Matt Cassel Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Mariota has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain following an MRI. The Titans want to be cautious with him and are considering signing a quarterback this week. Matt Cassel will reportedly get first-team snaps in Wednesday's practice and he'll start against the Dolphins if Mariota is ruled out. He's an inaccurate passer with a career completion percentage of 58.8%. That was on display yesterday when he went 4-for-10 with two picks. Although the Titans have a favorable matchup with a fantasy-friendly secondary, it's going to be a little hard to trust the pass-catchers to produce with Cassel throwing the ball. At least he has a terrific offensive line protecting him that ranks second in pass-blocking efficiency (PFF) and the Dolphins defensive line currently ranks 28th in adjusted sack rate (per FO). If Mariota can suit up, he'll have a great outlook and so will his pass-catchers - Miami has allowed the third-highest passer rating (112.4) and sixth-most passing yards per game (272).

Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL on Sunday and he's out for the season. His absence will elevate Latavius Murray into the starting role but he'll likely lose passing-down work to Jerick McKinnon. However, McKinnon exited Week 4's game with a hamstring injury, so it's possible Minnesota will need to give Murray a huge workload this weekend against the Bears. It's a solid spot for runners as the Bears rank 27th in adjusted line yards per carry (4.48, per FO) and Chicago will be giving their rookie Mitchell Trubisky his first start. If Trubisky struggles in his debut, game flow could turn in Murray's favor. Still, Murray said his ankle isn't 100% following surgery that held him out of training camp and most of the preseason and he hasn't had a gain of more than five yards this season - he's not looking like a great fantasy asset.

Chris Carson is dealing with a "significant" ankle injury and the Seahawks believe it's broken. They'll know for sure following his MRI later today. Seattle's backfield may be difficult to predict heading into Week 5 considering Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch last night and C.J. Prosise was inactive with an ankle injury. Eddie Lacy ended up with 52 yards on 11 carries against the Colts while J.D. McKissic scored twice - once on a 30-yard run and another on a 27-yard reception. If Prosise remains out, McKissic should take over as the passing-down back when the Seahawks visit the Rams next Sunday. It's a great matchup for RBs; the Rams have allowed the most rushing touchdowns (7) and fourth-most yards per attempt (4.9). We should get a better sense of what the Seahawks plan to do with their backfield over the course of the week.

Marcus Mariota was forced from Week 4's game with a hamstring injury. We'll get a diagnosis later Monday after the quarterback undergoes an MRI. If he's unable to play this weekend, Matt Cassel would get the start against the Dolphins. He's an inaccurate passer with a career completion percentage of 58.8%. That was on display yesterday when he went 4-for-10 with two picks. Although the Titans have a favorable matchup with a fantasy-friendly secondary, it's going to be a little hard to trust the pass-catchers to produce with Cassel throwing the ball. At least he has a terrific offensive line protecting him that ranks second in pass-blocking efficiency (PFF) and the Dolphins defensive line currently ranks 28th in adjusted sack rate (per FO). If Mariota can suit up, he'll have a great outlook and so will his pass-catchers - Miami has allowed the third-highest passer rating (112.4) and sixth-most passing yards per game (272).

Derek Carr left in the third quarter against Denver on Sunday with back spasms. Head coach Jack Del Rio believes it isn't a serious concern and seems to think he'll play in Week 5. Prior to his exit, Carr was struggling against the Denver defense and it won't get much easier next Sunday when he faces the Ravens. Through four games, Baltimore has limited quarterbacks to the lowest passer rating (63.1) and they've grabbed a league-high nine interceptions.

Jordan Matthews will miss at least a month as he'll need surgery to repair a thumb injury he suffered Sunday. His absence will leave Tyrod Taylor with rookie Zay Jones and Andre Holmes at receiver. Jones is off to a poor start, he's caught just 4-of-17 targets so far, while Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy currently lead the team with 25 and 23 targets, respectively. The tight end and running back could pick up even more receiving work with Matthews sidelined. Next week they'll visit the Bengals, who ranked tenth in pass DVOA prior to shutting down DeShone Kizer and the Browns in Week 4. Plus, they're third in both passing yards per game (165) and yards per attempt (5.9). Even so, Clay and McCoy are interesting volume-based options who should be used quite a bit in scoring position. In McCoy's case, he'll face a rush defense that ranks 19th in adjusted line yards per carry (FO) and the Bills should go run-heavy.

Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu both left Sunday's game early with injuries. Jones had a hip flexor issue that isn't expected to hold him out of any games but the extent of Sanu's hamstring problem hasn't been released yet. Atlanta has a bye this week, which provides the receivers some extra time to rehab. Assuming Jones plays in Week 6, he'll have an awesome matchup with the Dolphins.

Tyler Ervin tore his patellar tendon and is done for the season. He wasn't a major part of Houston's offense but his absence could provide Braxton Miller and Alfred Blue more playing time. Neither player will be viable fantasy options - Blue is the third running back and Miller is the fourth receiver.

It's been a total mess in Dallas without Tony Romo. The Cowboys passing attack has been one of the worst in the league under Cassel, and there isn't any reason to expect a turnaround late in the season. Kellen Moore is the only other option at QB on the roster, and Dallas seems content on just playing out the season under Cassel and moving forward with Romo next year. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten have been nearly untargetable in DFS without Romo, and that won't ichange this week against a very stingy Jets defense. Avoid the Cowboys offense in Week 15.