Thursday Night Spotlight

This Thursday's showdown is between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. So far this year the Seahawks have been extremely disappointing getting off to a slow 2-4 start but the odds makers see this as the week the Seahawks right the ship and I agree. Does this put Russel Wilson and Marshawn Lynch in play this week or should you hold off and look for better options on Sunday? Here's how I see the game breaking down.

Footballguys' Daily Fantasy Hour hosted by RotoGrinders, Week 7

If you missed the fun last night, RotoGrinders' head of digital content and DFS guru, Dan Back, hosted another edition of the Footballguys' Daily Fantasy Hour with our very own Austin and John Lee. The guys discussed key injury situations entering Week 7, recapped standout Week 6 performers, walked through both positive and negative recency bias, debated some key under/over fantasy totals for the upcoming week's slate, analyzed the Thursday night game, and wrapped things up with their weekly 'Bold Predictions.' Another dubsmash bet was made and last week's loser, Austin, paid up with a well-produced dedication to Huey Lewis and Back to the Future; check out the entire episode here:

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Trust or Fade: Thursday Injury Expectations

Time is limited this week but I wanted to get some recommendations up in advance of the Thursday night game. I'll work to get some context onto my Twitter feed by tomorrow evening, but here's how I'd approach the Thursday slate.

Marshawn Lynch
TRUST: Cash and GPP

Odell Beckham
TRUST: Cash and GPP
**Beckham isn't out of the woods yet with regard to potential aggravations, but he moved well on Monday night and avoided an aggravation.

Justin Forsett
TRUST: Cash and GPP
**Though I still have some concern here, I'm not going to be stubborn on Forsett. He looked healthy enough last week to trust in the early slate.

Dion Lewis
LEAN FADE: Cash and GPP
**The only thing you can trust here is that you won't get the full story until after it's over. Lewis may continue to be limited or he may be back to his previous 15-20 touch volume. I'd wait until Sunday to make a call here.

Keenan Allen
LEAN FADE: Cash and GPP

Ben Roethlisberger
FADE: Cash and GPP

Allen Robinson
LEAN TRUST: Cash and GPP

Jeremy Maclin
FADE: Cash and GPP

Tyrod Taylor
FADE: Cash
LEAN TRUST: GPP
**Too much of Taylor's DFS upside depends on mobility and rushing volume. That hurts his floor for cash games. He's a consideration as a contrarian cash play in the hopes his lower than usual volume pays off, but it's risky without more practice participation to go on.

T.J. Yeldon
FADE: Cash and GPP

Jordan Reed
FADE: Cash and GPP
**I fully expect to change this recommendation on Sunday morning, but don't get burned on Reed here. Wait until you see a full practice before rostering him.

Marcus Mariota
FADE: Cash
LEAN FADE: GPP

CFB Recap Week 7: SEC Conference 

Before you start building your lineups for the week, it's helpful to take a look back at the week that was and how each team is stacking up heading into this week's games. That's where our conference recaps come in. We go game-by-game for each of the major conferences and break down the team's key players that you'll need to keep on your radar while building your lineups - and those players you might want to take a pass on. You can check out this week's recap of the SEC Conference here.

The Contrarian: DraftKings Week 6 

Looking for an outside-the-box pick that may set your lineup apart? Then check out this week's edition of The Contrarian. Each week, we go position-by-position to find some players who may be flying under the radar this week. Finding the week's hidden gems can really help you climb the leader boards in huge GPPs like this one. You can check out this week's article here. Enjoy the games!

Trust or Fade: Sunday Injury Expectations

Earlier in the week, I made a trust or fade recommendation for the injured players at risk at being limited on Sunday for those constructing lineups for the Thursday night DraftKings slate. After Friday's practice participation report, media interviews, and some Saturday updates, those recommendations sometimes change.

Here's the Sunday morning update on which game time decisions are safe to roster on the DraftKings Sunday slate and which situations you should fade.

There are a few players on the injury report I expect to see close to their full workload despite a small risk of an in-game aggravation. They include Randall Cobb, Blake Bortles, Carlos Hyde, Charles Clay, Allen Hurns, Cecil Shorts, Mike Wallace, and T.Y. Hilton. While Steve Smith, Alshon Jeffery, and LeSean McCoy will reportedly be active today, neither are healthy enough to trust today. And I don't expect to see Tyrod Taylor, T.J. Yeldon, Davante Adams, Matt Jones, Theo Riddick, or Stevie Johnson.

ODELL BECKHAM | 8900 | Hamstring | Questionable
Cash: FADE
GPP: FADE

The Giants have yet to rule Beckham out for tomorrow night's game. But he's not been close to practicing this week and has a long history of slow-to-heal hamstring strains. It's possible Beckham is closer to full strength than it appears, but all signs suggest he's doubtful to play effectively on Monday night.

ANDREW LUCK | 7600 | Shoulder | Questionable
Cash: FADE
GPP: LEAN TRUST

The tone of this week's practice reports, coaching comments, and media reports on Luck have been universally positive. But it's clear the Colts will not allow Luck to play until his shoulder is at full strength and not at risk of fatigue and aggravating whatever has caused the soreness and decreased range of motion in his shoulder. I'm swayed by the full Friday practice, however, and would lean toward Luck playing tonight.

DION LEWIS | 5800 | Abdomen | Questionable
Cash: LEAN TRUST
GPP: LEAN TRUST

Media reports on Lewis are positive, with multiple trustworthy beat writers reporting that Lewis' injury is a non-issue. There are no guarantees on Lewis' health or the Patriots' game plan. There are reassuring tweets from Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport this morning about Lewis' availability, though he'll reportedly test his injury during warmups to be sure. Proceed with caution here, and make sure you're available to use Legarrette Blount as a late swap if needed.

JUSTIN FORSETT | 6400 | Ankle | Questionable
Cash: FADE
GPP: FADE

I'm on record all week -- in our articles and our podcasts -- with my belief Forsett has a low grade high ankle sprain and was unlikely to play this week. After managing only a limited Friday practice, the Ravens added a running back to the active roster Saturday. According to both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Forsett is optimistic he'll play but will test the ankle during pregame before deciding. I don't see Forsett as a viable contrarian GPP play, but if you roster him, make sure you have a late swap plan in place should his pregame warmup go poorly.

ARIAN FOSTER | 7000 | Groin | Probable
Cash: TRUST
GPP: TRUST

Foster had nearly 30 touches last week and fully practiced on Thursday and Friday. He's still trying to put his injury out of his mind and will continue to be at risk of a setback during the game, but expect Foster to get as many touches as he can handle.

MARSHAWN LYNCH | 6900 | Hamstring | Questionable
Cash: LEAN FADE
GPP: LEAN TRUST

Lynch fully practiced this week and will play today. He may not be fully reconditioned yet, however, and is always at risk of pregame back spasms. It's also possible the Seahawks will rotate Thomas Rawls more heavily than usual today.

MARTELLUS BENNETT | 4800 | Quad | Questionable
Cash: FADE
GPP: FADE

If midweek muscle strains are a red flag, a Friday quad strain for a big-bodied skill position player is a bright crimson concern. Should Bennett play, there's a good chance he'll be used on certain third down and red zone situations only. Don't expect enough volume for DFS value.

Hope variance shines on you today in your DraftKings contests. Footballguys Insiders can read my full breakdown of today's injury expectations.

Handling Week 6 Injuries with Pivots

I get that everyone wants to start Dion Lewis if he's in, but you will have to wait for Sunday Night Football to see if he is active.  The question is, how do you manage your lineup?

First, put Lewis in and have someone from Monday Night Football.  My recommendation here is to go with Lewis ($5,800) and Jordan Matthews ($6,200).  The simple pivot is to move from Lewis if he is out to LeGarrette Blount ($4,400), saving $1,400.  Just replace Matthews with Julian Edelman ($7,600), who just happens to cost exactly $1,400 more than Matthews.

So for $12,000 you get either Lewis and Matthews or Blount and Edelman.  I like both pairs here, and if Lewis is out, some of his targets are likely to go to Edelman anyway.

Good luck.