Shane Vereen Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The New Orleans Saints have just placed Rb Shane Vereen on IR, leaving Alvin Kamara and Jonathan Williams as their two primary running backs heading into Week 1, with Mark Ingram serving a four-game suspension. Vereen is a pass catching specialist and his absence will most likely leave Kamara and Williams with extra touches in the passing game.

Shepard is on track to play make his return this weekend following a two-game absence due to an ankle injury. It'll be Shepard's first game as the Giants top receiver. If he remains in the slot, he'll have one of the tougher matchups against Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman. Although he's 30th in PFF cover grades, he's allowing the second-fewest yards per cover snap when lined up inside (0.47) and he's posted the fifth-best cover snaps per reception rate (13.3). So far this season, quarterbacks have targeted his coverage just 14 times, the third-fewest among qualifying slot corners. Overall, the Rams are holding receivers to the seventh-fewest PPR points. It won't get much easier for tight end Evan Engram as he'll face a defensive unit giving up the fourth-fewest PPR points to his position. Based on fantasy production allowed, the Rams have become a major run-funnel unit. Only San Francisco is permitting more PPR points to RBs and they're tied with the Colts for the most rushing touchdowns per game (1.0/g). Unfortunately, the Giants backfield is a bit murky. Last week Wayne Gallman led the group in snaps but logged just 22 while Orleans Darkwa (21) and Shane Vereen (16) were close behind and Darkwa out-touched Gallman 12 to 7. Darkwa should get the first crack to establish the hot hand but they'll likely end up employing a committee, making it hard to trust this group in a very favorable spot. The Giants had several notables not practicing today: LB BJ Goodson (ankle), RT Justin Pugh (back), C Weston Richburg (concussion), DE Olivier Vernon (ankle), and DE Kerry Wynn (knee). Wynn has been filling in for Vernon for the past few games, if neither player can go this weekend the Giants would be thin on the edge.

Gallman is expected to start and get the first crack at earning the featured role but ESPN's Jordan Ranaan expects the rookie to split carries with Darkwa this afternoon. Darkwa is leading the team with 4.1 ypc and Gallman has the best single-game rushing performance on the team, although it was for just 42 yards. They'll have nice spot Sunday as the Chargers rush defense ranks 29th in adjusted line yards per carry (5.36, per FO) and is currently allowing the second-most rushing yards per game (163.5). It won't help that C Weston Richburg is sidelined though; he's currently PFF's 13th-ranked center and the only guy on the Giants' offensive line with a grade considered "average" or better. Given the offensive line issues, the Giants will likely stick with their focus on quick-passing over the run. Fortunately, Gallman is a capable pass-catcher - last week he caught two passes for eight yards and a score - but he will lose passing-down snaps to Shane Vereen. There's plenty of risk involved with the three-man backfield but Gallman may be worth a GPP flier at his low price as he has the best chance to establish the hot hand against a poor rushing defense and has a cheap $3.9k on DK with 4% projected ownership.

It's a downgrade for Perkins after being limited Wednesday; he looks to be on the doubtful side of things for Week 5. ESPN's Jordan Ranaan believes Perkins will take the week off to heal while Orleans Darkwa and rookie Wayne Gallman both get opportunities as the early-down backs. Coach Ben McAdoo will still have Shane Vereen "play his role" as the passing-down back but he left it open for one of these guys to take over the backfield against the Chargers, adding "if somebody gets hot, we'll ride him." Gallman rushed for 42 yards against the Buccaneers in his NFL debut this past weekend. Sadly, that marks the most yardage by any Giants running back in a game this season. With Perkins picking up 1.9 ypc so far this year, the Giants have no choice but to give Darkwa and/or Gallman bigger workloads even if Perkins suits up. The Chargers rush defense ranks 29th in adjusted line yards per carry (5.36, per FO) and is currently allowing the second-most rushing yards per game (163.5). Even so, with a committee approach, it'll be hard to trust any of the backs to get a large enough volume of touches to capitalize on the favorable matchup.

Darkwa says he expects to play Sunday, but he'll probably need to return to practice tomorrow to do so. Despite logging ten fewer carries (13) than Paul Perkins (23), Darkwa leads the team in rushing yards (53); 43 of Darkwa's rushing yards came on three carries of 11 or more yards. Through three games, he's the only Giants running back to pick up a gain longer than eight yards and appears to be the "most effective" RB option they have. There were rumblings last week that he could become the featured back but Perkins remained the starter. Vereen would remain their passing-down back either way, but he's looking questionable for Week 4. He's currently second on the team with 14 receptions and he's been incredibly efficient, catching all but one target through three games. With the Giants road dogs, game flow could turn in his favor and he could benefit from Tampa Bay's injuries at linebacker. Still, it may be best just to avoid this mess of a backfield altogether.

With fellow running back Orleans Darkwa also sidelined, the Giants could be thin at running back this weekend. Darkwa has said he plans on playing though. Despite logging ten fewer carries (13) than Paul Perkins (23), Darkwa leads the team in rushing yards (53); 43 of Darkwa's rushing yards came on three carries of 11 or more yards. Through three games, he's the only Giants running back to pick up a gain longer than eight yards and appears to be the "most effective" RB option they have. There were rumblings last week that he could become the featured back but Perkins remained the starter. It's probably best to just avoid this backfield when they take on the Bucs this weekend.

Beat writer Jordan Raanan reports that everything is trending toward Beckham playing Monday night, implying it would take a setback for him to miss another game. Although Beckham was limited in practice again Friday, coach Ben McAdoo told the media his number one receiver has responded well to his treatment and was able to do more today. If he suits up, he'll return to a tough individual matchup with Darius Slay, who could potentially shadow Beckham when he's lined up outside. Last year, he stuck with Beckham for eight of nine passing plays before suffering an injury. Slay was solid in Week 1; he was targeted six times and only permitted two catches for nine yards. As a team, Detroit's pass defense remains poor, which may lead Eli Manning to target Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram more than he normally would - all three are potential GPP pivot options in this matchup if Beckham suits up. Although Quandre Diggs played well last Sunday, shockingly earning PFF's highest cornerback grade, our WR/CB matchup model provides Shepard the seventh-highest score (35.71). Without Beckham on the field last week, he was targeted eight times and efficiently hauled in seven for 44 yards. Shepard was the only receiver to get a look inside the 20 and he played every single offensive snap. Although he would lose plays with Beckham active, the Giants used three receivers on 41 of their 56 offensive snaps last week. Shepard is an appealing GPP pivot off of Beckham if he plays. If he doesn't, Slay would likely follow Brandon Marshall and Shepard would pick up additional snaps. It's also worth taking a look at Shane Vereen in full PPR scoring. The running back amassed ten targets against the Cowboys in Week 1, hauling in nine of them for 51 yards. Detroit struggled to defend receiving running backs in 2016, ranking 29th in DVOA while allowing the ninth-most receptions (7.1) and sixth-most receiving yards (46.8) per game to the position. Although game flow certainly helped Vereen, this game is expected to be close; the Giants are just three-point favorites. Last week, Arizona's running backs combined for a 9/104/0 line on 13 targets.

It appears Vereen may have returned to action too soon. After re-tearing his triceps on Sunday, his season will come to an end. New York will return to the Rashad Jennings-Paul Perkins duo. Although Jennings continues to out-touch Perkins, he isn't as effective. Jennings averages 3.2 yards per carry, while Perkins' rate is 3.8. Against the Lions, Perkins out-gained Jennings 56 to 38 despite being out-touched 18-11. The pair could potentially see a 50/50 split on Thursday if Jennings continues to struggle (the split was 17-16 in favor of Jennings in Week 14). Due to the timeshare and matchup, both are risky options in the Monday-Thursday slates. Philadelphia ranks 12th in rush DVOA this season.

Vereen will steal some passing down work from Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins, making the Giants' backfield one to avoid. They already have one of the worst rushing games in the league, averaging 78.7 yards per game, the 3rd-fewest in the NFL. Detroit plays at the 3rd lowest pace in the league and their defense has been playing well in recent weeks. The Giants RB committee is an easy fade this week.

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.