. Charles turned six touches into 42 yards in the preseason and he could carve out a large role for himself at Anderson’s expense.
As reported by: Mike Klis