DFS Alerts
Ryan Mallett to start preseason opener
Ryan Mallett will play extensively tonight against the Washington Redskins. Garrett Downing of the teams official web site reported that Mallett will “play pretty extensively”. Joe Flacco is sidelined with a back injury, Mallett is most likely playing for a job. There is a chance he’ll play the whole first half tonight. Mallett is a strong DFS option at Quarterback this evening. Plenty of eyes will be on him with the Ravens and Colin Kaepernick signing still being talked about.
As reported by: Garrett Downing
Markus Wheaton, Jeremy Langford, Connor Shaw inactive for Thursday's Bears preseason game
Alongside Wheaton, Langford and Shaw on the inactives list will be Kyle Long, Danny Trevathan, LaMarr Houston, Daniel Braverman, Titus Davis, Harold Jones-Quartey and Rashad Reynolds. It’s not all that odd to see teams resting projected starters early in the preseason, and some of these guys are resting for precautionary reasons.
As reported by: Adam Hoge
Pouring rain in Green Bay could lead to some interesting field conditions for PHI-GB
It’s been pouring rain in Green Bay for most of the afternoon, and things haven’t subsided as we’ve gotten into the early evening. Videos from the stadium have showed consistent rain and the tarp hasn’t yet left the field, although it’ll be removed by 6:30 PM per the NFL. The saving grace here is that the worst of it is supposed to be cleared out either very early into the game or potentially even before kickoff. The running game for both GB and PHI gets an uptick in value, as do the defensive units.
As reported by: Jeff Skversky Patriots may have a lengthy inactive list on Thursday night
Per Pats beat Mike Reiss, the Patriots could have a rather lengthy inactive list against the Jaguars on Thursday. What makes things tough from a DFS perspective is that a good chunk of this list – and most of the notable fantasy names – aren’t sitting due to injury, but rather for precautionary reasons or rest purposes. As for the players who won’t be active as a result of injury, Reiss believes that based on practice reports, we won’t see the following: Mike Gillislee, Malcolm Mitchell, James O’Shaughnessy as well as a plethora of defensive players, headlined by Dont’a Hightower (PUP), Alan Branch (PUP), Eric Rowe and Shea McClellin. In addition to those names, neither Matt Lengel or Devin Lucien practiced Wednesday, so they may join that list. There is also a big group that Reiss believes may rest tonight for precautionary reasons: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, Devin McCourtey and Stephon Gilmore. Again, those names aren’t official inactives at this point by any means, but rather players that Reiss believes could be held out by coaches. If Reiss is correct, we could see quite a bit of value open up on the NE side for tonight’s NFL Preseason action.
As reported by: Mike Reiss Ladarius Green officially inactive Sunday, as expected
Jesse James will start at tight end for the Steelers today. We’re projecting his ownership at 20% on FanDuel and 22% on DraftKings, both figures are less than Martellus Bennett’s. James picked up a career-high 83 yards against the Chiefs on six targets, the most he’s received since Week 5. Considering Bennett’s health and the number of alternate options Tom Brady has at his disposal, a swap to James may make sense. While Bennett picks up more scoring work, James could be involved more frequently in other parts of the field as Roethlisberger doesn’t have many reliable weapons outside of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
As reported by: Dale Lolley
Michael Floyd officially INACTIVE Sunday
The Patriots have Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and Danny Amendola active, which left Floyd as the odd man out today. Tight end Martellus Bennett, currently battling a knee injury in addition to a cracked bone in his ankle, is active as well. Edelman is the safest of the bunch, he’s been an absolute target monster as of late. Hogan was Brady’s primary deep target last week prior to injuring his thigh, he had four catches for 95 yards before exiting. Both he and Mitchell are interesting low-owned tournament targets today. Mitchell displayed his upside during a four-week stretch earlier this season when he had at least four catches and 40 yards in each game and added four total scores. Bennett is in the mix at tight end as the only other viable option remaining is Jesse James but given his health, he’ll likely be touchdown dependent. He scored three times in the final four games of the regular season but hasn’t been too involved otherwise.
As reported by: Mike Reiss Other tagged players: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Martellus Bennett, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan Julio Jones officially active, won't have any limitations
Jones is dealing with a toe sprain but coach Dan Quinn said he won’t have any limitations Sunday against the Packers. While there is the risk of re-aggravation, barring any setbacks of that nature, he should be out there for the vast majority of the offensive snaps today. He has a great matchup with Ladarius Gunter, who struggled to contain Dez Bryant last week. Bryant received eight targets in Gunter’s coverage and he caught six of them for 85 yards a pair of touchdowns. Julio will certainly look to emulate his success, and fortunately, his physical style of play should work in his favor. Despite being on the field for just 58% of the snaps against the Seahawks, Jones managed to catch six passes for 67 yards and a score. He only has a 17% share of Atlanta’s receiving scores this season, but he has become more involved in the red zone lately, which is an encouraging sign. He’ll still have to compete with all of the other playmakers on the team, though. That’s part of the reason Antonio Brown has the edge in our model as the WR1 this week. Brown has accounted for 40% of the Steeler’s touchdown catches.
As reported by: ESPN Christine Michael (back) officially active Sunday
Michael was added to the injury report yesterday. He isn’t expected to be too much of a factor today as he seems to have slipped behind Aaron Ripkowski in the depth chart. Michael only played four offensive snaps last weekend and didn’t earn a touch. Ty Montgomery should get the bulk of the backfield work against Atlanta’s 25th-ranked defensive line. He earned three red zone touches agaisnt the Cowboys, two of them going for touchdowns. Both of his scores were at the goal line, which is a sign that Green Bay will stick with him over the bigger Ripkowski when they’re near the end zone.
As reported by: Green Bay Packers Packers CB Quinten Rollins (concussion, neck) officially active Sunday
Rollins passed the final stage of the concussion protocol and he’ll play the Falcons today. It’s a slight downgrade to Taylor Gabriel’s outlook as Rollins will reclaim his starting spot from Damarious Randall. With Ladarius Gunter expected to follow Julio Jones, Gabriel will see Rollins a lot today. He’s not a shutdown corner by any means, he earned a 69.5 PFF grade prior to his injury. Gabriel is a good bet for five or six targets, his usual range, and has the ability to break off long touchdowns. He’s a very interesting tournament option Sunday.
As reported by: Green Bay Packers Jordy Nelson (ribs), Davante Adams (ankle), and Geronimo Allison (hamstring) all officially active Sunday
It’s been well reported that this trio would not be playing if they had a regular season game this afternoon, but they’re in the NFC Championship. Nelson will sport a Kevlar vest to protect his fractured ribs, Adams will play through a high ankle sprain – like he did for most of last year – and Allison is going to suit up despite missing practice with a hamstring issue this week. Of the three, Nelson is the riskiest followed by Adams. It’s possible Jordy doesn’t get his normal usage due to his injury, but he had to get cleared for contact to suit up and he said he wouldn’t play if he wasn’t able to go full speed. Still, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be limited in some capacity. Adams relies on his quick release off the line of scrimmage, which may be affected by a high ankle sprain he suffered a week ago. Earlier this week, Allison said he didn’t practice for precautionary reasons, so he’s probably the closest to full stength. Nelson and Adams are certainly in play for tournaments while Allison’s appeal takes a downgrade with the others active. To compensate for the risk, both players will come with depressed ownership amid the injury concerns, which could be useful on the two-game slate. Randall Cobb and Jared Cook remain the safest options among the Green Bay pass catchers. Ty Montgomery may now lose some of his passing volume, but he’s still in a solid spot. Atlanta’s defensive line ranks 25th in adjusted line yards per carry and they’re one of the worst defenses in football when it comes to defending running backs in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers is going to be in better shape with all of his weapons available, even if they’re playing at less than 100%. He’s our QB1 today.
As reported by: Green Bay Packers Other tagged players: Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison, Davante Adams, Jared Cook, Aaron Rodgers, Ty Montgomery Martellus Bennett (knee, ankle) will play through questionable tag
Bennett is playing with a cracked bone in his ankle, according to Ian Rapoport. He also hurt his knee last week against the Houston Texans. Clearly, Bennett won’t be playing at 100%. There are few other options at tight end today and as a result, his ownership is projected to be 28% on FanDuel and 32% on DraftKings. He might not be worth the risk, though. New England has a fully healthy arsenal of receivers and Dion Lewis picked up seven targets last week – there may not be enough to go around for Bennett, especially in his condition. Hobbled up over the past four games, he’s averaged 2.0 receptions and 22.75 yards. His usage as a scorer could potentially save his fantasy day as he scored three touchdowns during the final four games of the regular season. Both Jared Cook and Jesse James have a good chance of out-targeting Bennett this afternoon under the circumstances, he’ll be pretty touchdown dependent.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Ladarius Green (concussion, illness) not expected to play Sunday
No surprise here as Green is still healing from a concussion. His absence will provide Jesse James another start. Due to the dearth of options at tight end this weekend, James projects as our TE3 and he’s squarely in play. However, we’re not projecting a large gap between his ownership levels and that of the clear top option, Jared Cook, meaning there is a limited advantage to be gained from a game theory perspective by rostering the lesser tight end. On FanDuel their prices are only a $1,000 apart, so it’s not going to free up too much extra salary, but on DraftKings their prices are $2,400 apart, which makes a big difference given the tight pricing on DK this weekend. James set a career-high in Kansas City with 83 yards. His six targets were the most he’s received since Week 5 when he posted a 6/43/1 line. If Malcolm Butler can successfully shut down Antonio Brown and Logan Ryan handles Eli Rogers, both plausible situations to an extent, James could pick up more targets than normal. New England has done well defending the position this year, they were in the top 8 in fantasy points allowed per game to tight ends. James certainly won’t have the floor or ceiling of Jared Cook but he’s worth a look in tournaments. It’s probably better to use him at DraftKings over FanDuel given the pricing at the position.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Jesse James Malcolm Mitchell (knee) and Chris Hogan (thigh) expected to play Sunday
Mitchell didn’t play last week but he’s all set for New England’s showdown with the Steelers today. He showed his upside during a four-week stretch this season when he had at least four receptions and 40 yards in each game and scored four times. He definitely has talent and Brady trusts him. He’s firmly in play as a tournament option today, especially considering we’re projecting his ownership at 7% or less on DraftKings and FanDuel. It also helps that the receiver opposite him, Chris Hogan, is a little banged up with a thigh issue. Even so, Hogan is also a nice contrarian GPP option today. He was on his way to a big game against the Houston Texans before getting injured in the third quarter, he had caught all four targets for 95 yards at that point. Brady was relying on him as his primary vertical threat. With Mitchell back on the field for three-wide sets, Hogan could certainly lose some of those deep targets. Although they could each eat into each other’s volume, they both have big play ability and given their low ownership projections, they’re worth a look in tournament lineups.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Chris Hogan Jordy Nelson (ribs), Davante Adams (ankle), and Geronimo Allison (hamstring) all expected to play Sunday
All three were questionable but this is a little unexpected, particularly in Nelson’s case. It’s been well reported that this trio would not be playing if they had a regular season game this afternoon, but they’re in the NFC Championship. Nelson will sport a Kevlar vest to protect his fractured ribs, Adams will play through a high ankle sprain – like he did for most of last year – and Allison is going to suit up despite missing practice with a hamstring issue this week. Of the three, Nelson is the riskiest followed by Adams. It’s possible Jordy doesn’t get his normal usage due to his injury, but he had to get cleared for contact to suit up and he said he wouldn’t play if he wasn’t able to go full speed. Adams relies on his quick release off the line of scrimmage, which may be affected by a high ankle sprain he suffered a week ago. Earlier this week, Allison said he didn’t practice for precautionary reasons, so he may actually be near 100%. Nelson and Adams are certainly in play for tournaments while Allison’s appeal takes a downgrade with the others active. To compensate for the risk, both players will come with depressed ownership amid the injury concerns, which could be useful on the two-game slate. Randall Cobb and Jared Cook remain the safest options among the Green Bay pass catchers. Ty Montgomery may now lose some of his passing volume, but he’s still in a solid spot. Atlanta’s defensive line ranks 25th in adjusted line yards per carry and they’re one of the worst defenses in football when it comes to defending running backs in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers is going to be in better shape with all of his weapons available, even if they’re playing at less than 100%. He’s our QB1 today.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison, Randall Cobb, Ty Montgomery, Jared Cook, Aaron Rodgers ESPN's Mike Reiss: Either Danny Amendola or Michael Floyd will likely be inactive Sunday
Reliable beat writer Mike Reiss asserted that only four of New England’s five receivers will be active tomorrow, but he isn’t exactly sure who will be the inactive among the group. Malcolm Mitchell (knee) was the odd one out last weekend against the Houston Texans, although Reiss seems to believe it was because he was not medically cleared. Given the connection he’s developed with Tom Brady, if he’s healthy he will most likely be the third receiver behind Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan (thigh, questionable). Michael Floyd out-snapped Danny Amendola 44-21 against the Texans but he played poorly and made some costly mistakes, including one that created an interception. He’s also new to the team, which could provide an edge to Amendola. Either way, it seems like the Patriots will likely choose between those two tomorrow. It’ll be worth following on game-day as a player like Michael Floyd is a potential contrarian GPP flier on a two-game slate that features limited avenues to differentiate lineups. If Mitchell ends up active, he should be the third receiver and will be a solid contrarian play himself with Hogan a bit banged up. New England has the second game tomorrow but we’ll hopefully know what the Patriots plan to do with Mitchell, Floyd, and Amendola before lock.
As reported by: Mike Reiss Other tagged players: Michael Floyd, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan