Tavarres King Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
Tavarres King ruled out Sunday
With both Engram and Shepard already ruled out for Sunday, a healthy Tavarres King would have been in line to be the number one passing option for the Giants. King was unable to pass the concussion protocol and will miss this week's game. At this point, the best DFS play in the Giants passing game might be the Redskins defense. Extremely thin on offensive talent, the Redskins should be able to keep the Giants offense at bay in Week 17.
Giants passing game hobbled for the final game of the season
Key pieces of the Giants passing attack are questionable for the season finale vs the Redskins. In a year plagued by injuries, rookie tight end Evan Engram has emerged as the number one passing option for the Giants averaging almost 8 targets per game. Questionable early in the week Engram is back at practice on Thursday, but it's uncertain how much the team will push any one player in a meaningless game. Both Sterling Shepard and Tavarres King are both no-shows at practice on Thursday and remain questionable to play in Week 17.
Sterling Shepard (hamstring) active Sunday; Travis Rudolph (hamstring) and Tavarres King inactive
Shepard will suit up for today's game against the Dallas Cowboys after previously being expected to play with a hamstring that forced him to originally be listed as questionable on the New York Giants; injury report, while Travis Rudolph and Tavarres King are inactive, leading the Giants to list someone by the name of Darius Powe as one of their starting wide receivers. There was an earlier report from NFL.com that Shepard was unlikely to play, but ESPN's Jordan Raanan clarified the latest sentiment out the New York Giants' camp is that Shepard is fully expected to play and has been running at full speed in practice all week with no pain or tightness in his injured hamstring. The Cowboys are going to be without their slot cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and have struggled with slot receivers all season even when Scandrick has been healthy, meaning that his absence is nothing but good news for Shepard, who will have the benefit of facing off with the Cowboys' 26th-ranked defense in overall DVOA. Not only that but in the two games started by Eli Manning when Shepard was active, and following the decimation of the Giants receiving corps, he's averaged 11 targets per game, putting him firmly in play for all formats at a depressed price tag across the industry.
Week 5 injury roundup
Odell Beckham has a broken fibula and is likely headed to the IR. He's reportedly seeking a second opinion before undergoing surgery. It was an awful day for the Giants receiving corps as Sterling Shepard sprained his ankle and could be out for two weeks, per Adam Schefter. Brandon Marshall went down with an ankle sprain as well but his timetable isn't clear, and Dwayne Harris fractured his foot and is done for the year. With the litany of injuries at the position, they promoted WR Travis Rudolph from the practice squad Monday morning and signed WR Tavarres King. Roger Lewis will be elevated into a starting role this weekend and tight end Evan Engram should become more involved. He was held without a catch on just four targets this past weekend but he has a decent spot against Denver in Week 6 as the Broncos are allowing the sixth-most PPR points to tight ends this season. However, the Giants offense as a whole may struggle to move the ball and put drives together, limiting his potential upside. New York currently has an implied total of just 15.0 points.
J.J. Watt has a left tibial plateau fracture, a season-ending injury. To make matters worse, Houston also lost linebacker Whitney Mercilus for the year after he tore his pectoral muscle Sunday night. He posted a team-high 7.5 sacks last season while Watt was sidelined for all but three games. Houston's front seven isn't nearly as intimidating without these two guys but the Browns may not be able to take advantage in Week 6. Isaiah Crowell has struggled to a 3.1 ypc rate while the team ranked 25th in adjusted line yards per carry heading into Week 5. The situation could help the struggling DeShone Kizer (if he maintains his starting job), who's leading the league with 11 turnovers.
Charles Clay was carted off the field with a knee injury that's believed to be at least an MCL sprain - he'll have an MRI Monday to see if there's further damage. As of now, the Bills leading receiver is expected to miss a few weeks. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is now without two of his top three pass-catchers with Jordan Matthews also sidelined. Running back LeSean McCoy ended up leading the squad with nine targets while tight end Nick O'Leary posted a team-high 54 receiving yards. Receiver Zay Jones matched O'Leary with six targets but continued to be inefficient, catching just one of those passes for nine yards. The Bills have a bye in Week 6 and will host the Bucs after that. Depending on how Tampa's injuries at safety and linebacker play out, O'Leary, who's now the second on the team among non-injured players with 106 receiving yards, could have a solid matchup.
Chris Conley ruptured his Achilles Sunday night, ending his season. Conley was leading the team with 15.9 yards per reception and third in total receiving yards (175). His absence will elevate Albert Wilson into the WR2 role, although the offense will continue to run through Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt. Wilson has been pretty efficient this season, catching 80% of his targets, but his 1.42 yards per route run (per PFF) leaves a lot to be desired. He has a poor matchup with the Steelers tough secondary next weekend.
Players to monitor this week:
DeVante Parker exited Week 5 early with a sprained ankle and left the stadium on crutches. It's believed to be minor and he'll have a shot to play the Falcons in Week 6. If he ends up sidelined, Jarvis Landry could see some extra targets but this offense has been terrible and they weren't even able to take advantage of a poor Titans secondary - QB Jay Cutler finished with 92 passing yards and one score.
Jordy Nelson is apparently dealing with a hamstring issue, which is why he wasn't on the field for Green Bay's final drive Sunday afternoon. If he misses any time, it's a boost for Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and would elevate Geronimo Allison into the WR3 role when they take on the Vikings in Week 6. If Nelson plays, he'll have a difficult matchup with CB Xavier Rhodes
Matthew Stafford had his ankle and quad heavily taped by the end of their Week 5 matchup with the Panthers. He was able to finish the game but missed his post-game news conference in order to get treatment. He says he's fine - we'll need to see him practice this week to believe him.
Travis Kelce is in the concussion protocol. He was originally cleared to return to Sunday night's game but wasn't able to go in the second half. If he misses any time, it'll help Tyreek Hill and Albert Wilson.
Bilal Powell was sidelined Sunday after suffering a calf injury in the second quarter. It doesn't appear serious and Matt Forte is still dealing with turf toe - it's possible he resumes the featured role against the Patriots this weekend. New England is allowing the third-most yards per carry (5.0) and they ranked 27th in receiving RB DVOA heading into Week 5.
Tyler Boyd went down with a knee injury, the extent of which is currently unknown. Rookie receiver John Ross has a chance to suit up following their Week 6 bye, in which case he'd take over the WR3 role. If neither guy can go, those duties will fall to Alex Erickson. The Bengals also lost both starting corners, Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones, during the game yesterday. Their injuries could help Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers in Week 7 if they're not able to return.