Will Amari Cooper rebound from last week’s one-catch effort?

I was hoping that I would get a concussion between Sunday and Monday, but it did not happen. Why? Well, I wanted to forget what happened in Week 11. Week 11 will go down as the worst fantasy week in my many years of experience. Not only did I lose money in DFS, but I also went 0-4 in my season-long leagues.

Ugh, well I have to be like a quarterback who threw an interception or a pitcher who just let up a home run. I have to put it behind me and move on. However, before I can do that, we must do a quick recap of last week. I say quick because I am tired of thinking about it.

First, we all know how bad my Derek Carr pick turned out. When did Detroit figure out how to play football? Was it the dreadful trip from California to Michigan that caused the problem?

Either way, both Carr and Amari Cooper killed me. My notable mentions of Tyrod Taylor and Matthew Stafford did not perform well either. Just an awful week all around!

That pesky Raiders-Lions game did not help me at all. Where were the points Vegas? Latavius Murray was not awful, but definitely not valuable.

Murray only did alright for fantasy because he scored a touchdown. If not for his touchdown, he would have been nonexistent. Same goes for Jeremy Langford. Darren McFadden was the only solid performer from my suggestions, and when I say solid, I really mean an old, cracking foundation.

It is sad when your best suggestion only scores 16 fantasy points. That is what happened here at the WR position. Danny Amendola was a great acquisition, but the rest of my WR suggestions were either average, blah or yuck!

Tight end was not any better! Coby Fleener finished with six points on FanDuel. Travis Kelce was not much better, and I am not even going to mention the other two.

Alright, now that the bad memories from Week 11 are in writing, let us move onto Week 12, shall we?

I am going to do things slightly different since there are three Thursday games this week. I am going to give my main suggestions like usual, but I am going to mention some “Thanksgiving Specials” I like as well. Here we go!

Enter FanDuel’s $1.25 Million Sunday Rush. $5 to enter with $100K to first place!

Quarterbacks

Brian Hoyer – HOU vs. NO – $7,100

I think Week 12 is a week I spend up at the QB position or use Hoyer. This option has less to do with how much I like Hoyer and more to do with how much I love playing quarterbacks against the Saints’ defense. I cannot imagine that a bye week and Rob Ryan’s firing will help this defense turn things around quickly.

This is the same team that allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for four touchdowns just two weeks ago! Hoyer is coming back from a concussion, but all signs point to him starting in Week 12. He has one of the best receiving targets in DeAndre Hopkins, too. In fact, I highly suggest pairing them in a few lineups this week.

Jay Cutler – CHI @ GB – $6,900 (Thanksgiving Special)

If you are playing in the Thursday only games, Cutler is the only cheap option I like. The Packers’ defense is average, and Cutler has been decent this season. I would likely spend up and use Cam Newton or Aaron Rodgers, though.

Notable mentions:

• Jameis Winston TB @ IND – $7,300
• Marcus Mariota TEN vs. OAK – $7,000
• Brock Osweiler DEN vs. NE – $6,700

Running Backs

Chris Johnson – ARI @ SF – $6,800

In a season where more and more running backs are going down from injury, you may have to spend up for a top running back and settle for a low-cost, risky option for your second running back. Once we know more about the Marshawn Lynch injury, Thomas Rawls may be a great option here. Unfortunately, at this time I am not going to recommend him in case Lynch can play.

The same could be said regarding the Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West situation. Not too many value options exist at the RB position that I feel super confident about. I like Chris Johnson here because he has been doing great between the 20s. He just has not seen enough touchdowns. The 49ers were torched by Thomas Rawls last week, and Johnson had his best game against them earlier this year, too. If Johnson can find the end zone, he will make for a great value.

Eddie Lacy – GB vs. CHI – $6,500 (Thanksgiving Special)

Part of me wants to be contrarian here and recommend James Starks. Lacy had a great Week 1 against Chicago where he ran for 85 yards and a touchdown. He had his best game last week where he finally reached 100 rushing yards.

I am looking for Lacy to push forward, but at the same time I have many doubts in the back of my mind. If he plays like he did last week, then this is a great value play. If not, then ouch! He is definitely a risk, but one I’d consider taking.

Notable mentions:

• Thomas Rawls SEA vs. PIT – $6,300
• Javorius Allen BAL @ CLE – $6,300
• Danny Woodhead SD @ JAC – $6,100

Wide Receivers

Amari Cooper – OAK @ TEN – $6,800

I know, I know! Why am I going back to the team that bit me so badly last week? Well, it is simple. Oakland is better than the team that showed up in Week 11, and Cooper has proved to be a legit No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

I will alternate some lineups with both Cooper and his counterpart Michael Crabtree. Both are good values, even though they are facing a tough Tennessee pass defense. Tennessee has only allowed the 20th-most fantasy points to the WR position, but for the price, I find these two worth the risk.

I will be switching up some of my low-cost wide receiver options throughout my lineups, though. I can see so many of these guys breaking out, while running the risk of looking like garbage, too. I will be using a variety of lineups to hopefully ensure some cash payouts. Oh, and since I mentioned Crabtree here, he will not be in my notable mentions.

James Jones  – GB vs. CHI – $5,800 (Thanksgiving Special)

There are a few low-cost options on the Thursday slate, but I am going to look at the guy who has the best quarterback. Davante Adams struggled through an ankle injury in Week 11, and I like Jones to be the best outside target again on a short week. Furthermore, Jones scored two touchdowns on the Bears in Week 1. At a cost of $5,800 you might be able to grab two of the top wide receiver options to pair with him.

Notable mentions:

• Martavis Bryant PIT @ SEA – $6,700
• Stefon Diggs MIN @ ATL – $6,600
• Rishard Matthews MIA @ NYJ – $6,200
• Kamar Aiken BAL @ CLE – $6,100

Tight Ends

Heath Miller – PIT @ SEA – $5,300

If you need a cheaper option at tight end who could still put up some value, Miller is that guy. Seattle has struggled against the TE position this year. They are currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to the position.

Miller has only had one really good game this year, but if you look at his numbers with and without Ben Roethlisberger, he is worth a look when Roethlisberger is playing. Miller is averaging just shy of nine targets per game over the last three weeks. With Richard Sherman on Antonio Brown, I am expecting Martavis Bryant and Miller to be heavily involved on Sunday. I think I might spend up and grab Jordan Reed over Miller in most of my lineups, but Reed is hardly a value option as the sixth-most expensive tight end for the Sunday and Monday slate.

Zach Miller – CHI @ GB – $5,100 (Thanksgiving Special)

I am going with another Miller here. Zach Miller has been a bigger part of the Bears’ offense over the last three games. He has outscored Martellus Bennett in two of those three games. With Bennett dealing with a ribs injury on a short week, I like Miller’s value against a Packers’ defense that has given up the 13th-most points to the TE position.

Notable mentions:

• Julius Thomas JAC vs. SD – $5,300
• Vernon Davis DEN vs. NE – $5,200
• Kyle Rudolph MIN @ ATL – $5,000

I hope everyone enjoys Thanksgiving! If you are playing any Thursday lineups, I hope you win big and turn Thanksgiving into Thanksgetting!

Be sure to check out our free FanDuel Lineup Optimizer

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