I hope everyone is recovered from excess tryptophan exposure and ready for the Sunday NFL main slate of DFS action. With a few teams on bye and three games played on Thursday, we have a narrow field for the main slate this week. Only 10 games for the slate and some of the major firepower is absent. Making this one of the fun ones where we can be more creative in cash games and take some good chances for tournaments.
Let’s jump right in.
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Week 12 Team Totals
Stacks to Target
DraftKings
Tom Brady (QB - TB) $7600 / Chris Godwin (WR - TB) $7000 / Rob Gronkowski (TE - TB) $4400
It's not always ideal to build stacks with quarterbacks that offer no rushing attack. Okay, I forced "attack" in there just for rhyming purposes, but you get the idea. Fact is, outside of last week's galloping 10-yard scramble, Tom Brady is not known for relying on his legs for fantasy production. However, in this matchup, he is a solid foundational build for cash games. His 25.9 DK points per game are the highest average, by a slim margin, of any quarterback on the slate and it's a delectable matchup. The Colts defense is allowing the third-most fantasy production to quarterbacks. They have allowed multiple touchdown passes in all but three games this season.
I hope everyone is recovered from excess tryptophan exposure and ready for the Sunday NFL main slate of DFS action. With a few teams on bye and three games played on Thursday, we have a narrow field for the main slate this week. Only 10 games for the slate and some of the major firepower is absent. Making this one of the fun ones where we can be more creative in cash games and take some good chances for tournaments.
Let’s jump right in.
For the most up-to-date betting information, make sure you’re checking out BettingPros.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team
Week 12 Team Totals
Stacks to Target
DraftKings
Tom Brady (QB - TB) $7600 / Chris Godwin (WR - TB) $7000 / Rob Gronkowski (TE - TB) $4400
It's not always ideal to build stacks with quarterbacks that offer no rushing attack. Okay, I forced "attack" in there just for rhyming purposes, but you get the idea. Fact is, outside of last week's galloping 10-yard scramble, Tom Brady is not known for relying on his legs for fantasy production. However, in this matchup, he is a solid foundational build for cash games. His 25.9 DK points per game are the highest average, by a slim margin, of any quarterback on the slate and it's a delectable matchup. The Colts defense is allowing the third-most fantasy production to quarterbacks. They have allowed multiple touchdown passes in all but three games this season.
Chris Godwin or Mike Evans is an oft-asked question and for DFS purposes. Multiple lineup users can switch between the two, assuming Evans suits up. He has been on the injury report with a back issue.
Evans has a whopping 10 touchdowns this season and does not look to be slowing down in that department. He is averaging 67.9 receiving yards per game and offers the highest touchdown upside of any receiver on the slate for his $7200 price tag. Godwin is averaging 78.2 receiving yards per game at $200 less, offers less touchdown upside, but has been more productive with Antonio Brown sidelined. Brown will miss this game, keeping Godwin's production on the higher side of his average.
The cheapest piece of this aerial attack is Rob Gronkowski, who has the highest DK points per game among all tight ends on this slate despite the seventh-highest salary. For cash games, a mix and match approach of these weapons is suitable. For tournaments, Gronkowski offers some serious upside at his salary and flexibility for other positional decisions.
Joe Burrow (QB - CIN) $6200 / Joe Mixon (RB - CIN) $7500 / Ja'Marr Chase (WR - CIN) $7300
This could turn out to be one of the smartest stacks on the slate. Joe Burrow is having a good season, not a great one, hence the salary. He's averaging just under 20 DK points per game and offers very little in the scrambling department. However, he quietly has the same amount of touchdown passes as Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen (prior to Thursday's game) on fewer pass attempts. In fact, he has the fewest pass attempts of any quarterback with 20 or more touchdown passes. Part of that efficiency is Ja'Marr Chase who finds the endzone like he's dowsing a secret well with a forked stick. Chase has eight touchdowns and a healthy 86.7 yard-per-game average and still remains under the $8000 mark.
Factor in the depleted Steelers defense and we have ourselves a DFS party. After Austin Ekeler just completed his best Jonathan Taylor impression last week against this defense, Joe Mixon becomes a viable stacking option with his receiving ability factored in. While he is the most expensive option in this stack, he offers a safe volume floor with scoring upside as well without breaking the running back bank on this slate.
Cam Newton (QB - CAR) $5600 / Christian McCaffrey (RB - CAR) $9000 / D.J. Moore (WR - CAR) $6200
Finding ways to get Christian McCaffrey in lineups is a DFS tradition like no other. He remains a rock-solid cash game option and adding the prodigal quarterback, Cam Newton back into the mix makes this a viable tournament stack to build with as well. If there are three rushing touchdowns to be had in this game, they will be spread between these two players. Newton has looked good upon his return to Carolina. While we may not rely on his arm for high-scoring affairs, his rushing production keeps him in the high-floor area of fantasy scoring. For reference, Newton finished as the QB4 in fantasy scoring last week with only 189 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. His 46 rushing yards and one rushing score put him over 26 DK points. At $5600, any risk associated with him having a bad game is baked into the price.
It has also been nice to see the fantasy resurrection of D.J. Moore and, to a lesser extent, Robby Anderson. Moore put his first double-digit performance since week eight on five receptions, including a score. At under 7K, he is a viable option, but far less preferred than sticking with Newton and CMC. While CMC should be heavily used in cash games, this stacking option probably works best in smaller field tournaments.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Stafford (QB, LAR) $7100 / Cooper Kupp (WR, LAR) $9600 - Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF) $5700 / Deebo Samuel (WR, SF) $7900 / George Kittle (TE, SF) $6400
FanDuel
Jalen Hurts (QB - PHI) $8400 / DeVonta Smith (WR - PHI) $6400 / Dallas Goedert (TE - PHI) $5900
There was a lot of preseason chatter concerning Jalen Hurts and his status with the Eagles. What we've seen thus far, from a real football perspective is positive development. What we've seen from a fantasy perspective is a rock-solid, safe floor. He's using his legs both on designed runs and to keep plays alive, and is balancing both very well. His five interceptions are less than any other quarterback in the top five and he currently leads the position in rushing touchdowns. For FanDuel, he is the highest-priced salary at the position and only has two games this season at less than 20 FD points. The Giants are middle of the pack against quarterbacks but have allowed 292.6 passing yards per contest over their last three games.
DeVonta Smith has continued to impress during his rookie campaign and has 664 receiving yards and four touchdowns up to this point of the season. In FD scoring, he is averaging just over 10 points per game. Three of his four touchdowns have come in the last three games. Smith is producing consistent numbers and is starting to catch stride right along with Hurts.
Dallas Goedert has been the other reliable weapon in this offense, averaging eight fantasy points per game. He has not scored since prior to the departure of Zach Ertz. Positive regression is heading his way. Goedert's 49.1 receiving yards per game is currently ninth among tight ends.
For the $500 discount, Goedert could be the better play for this matchup.
Kirk Cousins (QB - MIN) $7500 / Justin Jefferson (WR - MIN) $8100
Over the last four weeks, annually underrated quarterback Kirk Cousins is the QB5 in fantasy points. During that span, he is averaging 251.5 passing yards per game and has thrown eight touchdowns to zero interceptions. Facing a 49ers team that can hang some points on the board, there is some shoot-out potential in this game. With the second-highest implied point total on the slate, both sides of this game can be utilized in lineups and game-stacking is also in play.
Justin Jefferson is the current WR5 in .5 PPR scoring and already has 944 receiving yards. He is averaging 94.4 receiving yards per game and well on his way to being in the dynasty WR1 conversation. He is also fifth among wide receivers in FD points per game. Seemingly matchup proof, he only has one game with less than 65 receiving yards this season. The higher salary can easily be offset by pairing him with his quarterback, allowing some roster flexibility.
With or without Cousins, Jefferson should be in a healthy amount of cash lineups.
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB - SF) $6500 / Deebo Samuel (WR - SF) $8000 / George Kittle (TE - SF) $6700
Over the last four weeks, Jimmy Garoppolo is the QB3 in fantasy scoring. Yes, you read that correctly. Remember when the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes and he sat behind Alex Smith for a season? Smith played some of the best football of his career that year. There is a tinge of that going on in San Francisco this season and Jimmy G. has been playing very well. Over the last four weeks, he is averaging 19.6 FD points per game and has a full complement of capable receivers to continue to make him look good. It's also worth mentioning that the salary has not caught up to the production. Jimmy G.'s current salary is the same as Sam Darnold, and cheaper than Mike White or Joe Flacco...none of which are suiting up this weekend. Take advantage while we can. If news comes out later that the 49ers have made the switch to Trey Lance, feel free to pivot as he is the same salary and offers upside with his legs.
The Vikings are allowing sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. They have allowed multiple touchdown passes in three of the last four games. During that same span, Deebo Samuel is averaging 86.5 receiving yards per game and has three total touchdowns. He is also getting some carries out of the backfield as the 49ers try to determine if there is anything he can't do on the football field. Always a threat for a big play, Samuel should be in lineups regardless of the stacking factor.
Since his return from injury, George Kittle is averaging 14 FD points per game and has a touchdown in each. The Vikings have only allowed one tight end to score this season, so it's not a great matchup. However, Kittle excels at creating yards after the catch and should see a healthy target share. Due to the bad matchup, he will end up with a lower roster percentage, making him a viable, moderate-cost tournament play.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Herbert (QB, LAC) $7800 / Austin Ekeler (RB, LAC) $8400 / Keenan Allen (WR, LAC) $7000 - Joe Burrow (QB, CIN) $7100 / Ja'Marr Chase (WR, CIN) $7700
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John Hesterman is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him @John_Hesterman.