The Week 12 NFL DFS action begins with a three-game slate on Thanksgiving that features a ton of star players and favorable matchups that daily fantasy football players will look to capitalize on. Our DraftKings lineup is built around a fun QB-RB Cowboys' stack and a trio of Bills players who could have big outings against a questionable Lions' defense.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Full-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, three-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE THANKSGIVING DFS: FD lineup
DraftKings Picks Week 12: Thanksgiving NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Thursday main slate, $50,000 budget
QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys vs. Giants ($6,200). Prescott has been one of the better quarterbacks in NFL DFS since returning from injury in Week 7. The veteran quarterback scored 20.6 DraftKings points in Dallas' 40-3 win over the Vikings in Week 11 and did a great job of taking care of the football. He has now recorded 20-or-more DraftKings points in three-straight games and will look to make it four straight against a Giants' defense that's allowing the ninth-fewest DraftKings points per game to QBs (15.7). It's not an ideal matchup for Prescott, but the Giants will not have Adoree Jackson, and they have to worry about the duo of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield.
RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Giants ($6,600). Pollard is proving to be a must-start in DFS, as he regularly outperforms his salary. In Week 11 against the Vikings, the young running back scored a season-high 39.9 DraftKings points with 189 total yards and two receiving touchdowns. It's the second time in the past three games that Pollard has produced 30-plus DraftKings points. He's also rushed for at least 80 yards in four consecutive games. He should have similar success against a Giants' defense that's allowing 135.9 rushing yards per game and the 15th-most DraftKings points per game to RBs (23.9) this season. Given his receiving prowess, he makes for a sneaky stack with Prescott.
SINGLE-GAME DFS: Bills-Lions | Giants-Cowboys | Pats-Vikings
RB Devin Singletary, Bills @ Lions ($5,700). Singletary could get slightly overlooked on this three-game slate as DFS players stack their lineups with Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley, Jamaal Williams, or Pollard. However, do not sleep on the Bills' running back, as he's turned in back-to-back double-digit performances. In Week 11 against the Browns, Singletary scored 17.7 DraftKings points thanks to a rushing touchdown and 86 yards on the ground. He's scored three rushing touchdowns in the past two games and now gets to play the Lions' inconsistent defense. Detroit did a good job of keeping Barkley in check last week, but they are allowing 23.9 DraftKings points per game to RBs this season.
WEEK 12 DFS: Best values
WR Stefon Diggs, Bills @ Lions ($8,000). Diggs did not do a lot of damage on Sunday against the Browns (four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown), but he still scored 14.8 DraftKings points. The star wide receiver is averaging 20.6 DraftKings points per game in his past four contests, which is close to his season average (24.5). Diggs has a great matchup against a Lions' defense that will be without starting cornerback Jeff Okudah (concussion). Detroit has allowed nine touchdowns to WRs and 40.5 DraftKings points per game to WRs this season (fifth-most in the NFL). Diggs and Gabe Davis should thrive on Thanksgiving and will be rostered in many lineups.
WEEK 12 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Bills ($6,600). The young wide receiver might be one of the few Lions players who will have a good game on Thanksgiving. St. Brown is coming off his second-straight double-digit performance on Sunday against the Giants, producing 15 DraftKings points. Since Week 7 against Dallas when St. Brown scored 1.4 DraftKings points, he's averaging 15.8 DraftKings points per game. We should expect the former USC standout to receive a ton of targets on Thanksgiving, as the Bills' defense allows the ninth-most DraftKings points per game to WRs (36.5) this season. There's also a decent chance the Lions fall behind early and are forced to throw a lot in the second half.
WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Jakobi Meyers, Patriots @ Vikings. Meyers is New England's best receiver and second-best playmaker behind Rhamondre Stevenson. He's averaging 14.5 DraftKings points per game this season and 12 DraftKings points per game in his past five matchups. The Vikings have an opportunistic defense but will also give up their fair share of plays, shown by the fact that they allow the fifth-most DraftKings points per game to WRs (40.5). With DK's full-point PPR scoring, Meyers could really rack up points on Thursday night.
TE Dawson Knox, Bills vs. Lions ($3,500). Knox at $3,500 feels like a steal on this slate, especially with how he's played over the past two games. The third-year tight end just scored 14 DraftKings points (seven receptions for 70 yards) against the Browns. He will now face a Lions' defense allowing 15.3 DraftKings points per game and seven TDs to TEs. It's been a while since Knox scored a touchdown, but it wouldn't be a shock if found the end zone on Thanksgiving.
WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Darius Slayton, Giants @ Cowboys ($5,000). With no Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) for the rest of the season, Daniel Jones will be leaning on Slayton. The veteran wide receiver has stepped up lately, scoring double-double DraftKings points in four-straight contests. Slayton is also producing 14.6 DraftKings points per game over that period, which is higher than his season average (8.6). The vet should be able to hit on a couple of big plays on Thursday against a Cowboys' defense that allows the 13th-most DraftKings points per game to WRs (33.1).
DEF Patriots @ Vikings ($3,000). The Patriots' defense might not be a popular DFS play, as they are going up against Minnesota's high-powered offense. However, New England has been solid at all three levels this season, averaging 11.9 DraftKings points per game and wreaking havoc on QBs with 36 sacks. The Patriots will rack up some sacks on Kirk Cousins, who was taken down seven times in Week 11 and has thrown three interceptions in the past three games.
