Injury analysis for week 15 of NFL DFS on FanDuel and DraftKings

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Quarterback

Drew Brees FD 7500 DK 5900
Opponent KC
Proj Points FD - 20.06 DK - 20.69
The Saints announced that Brees would be back under center for Sunday's tilt with the Chiefs, and there are a number of DFS implications. Both the receivers and Alvin Kamara rate to be much better with Brees than they were with Hill. Kamara in particular should return from target purgatory to his lofty levels of the early season, which should make him something like a must-play in cash games this week. In a back and forth affair, it's not unreasonable to run multiple Saints in cash games this week. We'll get to which receivers when we discuss Michael Thomas.

Matthew Stafford FD 7300 DK 5800
Opponent TEN
Proj Points FD - 0.5 DK - 0.52
Stafford could theoretically play against Tennessee this week, but it's not looking great. He missed practice all week before finally practicing in a limited fashion on Friday. Either way, his extremely questionable status and potential absence make the already tenuous Detroit passing game a stay-away for me. If Stafford does suit up I could consider either Jones Jr. or Hockenson, but likely only for big tournaments.

Alex Smith FD 6500 DK 5000
Opponent SEA
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0

Alex Smith has been ruled out for this weekend's game, leaving the quarterbacking duties on Dwayne Haskins. While Smith wasn't an especially relevant DFS option, his absence this week certainly has ramifications for DFS. JD McKissic far riskier, for instance, since he was a favorite check down option of Smith. Terry McLaurin probably gets a bump since Haskins is more suited to hit McLaurin on the routes he really wants to run.

Running Back

Chris Carson FD 7600 DK 6800
Opponent WAS
Proj Points FD - 13.83 DK - 14.94
Carson heads into this week without an injury designation, and he is sizing up to be a pretty interesting running back option this week. While his workload has been aggressively managed over the last four weeks, it looked like he was going to break out for greater usage last week before the game got out of hand. Carson was on the field for 71% of snaps in the first half, but with the game out of hand, got a lot of rest in the second half. This should be a favorable game script for Carson, and he could be an interesting play in any format.

Ronald Jones II FD 7200 DK 6000
Opponent ATL
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0

It's been a heck of a week for Jones, who had finger surgery and a positive COVID diagnosis in the same week. But what does this mean for fantasy purposes? That's a little less clear. Right now some are speculating that Fournette and McCoy could split carries, but a week after Fournette as a healthy scratch it's hard to imagine running him in any format. If we get word that McCoy is the RB1, on the other hand, I would strongly consider playing him on FanDuel at a sub $5k price-tag.

Antonio Gibson FD 6500 DK 6700
Opponent SEA
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0
Gibson is carrying a doubtful tag into this weekend, leaving more touches for Peyton Barber and JD McKissic. The confounding factor is the quarterback change. Normally we'd assume that McKissic would be borderline cash game viable, but the presence of Barber as a potential two-down back AND a quarterback that throws to the running back less leaves this as a stay-away for me.

Myles Gaskin FD 6000 DK 5600
Opponent NE
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0
Gaskin will likely miss this week's match-up with the Patriots, leaving a number of running back questions in his wake. Both Breida and Ahmed are trending towards playing, and Deandre Washington will likely suit up as well. If Ahmed plays we believe he'd be the RB1, but if he sits the "two-headed monster" of Breida and Ahmed isn't particularly inspiring.

Wide Receivers

Julio Jones FD 7500 DK 6900
Opponent TB
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0
Jones has been ruled out against the Bucs, leaving Calvin Ridley as the WR1 in Atlanta once again. Ridley is on back to back weeks with 100+ receiving yards on double-digit targets, and has to be considered one of the elite WR options once again this week.

Michael Thomas FD 7000 DK 7200
Opponent KC
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0
Michael Thomas has been ruled out of Sunday's tilt with the Chiefs, leaving not just the targets he's been getting recently, but the targets he was getting under Brees. Historically this has benefited Alvin Kamara the most (who is now looking something like a must-play), but don't forget about Emmanuel Sanders. He's a receiver with pedigree who boasts games with 9 and 14 targets this season, and he's very cheap. He could be sliding into cash games for us.

Devante Parker FD 6300 DK 5900
Opponent NE
Proj Points FD - 10.97 DK - 13.13

Parker has been practicing on a limited basis this week, which is a welcome sign after he had to leave the Chiefs game early last week. If he winds up playing he's an interesting big tournament target against the Patriots, and if he misses we are considering guys like Lynn Bowden Jr. even in cash games at bargain-basement prices. Right now he's listed as questionable, so keep an eye on his status.

Deebo Samuel FD 6200 DK 5200
Opponent DAL
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0

Samuel has been ruled out for the rest of the season, providing a huge boost to Brandon Aiyuk's prospects going forward. With 16, 9, 14, and 10 targets in his last four games, Aiyuk is getting WR1 opportunity at WR2 prices, and is a clear play in any format this week.

TIGHT END

Mike Gesicki FD 6000 DK 4800
Opponent NE
Proj Points FD - 0 DK - 0

Gesicki is currently questionable after participating in a limited practice session on Friday. If he doesn't play, the next guys up don't move me whatsoever. If he does play, he's a risk to leave the game early. I'm mostly just going to stay away from this one regardless of which direction his status trends.

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