Fantasy Football

Foot and ankle injuries

Garrett said Dez Bryant is dealing with foot and ankle injuries. He is not expected to practice again today. (Clarence Hill on Twitter)

Nerdy Football Analysis: Bryant missed practice Wednesday as well and although the team has stated that they will not shut down Bryant for the remainder of the season, his status for Week 16 remains a question mark. Bryant hasn’t topped 62 receiving yards since Week 9 and is struggling to produce with the Cowboys backup QBs. If he plays, he’s no better than a flex option with Kellen Moore at quarterback.

There are always plenty of quality options throughout the weekend in daily fantasy football, but this might be a week you want to get an early start with Thursday and Saturday’s matchups.

The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers show off quality offenses Thursday, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins could allow some big plays Saturday night. Great values all over the board could give you an advantage before most of your competition even finishes their lineups. 

Of course, there are plenty of smart picks Sunday as well to go with some big names you might want to avoid. Here is a look at some players whose stock is rising and falling from throughout the weekend.

Stock Up

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins ($5,500)

If you are entering a contest that starts before Sunday, it might be worthwhile to grab Kirk Cousins. The Washington Redskins quarterback has been one of the hottest players in the league with four games in a row of a 100 or higher passer rating. 

Week 14 was some of the best football we have seen from Cousins, as he finished with four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson have played extremely well lately to help out their quarterback and are now elite options in fantasy themselves.

All of these players could have huge days against the Philadelphia Eagles, which have allowed at least 40 points in three of the last five games. The secondary has given up 30 passing touchdowns this year to tie for third-most in the NFL, and this likely isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

In a rivalry game with the division on the line, look for Cousins to play as well as ever and put up big fantasy numbers Saturday night.

Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers ($4,400)

You obviously don’t want to look at Danny Woodhead‘s four touchdowns from last game and assume he will do it again. In all likelihood, this won’t happen again for the rest of his career. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not a great play this week.

With Melvin Gordon on injured reserve, Woodhead will spend more time in the backfield than usual and should get more rushing attempts to go with his usual collection of catches. The Oakland Raiders have been solid against the run this year, but nothing special for you to avoid the matchup.

Meanwhile, Woodhead‘s biggest role as a pass-catcher will be especially important in Week 16 against Khalil Mack and the Raiders pass rush. Philip Rivers will need his checkdown target often, and it could lead to a lot of catches.

When these two teams met in Week 7, Woodhead had a season-high 11 catches that he turned into 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The running back’s ability to rack up receptions makes him a relatively safe play in points-per-reception scoring.

Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers ($4,100)

Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant have gotten most of the headlines, and rightfully so, but the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is good enough for three receivers to be fantasy relevant. Based on what he has done lately, Markus Wheaton is certainly worthy of a roster spot on your team.

Much of this production came in one game when he finished with nine catches for 201 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, but he has been good otherwise with a touchdown in three of the last four games and at least 50 yards in each. Even as the third option, there is no reason to doubt him as long as Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and playing as well as he has lately.

Of course, facing a defense allowing the third-most points to opposing receivers on DraftKings certainly helps. The Baltimore Ravens have struggled in the secondary all year long and could create plenty of space for all three Pittsburgh targets. While Brown ($9,300) and Bryant ($5,600) are always good options, you can get some great value this week by drafting Wheaton.

Stock Down

Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions ($7,400)

Anyone needing Calvin Johnson to help them in fantasy Monday night likely ended up with nothing more than disappointment and a permanent grudge. The star receiver caught just one pass for 19 yards against a terrible New Orleans Saints defense, which wasn’t much improvement from his one-catch, 16-yard performance the week before.

As Evan Silva of Rotoworld notes, Johnson has become a smaller part of the offense in recent weeks as well:

Although he has been dealing with an ankle injury, he still played most of the Week 15 game. In reality, whether the ankle is holding him back or not, his performance is holding back fantasy teams. Only a handful of times this year has he been worth the price on DraftKings, which remains one of the highest at the position despite his struggles.

Even with a seemingly great matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, there is no way you can risk a start until he proves something on the field.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals ($7,100)

Few would argue Larry Fitzgerald has played poorly as of late. He continues to make big catches in big moments for one of the best passing attacks in the NFL.

The problem is the rest of his receivers have caught up to him. Michael Floyd and John Brown are now both healthy and taking away targets, while even J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown show up with big plays every so often. Carson Palmer is also good enough to spread the ball around and not rely on one receiver as much as a less experienced quarterback.

David Johnson’s emergence has also brought even more balance to the team with the run game, reducing the need for so much passing.

As a result, Fitzgerald has been limited in recent weeks. He finished with just three catches for 43 yards against the Eagles after totaling just 41 yards on five catches the game before. He has now gone four weeks without reaching 70 receiving yards, and he hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 8.

Although he has as much upside as almost anyone in the league, limited opportunities make him not worthy of the current price.

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,900)

Yes, Jeremy Hill did have two touchdowns last game, so he isn’t necessarily trending all the way down, but he certainly didn’t play well against a weak 49ers run defense.

Hill turned 19 carries into just 31 rushing yards, putting himself as Pro Football Focus’ worst running back of the week. 

“He didn’t force a single missed tackle, and fumbled. To top it off, he had one target in the passing game, which he dropped,” Bryson Vesnaver of PFF explained. 

That came against the No. 27 run defense in the NFL. In Week 16, he will face the Denver Broncos, who have the No. 1 run defense and are allowing just 3.2 yards per carry. Without being much of a threat in the passing game, this isn’t a good bet for a big day for Hill. 

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Enter the DraftKings $1M Play-Action contest this weekend. Use promo code Nerdy Football when you sign up.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for all your fantasy football and daily fantasy needs.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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Daily Fantasy

The 16th week of the NFL campaign promises more fantasy football fireworks, but only after a Thursday Night Football encounter between the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Of course, there’s going to be a few big performers there. The visitors’ Antonio Gates figures to have a strong game against a unit that hasn’t been able to stop tight ends all year. Philip Rivers certainly has the ability to go all Philip Rivers against any defense.

It’s the meat of the Week 16 schedule that should draw the eye of those owners left in the running, though. There are quite a few lopsided matchups on paper, not to mention a few games that will throw defense right out the window.

Let’s take a look at value comparisons for each position and detail some common start-sit scenarios before Thursday’s game.

QB   

Start: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (at NO)

Believe it or not, there are owners out there who rode Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to the fantasy playoffs and found success.

Bortles, after all, has 20 or more points eight times this year, including his last four outings with everyone around him healthy. That includes tight end Julius Thomas, who’s also going to have a monster game in Week 16.

Next up for Bortles is the New Orleans Saints, the team allowing the most points to quarterbacks on average with 11 passing touchdowns allowed over their last four outings.

Given his 83.5 percent ownership percentage, it’s clear Bortles deserves a mention and more love.

Sit: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (vs. CAR)

A well-known name owners didn’t ride to the postseason?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

Ryan did well by owners who used him in a platoon approach earlier in the season, but over his last five outings, he has two single-digit performances despite the wealth of weapons around him.

Now Ryan has to go against the Carolina Panthers again, the team that held him to four points in Week 14. He’s one of six sets of quarterbacks who failed to reach double digits against the unit this year, so owners need to put the name-recognition factor aside.

RB  

Start: Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts (at MIA)

Remember Frank Gore? 

Gore hasn’t had much of a notable season from a fantasy standpoint, going to double digits just four times.

What he does do, though, is provide surefire usage for owners to consider. Pair it with a great matchup, and one can get incredible results, such as his 20-point showing with two touchdowns in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans.

Gore’s going against the Miami Dolphins this weekend, the team allowing the third-most points to the position with 10 touchdowns allowed. Two of the past three opposing backfields to face the unit hit on 25 or more points.

It’s a strong time to trot out Gore, as rare as those times have been.

Sit: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers (at ARI)

Forget about Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy. 

Owned in 97.8 percent of leagues, Lacy has three double-digit outings over his last five games. The exceptions, though, were a goose egg in Week 13 as a punishment for missing a meeting and just two points last weekend, as he couldn’t find room against the Raiders.

Lacy’s simply been all over the place this year, and it’s hard to know when James Starks will steal all the work. Worsening the situation is a trip to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals and an elite defense allowing the sixth-fewest points to the position.

Given his volatile nature, Lacy needs to sit on the bench for playoff matchups.

WR

Start: Jeremy Maclin, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CLE)

In the right matchup, Kansas City Chiefs wideout Jeremy Maclin might be one of fantasy’s most dangerous players. 

Maclin has just five trips to double digits this year, but three of those were for 19 or more points. When he’s getting attention against a bad defense, he generally comes close to topping the leaderboard.

He should this week against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland surrenders the fourth-most points to wideouts on the year and has managed to cough up seven touchdowns to the position since a Week 11 bye.

Understanding this, look for Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith to look Maclin‘s way often.

Sit: A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (at DEN)

It’s apparent in the current confines of the Cincinnati offense that A.J. Green isn’t a sure thing each week. 

He’s gone for double digits six times, yes, but he’s also been held to single digits eight times, including one of his cupcake matchups against the Browns when the offense decided to work its way through other potent weapons.

The situation’s even worse now with AJ McCarron under center as the Bengals take on the Denver Broncos, the team allowing the fewest points to wideouts. To top it all off, Green didn’t play a full game last week after tweaking his back.

It stinks to sit a player like Green, but it’s a must here.

TE 

Start: Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints (vs. JAC)

Owners can find another reliable tight end start on the other side of the Jaguars-Saints matchup. 

Benjamin Watson just posted his first double-digit outing since Week 8 last week with six catches for 49 yards and a score, good for 10 points. It’s the fourth game in a row and ninth time he’s caught at least four passes in a game.

It’s a decent floor for owners in need boosted to an adequate ceiling thanks to the matchup. The Jaguars allow the fifth-most points to tight ends this year, and while they’ve mostly shut out the position in recent weeks, Indianapolis and Atlanta aren’t the greatest of measuring sticks.

Expect Watson to have a big day in a game lacking defense.

Sit: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. CHI)

Owners have to look elsewhere if they need a streaming tight end.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers isn’t a bad player by any means, but he’s had his season derailed by injuries. Some might like the fact that he’s caught three passes in each of his last three outings, hinting he just needs a good matchup to explode.

ASJ just doesn’t get that this weekend against the Chicago Bears. For all their faults, the Bears defend tight ends well and surrender the sixth-fewest points to the position this year with just three touchdowns allowed.

Don’t expect ASJ to break free, not when the offense can just go to Doug Martin, Mike Evans and others.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats as of December 23. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com. 

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Opinion

Fantasy

Bears running back Matt Forte indicated to reporters, including Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter links) that he would like to stay in Chicago, if possible.

“I always look at staying home and being here where I’ve been the past 8 years. That’s a major factor,” the pending free agent said. While admitting that it might not be a given that he can return to the Bears in 2016, Forte did seem open to the possibility of taking less money to stay put. “At this point. I’m not worried about earning powers and all that stuff. I’ve made money,” he said.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

• UCLA coach Jim Mora says that offensive lineman Alex Redmond has left the team and already signed with an agent for the upcoming NFL draft, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. It remains to be seen where Redmond will go in the draft, but he is not viewed as a first-round talent. Redmond, a junior, was the team’s starting right guard and started ten games in 2015. By leaving the team, Redmond will not participate in the Foster Farms Bowl against Nebraska.
• Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd is leaning toward entering the NFL Draft, as Matt Miller of Nerdy Football tweets. If Dodd opted to stay in school, he would be a 25-year-old senior, so it makes sense for him to go pro. Dodd stands at 6’5″, 275 pounds and runs a 4.8 second 40-yard-dash.
• Former Falcons coach Mike Smith won’t let his dismissal hold him down, as FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez writes. Smith admits that he lost his way while coaching the Falcons, but he also says that he will not allow that to happen again if given another head coaching opportunity in the NFL. Recently, Smith wrote about the lessons he learned in a new book titled “You Win in the Locker Room First.” In 2013 and 2014, Atlanta finished with a combined 10-22 record, leading to his firing. Smith seemed to have opportunities to serve as a defensive coordinator somewhere this season, but he opted to take the year off and spend time with his family instead. It remains to be seen how much head coaching interest he might draw this offseason.
• Dolphins wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan is leaving the team to become the new wide receivers coach/passing coordinator for East Carolina University, a source tells Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter).

As teams continue to prepare their rosters for Week 16 games, let’s round up the latest minor transactions from around the NFL….

• The Saints are bringing back running back Travaris Cadet, claiming him off waivers from the 49ers, says Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Cadet played three years in New Orleans before spending time with the Patriots and Niners this season. To make room for him on their roster, the Saints have waived wide receiver T.J. Graham.
• The 49ers were indirectly involved in another minor transaction today, with the Ravens signing defensive back Jermaine Whitehead from San Francisco’s practice squad (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Baltimore cut tight end Richard Gordon. Whitehead, who has yet to appear in a regular season game, was signed by the Niners out of Auburn as an undrafted free agent, and had spent the season on the team’s practice squad. Gordon was waived by Ravens with a left squad designation, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.