DFS Alerts
Evan Engram listed as TE2 on Giants depth chart
New York is currently listing Rhett Ellison as their starter, although it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll earn more playing time than Engram. Ellison is a solid blocker while Engram is an exciting prospect the Giants took with the 23rd pick in this year’s draft. Although slight small for the position at 6’3” 235, he’s lighting quick – he ran a 4.42 40 and 6.92 3-cone drill at the combine, good for first and second among tight ends, respectively. During the preseason, he hauled in six-of-nine targets for 75 yards, primarily with the first-team offense. Last year, Dallas allowed the most receptions (119) and yards to tight ends (1,199). Engram would likely benefit if Odell Beckham misses time as he’ll be asked to pick up some of the slack in the passing game. Although he carries plenty of uncertainty in his NFL debut, he’s a player to watch as he could end up becoming a nice fantasy target as the season progresses.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Rhett Ellison
Ron Rivera says Cam Newton (shoulder) is "throwing the ball well"
Newton won’t be limited on Sunday in a mouth-watering matchup against 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.
As reported by: ESPN John Ross (knee) expected to miss first two games
Ian Rapoport believes there’s a chance he could play Week 3, but it’s unclear at this point. We can be confident he’ll miss their opener against the Ravens this Sunday, though. 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: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert Braxton Miller (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday, Alfred Blue and D'Onta Foreman both "iffy" for Sunday
Miller injured his ankle in the first game of the preseason and it looks like he’ll be ready for Week 1, but it’s not looking as good for the two backup running backs. Blue (ankle), who shed his walking boot this week, is expected to miss the first game while Foreman (knee) appears questionable at best – he hasn’t resumed practicing yet. As a result, it’s not clear who Lamar Miller’s backup will be on Sunday. The starter should be in for a heavy workload as the Texans are expected to focus on running the ball and controlling the clock. That could put a dent into Miller’s production, but with WIll Fuller sidelined, he’s expected to start with DeAndre Hopkins at receiver. Unfortunately, he’ll have to catch balls from Tom Savage, which further limits his fantasy appeal.
As reported by: Houston Chron Other tagged players: Alfred Blue, D'Onta Foreman Dalvin Cook listed as starter on Vikings depth chart
The rookie checks in ahead of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon ahead of their Week 1 tilt against the Saints. Cook accumulated 70 rushing yards on 17 carries in the preseason and added six catches for 36 yards. There’s no question that the back offers plenty of upside. If he’s able to be effective right out of the gates, he should be able to carve out a huge workload for himself. The Vikings are currently favored at home, which is always a positive sign for a running back, and they’re currently implied to score the seventh-most points (25.75). Although he’s not someone to rush into cash lineups considering Monday will mark his NFL debut, he’ll be an interesting tournament target.
As reported by: Courtney Cronin Other tagged players: Latavius Murray, Jerick McKinnon Jeremy Hill expected to start for Bengals in Week 1
Giovani Bernard is listed second on the depth chart while rookie Joe Mixon is currently third. All three guys will get snaps against Baltimore this weekend but projecting the market share between them will be a difficult task. Our projections model gives Mixon the edge in this backfield, although that doesn’t make him a great target – three-backs time shares don’t generally generate strong fantasy performances. It seems likely Bernard will primarily fill a passing down role while Hill and Mixon split early down and red zone duties. Most are expecting Mixon to transition into the lead role as the season wears on, especially if Hill doesn’t improve his efficiency – he averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season – but it may be best to give it a couple weeks before targeting the rookie in fantasy. If he’s able to separate himself from the pack, he’ll carry plenty of upside each week.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Giovani Bernard, Joe Mixon Jermaine Kearse listed as starter on Jets depth chart
Kearse is expected to start across from Robby Anderson against the Bills in Week 1. With 38-year-old Josh McCown at quarterback, it’s probably best to fade both receivers. Prior to Kearse’s arrival, an argument could’ve been made for Anderson as a high-risk GPP option based on expected game flow and volume, but Kearse will certainly eat into his workload. It’s worth noting Kearse and Anderson had poor PFF grades of 44.2 and 45.6, respectively, while McCown scored a terrible 53.4 through five appearances. That’s not a recipe for success through the air. Interestingly, there’s been slight reverse line movement over the past 48 hours. Despite 64% of the bets coming in on the Bills against the spread, it’s moved 1.5 points in favor of the Jets. Even so, the Jets are still 7.5-point underdogs and have the lowest implied total of the week at 16 points. Bilal Powell, who is currently the second-string running back (for now) may be the lone bright spot on this team. He’s shown a strong ability as a pass-catcher and he could nab plenty of check downs from McCown this season while the Jets figure to perpetually be playing from behind. Plus, his 85.2 running grade from PFF was good for sixth among all running backs last season.
As reported by: Andy Vasquez Other tagged players: Robbie Chosen Larry Fitzgerald has very favorable matchup with Quandre Diggs in slot Sunday
Despite his “old man” status, Fitzgerald scored the ninth-best WR grade from Pro Football Focus in 2016 (86.8). He predictably faded towards the end of the season, scoring a lone touchdown after Week 5, but he got off to a hot start complete with a pair of two-score outings in the first five games. He’ll have a favorable matchup to open the season, which could enable him to be a solid fantasy asset in Week 1. Fitzgerald lined up in the slot on 63% of his snaps last season, a figure that will likely remain the same or rise in 2017. That means he’ll matchup with Quandre Diggs more often than the Lions should feel comfortable with considering Diggs ranked 94th among 110 qualifying corners last year (43.7 PFF grade). His performance when defending the slot was particularly poor: he allowed a reception on 41-of-45 targets (the highest completion percentage allowed in the PFF era), gave up the fourth-most yards (461), the ninth-most yards after catch (191), and the second-most yards per snap in slot coverage (1.7). Quarterback Carson Palmer will likely seek to exploit Diggs as much as possible due to superior corners Darius Slay (83.7) and Nevin Lawson (76.5) guarding the outside receivers. The spread has moved 2.5 points in Arizona’s favor over the past week and they’re now favored on the road by 1.5 points. Not only is it expected to be close, but the matchup also has a fantasy friendly total of 48 points, providing the Cardinals with the tenth-highest implied total this week (24.75 points). All in all, it’s setting up to be a solid matchup to target a fresh Fitzgerald, who’s an affordable $6.4k on FanDuel and $5.9k on DraftKings.
David Njoku listed as TE3 on Browns depth chart
The rookie is currently listed behind Randall Telfer and Seth DeValve. There’s been plenty of hype surrounding the pass-catching tight end the Browns selected with the 29th pick in this year’s draft, but trouble holding on to the football and a steep learning curve for the former wide receiver may hold him back. The depth chart is unofficial, so it’s possible Njoku’s place changes prior to kick off. Still, it appears he’ll have a slow start to the 2017 campaign.
As reported by: Nate Ulrich Allen Hurns has dropped behind Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook on Jaguars WR depth chart
Hurns is coming off a disappointing 35/477/3 season and it appears he’s fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. Jacksonville’s passing game will be tough to trust as is in Week 1, so it makes sense to avoid Hurns along with Cole and Westbrook. They’re going to turn towards a run-heavy offense this season in a concerted effort to keep the ball out of Blake Bortles’ hands. That’s going to make things hard enough for Allen Robinson and their number two receiver, Marqis Lee, as they’ll see a reduction in volume. Plus, the targets they will receive will be coming from Bortles, who graded out as the 27th QB among 34 qualifiers in 2016 according to Pro Football Focus (69.2) and completed just 58.9% of his passes. Against a strong Texans defense in Week 1, the Jaguars will be a popular fade. With both teams expected to play slow, running-focused football, the game total has dropped to 39.5 points and the Jags have the second-lowest implied total on the board (17 points).
As reported by: Mark Long Other tagged players: Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson, Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole Le'Veon Bell in "great physical condition" heading into Week 1
Despite missing training camp and the whole preseason, Bell showed up in excellent shape according to Mike Tomlinson. Pittsburgh’s head coach added that he’d assess how Bell is doing “in all areas” prior to developing his game plan for the star running back. However, all signs indicate Bell will jump right back into his workhorse role with plenty of work in the passing game. He’s said as much himself in his first practice of the season Monday, saying he’s working towards 30 touches. He’ll get the Browns in Week 1 and appears to have a favorable game script ahead of him with the Steelers currently sitting as nine-point favorites.
As reported by: NorthJersey.com Brandon Marshall (shoulder) will play Sunday
After missing the final two preseason games, Marshall says he’ll “be out there” for the New York’s season opener against the Cowboys. Things aren’t so certain for his teammate Odell Beckham (ankle), who still isn’t practicing. Beckham’s status is still up in the air and even if he’s healthy enough to play, the Giants could potentially hold him out as a precaution. Should Beckham sit, it would provide a big upgrade to Marshall’s fantasy outlook. Although it’ll be his first game with Eli Manning, it’s an obvious improvement over his situation last season with the Jets. Marshall was only able to haul in 46.1% of his 128 targets last year for 788 yards and just three scores. The veteran is used to shouldering huge workloads, so he should be able to step up if needed.
As reported by: SNY Other tagged players: Odell Beckham Rishard Matthews finished 2016 among the top eight receivers in yards per pass route and deep passing catch rate
Matthews could be in store for a huge season following a 2016 campaign in which he became the Titans’ top receiver and finished with a 65/945/9 line on 108 targets. According to Pro Football Focus, he ended up eighth in the predictive yards per pass route run metric (2.13) and Marcus Mariota connected with him 44% of the time he targeted him at least 20 yards downfield, which was good for fifth. Even more impressive, Matthews didn’t drop a single catchable target at that depth (11 total). Paired together, these stats highlight Matthews big-play upside that led to three games over 100 yards last season and a touchdown in eight of his final 12 games. His floor was scary low – he bottomed out against Denver with 1 reception for 26 yards – and he ended up hauling in 60.1% of his total targets. However, more fault seems to lie in Mariota than Matthews as the wide out only dropped a single catchable ball all season. Much has been made of the young quarterback’s development heading into 2017 and if expectations are realized, it could elevate Matthews’ fantasy stock significantly. Of course, he’ll be competing with Eric Decker for looks, particularly in the red zone, but we don’t know how Mariota and Decker, who’s coming off a pair of surgeries, will gel. Although tight end Delanie Walker will vie for balls inside the 20 as well – he beat out Matthews 16-15 last season – Matthews’ efficiency in the area will work in his favor. Not only did he post the highest catch rate among all players targeted at least 13 times in the red zone (80.0%), he caught 100% of the balls tossed his way inside of the ten, converting five-of-six into touchdowns.To make matters even better, Matthews is expected to see plenty of Raiders cornerback David Amerson on Sunday, who earned an average 70.7 grade from PFF. Opponents loved picking on Amerson in 2016, he was targeted the tenth-most among cornerbacks (93), gave up the fifth-most receptions (60), the fourth-most yards (809), and allowed the 11th-most yards per snap in coverage (1.49). Another positive sign: the OAK-TEN matchup has the highest game total on the board (51 points) and the two-point spread favoring the Titans provides them the sixth-highest implied total (26.5 points) and indicates a potential shootout. Clearly, there’s a lot of data working in Matthews favor heading into Week 1, which makes him appear severely underpriced on DraftKings at $4,200 ($6,100 on FanDuel). While he may not be the safest target for cash games, he provides plenty of upside in tournaments and could potentially fall under the radar – he’s currently coming off the board as the WR50 in Draft best ball leagues. It’ll be interesting to see where projected ownership pegs him this week, be sure to check it out when it’s released.
As reported by: https://www.profootballfocus.com/ Andrew Luck (shoulder) ruled out for Week 1; Scott Tolzien will start
Luck, who’s still rehabbing his shoulder, will be on the sidelines for the Colts season opener against the Rams this Sunday. Scott Tolzien will earn the start, which is a clear downgrade for receivers like T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. Over the past two seasons, Hilton has averaged 16.69 PPR points across 22 games with Luck at QB (9.77 targets, 5.41 receptions, 88.27 yards, and 0.41 touchdowns), but that number has dropped substantially in the ten games he’s played without him to 11.6 PPR points (7.4 targets, 4.1 receptions, 63.0 yards, and 0.2 touchdowns). In Tolzien’s lone start last season, Hilton hauled in three of five targets for 54 scoreless yards. The backup QB favored Moncrief in that matchup with the Steelers, peppering him with 11 targets, which the receiver converted into a 6/45/1 line. Tolzien aimed for a tight end on ten occasions. Although just two went Jack Doyle’s way, the other eight went to Dwyane Allen, who’s no longer with the team, and to Erik Swoope, who’s been placed on the IR. Tolzien was much more effective when throwing to that position as the trio combined for eight receptions, 109 yards, and a score on those ten opportunities. The game total has dropped two points to 42 points since Luck was ruled out earlier this morning, providing the Colts an implied total of 19.5 points, the third-lowest this week – it wouldn’t be surprising to see that drop lower as bettors have more time to react to the news. With Tolzien at the helm, the Rams defense may be a more appealing target than the Colts’ offensive players.
As reported by: USA Today Sports Other tagged players: Scott Tolzien, T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Jack Doyle Translating College Success to the NFL
Engram fits the mold of a perfect salary-saving tournament play at tight end this week. The Dallas defensive scheme is susceptible to production from tight ends, and the casual DFS community isn’t aware of much in the way of defensive schemes. They also aren’t aware of Engram too much, as he is a rookie out of Ole Miss. Engram was a dynamic pass catching tight end in college, and his game should translate well to the NFL. At his cheap price point across the industry, he is a fantastic value play at tight end with the potential to hit multiple times his salary with ease.
