DFS Alerts
Texans' defense allowed 7.8 more PPG on road this season
There was a lot of talk surrounding Houston’s defense at the end of the regular season as they allowed the fewest yards per game (301.3). They also allowed the 11th-fewest points per game (20.5), but they had some major home/away splits. Per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, opponents scored 16.6 points on them at home and 24.4 on the road. Houston allowed 28.6 more yards when playing outside of Houston, 9.0 more through the air (206.1) and an extra 19.6 on the ground (109.5). When the Texans visited a Brady-less Patriots back in Week 3, New England rushed for 185 yards as a team. LeGarrette Blount led the way with 105 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts. Over the course of the regular season, he scored nine of his league-leading 18 rushing touchdowns when the Patriots won by 15 or more points. Currently, they’re favored by 16 this weekend and they have an implied team total of 30.5 points. While Houston’s pass defense seems to hold on the road, they’re much more susceptible to the run. It’s a great spot to take advantage of that trend with Blount, especially with the giant spread. He was a touchdown monster during the regular season, scoring in all but three games and posting four multi-touchdown games. Houston ranks 17th in rush DVOA.
As reported by: Chris Wesseling
Tom Savage cleared concussion protocol
Brock Osweiler will start for Houston and Savage will serve as his backup. It’s well within the realm of possibility that Savage replaces Osweiler at some point. He’s done so before and the Texans are expected to struggle offensively. Vegas currently has their implied team total set at 14.25 points. That said, Osweiler posted his highest QBR of the season last week against the Raiders (85.4) and the Patriots rank 23rd in pass DVOA, whereas Oakland ranked 25th. He still only completed 56% of his passes for 168 yards and a single touchdown though. He added a rushing score, which saved his fantasy day, but can’t be counted on (he had two during the regular season). With so many better options available at quarterback this week, he won’t be a recommended fantasy play.
As reported by: Aaron Wilson Other tagged players: Brock Osweiler Jordy Nelson dealing with rib injury, could still play Sunday
While Nelson hasn’t been ruled out, it seems like a long shot. After taking a big hit in Sunday’s game against the Giants, Nelson was carted off the field, clearly in a lot of pain. Coach Mike McCarthy told reporters today that Nelson was kept in a hospital overnight after undergoing tests. Although he didn’t elaborate on the injury, he confirmed it was to his ribs. He added that Nelson isn’t expected to practice this week but if he can return for Saturday’s session, he could play Sunday against the Cowboys. If he’s ultimately unable to go, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb would be the primary wide receivers with Geronimo Allison serving as the third option. Jared Cook, who has received at least eight targets in three of their last four games and posted a 5/48/0 line Sunday night, would continue to have good usage. McCarthy said he’ll know more on Friday.
As reported by: Packer Report Other tagged players: Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jared Cook, Geronimo Allison Ty Montgomery (ankle) expected to play Sunday
Montgomery was forced out of the game Sunday night after hurting his ankle. He was able to return to the field and should be ready for Dallas this coming weekend. Montgomery rushed for 27 yards on 11 carries and added three receptions for 41 yards against the Giants. Since his big week in Chicago, when he rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, he’s been pretty ineffective. Over three games, he’s averaged 3.36 yards per carry, with his longest attempt going for 11 yards. His volume wasn’t really there either as the Packers continue to go pass-heavy (9.3 carries per game). Fortunately, he has caught at least three passes in each game during that stretch, so he offers some PPR value. Dallas ranks 8th in rush DVOA and 18th against the pass; Green Bay will likely rely on Aaron Rodgers’ arm once again.
As reported by: Packers News Ben Roethlisberger (foot) "good to go" against Chiefs Sunday
Ben injured his foot against the Dolphins on Sunday and was wearing a walking boot after the game. Tests later revealed he “aggravated an old foot fracture but nothing severe.” Ben said he’ll be fine for this weekend’s divisional round when Pittsburgh visits Kansas City. The Chiefs ranked 7th in pass DVOA this season. There has already been some slight reverse line movement against the Steelers; despite 55% coming in on their side, the line has moved from a “pick’em” to favoring Kansas City by two points.
As reported by: Ron Cook C.J. Prosise will practice on Tuesday
He last played in Week 11 but will practice tomorrow for Seattle according to Head Coach Pete Carroll. While he won’t get much volume, he should be in line for passing down work and could be a sneaky, cheap option on PPR sites. It’s also a slight hit to the value of Thomas Rawls who is coming off a huge game this past weekend.
As reported by: Bob Condotta on Twitter
Chiefs (including Spencer Ware) healthy heading into playoff game against Steelers
Kansas City Head Coach Andy Reid told local media that everybody that has been banged up of late is good to go. This includes RB Spencer Ware who will face a match up that on paper looks good against the Steelers. However, Pittsburgh has been much improved of late defensively so buyer beware. That said, Ware is in line for 15+ touches and the goal line work as a slight home favorite so he’s certainly in play on a four game slate.
As reported by: Adam Teicher on Twitter Jerell Adams inactive, Larry Donnell active for Giants
Adams is a surprise inactive but he isn’t much of a factor in the Giants’ offense; he’s topped 20 yards twice this season. Donnell received one target after Week 7. Will Tye will be the tight end to roster on the Giants’ side but he has a low floor. Tye, who scored once this season, exceeded 50 yards in just one game. The good news is he had at least four receptions in each of the final three weeks.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Jerell Adams, Will Tye Randall Cobb and Aaron Ripkowski ACTIVE for Packers
Cobb will have a very tough matchup against Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who has a 90.9 PFF grade this season. It’s also possible he’s limited coming off an ankle injury that held him out of the final two games of the season. Geronimo Allison had done well with Cobb sidelined, but will likely see a reduced workload today. Aaron Ripkowski showed up on the injury report Saturday but he’s going to suit up. He’ll take some snaps and touches from Ty Montgomery, although TyMont is still expected to lead the backfield today. Both backs will be a tough spot against the third-ranked rush defense. The Giants biggest weakness may be against tight ends, they rank 26th in DVOA against the position. If New York’s corners can shut down the receivers, Aaron Rodgers may need to rely on Jared Cook quite a bit today. Cook averaged seven targets and 59.3 yards across their final three games.
As reported by: Green Bay Packers Other tagged players: Aaron Ripkowski, Geronimo Allison, Jared Cook, Ty Montgomery Randall Cobb expected to play Sunday
Cobb (ankle) is officially a game-time decision but Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports that he’s expected to suit up this afternoon against the Giants. During the two games Cobb was inactive, Geronimo Allison stepped up and put together a combined 8/157/1 line. Allison’s GPP appeal would be downgraded with Cobb back in the lineup. Cobb himself won’t be a great target as he could be limited in his first game back. Even if he’s not, he wasn’t very involved in the offense in his last couple of games. He saw exactly three targets in Weeks 13 and 14 and averaged 26 yards. He also has to deal with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was one of the best corners in the league this year (90.9 PFF grade). He projects as our WR11 today.
As reported by: Fox Sports Radio 1340 Dolphins CB Byron Maxwell INACTIVE for Dolphins; Ladarius Green officially inactive for Steelers
Miami ranks 4th in WR1 DVOA in large part due to Maxwell’s success defending elite receivers. He played a major role in holding Antonio Brown to a 4/39/0 line the last time these two teams met. Instead of Maxwell, Brown will primarily see a combination of Tony Lippet (75.8 PFF grade) and Xavien Howard (50.6 PFF grade). He lines up on Howard’s side for roughly 40% of his routes and it will be a major mismatch. Without Ladarius Green in the lineup, Ben should target Brown and Bell quite a bit. Lineback Jelani Jenkins, who received the lowest PFF grade among linebackers this season, is active for Miami, he’ll be tasked with guarding Bell on some routes. The spread on this game opened with Pittsburgh favored by 10 points and it’s since moved to 11.5 points with a 47-point total. That provides the Steelers with an implied total of 29.25, 3.5 points higher than the second team, Green Bay. The Killer B’s – Ben, Bell, and Brown – are expected to do big things today. Of course, that means they’ll come with high ownership.
As reported by: Mike Garafolo Other tagged players: Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell Ladarius Green ruled OUT for wild card game
Green (concussion) had been making progress through the protocol but ended up being held out of Friday’s practice. Unfortunately, he took a step backwards and couldn’t get cleared to play in the Steelers’ first playoff game against the Dolphins. Jesse James will get the start in his place. James is definitely in play on the Sunday only slate considering the other options available at the position. He only topped 50 yards once this season and hasn’t scored since Week 5 but without Green in the lineup the past two weeks, he received three red zone targets and eight overall. He projects as our top tight end on FanDuel and TE2 on DraftKings among those yet to kick off. Green’s absence should also provide extra targets for Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Eli Rogers.
As reported by: Aditi Kinkhabwala Other tagged players: Jesse James, Antonio Brown, Eli Rogers, Le'Veon Bell Lions RT Riley Reiff inactive Saturday; no surprises for Seattle
Reiff (hip) wasn’t able to play in Week 17 either. Starting center Travis Swanson (concussion) is also inactive, he hasn’t played since Week 13. It’s not great news for Matt Stafford or Zach Zenner. Stafford, who’s struggled since injuring his finger, will face a Seattle defense that’s allowed an average of 13.79 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks over the past four weeks. It’s an even worse spot for Zenner as the Seahawks have allowed the fewest rushing yards to RBs (54.0) during the same stretch. The Lions are now 9-point dogs after the line moved against them this afternoon (they had been 8-point dogs for most of the week). Among the players in the three games yet to start, Stafford projects as the QB4 on FanDuel and QB5 on DraftKings while Zenner is the RB6 on FanDuel and RB7 on DraftKings
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Matthew Stafford Doug Baldwin will have a mismatch Saturday
Detroit’s most recent slot corner, Asa Jackson, is on the IR, which means Baldwin will likely be covered by Johnson Bademosi or backup safety Don Carey. Meanwhile, their best corner, Darius Slay, will probably stay on the outside covering Paul Richardson and Jermaine Kearse. Slay rarely moves to the slot, according to Pro Football Focus he was there on just 3% of his snaps this season. Baldwin, on the other hand, runs 73% of his routes from the inside. That means the receiver who received a whopping 19 targets two weeks ago and has 94 receptions, 1,128 yards, and seven touchdowns on the season is expected to be defended by backups for roughly three quarters of the game. Russell Wilson should target him quite a bit today in order to take advantage of the mismatch. Another positive sign: as a team, Detroit has allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers over the past four weeks. Even if he moves around the formation, Baldwin should find success. He projects as our WR4 this weekend.
Aaron Ripkowski added to injury report
It appears he suffered a shoulder injury today and he’s now officially questionable. He took nine carries away from Ty Montgomery last week, so this injury could provide a boost to TyMont’s workload. Still, the Giants rank 3rd in rush DVOA. They’ve been red hot too, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs over the past four weeks. Even so, with limited options at running back this weekend, he projects as our RB4.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Ty Montgomery