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The top daily fantasy football lineup picks for DraftKings in Week 12. Ben Rolfe's NFL DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
This is going to be a very skinny week on the main slate Sunday. The good news we only have two teams on a bye this week. The bad news is they are two of the most high-flying offenses in the game right now in the Chiefs and Rams. To make matters worse we are also losing two good defenses to the Thursday night game and an additional four teams to the early Thanksgiving games. We still have the Chargers and Patriots offenses but both of those have struggled lately. Therefore, we are left looking in some unusual spots for value plays on the main DraftKings slate. Below are my DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks for Week 12.
These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based on matchups, performances so far, overall upside/talent levels, opportunity, and other factors such as Vegas odds, home field advantage, and more. There are quite a few great value plays available, so read on to find out which players are the best for Week 12.
Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups!
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DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks - Week 12 Picks
Eli Manning - NYG @ PHI (DK $5,700)
Despite relatively high flying offensive performances from the Giants, Eli Manning has not set the fantasy world alight. His last two performances have seen him score under 20 fantasy points. However, this is the perfect defense for him to succeed against. The Eagles have been reasonably stingy against running backs this year and their defensive back group is in tatters. In addition, I think the Eagles are going to come out with a point to prove after being humiliated last week and that should drive the scoring up in this game. I think we might see a multiple-touchdown and 300-yard passing performance from Eli Manning this week.
Nick Mullens - SF @ TB (DK $5,400)
This game should have a lot scoring, and the over/under of 54 reflects that. Neither of these defenses has been very good and both offenses should be able to move the ball. I will never feel great using Mullens but there are so many question marks over the higher priced guys I would rather take a shot here and save the cash in GPP formats.
DraftKings DFS Running Backs - Week 12 Picks
Melvin Gordon LAC vs. ARI (DK $8,600)
The Cardinals are surrendering 20 fantasy points per game on the road against #1 opposing running backs. The great thing about Gordon is his safety but that he also has a nice ceiling. This season he has one game below 20 fantasy points and four games in which he has scored over 30 fantasy points. This feels like a game the Chargers just do what they need to do to win. That should include a heavy dose of Gordon on the ground, if not in the first half then to salt the game away in the second half.
Nick Chubb - CLE @ CIN (DK $6,300)
I really like the value in this pick for Chubb. Firstly, he is coming off a bye week so both he and the offensive line should be rested and ready to go. Secondly, he had a monster game against a defense that struggles to tackle in Week 10 and now he faces another one of those. Finally, this is a big pick against the Bengals defense. The Bengals are allowing 20.6 fantasy points to opposing #1 backs at home this season and the Ravens attacked them on the ground all day long last week.
Marlon Mack - IND vs. MIA (DK $5,500)
Mack has come back to earth in the last two games but he is not far removed from a couple of monster performances. Miami's defense allows over 20 points per game to opposing #1 backs on the road this season. In addition, the Colts will know they need to stay balanced as they have had a lot of success with that approach this season. My only concern is that there are a lot of mouths emerging in that backfield right now.
DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers - Week 12 Picks
Odell Beckham Jr. - NYG @ PHI (DK $8,800)
This is an easy pick for me this week. The Eagles secondary is decimated and the Giants will want to avenge the loss earlier this season. Last week was a weird one for Beckham as he received just four targets, having not had less than nine in the rest of the season. I think he gets right back to the double-digit region in targets this week and with that, he should hopefully come 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Eagles numbers against wide receivers is a little misleading low as they had success earlier in the year but that version of their defense is no longer on the field.
Keenan Allen - LAC vs. ARI (DK $7,100)
Allen completely lost his temper in the Chargers game against the Titans in London. Since then we appear to have seen a more concerted effort from Rivers to get him the ball. Allen has been targeted an average of 10.33 times per game over the last three weeks. In that time he has two touchdowns, only his second and third of the season, and averages 90 receiving yards per game. The Cardinals defense is not a bad group but they have had trouble against wide receivers. Allen kind of doubles as a number one and a slot type receiver with some of the routes he runs. The good news is that the Cardinals are allowing an average of 23.7 fantasy points per game to opposing #1 receivers and 23.4 fantasy points to receivers lining up in the slot.
Marquise Goodwin - SF @ TB (DK $5,600)
I am gambling on the explosive play potential of facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. The Buccaneers defense have allowed 20.1 fantasy points to opposing #1 wide receivers at home this season. This game is likely to have a lot of points in it and we should see both teams able to move the ball on their opponents. I like Goodwin to have a shot to get a 100-yard receiving day for just the second time this season and end a two-game touchdown drought.
DraftKings DFS Tight Ends - Week 12 Picks
George Kittle - SF @ TB (DK $6,200)
When the game is close Kittle is the man the 49ers lean on. This game is going to have a lot of scoring and Kittle, who has had at least six targets eight times this season, should have a great chance to score his fourth touchdown of the season. The Buccaneers defense is allowing 16.5 fantasy points per game to opposing #1 tight ends and 19.3 points in total to the tight end position. Realistically, Kittle is the only show in town when it comes to the 49ers tight end position so he should have a shot to get close to 20 fantasy points this week.
CJ Uzomah - CIN vs. CLE (DK $3,300)
Uzomah and Rickey Seals-Jones are going to be the death of me! Both of them have so much opportunity and are seeing nice matchups but their return is so hit or miss. The Browns are surrendering 18.6 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends on the road and Uzomah should be the number one target among the Bengals tight ends. The risky nature of Uzomah makes this a value upside play for GPP formats.
Another name to consider this week is Cameron Brate, who is priced at $3,500 on DraftKings. With OJ Howard on the IR we should see Brate have success but I want to see the game plan for the Buccaneers with Jameis Winston and no Howard before I start to committing to Brate.
DraftKings DFS Defenses - Week 12 Picks
Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (DK $2,700)
I love picking against Blake Bortles! We saw last week that the Jaguars simply have no trust in Bortles at this point and I cannot see that changing this week. The Bills defense has been somewhat overlooked due to their offensive woes but this is a good unit who can shut down scoring and force turnovers. There are a group of six defenses I like this week and the Bills are the second cheapest so they are both a solid play and a value play for me this week.
