DFS Alerts
Kenneth Farrow set to be Chargers' feature back Sunday
Earlier this week, there was some concern over Kenneth Farrow’s pass-blocking ability. However, prior to the 2016 draft, Pro Football Focus’ Wes Huber said Farrow had “next-level blocking chops.” PFF also noted Farrow is exceptionally skilled as a receiver. Helping his own case, he caught 6-of-6 targets against the Panthers last week, which put him in a tie with Dontrelle Inman for a team-high six receptions. Given his abilities in the passing game, the concerns he would lose a lot of snaps to Hillman on passing downs may have been overblown. Farrow should be the feature back Sunday with Hillman, who will be active for the first time as a Charger, simply working in to provide Farrow a breather on occasion. Fortunately, he’ll get a nice matchup for his first start. Oakland is only favored by 2.5 points in a game with a 49-point total. The Raiders rank 21st in pass DVOA, 26th against the rush, and 23rd against receiving running backs specifically. FanDuel priced Farrow up this week in anticipation of his start, which makes him a bit harder to roster there as compared to DraftKings, where he’s still a very affordable $4.4k. Farrow, who has a knack for catching most balls thrown his way, will also have a higher upside on DK, as he’ll be able to take advantage of their full PPR scoring. He’s an exciting punt play this weekend.
Other tagged players: Ronnie Hillman
Ladarius Green could benefit from any extra attention the Bengals throw Antonio Brown's way
Green is basically acting as the next-in-line to the Antonio Brown/Le’Veon Bell duo, a role that has been pretty valuable over the past few years. The Steelers are throwing the ball a ton while he’s in the game (Green doesn’t typically play a huge % of snaps, but he’s been trending upwards) and if the Bengals throw double-coverage at Antonio Brown like they have the last few times these teams have met, we could see Green go wild. He’s an excellent GPP play at $5,600 against a Cincinnati defense that allows the most receiving yards and second-most catches per game to the TE spot. Green doesn’t have one of the higher floors at the TE spot which makes him a risky cash game proposition, but the tournament upside is immense at his current price tag.
Michael Thomas, Mark Ingram not on the Saints final injury report
The Saints should be pretty close to full strength on the offensive side of the ball with Thomas and Ingram set to suit up on Sunday. It’s unclear whether Patrick Peterson will follow Thomas or Brandin Cooks (or whether he’ll shadow at all), but the safer money is on Peterson tracking Cooks. If that comes to fruition, Thomas should have another productive game with 8-10 targets headed his way. As for Ingram, his presence makes the Saints backfield really tough to target against an Arizona defense that has allowed the 2nd fewest FPPG to RBs. This will be a backfield we’ll want to avoid for DFS purposes. We’re still expecting this contest to be one of the more higher scoring games of the weekend, so the Saints passing attack deserves some consideration in a warm weather game.
As reported by: neworleanssaints.com Other tagged players: Mark Ingram Martellus Bennett listed as questionable for Sunday, along with several Patriots defenders
Despite being listed as questionable, Bennett is still fully expected to play. Without Gronk in the fold, his ceiling remains high, but his floor is still low given his salary. He’s been utilized more as a blocker in some match-ups and could be forced to do so again with one of the best pass rushing teams in the league. Aside from that, targeting pass-catchers against the Broncos is usually a losing proposition, although they are more vulnerable to the TE spot compared to the WR position. It’s a strange thing to say, but LeGarrette Blount might be the most intriguing option against Denver. They’ve had a lot of trouble with the run in the second half of the season and the Patriots haven’t been abandoning the ground-and-pound game nearly as often as they were last season. A big chunk of the Patriots defense is listed as questionable, but we’d expect almost all of them to end up active.
As reported by: Jeff Howe Theo Riddick listed as doubtful for Sunday; Ebron, Slay, Levy, Zenner, Ansah all questionable
With Riddick unlikely to suit up on Sunday, we should see Dwayne Washington lead the Detroit backfield. Zach Zenner is also questionable, so Washington could see an ample amount of work against the Giants. New York has been tougher to beat on the ground, but at $5000 on FanDuel and $3500 on DK, his workload alone puts him into play for DFS tournaments. The Giants are middle of the road in terms of rushing yards allowed per game (88.3 allowed to RBs per game), and if Washington can find his way into the end-zone on one of those looks he’ll be a very solid $/pt target. His yardage ceiling isn’t terribly high, but with the Lions shorthanded it’s possible he eats up more of the passing down work as well. In a raw points perspective, the floor is still fairly low, but relative to his price it’s hard to argue with his potential workload. Outside of Riddick, the Lions have a bunch of players listed on the injury report, most of whom are questionable. Eric Ebron is listed as questionable but is expected to play. He’s not a DFS option in his own right, but his absence would make a few of the Detroit receivers (Tate, Boldin, Jones) more intriguing. If Darius Slay ends up sitting out by chance, Odell Beckham’s upside would be boosted.
As reported by: Tim Twentyman Other tagged players: Dwayne Washington, Zach Zenner, Eric Ebron C.J. Fiedorowicz ruled out for Sunday; Jonathan Joseph remains out
With Fiedorowicz out of action, Ryan Griffin figures to lead the TE position in targets with Stephen Anderson also potentially seeing a little work behind Griffin. Before this past Sunday’s game with the Colts, Griffin had seen at least five targets in the previous three games (Fiedorowicz was active for those contests), so it’s conceivable that he could end up with 7-8 targets against Jacksonville. The Jags do hold the TE position to the fourth-fewest receptions and receiving yards per game, so it’s certainly not a great spot for any of the Texans TEs. Jacksonville also defends WRs well, so the passing game is probably best left alone for DFS purposes.
Other tagged players: Ryan Griffin, Stephen Anderson James Starks doubtful for Packers this week
The Packers have listed Starks as doubtful for their game against the Bears this week. Ty Montgomery should get the bulk of the RB work with Christine Michael (listed as questionable) spelling him. Montgomery could have sneaky GPP potential in a game that is expected to be hampered by frigid temperatures.
As reported by: Michael Cohen on Twitter Other tagged players: Ty Montgomery
Jimmy Smith ruled out for Sunday
We’ve seen a few high-end receivers go off against the Ravens without Jimmy Smith in the lineup (most notably Odell Beckham, who posted a 8-222-2 line on this defense in Smith’s absence). Jordan Matthews is certainly not a ‘high end’ option, but he’s still priced under $6K on FanDuel and is also a solid play on full PPR sites given his immense target totals over the past 4-6 weeks. We can probably count on another 8-12 looks for Matthews, and while he’s not much of a big play threat, that type of usage makes him a solid bet to reach value. Given the expected game flow (the Ravens are about touchdown favorites), the Eagles could be forced to throw it more than they’d like. The Eagles outside WRs have been far too inconsistent to trust at all in DFS.
As reported by: John Eisenberg Other tagged players: Jordan Matthews Melvin Gordon ruled out for Sunday
No surprise here, as Gordon has been listed as doubtful all week. Kenneth Farrow will get the first crack at lead back duties, which makes him a very appealing cash game punt on both FD ($6,000) and DK ($4,400). Ronnie Hillman hasn’t been active for any of the Chargers previous few games, but he also figures to eat into the workload and is probably the better pure runner between the two. In relief of Gordon last weekend, Farrow finished with 22 touches and should be locked into at least 15 even if Hillman does start to sieve carries. The match-up with Oakland’s defense is definitely not one we want to run away from either, so you should feel confident in getting a solid $/pt return from Farrow this weekend.
As reported by: Annie Heilbrunn Other tagged players: Kenneth Farrow, Ronnie Hillman Adrian Peterson says he'll play this week
Well this is a surprise as most did not expect Peterson to return until next week against the Packers. However, Matt Asiata missed practice today and is questionable which tends to make one think that he might not play this week thus pushing up the need for AP to get back in action. It’s a definite hit to the value of Jerick McKinnon who was shaping up to be a viable value option (especially on PPR sites). That said, it’s hard to imagine Peterson getting a full workload so McKinnon might still be in play. We’ll continue to keep you updated on this situation heading into Sunday.
As reported by: Darren Wolfson on Twitter Other tagged players: Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata Matt Forte limited in practice again but listed as questionable on injury report
Analysis coming soon.
As reported by: Rich Cimini on espn.com Other tagged players: Bilal Powell Marquess Wilson has broken foot; likely out for year
Bears Head Coach John Fox confirmed that Marquess Wilson has a broken foot – he’s likely out for the year. Alshon Jeffery returns this week and becomes the top WR for the Bears along with Cameron Meredith.
As reported by: Rich Campbell on Twitter Mohamed Sanu will play this week for Falcons
With him practicing this week this news confirms expectations, especially with Julio Jones out. He’ll be a legitimate mid-range receiving option on the team that has the highest team total of the week.
As reported by: Vaughn McClure on Twitter A.J. Green doubtful for Bengals this week
This confirms what most have believed to be the case with the Bengals star WR. While he’s been practicing in a limited fashion no one truly believes he will play this week. The doubtful designation makes that the likely case. Tyler Boyd and Brandon LaFell will continue to function as the top two WRs for the Bengals but it’s Tyler Eifert who benefits the most as he hogs the red zone targets even more with Green on the sidelines.
As reported by: Jay Morrison on Twitter Donte Moncrief confirmed OUT for Colts
Updating our previous report, the Colts have ruled out Moncrief this week for their game against the Vikings.
As reported by: Adam Schefter on Twitter