DFS Alerts
Tyler Eifert, Jeremy Hill fully participate in Wednesday's practice
It’s a relief for both Eifert and the Bengals that he’s entering the season healthy, especially considering how dominant he’s been when active. Eifert is tied for 4th in touchdowns among TEs dating back to 2014, a span over which he’s played just 22 games – no one else ranked inside the top five has played fewer than 34. The touchdown upside with Eifert remains high almost each and every week. The Ravens pass defense ranked 10th in DVOA and 9th in passing yards per attempt last season, and they’ve been particularly stout against TEs in recent years (3rd in DVOA vs. TEs last season), so the floor here is too low to consider in cash games. Eifert is still a viable tournament play, but there aren’t many intriguing DFS options in this game as a whole.
As reported by: Paul Dehner Jr. Other tagged players: Jeremy Hill
This Wide Receiver Has a Breakout Matchup to Start His Breakout Season
Over the last two seasons, Michael Crabtree has seen more redzone targets than Amari Cooper. Week to week, Crabtree has been the better cash game option, while we have reserved Cooper to more of a GPP role in DFS. I expect that to change this season. Cooper is only 23 years old and is entering this third NFL season primed for a breakout. Even with his inconsistency, he racked up the ninth most receiving yards of any player in NFL history in their first two seasons. He looked great in the preseason and he gets a strong matchup right out of the gate. The Titans were very good against the run last season, but were ranked 27th in DVOA against the pass. Cooper is getting overlooked in Week 1 despite massive upside and a relatively high floor in a game where he could see double-digit targets.
Josh Doctson (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice
Doctson missed Weeks 3 and 4 of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the second-year wide receiver with many speculating he could eventually challenge Terrelle Pryor for the top role. However, he’ll likely begin the year fourth on the depth chart and off the DFS radar. He’s another young guy to keep an eye on in the early weeks of the season as he appears to have the requisite skill set to make an impact if he can stay healthy and put it all together on the field.
As reported by: Brian McNally
Alfred Blue (ankle) expected to miss Week 1
Blue remained sidelined at Wednesday’s practice. Lamar Miller’s backup is not expected to play in the season opener against the Jaguars Sunday. D’Onta Foreman is considered questionable as well, so Miller should get plenty of work in Week 1. The question is whether he can be effective with his opportunities. He averaged 4.0 yards per carry and only scored five times in his first season as the Texans’ workhorse. He was very poor in scoring position, averaging 2.6 yards between the 20 and ten-yard lines and 1.1 yards on rushes between the ten and five-yard lines. All five of his scores came from inside the five, he converted five-of-eight opportunities into touchdowns in that zone. Considering this matchup is expected to be one of the slowest ones on the board and has the lowest game total to match (39.5 points), Miller may not be afforded a ton of touches in areas he’s capable of scoring from, limiting his upside.
As reported by: Houston Chron Other tagged players: Lamar Miller Demaryius Thomas (groin) returned to practice Wednesday
Thomas was pulled from Denver’s third preseason game with a groin injury, although it was considered a precaution. He’s fully expected to play in Week 1. He and teammate Emmanuel Sanders have a tough matchup with one of the better cornerback duos in the NFL, Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward. Verrett’s 2016 campaign ended very early due to a torn ACL, but he earned an excellent 89.4 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2015. His partner Hayward earned an 88.4 grade, which was sixth in the league among 110 qualifying cornerbacks. On the bright side, we can be confident quarterback Trevor Semien will target this duo heavily; they accounted for 49.8% of the team’s targets last season.
As reported by: Nicki Jhabvala Other tagged players: Emmanuel Sanders Cam Newton (shoulder) and Curtis Samuel (ankle) had full practices Wednesday
In the first injury report of the season, Newton and Samuel were listed as full participants in practice. Coach Ron Rivera reiterated that there were “no limitations” on what Newton will be able to do Sunday. That’s excellent news heading into a matchup with a poor 49ers secondary. San Franciso will start Donte Johnson (65.8 PFF grade in 2016) and Rashard Robinson (50.4) at corner with Jimmie Ward (74.5) and Eric Reid (50.5) in the safety positons. Newton is expected to run less and pass more this season, which should help receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess in Week 1, both of whom carry nice height advantages over the small corners. Samuel, who’s been battling a hamstring issue all summer, most likely won’t be a huge factor in the offense to start the season, but the dynamic rookie could carve out a larger workload as the season progresses. The Panthers appear keen to get Samuel on the field in a variety of positions as he can be effective in both the running and passing games. Although he’s not on the fantasy radar in Week 1, he’s a player to watch.
As reported by: David Newton Other tagged players: Curtis Samuel Browns DT Danny Shelton (knee) practices Wednesday
Shelton, who’s been dealing with a knee injury, returned to practice Wednesday. It’s a positive sign for his Week 1 status, although he should still be considered questionable for the season opener against Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers. Shelton ranked 15th among 125 qualifying interior lineman in 2016 (85.2) and he was particularly effective against the run, checking in at eighth (87.8). His absence would be a big loss for an already-weak rushing defense. Bell is expected to receive his normal workload despite missing training camp and the preseason. With the Steelers favored by nine points, he’s expected to have a favorable game script. Bell narrowly edges out David Johnson as our RB1 this week and he even tops our points-per-dollar projections at his position on FanDuel even though he costs $9.3k.
As reported by: Nate Ulrich Chiefs injury report for Week 1
Travis Kelce has been removed from the injury report along with kicker Cairo Santos while safety Ron Parker is considered questionable and guard Parker Ehinger is doubtful. Kelce’s status wasn’t really in doubt heading into Week 1 and his calf issue shouldn’t be a problem. He’s one of the best tight ends available this week; in fact, our models place him second behind only Rob Gronkowski. He topped 100 receiving yards in five of the final seven weeks while catching at least seven balls in four of those games. The conservative Alex Smith will likely continue to target Kelce on high-percentage passes – the tight end hauled in 72.6% of his 117 targets last year. He should also benefit from Jeremy Maclin’s departure. In the four games he played without Maclin in 2016, Kelce’s targets rose substantially from 6.58 to 9.5 and his yardage followed a similar trajectory, increasing from 62.08 to 95. He didn’t score in any of those contests, though, and only found the paint four times all season. We should see that rise this season, although he’ll be competing with Tyreek Hill for looks in scoring position. On the defensive side of things, Parker’s absence could cause problems. He earned an above-average 82.0 grade from Pro Football Focus a season ago and he was particularly effective in pass coverage, scoring an 85.3, which was good for ninth at his position. Tom Brady may find more success going deep with Parker off the field.
As reported by: BJ Kissel Other tagged players: Tom Brady The Forgotten Tight End in a Prime Matchup
Tight end is a position where everyone gravitates to the same players every week and it baffles me. It’s by far the most inconsistent position in fantasy football, yet groupthink seems to drive ownership each and every week. I’m not saying that Zach Ertz is a bad play by any means, but is he really twice as likely to outscore Delanie Walker in Week 1? Early ownership projections have Ertz way higher than the rest of the tight ends and I expect that number to be even higher in cash games. I’ll gladly take my pivot with Walker, who has been more consistent in each of the last two seasons. Walker is a big redzone target, he has great chemistry with Marcus Mariota, and he’s playing in a potential shootout against the Raiders. Defenses change from year to year, but Oakland was ranked 23rd in DVOA against tight ends last season.
Braxton Miller (ankle) will play Sunday
He’s been dealing with an ankle injury over the past few weeks but he’ll be ready for the Texans first game this Sunday.With WIll Fuller sidelined, he’s expected to start alongside DeAndre Hopkins at receiver. Unfortunately, he’ll have to catch balls from Tom Savage and the Texans will likely focus on a run-heavy, clock-controlling offense this season. Miller earned the third-worst grade from Pro Football Focus among 115 qualifying receivers last year (43.1) and the Jaguars have a strong secondary. The second-year receiver, who’s never picked up more than 25 yards in a game, doesn’t appear to be a strong fantasy target this week, even at his low price.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Odell Beckham (ankle) "moving around well" at Giants practice without tape or brace
ESPN insider posted videos of Beckham at the Giants practice facility sans protection on his injured ankle. Although the receiver warmed up with the team, he worked out on his own on the side when the media arrived. New York probably won’t make a decision on his playing status until later in the week but Coach McAdoo has plainly stated that they’ll play him if he’s cleared to play by the team’s doctors. Historically, the Cowboys have done well against Beckham, limiting him to 71 yards on 8 targets per game while he’s averaged an even 100 yards with 11.05 targets against all other teams.
As reported by: Dianna Russini Eagles expect Josh Norman to shadow Alshon Jeffery Sunday
Coach Doug Pederson told reporters he’s anticipating Norman to follow Jeffery wherever he goes on the field this weekend. Norman ranked 24th last season with an 81 grade from Pro Football Focus but in terms of coverage only, Norman was 13th (83.9). Jeffery joined the Eagles in the offseason but already appears to have some chemistry with second-year quarterback Carson Wentz. The pair connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass in Week 3 of the preseason. Even so, he’ll have his work cut out for him against Norman. It will likely force Wentz to look towards tight end Zach Ertz more often, who showed some massive upside towards the end of the 2016 season. Over his final eight games, Ertz caught at least six passes in all but two, was targeted between 11 and 16 times on four occasions, and finished the season with an impressive 13/139/2 performance against Dallas. He’ll be a very chalky option this week with his too-low $3.5k price tag on DraftKings – he’s a whopping $2.4k more expensive on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jimmy Kempski Doug Martin won't be eligible to return until Week 5
With Tampa Bay’s Week 1 matchup getting postponed to Week 11, Martin won’t begin serving his three-game suspension until Week 2. As a result, he won’t return to the field until the Bucs visit the Patriots in Week 5. In the meantime, Jacquizz Rodgers will be their lead back.
As reported by: Roy Cummings Other tagged players: Jacquizz Rodgers Joe Flacco (back) expected to play Sunday
Coach John Harbaugh said his quarterback hasn’t suffered any setbacks since returning to practice and he’ll be ready for Week 1. Flacco is dealing with a disc issue in his back, but the team has been confident he’ll be their starter to open the season. They’ll face the Bengals in Week 1. Currently, Vegas doesn’t have much faith in the Flacco’s offense, providing them an implied total of 19.75 points. Given the low game total of 42.5 points, it’s not expected to be a great source of fantasy production for either side. Despite attempting the second-most passes last season (672), Flacco was seventh in yards (4,317) – not surprisingly, that led to the fourth-lowest yards per attempt among qualifiers (6.4) – and 18th in touchdowns. He currently checks in as QB23 on FanDuel and QB24 on DraftKings in our projections model.
As reported by: Baltimore Ravens Don't Forget About This Wide Receiver in Week 1
It’s tough to gauge ownership on someone that missed the entire season last year, but I’m jumping on Martavis Bryant in Week 1 against Cleveland. In 2015, he averaged 8.4 targets per game, and he had seven touchdowns on 50 receptions. Bryant averaged 15.3 yards per reception in 2015, while piling up 350 yards after the catch. This weekend he should line up against Jason McCourty, which is an excellent matchup for him. McCourty allowed 4.3 receptions per game in 2016, the third most among qualified cornerbacks, and also gave up 7.5 targets per game, which was the most among qualified CBs. With everyone playing Antonio Brown, it’s worth taking a shot on Bryant in large-field tournaments. If he scores the touchdowns instead of Brown or Bell, you’ll be way ahead of the field.
