Week 12 is loaded with a lot of interesting matchups on the NFL DFS main slate, as we have no teams on bye due to six teams playing on Thanksgiving. Our FanDuel lineup features a standout veteran quarterback, a trio of high-volume wide receivers, a rookie running back looking to continue his breakout, and a value sleeper at flex who isn't on the radar of most daily fantasy football players.
Before we break down our picks and strategy, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel contests: four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
FanDuel Picks Week 12: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $60,000 budget
QB Geno Smith, Seahawks vs. Raiders ($7,600). Smith gets a favorable matchup off the bye week against the Raiders on Sunday. Las Vegas' defense has had its share of struggles this season and will give up points in bunches. The Raiders allow the third-most FanDuel points per game to QBs (21.4) and the fifth-most passing TDs per game (1.7) this season. You couldn't ask for a better spot for Smith, who is averaging 20 FanDuel points per game in his past three contests and has six TDs passes and only one INT over that period.
RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ Cardinals ($8,800). The veteran running back had a nice bounce-back game last week against the Chiefs (17 FanDuel points) after being held to only 9.8 FanDuel points in Week 10 by the 49ers. Ekeler will look to make it back-to-back double-digit performances against a Cardinals' defense that has allowed the 14th-most FanDuel points per game to RBs (21.2) this season. We should expect to see Ekeler used as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, as the Chargers will likely be without Mike Williams (ankle) again. The vet running back has done a great job lately as a receiver, recording at least seven receptions in four of his past five games.
WEEK 12 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings
RB Rachaad White, Buccaneers @ Browns ($6,400). White might be on a ton of DFS players' radar, but he needs to be, especially with the matchup in front of him on Sunday. The rookie running back ran the ball extraordinarily well in Week 10 against the Seahawks, recording a season-high 105 yards on 22 carries (10.5 FanDuel points). White will now get ready to face the Browns' defense, which had issues against the Bills' running game in Week 11. Cleveland's defense allows the second-most FanDuel points per game (27.3) to RBs and 135.1 rushing yards per game this season. It would not be surprising to see White and Leonard Fournette both have big games, but we'll ride with White and hope he's the "hot hand" that takes over the backfield this week. (Update: With Fournette, White becomes an even better pick, though he might be too heavily owned for some people's tastes.)
WR Tee Higgins, Bengals @ Titans ($8,200). Even though there's a possibility that Ja'Marr Chase (hip) could play on Sunday, we are still going to put Higgins in our lineup. The young wide receiver was incredible last week against the Steelers, posting nine receptions (13 targets) for 148 yards. He finished with 19.3 FanDuel points, making it his second-highest NFL DFS performance since Week 4. Higgins might not have 148 yards on Sunday against the Titans, but he should still be a factor. Tennessee allows the third-most FanDuel points per game to WRs (33.6) this season, so Higgins will be just fine even if Chase is active.
WEEK 12 DFS: Best values
WR DK Metcalf, Seahawks vs. Raiders ($7,200). Our QB-WR stack for Week 12 will be Smith and Metcalf, who should be able to connect for a couple of big plays. Las Vegas has allowed eight touchdowns to WRs and 26.8 FanDuel points per game to WRs this season, so it's not the best matchup for Metcalf, but it's not a terrible one either. Ultimately, we're betting on his frequent targets and talent to win out, and he's always a threat to find the end zone.
WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Browns vs. Buccaneers ($6,300). We will continue to ride with the undervalued Peoples-Jones, who has quietly been one of the most consistent WRs in DFS. The young wideout scored his first touchdown of the season last week against the Bills en route to his third-straight double-digit performance. He will try to replicate that against the Buccaneers, who are allowing the 16th-most FanDuel points per game to WRs this season (26.8). It's not the best matchup for Peoples-Jones, but we've seen him have at least four catches and 50 yards in seven-straight games, which is something you shouldn't overlook.
TE Cole Kmet, Bears @ Jets ($5,300). The Jets have been solid against TEs this week, but Kmet has been one of the best fantasy tight ends over the past four games despite posting just five FanDuel points in last week's loss to the Falcons. He also had his three-game touchdown streak snapped, but he's always a threat to start a new one given his frequent red-zone targets. Overall, Kmet is averaging just over six targets per game the past three weeks (19), and regardless of who starts at QB for the Bears, he should be busy again.
WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Kendall Hinton, Broncos @ Panthers ($5,400). If Jerry Jeudy (ankle) does not play for the second-straight game, Hinton will be the Broncos' No. 2 wide receiver. He thrived in the No. 2 role last week against the Raiders, scoring 7.2 FanDuel points on three receptions (three targets) for 57 yards. This is in line with what we saw from Hinton in Week 10 against the Titans, where he had 8.2 FanDuel points and four receptions (five targets) for 62 yards. The Panthers are allowing the 15th-most FanDuel points per game against WRs this season (27.90) but the second-most receptions to the position. Hinton can do some real damage here and be a differentiator in lineups.
DEF 49ers vs. Saints ($4,700). San Francisco shined last week against the Cardinals with three sacks and two interceptions (11 fantasy points). They have recorded six sacks and three interceptions in the past two games and now get to face Saints QB Andy Dalton, who has been sacked nine times and thrown three INTs in the past three games. There's a chance we could see back-to-back double-digit DFS performances from the 49ers' defense.
