Deonte Thompson Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Thompson was able to get in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, so it looks like he should be able to play on Sunday. Thompson and the Bills offense has a brutal matchup this week, making this a tough spot to consider for fantasy purposes. Thompson played with this same injury last week and was able to catch two passes for twenty three yards.

Thompson's return to practice increases his chances that he will suit up Sunday against the Jaguars. The Bills are banged up prior to a crucial wild-card weekend, but the addition of Thompson and McCoy to the practice field on Thursday could point to the team having key players on the field come Sunday. The Bills will face a very good Jaguars defense on the road this week, and even at less than 100% could use all the talented players available if they have any chance to pull off a major upset.

Thompson hurt his shoulder during practice on Thursday and will be a game-time decision on Sunday. If he is unable to go the Bills will rely on both Zay Jones and Kelvin Benjamin to pick up the slack. Benjamin is battling injuries as well but was able to practice in full yesterday. The Bills have a great matchup this week as the Dolphins are ranked 26th in pass DVOA.

Thompson is currently being evaluated for a shoulder injury he suffered during practice on Thursday. The severity of the injury is not known at this time, but if he were to miss then Zay Jones will see an uptick in snaps. Kelvin Benjamin is also expected to play through his injury on Sunday and returned to the practice field today.

The Bills will be without both Andre Holmes and Jordan Matthews this Sunday vs the Patriots. Kelvin Benjamin (knee, questionable) if healthy will continue to play with Zay Jones and Deonte Thompson as the team's only healthy wide outs. Benjamin will be limited in practice again on Friday, but it looks like he will try to play through his meniscus injury. It's hard to find great value in any of these pass catchers for the Bills, but the injury opportunities open up playing time for both Jones and Thompson who should figure into the mix next season.

Benjamin is dealing with a torn meniscus and is considered "day-to-day." It seems like it'll be challenging for him to return this weekend against the Patriots. If he's unable to go, Stephon Gilmore could follow Zay Jones, leaving Malcolm Butler with Deonte Thompson and Jonathan Jones defending Jordan Matthews in the slot. After a rough start to the season, the corners have played much better over the past four games; all three are in the top 27 in yards per cover snap (per PFF). Jones figures to lead the receiver group in targets if Benjamin sits but his inefficiency problems continued last week when he only pulled down three of his ten looks and Gilmore has held receivers to a solid 57% catch rate since returning from injury. Malcolm Butler has limited receivers to an impressive 43% catch rate over the past four weeks while Jones posted a 52% rate. In part due to improved cornerback play, the Patriots have held opponents to 17 points or fewer for seven straight games. The Bills are at home this weekend, which should help Tyrod Taylor and his pass-catchers, but New England's defense appears to have fixed their early-season "communication issues" as the team put it. The Bills are implied to score 20 points on Sunday.

Benjamin seems closer to doubtful after missing practice all week while the others appear to be on track to play. Benjamin’s absence could open up targets for Matthews. The slot receiver would have a seemingly terrific spot against the struggling Steven Nelson, who's allowed 1.6 yards per cover snap (sixth-most if he qualified, per PFF) and two TDs in the slot since returning in Week 8. Zay Jones would benefit as well and should mostly avoid Marcus Peters. Last week, Phillip Gaines was the KC's third CB and played outside. He’s given up 1.58 yards/cover snap while the other potential options, Kenneth Acker and Terrance Mitchell, have been worse – 1.75 and 2.15, respectively – and Mitchell has been charged with the 4th-most TDs (5) despite being benched after Week 7. Although Jones struggled to catch the ball in his first six games, hauling in just 22% of his targets, he's reeled in 68% over the past three weeks. As a result, his yards per route run rate jumped from 0.43 over the first six to 1.82 over the last three (per PFF), which would be good for 19th in the NFL this season. Jones has run 69% of his routes in the slot or on the opposite side of Peters, so he should have an exploitable spot most of the game. As a unit, KC is giving up the 2nd-most PPR points to WRs. Jones is available for $4.0k on DraftKings this week. While Charles Clay is the team's leading receiver, he could have a challenging day at the office Sunday. The Chiefs are holding TEs to the third-fewest PPR points this season and Clay has only scored one touchdown on the road since joining the Bills in 2015 (18 games).

Buffalo has decided to move on from Clay after newcomer Deonte Thompson went off for a team-high 107 yards on four catches. Fellow receiver Zay Jones continued to be very inefficient, catching just two of his team-high nine targets but he out-snapped Thompson 55 to 21. Jordan Matthews made his return and only ended up with two catches for ten yards while matching Jones with 55 snaps. He was forced to wear a splint following thumb surgery and may have to wear it again in Week 8. Even so, with Charles Clay sidelined and Jones so unreliable, it's possible Matthews will be more heavily targeted this weekend against the Raiders.