By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Posted Dec. 17, 2016.
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Julio Jones is out against the 49ers this week, which should elevate Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel’s targets. Both make for good starts this week as well as Tevin Coleman, who could see an increase in work as well.
Theo Riddick is out and Zach Zenner is questionable. Zenner still needs to pass concussion protocol, so Dwayne Washington is currently set up for a big workload against the Giants, who are a tough defense, but not a shutdown defense. Washington will likely need to get into the end zone to bring back top value, but he should get his chances.
Bilal Powell should be the lead back for the Jets Saturday night, and if Matt Forte were to be active, he would take a secondary role according to beat writers. Hopefully they just sit Forte so we don’t have to worry about it.
Kelvin Benjamin will play against Washington, but his health is less than 100 percent and Josh Norman will shadow him. I’d rather not play him if you can help it. Ted Ginn has more upside.
Cam Newton was limited this week with a bum shoulder, but was able to get a full practice in on Saturday. His accuracy has been even worse than usual recently, so the shoulder could be a factor. He still has upside due to his rushing ability, but he’s outside my top-12 quarterbacks this week.
Adrian Peterson has been activated from injured reserve and will play against Indianapolis. The Vikings’ offensive line is not healthy or good at the moment and the team has become a shotgun offense during Peterson’s absence. He, of course, has touchdown ability, especially in a good matchup, but his overall upside is still pretty low after showing nothing before his injury.
Melvin Gordon is out and Kenneth Farrow will start in his place. Farrow was thrust into the starting position early last week and ended up missing a block that got Philip Rivers strip sacked, so there is some worry that Ronnie Hillman could see more work on passing downs, but coach Mike McCoy gave Farrow some praise this week and seems to be backing him as the main back in this game. He’ll face a weak run defense in Oakland and has enough upside for his price in DFS and should be a safe play in most redraft leagues.
Ryan Griffin will get the start at tight end with C.J. Fiedorowicz out with a concussion. Unfortunately he faces a tough Jaguars pass defense, but Brock Osweiler loves throwing to his tight ends and should elevate him enough to be useful this week.
Jermaine Gresham is listed as questionable, but looks like he’ll be a go in a decent matchup with the Saints. Gresham has seen more work of late with John Brown’s illness and Michael Floyd hitting the skids.
Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper are listed as questionable, but it appears both should play their normal roles. Both must be started in redraft, but are a little trickier in DFS.
Mark Ingram says he feels better this week than in the previous two concerning his toe, and he is not on the injury report. He should be all systems go and a must start in most redraft leagues, but does get a tough matchup.
Michael Thomas is also off the injury report and will start in Arizona. Much will depend on if Patrick Peterson shadows Brandin Cooks and lets Thomas go or vice-versa, but if he’s healthy, you have to start Thomas.
A.J. Green will go through warmups to see where he is, but he is also listed as doubtful and would likely be on a strict snap count if he were to miraculously play. Give Tyler Eifert the most upside for the Bengals this week.
Ty Montgomery should get the start at running back for the Packers this week in Chicago, where it is going to be bitterly cold. Expect both running games to be used often.
Jordan Reed seems to be getting better and is showing more flexibility in practice. He also gets an extra day due to the Monday night game, so I’m going ahead and slotting Reed into all my lineups.
Marquess Wilson broke his foot and Eddie Royal is out, which makes Alshon Jeffery and Cameron Meredith the top two targets most likely. The weather is worrisome though and Jeffery’s four-week absence is also troubling. The matchup is good, but Jordan Howard is my favorite Bears play this week.
Darren Sproles is out with a concussion and Doug Pederson said Kenjon Barner and Byron Marshall would fill the “Sproles Role,� which makes both fairly useless in fantasy. Ryan Mathews will be the mainstay in the backfield, but does get a tough matchup in Baltimore.
Donte Moncrief won’t play due to a hamstring injury, so T.Y. Hilton will dominate the wide receiver targets as usual. He faces a tough Vikings defense, but his extra targets still make him a top start.
Chris Ivory has been taken off the injury report and will play, but T.J. Yeldon looks to have won the lead role. The Texans are still a tough matchup though and Ivory’s return makes both hard sells this week.
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