Thursday Night Football DraftKings Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice for Week 13 Bills-Patriots Showdown tournaments

Matt Lutovsky

Thursday Night Football DraftKings Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice for Week 13 Bills-Patriots Showdown tournaments image

The last time the Bills and Patriots met in a prime-time game, New England attempted just three passes en route to a 14-10 victory. Let's hope the weather is a little better for Week 13's Thursday Night Football matchup so Mac Jones and his pass-catchers aren't completely useless in NFL DFS single-game tournaments. However, even with optimal early-December conditions, most daily fantasy football players will likely opt for a Bills-heavy build, and we're not different with our DraftKings Showdown lineup.

Josh Allen and Rhamondre Stevenson will be the chalkiest picks of the night, and we have both in our lineup, but our "Captain" pick might surprise you. We're banking on some bounce-back performances from key Bills' players, and we're throwing a Hail Mary with a value play from the Pats.

Before we break down all of our picks, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.

MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest

DraftKings Showdown Picks: Bills vs. Patriots Week 13 Thursday Night Football

$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team. 

Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): WR Gabriel Davis, Bills ($12,000)

Davis has been remarkably inconsistent this season, but he has as much "boom" potential as almost any WR in the league. We're going the contrarian route by making him our "Captain," saving some money relative to Josh Allen, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Stefon Diggs but still giving ourselves a decent chance at a 100-yard outing. Davis plays virtually every snap and has averaged five catches and just over seven targets per game in his past three contests, so he at least has a decent floor despite the tough matchup.

MORE TNF: FD lineup | Start 'em, sit 'emMeyers update

FLEX QB Josh Allen, Bills ($12,200)

If the Bills are playing in a prime-time game, you pretty much have to have Allen in your single-game lineup. Even if he struggles through the air against New England's ninth-ranked pass defense, he's sure to produce on the ground. Allen is averaging 51 rushing yards per game, and he always has an outside chance to rack up over 100 and get DK's three-point bonus. 

WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

FLEX RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots ($10,400)

With Damien Harris (thigh) out, Stevenson will be extra busy. Since Week 3, he's averaged 20.1 touches per game, including 5.2 receptions. In DraftKings' full-point PPR format, he's pretty much a "must-play." Even if he doesn't score, he's a lock for close to 15 points thanks to yards and catches. Fade him at your own risk.

WEEK 13 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

FLEX TE Dawson Knox, Bills ($6,200)

Knox was a disappointment despite a favorable matchup last week (two catches, 17 yards in Detroit), but in his previous two games, he posted 11 catches (13 targets) for 127 yards. A bounce-back performance is likely against a Patriots' defense allowing the eighth-most DK points per game to TEs. 

WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

FLEX Buffalo Bills D/ST ($5,200)

Mac Jones impressed with 382 yards, two TDs, and no turnovers last week, but he still took three sacks. Over the past four games, Jones has been sacked 19 times. Even without Von Miller (knee), Buffalo will get to the Pats' young quarterback. With the secondary finally getting healthier thanks to the recent returns of Tre'Davious White and Jordan Poyer, there's a good chance the Bills make a big play or two in addition to racking up sacks. 

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

FLEX WR Kendrick Bourne, Patriots ($2,200)

Bourne isn't an ideal play, but we can't afford many other legitimate options, so here we are. Both Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) and DeVante Parker (knee) have been banged up lately, so that should mean more opportunities for Bourne. He's played at least 69 percent of snaps in three of his past four games and seen four targets in two of the past three outings, so he shouldn't be a total zero. If he can get loose for one big play, perhaps in garbage time, he'll easily return value on his paltry salary. 

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.