DFS Alerts

Jay Gruden says he's "not sure" if Jordan Reed needs to practice to play Sunday

Gruden considers Reed (shoulder) day to day. Washington is fighting for the last wild card spot with Green Bay and Detroit. They need to beat the Giants next week to have a shot, so they’ll certainly be tempted to play their star tight end. It would behoove Washington to be cautious with him though. He was clearly in a ton of pain in the last two games he played and they won’t want to risk further damage. They kept him out of their Week 16 game to rehab and Gruden said this Wednesday will be a “big day” for Reed, as they’ll try to get him back on the practice field. We should get an update on his status then.

Cowboys will not rest any starters Monday night

Dallas has already locked up home-field advantage for the playoffs but that doesn’t mean they’re going to take their foot off the gas pedal. Head coach Jason Garrett said he plans to play starters “as normal” tonight against the Lions. Now, should they get up big, they’re more likely to take players like Dak and Zeke out than normal, as it just wouldn’t make sense to risk their health. However, he wants to keep the rhythm of the offense going, so barring a blowout, it’s probably safe to expect a full workload for Dallas’ stars. Ezekiel Elliot will look to extend his two-game streak of rushing for over 100 yards, but Detroit’s defense hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 4. The Lions have been solid against rushing attacks all season; they’ve only allowed running backs to score four touchdowns on the ground through 14 games. That said, Elliot is the best running back they’ll face all season and he’s proven himself to be pretty matchup-proof. Dallas is favored by 6.5 points, so he should get plenty of touches tonight.

Tyler Eifert's season comes to an end

Eifert has been placed on the IR thus ending his 2016 season. It’s not surprising news given the Bengals are out of playoff contention.

Thomas Rawls status for week 17 uncertain

Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll is uncertain of the status of RB Thomas Rawls who suffered a shoulder injury. He has yet to have an MRI on the shoulder. Alex Collins would get the start if Rawls sits in a game that means little for a team that has already clinched a playoff spot. Facing the awful 49ers though he’d certainly be in play.

LB Justin Houston inactive for Chiefs; DL Derek Wolfe active for Broncos

While Houston’s absence is good for Denver’s running game, it may not be enough. The Broncos have averaged 38 rushing yards since Justin Forsett joined the team. Over those two games, Forsett averaged 3.4 yards per carry. He’s out-touched Devontae Booker in each of those games and should do so again tonight, but he’ll be a very risky option.

Carlos Hyde (knee) ruled out for Week 17

Hyde was diagnosed with a torn MCL after undergoing an MRI on Sunday. Shaun Draughn will likely start next week against the Seahawks with DuJuan Harris working in behind him. Draughn has been pretty ineffective on the ground this season, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, but he’s capable as a receiver. He caught six passes for 48 yards against the Rams on Saturday. Depending on his price, he could potentially be a tournament option on full PPR sites, but he’s in a tough spot against the Seahawks defense and San Francisco has an implied team total of just 17 points.

Steve Smith Sr. officially active Sunday

Smith is dealing with a thigh issue but he’s good to go against the Steelers this afternoon. He hasn’t had a big game since Week 11 when he put up a solid 8/99/1 line against the Cowboys. Since then he’s been held under 57 yards and scoreless until last game when he caught one touchdown against the Eagles. Smith has a tough individual matchup today. He’ll see a combination of Ross Cockrell and William Gay on roughly three-quarters of his routes, both of whom have only given up 0.18 fantasy points per route defended, which is good for 7th in the league among all cornerbacks. Even so, he projects as our WR4 on the Christmas slate.

Ladarius Green and Sammie Coates INACTIVE Sunday

Green (concussion) and Coates (hamstring) were both listed as doubtful heading into the Steelers Christmas matchup with the Ravens. Jesse James will start at tight end in place of Green while Cobi Hamilton and Darrius Heyward-Bey will take over for Coates’ snaps. Of course, they’re all very risky options as the majority of targets will go to Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and to a lesser extent, Eli Rogers. Brown and Bell have combined for over 50% of Pittsburgh’s total receptions. Baltimore’s best corner, Jimmy Smith, is inactive, which places Brown in an excellent spot. Both he and Bell will surely come with high ownership on the Christmas slate.

Pittsburgh's defense has averaged 3.4 sacks over their last seven games

It’s the best rate among the four teams playing on Christmas. They’ve also forced at least one turnover in each of those contests, and opponents have been held to an average of 17.1 points per game, which is also the best mark among the Christmas teams (tied with Ravens). Defensive coordinator Keith Butler has been turning up the heat in recent weeks with aggressive playcalling and it seems to be working. For comparison, in their first seven games, the Steelers averaged 1.1 sacks. There is little doubt the defense will continue utilizing this bold strategy today; it’s a rivalry game with the AFC North title on the line. On the other side of the ball, Baltimore has an implied total of 20 points. Joe Flacco has thrown an interception in four consecutive games and nine total over the past eight weeks. To be fair, he’s also had multiple touchdown passes for three straight games. Football Outsiders ranks Baltimore’s offensive line 7th in adjusted sack rate (4.9%), so “Blitzburgh” will have their work cut out for them when it comes to applying pressure. However, based on their recent strategic alterations and subsequent success implementing them, the Steelers make for an interesting defensive option in Christmas tournaments. As a little holiday present, they’ll likely come with lower ownership than Denver and Kansas City to compensate for the risk.

Notable NFL Sunday Injuries

If you are trying to quickly enter some NFL contests for today’s two-game NFL slate here is a quick update on the key situations to monitor.

Jimmy Smith has already been ruled out for Baltimore. This is a huge upgrade the Pittsburgh passing attack (mainly Antonio Brown). On the other side of the same game, Ladarius Green is listed as doubtful. He hasn’t practiced all week. Jesse James will start in place of Green. Baltimore is very good against TE but there aren’t exactly a lot of options. Steve Smith is listed as questionable as well but he practiced on Friday. He’s likely to give it a go.

In the Denver at Kansas City game, there are quite a few situations to monitor. On the defensive side of the ball Kansas City will be without Justin Houston and Phillip Gaines while Denver will be without T.J. Ward. On the offensive side, Denver will be without their top two TEs as both A.J. Derby and Virgil Green are out. Jeff Heuerman will draw the start. The biggest bump though should go to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.

Lamar Miller officially inactive for Saturday night

Alfred Blue will start in his place. He’s averaged 4.7 yards per attempt this season, so he is capable of being effective with his opportunities. However, Cincinnati’s defense has done well against the rush recently; they’ve only allowed one rushing touchdown over their past four games. Houston has the AFC South title on tonight, they’ll clinch it with a win. While they’ll be playing for a lot, Cincinnati isn’t really playing for anything. The Bengals ownership even stepped in to keep A.J. Green on the sidelines tonight. Either way, Blue is a risky bet; he currently projects as our RB5 on FanDuel for the late Saturday-Sunday slate.

Doug Martin INACTIVE Saturday

No reason was given for Martin’s surprise scratch. In his absence, Charles Sims should lead the backfield in touches, with Jacquizz Rodgers getting worked in as well. The Bucs visit the Saints for a game with a 52.5-point total this afternoon, which sets up a nice spot for Sims. The Saints rank dead last against receiving running backs, and he’s excellent catching passes out of the backfield. Sims is now an interesting play in the 4pm slate.

Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree officially active Saturday

Cooper (shoulder) and Crabtree (finger) will play through their questionable tags, as expected. While Indianapolis ranks 27th in pass DVOA, they’ve allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Still, this game has the highest total of the week, currently at 52.5 points, and the Raiders are favored by 3.5 points. Derek Carr and company should be able to move the ball and score plenty of points. Carr has favored Crabtree over the past four games, providing him an average of 10.0 targets while Cooper has received 6.0 per game. Crabtree could continue that trend today with Vontae Davis on Cooper and he’ll have a higher touchdown expectation, as Carr clearly trusts him more in the red zone.

Packers plan to split carries between Montgomery and Michael

Packers RB Christine Michael figures to see additional work this week. Per Mike Garafalo, the Packers said they ideally want to split carries between Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael. That takes a little bit of value away from Montgomery but he still has a rushing prop of 65.5 yards this week. That said, there is plenty of value at RB and no reason to force Montgomery in on sites that only allow you to play him at RB.

Julio Jones active Saturday

Jones (toe) will return to action for the first time since Week 13. Fortunately for him, his first game back is against a Carolina team he demolished for 300 yards and a touchdown earlier in the year. He’s probably not going to be playing at 100% today, but he’s still an elite wide receiver option. Their game has a 50-point total and Carolina ranks 25th in WR1 DVOA. Julio currently projects as our WR4 on FanDuel and WR5 on DraftKings.