By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Updated Sept. 17, 2016.
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Rob Gronkowski is questionable against the Dolphins this week, and ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss said “it wouldn’t be a surprise” if Gronkowski sat out again this week. Thankfully we will know his status before lineups lock. If he can’t go then give Julian Edelman a nice boost for DFS.
Chris Ivory will not play this week due to his “special” injury and T.J. Yeldon will once again get the start and see plenty of work. The going should be much easier for him against the Chargers weak defense and he makes for a nice play in both daily and redraft.
Russell Wilson practiced all week and will start against the Rams. He’s not on the injury report, but ESPN Seahawks reporter Sheil Kapadia believes Russell Wilson will see fewer designed runs and stay in the pocket more due to his ankle problem. This could very well be the case because the Seahawks should be able to beat the Rams without needing Wilson’s rushing ability. This could help Doug Baldwin, who would be in line for more quick targets out of the slot.
Demaryius Thomas didn’t look healthy this week in limited practices and his availability for Sunday’s game is up in the air. Look to Emmanuel Sanders and Virgil Green to lead the team in targets this week and stay far away from Thomas.
Zach Ertz is out for the Eagles Monday night game against the Bears. His absence will draw more attention to Jordan Matthews, but he should see enough extra targets to be useful in DFS against a poor secondary. Trey Burton will take over for Ertz and has a little upside in TE2 leagues, but is too scary for DFS.
Saints tight end Josh Hill won’t play against the Giants due to a high-ankle sprain. Hill didn’t have any targets last week, but did see snaps. Coby Fleener is assured plenty of routes this week in a great matchup. He’s risky after a poor Week 1, but the upside is there in what should be a shootout.
Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu both returned to a full practice on Friday and aren’t listed on the injury report. They get a nice matchup and both should be used in redraft. This could be the time to get Jones at lower ownership in a great matchup if people stay away from him due to his ankle.
Jonathan Stewart was limited all week in practice, but coach Ron Rivera expects him to play. In a game where the Panthers could build a big lead, Stewart could see a large amount of carries as they ice the game. His touchdown upside is still lower than other backs.
Eagles cornerback Leodis McKelvin won’t play against the Bears, which should help Alshon Jeffery find better matchups and plenty of targets.
Packers’ cornerback Sam Shields won’t be able to play against the Vikings. This should help Stefon Diggs, but we also just don’t know how Sam Bradford will do in his new offense. I could see using him in a GPP.
Patrick Peterson should shadow Mike Evans in Arizona. That puts a damper on his upside, but should open things up for Vincent Jackson who will see rookie back Brandon Williams, who was beaten easily by Chris Hogan on a touchdown last week and just didn’t have a good game overall. Jackson has some GPP appeal.
With Keenan Allen done for the year, Travis Benjamin appears set to take on Allen’s role. After the injury Benjamin saw seven targets to four for Tyrell Williams, three for Danny Woodhead and Dontrelle Inman and one for Antonio Gates. The Chargers say they are going to get the ball to Gates more, but I am looking hard at Benjamin due to volume this week and Williams due to touchdown upside.
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