NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving Special!

Looking for the top NFL FanDuel DFS plays for the three game Thanksgiving slate on Fanduel? This article will focus on the top players to target for your Turkey Day action! A little fun spin-off to my Early Only Cash Plays article, instead of digging into the cash games, this will focus more on the huge GPP’s already filling up in the lobby. 

Before we get to the NFL FanDuel picks, I am going to do my normal recap of the previous week, and will eventually recap today’s picks in the week 12 Early Only article for Sunday’s action. It was a rough Sunday for me on FanDuel, as I did use the sample lineup for my personal cash line. The winning streak is over, and in ironic fashion, it was the defense that did me in this week, after they saved me last week.

On a personal note, I happy to announce this is my 100th article with FantasyCPR, and I couldn’t possibly ask for a better platform to share my fantasy knowledge and experience. I thought it would be fun for me to focus in on a fun Holiday slate like this for #100, and I hope to have 100 more down before MLB even begins. The growth of FantasyCPR, and most of us here as writers over the last couple of months, has been nothing short of amazing, and I feel blessed to be a part of it! Thank you so much to all of our readers! We all appreciate you more than you know!

NFL FanDuel Week 11 Recap:

I am a big fan of transparency, and I will be the first to admit I do not always get them right. But I think if you appreciate the conclusions I come to by you doing further research yourself, then I know you will be back for another read. Again, I am always here to help, so reach out to me on Twitter if you have questions, and that sample lineup is just a SAMPLE cash lineup. Regardless, I will play it every week, and we will track it right here!

QB – Eli Manning – $6,700 – (17.14)
RB – Saquon Barkley – $8,800 – (34.2)
RB – Christian McCaffrey – $8,600 – (14)
WR – Kenny Golladay – $6,400 – (21.3)
WR – Corey Davis – $6,200 – (3.9)
WR – Demaryius Thomas – $5,600 – (0)
TE – Evan Engram – $5,800 – (7.6)
FLEX – Ezekiel Elliott – $8,400 – (29.6)
DEF – Tennessee Titans – $3,400 – (-4)

                                                                             (123.74)

As you know by now, the streak has been snapped. Whether it was the streak or not, this article is gaining steam weekly, and I am happy beyond belief if I am helping some of you win some cash. My FanDuel bankroll took a hit this week, and it is pretty obvious where it came up short.

Demaryius Thomas seemed like a solid value play after the news the Texans were looking to get him more involved after the bye, then he goes out and puts up a goose egg. If that wasn’t the nail in the coffin, in the exact opposite fashion of last week, I completely whiffed on the Titans defense. All in all, I finished between 60th-70th in my 100 man 50/50’s, and one or two plays were all of the difference, as they usually are.

All that really happens when you have a bad week, is you dig a bit deeper on the next slate and get it back. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving Targets

QB – Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – $9,000

While the masses are fighting through their turkey comas, all eyes will be on Brees and the Saints in the evening tilt, and rightfully so. The Saints will host their division rival Atlanta Falcons, but this is a mismatch on so many levels this season. New Orleans looks like the best team in football, and they are clearly led by Brees, who his en route to the best season of his career. This offensive juggernaut that is the Saints will now face a defense that has struggled all season, and they get to play them at home, which always huge for New Orleans.

Brees will have a ton of ownership, but I am not sure you can completely fade him. If you play one team, I would definitely start here. I should probably follow that by saying if you do not have the maximum amount of Saints allowed, which is four, you might be doing something wrong as well. After New Orleans, the only offense I like as whole on this slate is the Bears, and they could be without quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, which could really shake things up.

Trubisky is questionable, and if he does play, this is my favorite pivot away from Brees. I will likely have a share or two, but when you consider what Brees has done and this match-up he has, it is hard to not just go all-in.

Over the last three weeks, Brees has been a machine, throwing 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Granted, the Saints have faced teams with struggling secondaries in that span as well, in the Eagles, Bengals, and Rams. Regardless, that is good for a 30.29 FDP average, and that brings his average on the season to 24.1 FDP per game.

Also of note, Brees had his best game of the season against Atlanta back in week 3, when he amassed 40.54 FDP, by throwing three touchdowns and adding two more on the ground. I don’t expect that again of course, but a big should certainly be on tap here once again.

***Trubisky downgraded to doubtful. The only Bears in play for me are featured below***

***Also Consider: Colt McCoy $6,500***

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving Targets

RB – Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys – $8,700

It’s a back and forth for me here on Zeke and Alvin Kamara, and because this is pretty much a GPP only slate, I will have plenty of both. But if I had to pick one, I will make Elliott the favorite here by a hair. I will start by saying that the ONLY reason I prefer Zeke to Kamara, is the fact that while Kamara is still getting his touches, the presence of Mark Ingram in that backfield also doing huge things just figures to cut into Kamara’s production, and limits his ceiling. On the flip side, I continue to target Elliott regardless of match-up, based off of workload alone.

In the last two weeks, Zeke is averaging 27.5 touches per game, and right around 31 FDP per game. This week should be a challenge against the Redskins stout run defense without a doubt, but I think Elliott will be up to the task. In the first meeting at Washington, Zeke was held to just 33 yards on 15 carries, so that fact alone could make Elliott the better play from a lower ownership perspective. Hopefully redemption in a home game on the big stage will get us a better showing.

On the flip side of that, most will gravitate to Kamara when they visit the boxscore from the last time the Saints and the Falcons clashed in Atlanta on week three. In that game, Kamara was unstoppable out of the backfield, with 15 catches for 124 yards on 20 targets! He also added 66 yards on the ground, which was good for 26.5 FDP without scoring a touchdown. Just because you see Zeke featured here, This is truly a 1-A, 1-B situation.

RB – Tarik Cohen – Chicago Bears – $6,000

While the Falcons may have the second best offense on the slate on paper here, my gut is telling me they are going to get throttled by the Saints. What we know here wiith Cohen and teammate Jordan Howard, is that it seems pretty clear-cut that Howard gets the carries and Cohen catches the passes.

What we also know, is that these teams just met two weeks ago in Chicago, and while Howard was held in check with just 21 yards on 11 carries, Cohen had some positive production in the receiving game in that one, grabbing six passes, but never getting loose, as he mustered up just 29 yards. I will say I think Howard finds the end zone in this one from the goal-line, but the Bears will likely be more active in the passing game in this one. Add the fact that Chase Daniel will likely be at the helm here with Trubisky officially doubtful, and Cohen could see an extra few check downs.

***Also Consider or FLEX: Alvin Kamara $8,900 – Mark Ingram $7,400 – Tevin Coleman $6,500***

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving Targets

WR – Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – $8,800

I am going to focus on the two offenses I mentioned I am targeting here with all three receivers, starting with Saints dynamic WR Michael Thomas. While the targets are diminishing for whatever reason over the last three weeks, Thomas has still managed to grab four touchdowns in that span, and continues to catch everything thrown his way.

I may have brought this up as early as last week, but what Thomas is doing might be more incredible than what Adam Thielen did the first eight weeks of the season. While he still trails Thielen in receptions by just three catches, Thomas has caught 82 passes this season on 91 targets, and has found the end zone eight times.

In the week three match-up with the Falcons, Thomas did not score a touchdown, but was still able to put up a solid 17.9 FDP, with 10 catches for 129 yards. This is one of the best connections in football, and with what Kamara did to them catching passes in that first meeting, the Falcons defense will have to focus on shutting that down. That should leave things open for the receivers like Thomas here, and our next target.

WR – Tre’Quan Smith – New Orleans Saints – $6,400

This target should probably be started with the fact that he is questionable to play in this one. We will likely find out more on this situation today, maybe even before you read this. But let’s start by saying if he can go, he is well in play. If not, a sneaky pivot could be Austin Carr, but I think Benjamin Watson may be the prime benefactor if anyone other than Kamara and Thomas gets extra looks.

Smith exploded on to the scene last week, catching 10 balls on 13 targets for 157 yards and a touchdown last week, and if he plays this is a fantastic value spot against a bad defense. The rookie has just 22 catches for 371 yards on the season, but has found the end zone four times, including twice in the last two weeks. He is becoming a bigger part of the offense week in and week out, needs to be in your lineups if he can go on Thursday night.

WR – Taylor Gabriel – Chicago Bears – $5,100

With our last wide receiver target, I kind of ran out of Saints, so I guess we can talk about my favorite Bear to target in their receiving corps. It all depends on if you look at last week against Minnesota, or two weeks ago in the first meeting between the Bears and the Lions, which way you stand on this one. Two weeks ago, Gabriel failed to catch a pass, putting up a goose egg in this same match-up. However, he bounced back the following week and was targeted nine times, catching seven passes for 52 yards.

With top threat Allen Robinson likely locked up with Darius Slay for the majority of this one, I think Gabriel, and rookie Anthony Miller will see the extra looks. In this match-up two weeks ago, Miller did have his best game as pro, putting up a 5-122-1 stat line for 20.7 FDP. I think he will have his day again someday, but for now, it seems Gabriel just gets more looks, and he also saves you $500 in salary. All seems moot at this, point and everything is possibly in play here if Daniel does start this game, considering we have no idea what to expect if he does.

***Also Consider or FLEX: Calvin Ridley $6,200 – Anthony Miller $5,600 – Cole Beasley $5,300***

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving Targets

TE – Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – $6,000

Another position I am back and forth on, is here at tight end, where Reed will get a slight advantage due to a quarterback change. In probably the worst injury I have seen, the Skins lost quarterback Alex Smith for the season and possibly longer. This brought veteran back-up Colt McCoy into action, and he is expected to start this one in Dallas.

Upon entering the game, McCoy looked for Reed early and often, as Reed led the squad with 11 targets, and scored his first touchdown since week 1. He never really seemed to connect with Smith, so having McCoy at the helm in this spot on the road against a stout defense, on a short slate with limited options, makes Reed my top tight end play.

***Also Consider:  Benjamin Watson $5,600***

DEF – New Orleans Saints – $3,200

The Bears defense was so good last week against the Vikings, but let’s face it, the Vikings are really struggling with their whole offensive line. Instead of paying $4,700 for a defense with all of these high-priced targets we need, most of my lineups will instead have the Saints defense for $1,500 less.

The Saints defense has looked terrible at times this season, but they have really put it together the last couple weeks, as new corner Eli Apple finally looks acclimated to his new squad. Marshon Lattimore on the other side has been one of the best corners in the league this year, and my guess is he shuts down Julio Jones. This defense is hot and playing well right now, and way underpriced. I don’t care who they are playing.

***Also Consider: Chicago Bears $4,700 – Detroit Lions $3,400***

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 12 Thanksgiving GPP Sample Lineup:

The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.”

 QB – Drew Brees – $9,000
RB – Ezekiel Elliott – $8,700
RB – Tarik Cohen – $6,000
WR – Michael Thomas – $8,800
WR – Cole Beasley – $5,300
WR – Taylor Gabriel – $5,100
TE – Jordan Reed- $6,000
FLEX – Mark Ingram – $7,400
DEF – New Orleans Saints – $3,200

I hope you enjoyed some slate specific coverage today. You can find me on Twitter with the link at the top of the page. Reach out to me if you would like to see more of this! We have TONS of FREE content here from many incredibly talented writers at FantasyCPR, and new stuff to check out constantly. As we try to cover more and more angles of fantasy sports, you will see more articles focusing on the smaller slates among the different NFL DFS sites. Good luck on the Turkday Day  slate, and Happy Thanksgiving!