DFS Alerts
DeAngelo Williams will play for Steelers, not expected to impact Le'Veon Bell's workload
Williams (knee) will make his return today but isn’t a threat to Le’Veon Bell. Williams averaged 2.5 touches per game in the four he played with Bell this season. Bell is coming off a ridiculous game against the Bills when he racked up 298 yards and three touchdowns. Cincinnati’s rush defense isn’t as bad as Buffalo’s; they’ve been decent recently, ranking 15th in fantasy points allowed per game to running backs over the past four weeks on both FanDuel and DraftKings. While we can’t expect a repeat of last week, Bell projects as our RB1 today, and he’s also our top points-per-dollar running back on FanDuel.
As reported by: Britt McHenry Other tagged players: Le'Veon Bell
Dorial Green-Beckham and Jordan Matthews will play Sunday
Green-Beckham (abdomen) will make his return from a one-game absence against the Ravens Sunday. Baltimore’s best corner, Jimmy Smith, has been ruled out, which works in Green-Beckham’s favor. As we saw with Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant, The Ravens struggle to defend outside receivers when Smith isn’t on the field. DGB isn’t as talented as those other two, but he could do some damage as a sneaky wide receiver option today. Over his last three games, he’s averaged 9.3 targets per game. His return will take some volume from Matthews (ankle) and Zach Ertz. However, Matthews has hit double-digit targets in five of his last six games, only failing to do so against the Packers when he shuffled in and out of the game with an injury. With Matthews out two weeks ago and DGB out last week, Zach Ertz averaged 14 targets over the past two games. Now that both receivers are set to play, his expected volume will take a bigger dip than Matthews. He’s also in a tough spot as Baltimore ranks 3rd in TE DVOA. Carson Wentz should primarily target Matthews and Green-Beckham today.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Jordan Matthews, Zach Ertz Ty Montgomery will start Sunday
James Starks (concussion) has been ruled out, paving the way for Montgomery to start for the Packers when they take on the Bears Sunday. Christine Michael will back him up, and will definitely get some touches, but Montgomery will lead the duo in volume. Montgomery, who is now officially considered a running back by Green Bay, has wide receiver eligibility on DraftKings, which means four running backs can be rostered on the site. On FanDuel, he’s a running back and only costs $5k, just $500 above the minimum. He played well last week, going for 86 total yards and a touchdown on 12 touches. While it will be very cold in Chicago (high of 6 degrees), it shouldn’t impact his fantasy performance. Instead, it will likely depress his ownership, which makes him a very interesting tournament option. Montgomery projects as our seventh best points-per-dollar running back on FD.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Christine Michael Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree expected to play Sunday
Cooper (shoulder) and Crabtree (finger) were both questionable heading into Sunday, but both are expected to play. It’s a good spot to target Crabtree. Cooper will be under Casey Heyward’s shadow, who has the fourth highest PFF grade this season (88.3). This leaves Crabtree with Trevor Williams, a former practice squad player who was called up in Week 5 due to injuries. The game has a high total of 49.5 points and Oakland has an implied team total of 25.75, which is the 5th most on the main slate.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Michael Crabtree Michael Floyd will be inactive Sunday
New England has a tough matchup in Denver this afternoon. Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan will be stuck with the two highest graded cornerbacks in the league, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. Malcolm Mitchell will mostly see Bradley Roby, who has a 51.8 PFF grade, but he’s allowed 0.23 fantasy points per route defended, which is good for 29th in the league. Denver’s pass defense is weakest against receiving running backs; they rank 16th in DVOA against that type of player. They also rank 25th in rush DVOA. Fortunately for the Patriots, they have three strong running backs in LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Dion Lewis. Unfortunately for fantasy players, the Patriots come with a different game plan each week, which means the touch-share between the trio can be tough to predict. However, since Lewis returned, he hasn’t exceeded ten touches and White has had seven or fewer in each game. They essentially split passing down work. Blount, on the other hand, has been pretty consistent, touching the ball less than 18 times only once over those four games. With New England favored by three, Blount seems to be the safest bet on the Patriots’ offense today.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: LeGarrette Blount, James White, Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell A.J. Green officially ruled out Sunday, as expected
Green is not ready to return, which leaves Brando LaFell, Tyler Boyd, and Tyler Eifert as Andy Dalton’s primary passing targets once again. Eifert has scored four touchdowns in the three full games he’s played without Green. He’s in a decent spot against the Steelers, who have allowed the 11th-most FanDuel points to tight ends over the past four weeks, but the Bengals have an implied total of just 21.25 points. Eifert will have to compete with Jeremy Hill for touchdown opportunities.
As reported by: Adam Schefter Other tagged players: Tyler Eifert, Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd Adrian Peterson will start Sunday, snap count depends on knee
Peterson will return to action for the first time since undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. While he’ll get the start, it’s highly doubtful he receives his normal complement of snaps and touches. Although some reports indicated he would be eased back in, Ian Rapoport reported that he doesn’t have a firm snap count. Rather, the Vikings will play it by ear based on how his knee feels. This pretty much eliminates Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata from fantasy consideration, although Asiata is always a candidate to vulture a touchdown. Peterson won’t get enough volume to be a strong option himself. Despite a favorable matchup with the Colts, it’s a backfield to avoid.
As reported by: Ian Rapoport Other tagged players: Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata Matt Forte ACTIVE for Jets
Forte has a torn meniscus, but he’ll suit up for the Jets tonight when they take on the Dolphins. His role will likely be limited. After Forte exited last week, Bilal Powell stepped up in a big way, accumulating 179 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers. He should be the feature back again tonight. While Miami has a stronger defense than San Francisco, they’ve done very poorly against running backs recently. Over the past four weeks, they’ve allowed the 4th-most DraftKings points per game to the position. Brandon Marshall is also active for the Jets, but he said he’ll be on a snap count, which helps Robby Anderson, who gets elite usage when Bryce Petty is under center. Anderson is a very intriguing tournament option tonight.
As reported by: Rich Cimini Other tagged players: Bilal Powell, Brandon Marshall, Robbie Chosen James Starks ruled out for Sunday
Starks suffered a concussion in a car accident Monday. He didn’t make enough progress during the week and he didn’t travel with the team to Chicago. Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael will share running back duties, although Montgomery should start and lead the duo in touches. He had 12 touches last week, his most since Week 6, for 86 yards and a touchdown. Michael had ten rushes but wasn’t involved in the passing game at all. Given his background as a receiver, Montgomery should take most, if not all, of the passing down work. Chicago ranks 14th in pass DVOA and 20th against the rush, which makes for a pretty good spot to target Montgomery in tournaments, considering his price. Fortunately, prices came out prior to Starks’ injury.
As reported by: Green Bay Packers Other tagged players: Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael Bears activate Alshon Jeffery; place Marquess Wilson on IR
Both moves were expected as Wilson broke his foot in practice this week and Jeffery is done serving his four-game suspension. Jeffery hasn’t had a great season so far; he’s scored one touchdown and only posted one game with more than five receptions. Quarterback Matt Barkley should target Jeffery quite a bit on Sunday against the Packers, but it’ll be hard to trust Jeffery to put up a big fantasy day. However, Green Bay has allowed the 10th-most FanDuel points per game to wide receivers over the past four weeks and they rank 18th in pass DVOA, so it’s a decent spot. Jeffery will be a risky tournament option in Week 15.
As reported by: Jeff Dickerson Other tagged players: Marquess Wilson Jordan Reed (shoulder) expected to play through questionable tag Monday
After missing Week 13 with a sprained AC joint, Reed played 10 snaps in Week 14 against the Eagles. He’s listed as questionable again heading into their Monday night game with the Panthers but is fully expected to suit up. The bigger concern is how much he can play. He told ESPN he’s “more confident” and is “less scared of getting hit.” Although that’s a positive sign, it’ll still be hard to predict how much the Redskins will actually use him, which means he should only be used in tournaments in fantasy. While there is a ton of risk associated with rostering Reed, his upside will be high relative to other tight ends, and he’ll come with low ownership. It’s also a great spot; Carolina ranks 18th in TE DVOA and they’ve allowed the 2nd-most passes to the position (9.2), according to Football Outsiders. We currently have Reed projected as our TE3, but his floor is low given the circumstances.
As reported by: ESPN Packers-Bears game total tumbles 5.5 points amid weather concerns
With a forecasted high of 1 degree, it’s expected to be the coldest game ever played in Chicago. After opening with a total of 44 points, the Packers-Bears game is currently set at 38.5 points. While this may scare fantasy players away, there actually isn’t a large enough sample size to determine whether that’s the correct move. The style of play in the NFL has changed quite a bit over the past decade or so to include more passing and scoring, which means historical data isn’t necessarily accurate for today’s game. Since 2008, there have only been five regular season games played when the temperature was 10 degrees or lower (there were no regular season games played in these conditions between 2001-2007). In those games, however, teams passed for an average of 252.5 yards, 2.2 touchdowns, 1.1 interceptions, and a 93.63 passer rating. Offenses have also rushed for 127.8 yards and 0.9 touchdowns per game, and seven of ten teams have exceeded 100 yards on the ground. Although the conditions will certainly be harsh, we aren’t expecting fantasy production to take too big of hit; we have Aaron Rodgers projected as our QB1 this week, for example. With James Starks (concussion) doubtful, Ty Montgomery, who’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season, is an interesting option at running back. He had 12 touches last week for 86 yards and a score. On the Chicago side, Jordan Howard has had at least 99 yards for six games in a row. Over the past four weeks, Green Bay has allowed the 11th-most FanDuel points per game to running backs, which sets up a decent spot for Howard. The Bears will continue to feed him with Barkley under center. Alshon Jeffery makes his return, and although he’ll be a very risky option, he had 11 targets the last time he played with Barkley. While the total is low, the notable drop may simply be an overreaction to the weather. Players like Rodgers, Montgomery, and Howard make for intriguing options, especially in tournaments, as their ownership levels will likely be lower than they should.
As reported by: Pro Football Reference Other tagged players: Ty Montgomery, Jordan Howard, Alshon Jeffery Shane Vereen clears concussion protocol, expected to play Sunday
After getting back on the field last game for the first time since Week 3, Vereen was concussed on his very first touch. He’s good to go for Week 15 though, after clearing the final stage of the protocol on Saturday. He will take some snaps from Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins against the Lions, which lowers both players’ fantasy potential. Plus, New York is averaging the third-fewest rushing yards per game (78.7) and Football Outsiders ranks their offensive line 28th in adjusted line yards per carry (3.48). It’s a backfield to avoid in Week 15.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin, and Luke Kuechly expected to play through questionable tags
Newton suffered a shoulder injury last week, Benjamin injured his back in practice on Wednesday, and Kuechly has been in the concussion protocol since Week 11. Kuechly was on track to play last week, but couldn’t pass the final test of the protocol in time. He should be able to do clear the protocol in time to play on Monday, which will be a welcomed boost to their defense; despite missing the last three games, Kuechly leads the team in tackles by 18 (102). Newton has struggled this season, completing just 53.5% of his passes, and throwing multiple touchdowns in only three games. He should be throwing quite a bit on Monday, as the Panthers are 6.5-point underdogs in a matchup with Washington that has a 51-point total. Fortunately, Washington’s pass defense ranks 22nd in DVOA and they’ve allowed the 6th-most passing yards per game over the past four weeks. He projects as our QB4 this week. Benjamin will be a pretty risky tournament play; he’ll be stuck in Josh Norman’s coverage for roughly half of his routes and he’s been very unproductive recently. Over the past four games, he’s caught 34.8% of his targets, failing to exceed three receptions in any game, and averaged 34.5 yards during that stretch.
As reported by: Bryan Strickland Other tagged players: Kelvin Benjamin Vikings activate Adrian Peterson from IR, as expected
Yesterday, AP announced he would play on Sunday against the Colts. Don’t expect too much from Peterson in his first game since suffering a torn meniscus in Week 2 though. The Vikings will likely ease him back in a bit, plus, he was terribly ineffective when healthy this season. Peterson averaged just 1.6 yards per carry on 31 attempts over the two games he played. Minnesota has had the worst running game in the NFL and Football Outsiders ranks their offensive line dead last in adjusted line yards per carry (3.23). While Indianapolis is normally a great matchup for opposing running backs, it’s hard to trust the Vikings to get things going on the ground, and it’s difficult to predict the workload split in Peterson’s return. With Peterson on track to start, Jerick McKinnon is not a viable option in Week 15, despite the spot.
As reported by: Minnesota Vikings Other tagged players: Jerick McKinnon