After covering Thanksgiving Day last week, we’re back to a normal slate here. We’re going to go ahead and take a look at all the games, so let’s kick things off with the primetime fixtures.
The Thursday night game features a matchup between the Cowboys and Bears. Both of these teams are at even 6-6 records and, needless to say, it’s a must-win game for both squads. Ezekiel Elliott is the best raw points play, while Anthony Miller is a nice value after a career performance last week. The Sunday night game is an NFC West showdown between the Rams and Seahawks. This one is full of fantasy-friendly players, but running backs like Chris Carson and Todd Gurley are the superior plays. The Monday night matchup pairs the Eagles with the Giants. This is a great spot for Philly’s defense and for Alshon Jeffery to succeed against that putrid secondary and bad offense.
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Quarterback of the Week
Tom Brady (NE): $6,000 vs. KC
This is not the guy I was expecting to pick, but when looking at the prices and matchups, Brady was one of my best per-dollar plays on the board. The simple fact is Brady is being forced to throw a ton because the Patriots’ run game is horrific right now. That’s led to him averaging 19.2 DraftKings points per game this season, which is way higher than his counterparts in the same price range. The matchup against the Chiefs is tasty too, with Kansas City owning a 26th OPRK against opposing quarterbacks, according to DraftKings. What also adds to his intrigue is facing the Chiefs’ offense, as the Patriots very well could be playing catch-up with the recent form of these teams.
Cash Game Running Back
Leonard Fournette (JAC): $7,800 vs. LAC
Fournette has established himself as one of the best all-around running backs in the league and he’s still too cheap below $8,000. We’re talking about a guy who’s averaging 18.4 carries and 6.7 targets per game. That’s a truly ridiculous workload and it’s no surprise that he ranks third among running backs with 19.5 DraftKings points per game. He’s been even better recently, averaging over 22 DK points per game since Week 4. That’s really bad news for a Chargers team that allows the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing backs this season.
GPP Running Back
Alexander Mattison (MIN): $4,500 vs. DET
This play is dependent on the health of Dalvin Cook, but if the superstar back does sit, Mattison is the best play of the week. The reason for that is because he’ll fill in for the best running back in the NFL behind one of the best offensive lines and is likely looking at nearly 100 percent of the snaps. That’s huge for a guy who’s already averaging 4.8 yards per carry this season and had four catches for 51 yards filling in for Cook on Monday. All of that makes him an easy pick at $4,500, especially against a Detroit defense that allows the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
Cash Game Wide Receiver
D.J. Moore (CAR): $7,000 at ATL
There aren’t many players who have a floor like Moore, as he’s truly established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Let’s start with that floor, with Moore scoring at least 15 DK points in seven of his last eight games while averaging 23 DraftKings points per game over his last five fixtures. That brilliant production has come with only four touchdowns and it shows just how reliable he can be through yardage and receptions. We also love the matchup against the Falcons with Atlanta owning a 24th OPRK against opposing wide receivers this season. That was clear when Moore had eight catches for 95 yards on 15 targets in their Week 11 meeting.
GPP Wide Receiver
Mike Williams (LAC): $4,500 at JAC
Have you ever seen a wide receiver lead the league in yards per catch, but not record a touchdown? That’s just what we have here with Williams, which is even more bizarre after he scored 10 touchdowns last season in his rookie campaign. That means regression is inevitable and Philip Rivers even said that he wants to get Williams a touchdown. That’s awesome for one of the most talented wide receivers in the game, as Williams is still averaging over 11 DK points per game despite not crossing that coveted white line. We also like the matchup since as Keenan Allen will be matched up with A.J. Bouye while Williams will get to feast on the nobodies in this secondary.
Tight End of the Week
Jack Doyle (IND): $4,600 at TB
With T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, and Eric Ebron all sidelined, Doyle has found himself in the most expansive role of his career. That was on display in Week 13 with Doyle recording six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 11 targets. He’s also established himself as the go-to red-zone threat with Ebron out, recording a touchdown in three of his last four games. All of that makes him very enticing against Tampa Bay since the Buccaneers have surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
D/ST of the Week
Green Bay Packers: $4,000 vs. WAS
I rarely pick the top D/ST on the slate, but there’s really not much of a price difference between the Packers and all of the other options. The simple fact is we want to start defenses against the Redskins. The reason for that is because Washington ranks dead last in points scored and total yardage since Week 3, averaging fewer than 13 points per game in that span.
That’s truly disastrous and it says a lot about how bad this team is right now. Green Bay’s defense isn’t shabby either, as they currently sit seventh in takeaways and 14th in points allowed. The oddsmakers obviously agree with this play, making the Packers a 14-point favorite with a total of 42. That means the Redskins are projected for 14 points, the lowest team total of the week.
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Joel Bartilotta is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @BartilottaJoel.
