LeGarrette Blount Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The rookie will miss another week while veteran backs LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick split the load. Week 14 offers a rare game where the Lions are favored and Blount has average 18 touches per game in Johnson's absence so he could be worthy of your player pool this week at a fairly cheap price in potential positive gamescript.

Johnson will miss another week after recently taking the lead back reins. In his absence last game, LeGarrette Blount had over 100 total yards on 20 touches and while Theo Riddick caught 7 passes. Expect both to be heavily involved again on Sunday, with Riddick potentially seeing more snaps than Blount this time around given gamescript concerns against the Rams potent offense.

Johnson is likely to miss another week after recently taking the lead back reins. In his absence last game, LeGarrette Blount had over 100 total yards on 20 touches and while Theo Riddick caught 7 passes. Expect both to be heavily involved again on Sunday, with Riddick potentially seeing more snaps than Blount this time around given gamescript concerns against the Rams potent offense.

The rookie back isn't going to play on Thursday against the Bears after spraining his knee against the Panthers in Week 11. LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick should form a committee in a very tough matchup with gamescript dictating which back sees more snaps. That would tend to favor Riddick, with the Lions being 4-point underdogs on Thanksgiving.

Blount was questionable with a shoulder injury but appears on track to play this week against the 49ers. However, after a week 1 performance of 4 carries for -3 yards and a generally abysmal effort from the Lions rushing attack in general, Blount is not a RB to target on this weekend's slate.

Devonta Freeman suffered his second concussion of the season against the Cowboys Sunday. Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported the running back isn't expected to be cleared in time to play next Monday night and added it's possible he'll be out for an extended period of time. That will give Tevin Coleman the start against the Seahawks, whose defense is limiting RBs to the fourth-fewest PPR points. He turned a season-high 21 touches into 85 yards and a score against Dallas in Week 10. On the season, he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 8.1 yards per target. Generally speaking, he’ll carry plenty of upside in the featured role, but he’ll have a tough matchup this week.

Marcus Mariota is dealing with non-throwing shoulder and ankle injuries heading into a Thursday night matchup with the Steelers but he's fully expected to play. It's a difficult spot considering the Steelers are fifth in pass DVOA and holding QBs to the third-fewest fantasy points this season. However, with injuries to CB Joe Haden and S Mike Mitchell, the matchup will be a bit easier than it looks on paper. The Titans are 7.0-point road dogs, which could force Mariota to the air often. He attempted a season-high 44 attempts in Week 10 and finished with 256 yards and a score. On the season, he's 18th with 7.19 yards per attempt and 29th in touchdown passes (7). He's added three scores on the ground though and picked up at least 24 rushing yards in five games. He was expected to be more involved as a runner this past weekend and he followed through with 51 rushing yards. Delanie Walker suffered a wrist injury Sunday but still led the team with six receptions and 63 yards. He's also expected to suit up against the Steelers, whose defense continues to shut down tight ends. They were second in DVOA heading into the week and limited Jack Doyle to a 2/9/0 line on five looks. They're now third in PPR points allowed to the position.

Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery both left Week 10 early. Jones is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain and he’s expected to miss 3-6 weeks while Montgomery re-aggravated a rib injury and could also miss some time. That leaves Jamaal Williams as Green Bay’s featured back. He ended up seeing 21 touches Sunday but only managed 74 scoreless yards. Next week he’ll face a Ravens defense giving up the third-most rushing yards (110.8/g) and ninth-most rushing scores (0.7/g) to RBs. Brett Hundley tweaked his hamstring during the game which is something to keep an eye on this week.

Will Fuller is dealing with cracked ribs. Although it’s nothing too serious, Fuller will be sidelined for at least one game. Bruce Ellington will serve as the WR2 behind DeAndre Hopkins while Fuller is down. He managed to pick up eight targets and caught Tom Savage’s lone touchdown. Hopkins piled up 14 looks and will undoubtedly continue to be a target monster. With Savage under center, he’ll continue to have some efficiency problems though – he’s only caught 43% of his passes the past two games – and he won’t have as many scoring opportunities. C.J. Fiedorowicz could also benefit from Fuller’s absence. He saw six looks in his first game since Week 1 but he only caught two for ten yards.

Rob Kelley was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and a grade 1/2 MCL sprain. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out for but it’s highly doubtful he’ll be able to suit up this weekend against the Saints. That should elevate Samaje Perine to the early-down role with Chris Thomspon mixing in for carries while continuing to handle the bulk of the passing downs. Both backs tallied nine carries and Thompson attracted seven targets. Week 11 isn't a bad matchup for Thompson. In addition to the Saints ranking 28th in rush DVOA, they’ve given up the second-most receptions and sixth-most receiving yards to the position. On top of that, Thompson will have a friendly $5.4k price tag on DraftKings this week, possibly the cheapest he'll be the rest of the season. Given the spot and his ability to generate huge plays, Thompson is shaping up to be a solid DFS play in Week 11. Ryan Grant entered the concussion protocol. Despite the receiver leaving early, Terrelle Pryor didn’t see a single target and was out-snapped by Maurice Harris, who made a terrific touchdown grab. It’s possible Harris operates as the WR3 if Grant is out, it’ll be something to monitor this week.

Allen Hurns injured his leg late Sunday and is in danger of missing Jacksonville’s Week 11 matchup with the Browns. Should he sit, it would be a nice boost for Marqise Lee, who caught a touchdown for the second straight game. Dede Westbrook could be activated for the first time this season and may immediately step into a sizable role if Hurns is sidelined.

Jacoby Brissett has entered the concussion protocol. He’ll have an extra week to clear it with the Colts on a bye. If he’s able to play in Week 12, he’ll have a terrific matchup with the woeful Texans pass defense.

Steelers CB Joe Haden has a non-displaced fibula fracture and S Mike Mitchell is dealing with an ankle injury. Fortunately, Haden’s injury won’t require surgery but he’s expected to miss up to six weeks due to the injury. He was having a really strong season, his absence will undoubtedly be a downgrade for the stout Steelers secondary. Coty Sensabaugh played poorly in place of Haden, allowing a 3/83/1 line on four targets. He’ll primarily battle Rishard Matthews on Thursday night. The receiver was second on the team with five catches and 50 yards in Week 10 but he was out-targeted by Corey Davis 10-7 in the rookie’s first game since Week 2. Davis will have his hands full with Artie Burns, who’s 19th in cover snaps per reception (14.1, per PFF), which could encourage Marcus Mariota to send more passes in Matthews’ direction.

Jets CB Morris Claiborne re-aggravated his foot injury causing him to leave Week 10 early. He’ll have a bye to rehab this week. If he’s able to return for their Week 12 matchup with the Panthers, Claiborne will likely shadow Devin Funchess around.

Adam Jones is in the concussion protocol. Although he’s picked up PFF’s 100th cover grade, he’s limiting receivers to a 50% catch rate and 0.85 yards per cover snap which would be 19th if he qualified. He’d primarily line up across from Demaryius Thomas in Week 11 if he plays. Although Thomas tends to be Brock Osweiler’s favorite target, Emmanuel Sanders picked up a team-high 11 looks against the Patriots due to his more favorable matchup with CB Malcolm Butler – he finished with a 6/137/0 line. Sanders would arguably have the better spot again going up against Dre Kirkpatrick, PFF’s 104th cover corner, who’s allowed 1.06 yards per cover snap (43rd).

Cowboys LB Sean Lee injured his hamstring Sunday and could miss a couple of games. It would be a huge loss for Dallas as Lee is playing well this season, earning PFF’s tenth-best linebacker grade. His 11.9% run-stop rate would be good for second at his position if he qualified. His absence would open up a better matchup for the stable of Eagles backs. It’s not yet clear if Jay Ajayi will take over the featured role this week after he logged 17 snaps in his first game with the team. That situation will be worth watching during the week.

Browns LB Jamie Collins suffered a torn MCL and is out for the year. His 9% run-stop rate would be tenth among linebackers if he qualified. His absence will be a little boost for Leonard Fournette. Cleveland’s run defense was the top-ranked unit in DVOA and second in adjusted line yards (per FO) heading into the week but they allowed Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick to combine for 5.8 yards per carry on Sunday with both managing runs of 20+ yards. Fournette is coming off his worst game of the season in which he turned 19 touches into 46 yards against a much worse Chargers run defense. He’ll have a tough spot to bounce back but his volume should remain high.

Giants RT Justin Pugh left early with a back injury. If he misses any time, Bobby Hart, PFF’s 67th-ranked tackle, would continue to fill in. It’s a slight downgrade but Pugh has also scored poorly this season. Running back Orleans Darkwa has taken over the Giants backfield, logging 16 touches against the 49ers. He's now averaging 5.1 yards per carry heading into a Week 11 showdown against a Chief run defense currently in 30th in adjusted line yards (4.66).

The runner just joined the team this week and needs to learn the system before he can carve out a sizable role. He's off the fantasy radar in a limited role against the best rush defense in the NFL. The Broncos are first in rush DVOA, second in adjusted line yards (per FO), and they're holding RBs to the fewest PPR points per game. LeGarrette Blount is expected to be the lead back and will likely pick up most of the work in scoring position. Still, on top of losing some plays to Ajayi, he'll likely lose touches to Wendell Smallwood, who should also serve as the passing-down back. Based on expected volume and matchup, this backfield seems like one to avoid this week. The best play on paper is Zach Ertz. The Broncos are funneling fantasy points tight ends, allowing the third-most PPR points per game to the position compared to the fifth-fewest to receivers. Ertz has been on a tear all season and he's now scored six touchdowns over the past six games. The volume hasn't been there the past three weeks - he's seen targets of six, six, and five - but that should tick back up with a stout cornerback group covering the Eagles receivers. He appears to be a solid contrarian tournament play on DraftKings this week where we're projecting 5.0% ownership while most of the attention is expected to be on value options like Jack Doyle and Vernon Davis.

Coach Doug Pederson wouldn't commit to dressing Ajayi this Sunday against the Broncos. The runner just joined the team and needs to learn the system before he can carve out a sizable role. If Ajayi does end up playing, he'll likely pick up a limited workload against the best rush defense in the NFL in terms of DVOA (per FO). They're second in adjusted line yards and they're holding RBs to the fewest PPR points per game. If he sits this one out, LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, and Corey Clement could all earn touches. It looks like a backfield to avoid this weekend.

Despite acquiring Jay Ajayi in a trade Tuesday, the Eagles are still considering Blount their starter. Although Ajayi figures to lead the backfield in touches, he'll lose carries to Blount and some passing-down work to Wendell Smallwood. He'll be running behind a better offensive line than he had in Miami and he's known for making explosive plays, so it's possible he can impress out of the gates and carve out a large workload for himself in Philly. He's been very inconsistent as a runner though and he has a poor 43% success rate this season (per Sharp Football Stats). Perhaps a better line can help him improve those areas of his game. For Week 9, it may be best to wait and see what they do with this group. On top of the market share uncertainty, they're heading to Denver. The Broncos run defense is holding RBs to the fewest PPR points and heading into Week 8, they ranked first in rush DVOA and third in adjusted line yards (per FO) before stuffing Kareem Hunt for 46 rushing yards on 22 attempts Monday night.