Ezekiel Elliot Loses Latest Court Battle With NFL… So, Now What?

When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliot last year, the news was music to the ears of Dallas fans and daily fantasy players alike. With the talent he showed at Ohio State, there was no doubt that he could work wonders behind the Dallas offensive line.

As a rookie, he did just that with almost 2000 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns. He was off to a good start in 2017 with 900 all-purpose yards in the first seven games.

But it now appears that he will be taking a break for the next six weeks. Late Monday night, the judge presiding over his legal battle with the NFL handed down her decision.

And it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

His request for an injunction was denied which means he will have to start serving his six-game suspension. That means he will miss this week’s game against the Chiefs, and will not be able to return until Week 15 when the Cowboys play the Raiders.

Is that it? Is the whole sordid affair finally done?

Probably, but it might not be. An appeal could still be filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to NFL Network legal analyst Gabe Feldman (NFL). If that is going to happen, we’ll hear about it sooner rather than later.

So—what does this mean for daily fantasy players?

It means you just lost one of the best daily fantasy running backs in the game. It means the Cowboys could still have a decent option in Alfred Morris or Darren McFadden if they choose to feature one of them over the other.

With the running game in question going forward, it could mean great things for Dak Prescott, Jason Witten, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, and Dez Bryant. Chances are, the running game will not be as effective which means the Cowboys will have to put the ball in Prescott’s hands.

They’ll need him to win games. If he is going to do that, his receivers are going to have to step up their games. It wouldn’t be shocking to see them go downfield to Bryant and Williams more to get defenses to back off the line of scrimmage.

For now, find options outside of the Cowboys until we can see how they produce without Elliot in the lineup. Check out the Lineup Builder to see if the Pros recommend any Dallas RBs.

It Would Be A Good Thing If Matt Moore Started Thursday Against Ravens Over Jay Cutler

The Miami Dolphins have not shared the extent of the chest injury suffered by quarterback Jay Cutler during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets yet. They will likely hold off as long as possible in order to keep the Baltimore Ravens– who they play next on Thursday Night Football in Week Eight — guessing on who they should prepare for.

But wait—what happened to Cutler?

As usual, Cutler was taking a beating behind the Dolphins offensive line against the Jets Sunday. It finally became too much when he was blasted by Jordan Jenkins during the third quarter. It was almost a shame because he had been playing well (12-16 for 138 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception).

The previous week, against the Atlanta Falcons, he only threw for 151 yards (19-33) in a 20-17 win. Prior to that, he only had 92 yards (12-26) against Tennessee. He’s only passed for more than 200 yards twice this season (Week One and Two).

Okay. So, Cutler’s hurt and we don’t know how bad.

Why should daily fantasy players care?

Matt Moore came in and threw for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jarvis Landry finished the day with seven receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Stills had six receptions for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

It was easily the best game each has had all season.

Miami plays Baltimore on Thursday Night Football in Week Eight. If it was a normal week, depending on the severity of the injury (team is getting an MRI and X-Rays), it would not be hard to imagine Cutler playing. But on a short week with the Dolphins still in contention for the division lead—don’t count on it.

The Dolphins may not have had enough confidence to roll with Moore after Ryan Tannehill was lost for the season, but he is not a bad quarterback. He threw for 200+ in four starts last season with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Baltimore’s defense has gotten lucky this season. They haven’t had to play too many really good passing teams. Andy Dalton and the Bengals struggled to start the season, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have been having issues, and the Raiders were without Derek Carr when they played.

But they did give up almost 300 passing yards to the Cleveland Browns and over 240 to Blake Bortles.

Should the Dolphins roll with Matt Moore against the Ravens Thursday night, Moore would not be an advisable option but Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry certainly will be.

Houston Texans Players Are About To Become Even More Daily Fantasy-Friendly

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has accounted for 13 touchdowns in his last three games. Will Fuller has been a touchdown machine since returning to action a few weeks ago (five in three games). DeAndre Hopkins is averaging a touchdown a game and Lamar Miller is averaging 90+ total yards from scrimmage a game.

They are not all fantastic daily fantasy options, but they are pretty darn good. But they have some tough games ahead (at Seattle and at Los Angeles (Rams)). It would be natural to think they may not be advisable fantasy options because of those tough games. But that is not the case at all.

In fact, they could end up doing better than ever.

Why?

Offensive lineman Duane Brown has finally decided to end his holdout and has reported for work. He’s been holding out for a better contract even though he has two years left on a six-year, $53.4 million deal.

The team refused to negotiate a new deal at this juncture, so he stayed away. In the end, his desire for more money is going to cost him about $5 million in fines and lost salary.

He says he’s healthy and ready to play.

During the first two weeks of the season, the offensive line played atrociously. But since Week Three, Deshaun Watson has been able to figure out how to get things done despite the lack of protection. So, imagine what’ll be able to do with one of the better offensive lineman in the NFL  protecting him now?

Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman will see the biggest boost in their respective production thanks to Brown’s return. But with better protection, Watson should be more effective. If he’s more effective than chances are DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and the rest of his receivers will also see a boost.

Brown’s presence may not make a significant impact this week with a trip to Seattle on deck. It will depend on how much the team needs him and how confident they feel in his physical condition. It’s one thing to work out and stay in shape, but it is another to be in ‘game-shape.’

But by time they face the Colts in Week Nine— yeah, he’ll be good to go.