NFL DFS picks Week 12: Best sleepers, value players for FanDuel, DraftKings, SuperDraft lineups

Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! We have a wonderful weekend of football ahead of us, including a Turkey Day tripleheader and an unprecedented Black Friday contest on Amazon. Our focus today, however, will be the same as it is every Tuesday: DFS sleepers and value plays for the Sunday main slate.

It's the key to daily fantasy success — capitalize on cheap production so you can afford more weekly studs at other roster spots. It's been our bread and butter for years, and we've stuffed the DFS stat sheets with our sleepers all season. We're looking to keep the gravy train rolling this weekend (with some Thanksgiving puns thrown in), sharing our favorite offerings from DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft for the feast of football that Week 12 will serve up.

WEEK 12 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit

We'll do all the leg work for you — scour the player pools like my daughter searching the table for mac and cheese, handpick the juiciest sleepers and undervalued gems, and tell you why they're worth piling onto your DFS plate. All you have to do is dig in and enjoy the show, like a post-meal political debate between your aunts and uncles.

Once we pick our favorite value plays each week, we write about the best ones at each position, explaining why each player or D/ST has a good chance of vastly outproducing their respective price point. We also review our double-digit hits from the previous week, like a kid showing off their latest turkey-inspired artwork on the refrigerator.

By capitalizing on affordable sleepers in certain DFS roster spots, we leave ourselves the budget to greatly improve other roster spots with weekly studs. Let's face it, in order to afford an A.J. Brown ($9,000 on DK), you must invest in the occasional Khalil Shakir ($3,600)

We have enjoyed consistent success with our DFS sleepers and values all season. Each Tuesday, we share a big list of hits from the previous week. — with each hit typically netting 14-22 fantasy points. Throughout the year, we've been consistently ahead of the game on breakouts like Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Zack Moss, and Nico Collins, among many others.

WEEK 12 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best stacks

Take a look at our collection of hits from last week:

That's a pretty strong week of hits. Purdy had a perfect passer rating en route to his 32.7 points, and four other value plays exceeded 20 points for us. On the whole, our 10 hits averaged over 20 points while costing just $5,220 per player.

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Let's run it back! This year, we're also incorporating SuperDraft into our weekly DFS column. For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. So, the sleepers who carry lower salaries in DK/FD have higher boosts on SD. The best part: SuperDraft users can roster any player with no restrictions.

MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft

Let's get to our picks. Below we will reveal our Week 11 DFS sleepers and values at each position. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy what will undoubtedly be another wild week!

All player values are from DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft. All stats are from NFL.com and Pro Football Reference.

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: QB sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel, SuperDraft

Derek Carr, Saints at Falcons (DK: $5,800 | FD: $6,800 | SD: 1.35x)

 The Dirty Birds have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs this NFL season, including full-on feasts from the likes of Jordan Love, Sam Howell, Will Levis, and Josh Dobbs. Carr is the lowest-priced high-ceiling QB play of the main slate.

Gardner Minshew II, Colts vs. Buccaneers (DK: $5,100 | FD: $6,700 | SD: 1.45x)

The main slate has been left with table scraps this week, so we had to go really deep to find sleepers. The Bucs have been atrocious against the pass since Week 6, allowing 27.3 DK points per game to QBs during that span. Five different signal-callers have passed for 324-plus yards and two-plus TDs against Tampa Bay this season, and we wouldn't be surprised if Minshew makes it six. The way to beat this defense is through the air, not on the ground, as TB ranks top six in rushing yards, rush TDs, and yards per carry allowed this season but bottom three in DK points allowed to QBs. Invite the Gardner to Sunday dinner.

Other solid Week 12 values: Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers at Colts (DK: $5,500 | FD: $6,800 | SD: 1.35x); Tommy DeVito, Giants vs. Patriots (DK: $5,200 | FD: $6,600 | SD: 1.4x); Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Browns at Broncos (DK: $4,900 | FD: $6,400 | SD: 1.45x)

WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: RB sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel, SuperDraft

Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs at Raiders (DK: $6,200 | FD: $6,600 | SD: 1.25x)

For a smaller dude, Pacheco has been running like a monster this season. He gashed the Eagles for chunk yards again and again on Monday Night Football, and now he gets to butter up a monster fantasy score in a mouthwatering matchup with the lowly Raiders. Vegas has surrendered the sixth-most PPR points to running backs this season, even getting carved up for 33 points by the likes of D'Onta Foreman a few weeks ago. Pacheco is well worth this price, and we would consider him a value at any price under $7,000.

James Cook, Bills at Eagles (DK: $6,200 | FD: $6,500 | SD: 1.25x) 

Let James Cook! How could we not include the Bills' second-year back in our Thanksgiving column with such a pun-friendly surname? His recent play has also helped make the case for more fantasy consideration, with 35.2 combined DK points over the past two weeks. Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and realized you can't succeed in the NFL without a running game — wow! We also know after MNF that Philly's rushing defense has taken a step back, with the aforementioned Pacheco feasting like a buffet-line teenager in the middle of a growth spurt. 

More solid Week 12 RB values: Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots at Giants (DK: $4,800 | FD: $6,800 | SD: 1.3x); Jerome Ford, Browns at Broncos (DK: $5,600 | FD: $6,700 | SD: 1.35x); Jaylen Warren, Steelers at Bengals (DK: $5,400 | FD: $6,900 | SD: 1.35x); Kareem Hunt, Browns at Broncos (DK: $4,800 | FD: $6,000 | SD: 1.5x) 

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: WR sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel, SuperDraft

Christian Kirk, Jaguars at Texans (DK: $5,700 | FD: $6,800 | SD: 1.35x)

Kirk has lived in this column the majority of the season, and somehow his rates just stay the same like a trusty brand of jarred cranberry sauce. The veteran Jags wideout has averaged 14.2 DK points per game this season, and he has bested 18 points twice in the past month. Fire this guy up like your ill-advised uncle firing up a turkey in an undersized air fryer.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers at Bengals (DK: $4,900 | FD: $6,400 | SD: 1.4x)

Now that Johnson's back to full health, he has easily reclaimed his role as the most-targeted wideout in Pittsburgh. The Steelers should have a much easier time throwing the ball against Cincinnati than they had last week against Cleveland. This passing game never inspires much confidence, but at $4,900 this almost feels like an early Christmas gift.

Khalil Shakir, Bills at Eagles (DK: $3,600 | FD: $5,700 | SD: 1.7x)

Shakir has been pretty good as the Bills' third receiver all season, but he exploded like never before last week. All told, he caught three-of-four targets for 115 yards and a TD, good for 23.5 points. For a 9-1 team, Philadelphia has been less-than-stellar against the pass, allowing the most DK points and the third-most FD points to wideouts this season.

More solid Week 12 WR values: Amari Cooper, Browns at Broncos (DK: $5,900 | FD: $7,000 | SD: 1.35x); Gabe Davis, Bills at Eagles (DK: $5,300 | FD: $6,000 | SD: 1.45x); Josh Downs, Colts vs. Buccaneers (DK: $4,800 | FD: $5,900 | SD: 1.5x); Demario Douglas, Patriots at Giants (DK: $4,400 | FD: $6,100 | SD: 1.5x)

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: TE sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel, SuperDraft

Trey McBride, Cardinals vs. Rams (DK: $4,700 | FD: $6,100 | SD: 1.35x)

McBride has been fantastic on the whole since Zach Ertz hit the IR, and we envision continued success now that Kyler Murray has kicked the rust off since returning from his torn ACL. Murray had a great connection with Ertz, and McBride has a similar skill set to the former Pro Bowler. The Rams have allowed the seventh-most FD points and ninth-most DK points to tight ends this season, so we like Trey to do some turkey-trotting this weekend.

More solid Week 12 TE values: David Njoku, Browns at Broncos (DK: $4,100 | FD: $5,700 | SD: 1.5x); Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. Saints (DK: $4,000 | FD: $5,300 | SD: 1.5x); Jonnu Smith, Falcons vs. Saints (DK: $3,400 | FD: $5,100 | SD: 1.6x); Pat Freiermuth, Steelers at Bengals (DK: $2,900 | FD: $4,900 | SD: 1.7x)

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: D/ST sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel

Kansas City Chiefs at Raiders (DK: $3,100 | FD: $5,000)

One of our main D/ST strategies when assembling DFS lineups is to attack crap offenses, so we're targeting the Raiders for the second-straight week. Miami cashed in with 12 DK points against Vegas last week, and we love the chances of Steve Spagnuolo's D ripping Aiden O'Connell and company apart after a tough Monday Night Football loss to the Eagles. Patrick Mahomes has said multiple times that Kansas City has the best defense in the NFL, and when you deep-dive the stats, it doesn't seem like an outlandish statement. The Chiefs rank among the top four in points surrendered, yards allowed, and passing yards allowed. They're going to carve up Antonio Pierce's below-average offense like a hungry dad tearing into a spiral ham.