DFS Alerts
Mike Evans' missed practice on Tuesday likely just a maintenance day
“I wouldn’t read too much into anybody who was or wasn’t out there today” was the quote from Dirk Koetter, so this appears to be nothing more than a day of rest for the Bucs leading receiver. Tampa played the late Sunday game this past week and now have a short turnaround for Week 16 – they play Saturday – so the maintenance day makes sense. Evans has uncharacteristically struggled the past three weeks as the Bucs have been very balanced offensively. He was thriving earlier in the season with Tampa in catch-up mode quite a bit, but has seen his targets dwindle in games where the Bucs are ahead or even. Evans has also had a rough go of it against the Saints in the past few meetings between these teams. However, this remains one of the best potential draws for WRs and with Tampa coming in as a modest underdog, we could see Evans cross the double-digit target barrier for the first time this month.
As reported by: Greg Auman
Melvin Gordon absent at Tuesday's practice
It still appears that the Chargers are hoping to get Gordon back for Saturday’s game with the Browns, a match-up that the second-year back will surely want to take advantage of. He was absent at Tuesday’s practice which isn’t overly concerning – if he’s unable to get any action in over the next two days, we’ll be a little more concerned. Kenneth Farrow literally dropped the ball in his first chance to lead the backfield, fumbling twice and showing very little vision/burst against what should have been a vulnerable Raiders defense. Expect Ronnie Hillman to be more involved this week if Gordon ends up sitting.
As reported by: Tom Krasovic Other tagged players: Kenneth Farrow, Ronnie Hillman Quinton Patton sent to IR, DeAndre Smelter promoted to active roster
Patton has now officially been placed on IR, leaving the 49ers very shorthanded at the WR spot. Torrey Smith is still dealing with a concussion, so Jeremy Kerley, Rod Streater and Chris Harper as the only healthy WRs in addition to the recently added DeAndre Smelter. Kerley still figures to lead this group in targets each week, with Streater and Harper slotting in behind him. None of the 49ers wideouts are recommended DFS targets this weekend, but Kerley figures to be the best bet among the group.
As reported by: Matt Maiocco Other tagged players: DeAndre Smelter, Jeremy Kerley Julio Jones practices (limited)
The All-Pro WR probably could have played last week but the team decided to hold him out facing an inferior team. He practiced today in a limited fashion but is on track to take the field this weekend against Carolina. We’ll continue to monitor Julio’s status and update you if anything changes.
As reported by: D. Orlando Ledbetter on Twitter
Donte Moncrief returns to practice (limited)
After missing the Colts win over Minnesota this past Sunday, Moncrief took part in the Colts practice today albeit limited. He’s in line to play Saturday against the Raiders but given his lack of opportunities outside of red zone targets is like his playing status… a questionable play.
As reported by: Mike Chappell on Twitter Cam Newton and Kelvin Benjamin active, as expected
Newton is dealing with a shoulder issue and Benjamin injured his back in practice on Wednesday. Both are set to play tonight against the Redskins though. It’s a nice spot for Newton as the Redskins have allowed the 5th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the past four weeks. Benjamin will have a tougher matchup as he’ll see a healthy amount of Josh Norman. If Norman doesn’t shadow Benjamin, which is possible, he’ll still cover him on roughly half of his routes. Benjamin has had three receptions or fewer over the past four weeks, catching just 34.8% of his targets during that stretch. It’ll be hard to trust him to produce tonight, but if Norman doesn’t follow him, expect Newton to try to get him the ball when he’s covered by Bashaud Breeland or Kendall Fuller, both of whom have 51 PFF grades or lower.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Kelvin Benjamin
Jordan Reed is ACTIVE for Monday night
Reed is still dealing with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder but was reportedly doing much better than last week. He only received one target on ten total plays last week against the Eagles. He should play more tonight and see an uptick in production, although it’s not a guarantee. He’s a potential contrarian GPP play on the Monday-Thursday slate, as he’s an elite tight end that should see very low ownership with Greg Olsen available, but it’s a high risk/high reward situation.
As reported by: Master Tesfatsion Shane Vereen re-tore triceps, not expected to play Thursday
It appears Vereen may have returned to action too soon. After re-tearing his triceps on Sunday, his season will come to an end. New York will return to the Rashad Jennings-Paul Perkins duo. Although Jennings continues to out-touch Perkins, he isn’t as effective. Jennings averages 3.2 yards per carry, while Perkins’ rate is 3.8. Against the Lions, Perkins out-gained Jennings 56 to 38 despite being out-touched 18-11. The pair could potentially see a 50/50 split on Thursday if Jennings continues to struggle (the split was 17-16 in favor of Jennings in Week 14). Due to the timeshare and matchup, both are risky options in the Monday-Thursday slates. Philadelphia ranks 12th in rush DVOA this season.
As reported by: Art Stapleton Other tagged players: Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins Luke Kuechly will be inactive Monday night
Kuechly has cleared the concussion protocol, but the Panthers felt it best to be cautious with their star linebacker. In the last three games without Keuchly, the Panthers rush defense had two really great games and one terrible one. They held the Raiders and Chargers to 56 and 58 rushing yards respectively, but the Seahawks rolled them for 240 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in Week 14. Although Rob Kelley will definitely benefit from Kuechly sitting out, it will still be a tough matchup. As a team, Carolina ranks 8th in rush DVOA. Fortunately for Kelley, who’s workload can be game flow dependent, the Redskins are favored by 6.5 points and have an implied total of 28.5 points. With Jordan Reed playing injured, Kelley could get an uptick in red zone work. If they get ahead early, he should see a nice volume of touches overall. Since the Giants and Eagles play on Thursday night, Kelley projects as our RB2 on the Monday-Thursday slate.
As reported by: Joe Person Other tagged players: Robert Kelley DeAndre Hopkins ate up 42% of Tom Savage's Week 15 targets
Could we finally find the Houston receivers back on the DFS radar? That appears to be the case for Hopkins at least, who finished with a whopping 17 targets against the Jags. He still finished with a rather pedestrian 8-87-0 line, although not all of those looks came from Savage, who appears to be a nice upgrade on Osweiler, who has been brutal since his best showing of the season in Week 1. The QB change in Houston doesn’t elevate either Houston receiver to an across-the-board cash game play, as game flow had a role in number of passing attempts on Sunday – Will Fuller also saw quite a bit of work, finishing with eight targets, his highest total dating back to Week 4. Still, Nuk’s 42% target share with Savage under center sets up well for him, and at $6,600 on FanDuel and $5,200 on DraftKings, he’s well worth rostering in GPPs.
Other tagged players: Tom Savage, Will Fuller Julio Jones expected to return to practice this week; team "hopeful" he can play Saturday
Jones will participate in Atlanta’s light practice tomorrow, and if all goes well, he’ll participate in a “full-speed” practice on Wednesday and increase his reps on Thursday. The Falcons are optimistic that everything will go smoothly and he’ll be able to make his return on Saturday against the Panthers. The last time he played Carolina he had 12 receptions for 300 yards and a touchdown. While we can’t expect a repeat performance, if he’s close to full health he’ll be a top option at receiver. It’ll be a situation worth monitoring in case he ends up out or limited.
As reported by: AJC A.J. Green expected to play Saturday
ESPN’s Bob Holtzman reports A.J. Green will make his return in Week 16, barring an unexpected setback. He also believes Green will be eased back in like Tyler Eifert was earlier this season. Unless we hear news to the contrary, it’ll probably be best to avoid the star receiver in fantasy. We’ll monitor his progress in practice throughout the week.
As reported by: ESPN Bryce Petty will start for Jets in Week 16
Petty (chest) got lit up against the Dolphins when his offensive line took a play off. His tests came back negative though and Coach Todd Bowles confirmed he would start on Saturday. He wasn’t playing great before he exited in Week 15, posting a very poor 14.5 QBR rating, according to ESPN. Robby Anderson seems to have a true connection with Petty; he caught 4-of-6 targets for 80 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown. He really struggled to get in any type of rhythm with Brandon Marshall, who caught 1-of-11 targets for 16 yards. Petty targeted Bilal Powell the most; the running back piled up 11 receptions and 78 yards on 12 targets. While Petty should be throwing a lot this weekend against the Patriots, as they’re 16.5-point underdogs, it’ll be hard to trust any player on the Jets; they have an implied team total of just 13.75 points.
As reported by: ESPN Melvin Gordon questionable for Week 16
Gordon (knee, hip) wants to play this week, but his coach, Mike McCoy, wouldn’t commit to that when asked about Gordon’s status Monday. McCoy said they’ll evaluate Gordon throughout the week to see how he progresses. He would have a great matchup with the Browns if he’s able to play on Christmas Eve.
As reported by: Michael Gehlken Robert Griffin will start for Browns in Week 16; will be replaced by Cody Kessler if "things don't go well"
Griffin hasn’t played well as a Brown. Through three games he’s yet to score a touchdown or throw for more than 196 yards. He also hurts the fantasy potential of Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor. Coach Hue Jackson said he’ll start on Saturday, but he would replace him with Cody Kessler if Griffin struggles again, which seems likely. Griffin isn’t a viable fantasy option, as there’s a good chance he won’t even get a full game against San Diego. Pryor, Coleman, and the rest of the Browns players aren’t really options either as their offense continues to be abysmal.They haven’t scored more than 13 points since October.
As reported by: Nate Ulrich Other tagged players: Cody Kessler