With viable value plays at QB, it won’t be hard to fit top RBs like Adrian Peterson in your Week 12 lineup

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and played both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson in their Thursday lineups.

This is an interesting week. It is almost like another bye week with six teams playing on Thursday. Having six teams not available limits the options we have to choose from for the Sunday and Monday slate.

Below is one of many lineups I will be rolling out on Sunday. I will also provide you with a few notable mentions that you can switch in and out of your lineups based on your own gut instincts. Remember, playing DFS can be like throwing darts at a dart board, anyone can go off in a given week.

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Quarterback

Brian Hoyer – HOU vs. NO – $5,000
It seems that DraftKings did not get the update that Hoyer is back and T.J. Yates is on the bench. I did not take advantage of using Kirk Cousins against the Saints two weeks ago, and I refuse to make the same mistake twice. Hoyer has a better passing attack with DeAndre Hopkins and Nate Washington than Cousins has with Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Two weeks ago Cousins lit up the Saints by throwing four touchdowns. Hoyer should have at least three.

This game has an over/under of 47.5 and I expect more points to be scored by the Texans. As you will see later, I am going to ride a Hoyer and DeAndre Hopkins stack in most of my lineups this week.

Notable mentions:

• Drew Brees NO @ HOU – $7,300
• Carson Palmer ARI @ SF – $7,100
• Philip Rivers SD @ JAX – $6,700

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson – MIN @ ATL – $7,300
I like to grab a top running back and wide receiver when I go cheaper at quarterback. Peterson has a good matchup against a bad Atlanta defense. The Falcons’ defense is allowing 21 fantasy points per game to the RB position. With all of the injuries taking place to the RB position this year, Peterson is the most talented still playing. Peterson is averaging 18.6 fantasy points on DraftKings and I expect the Vikings to lean on him in this game. He should hit his average of 100 yards per game, and I expect him to score at least one touchdown. This game should be close and the Vikings should not have to abandon the run. Peterson is the closest thing to a sure bet, and I plan on partnering him with a lower cost option who I think could have a big game.

Doug Martin – TB @ IND – $5,800
Doug Martin had a great game last week. He rushed for over 200 yards and dominated a tough Eagles’ rushing defense. Martin is facing off against an even easier matchup in Week 12. The Colts are allowing the 10th most fantasy points to the RB position. I do not think that Martin will have over 200 rushing yards in Week 12. However, he should make up for that by scoring a touchdown, something he did not do in Week 11. Tampa Bay likes to run the football, and Martin should see a great deal of carries against the Colts.

Notable mentions:

• Todd Gurley – STL @ CIN – $7,500
• Chris Ivory – NYJ vs. MIA – $6,100
• Danny Woodhead – SD @ JAX – $5,200
• T.J. Yeldon – JAX vs. SD – $4,800
• Chris Johnson – ARI @ SF – $4,600
• Javorius Allen – BAL @ CLE – $4,600

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Hopkins – HOU vs. NO – $9,100
As I stated earlier, whenever I am using Hoyer at quarterback, I will be using either Hopkins or Nate Washington. Most of my lineups will feature Hopkins. Hopkins has proven to be a legitimate top receiver this year. I actually consider him the third best receiver in the NFL this year. Going up against the Saints, Hopkins should finish as the top wide receiver in Week 12. The Saints are allowing over 25 fantasy points to the WR position each week. I am expecting Hopkins to have over 100 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.

Larry Fitzgerald – ARI @ SF – $7,400
Fitzgerald is the top option in the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Furthermore, they are facing a bad 49ers’ defense. The 49ers are allowing the seventh most fantasy points to the WR position. The last time Fitzgerald played against the 49ers was in Week 3. He had nine catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Although I doubt he will snag another two touchdowns, I figure he should see close to 100 yards and grab one score.

Kamar Aiken – BAL @ CLE – $4,900
Aiken has a good matchup this week. I expect less people to use him since Joe Flacco is no longer throwing him the ball. That said, someone will still need to catch balls. Aiken has looked good the last three weeks. He should not have a problem continuing that trend against a Cleveland defense allowing 28 fantasy points per game to the WR position.

Notable mentions:

• Julio Jones ATL vs. MIN – $9,400
• Odell Beckham Jr. NYG @ WAS – $8,700
• Mike Evans TB @ IND – $7,400
• Jarvis Landry MIA @ NYJ – $6,600
• Martavis Bryant PIT @ SEA – $5,600
• Travis Benjamin CLE vs. BAL – $5,300
• DeSean Jackson WAS vs. NYG – $5,100
• Vincent Jackson TB @ IND – $4,700

Tight End

Crockett Gillmore – BAL @ CLE – $3,700
I did not have much salary left to spend at the TE position. I went with Gillmore for the same reason I went with Kamar Aiken. Matt Schaub is not good at throwing the deep ball, but that will benefit Gillmore. Also, most backup quarterbacks tend to lean on the tight end. Cleveland is not good at stopping the tight end either. Gillmore is not the best TE option, but he was for the salary I had left. If I could choose any tight end this week, I’d probably go with either Jordan Reed or Delanie Walker.

Notable mentions:

• Tyler Eifert CIN vs. STL – $5,800
• Delanie Walker TEN vs. OAK – $5,400
• Jordan Reed WAS vs. NYG – $5,100
• Antonio Gates SD @ JAX – $4,700

Flex

Michael Floyd – ARI @ SF – $3,800
I do not typically recommend using two receivers from the same team. However, the Cardinals have the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. There will be plenty of points to go around this week, and Floyd’s salary is too low to pass up. It allowed me to spend up at the other positions. The only problem is you need to keep an eye on his injury status. Floyd did not play last week and his health is in question this week too. If he plays though, his value will be unbelievable. If he is not healthy enough to start, you can substitute with J.J. Nelson and spend more at the TE position.

Defense/Special Teams

Cincinnati Bengals vs. STL – $3,000

The Rams do not have a very high-scoring offense. They are more known for their defense. The Rams are currently the 31st ranked offense in the NFL and only averaging 17 points per game. The Bengals have been decent on defense. They have 28 sacks and 11 interceptions on the season. The Bengals defense is averaging over seven points per game. For the salary, I think they are the best option.

Notable mentions:

• Arizona Cardinals @ SF – $3,900
• New England Patriots @ DEN – $3,500
• Atlanta Falcons vs. MIN – $3,100
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ IND – $2,500
• New York Giants @ WAS – $2,400
• Cleveland Browns vs. BAL – $2,000

Good luck setting your lineups this week. Hope everyone can win big going into the holiday season!

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Rob Schwarz, Jr. is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Rob, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ChiSportsnut25.