DraftKings Picks Week 12: Best NFL DFS lineup advice for daily fantasy football tournaments

Nick Brinkerhoff

DraftKings Picks Week 12: Best NFL DFS lineup advice for daily fantasy football tournaments image

The "Sunday Scaries" always hit different after a holiday weekend. Monday is looming and a return to work or school is imminent. The alarms are set once again and reality is about to set in. Lucky for you, we're here to hopefully help brighten that day. The holidays can be a stressful and exciting time, that part of the calendar that seems to fly by no matter how many days it might contain. As you set out to do some shopping or just get through the daily grind, our Week 12 DraftKings lineup is here to hopefully add some weight to your bank account the same way that pumpkin pie did the same to you all weekend long.

Now, let's celebrate as we head into a sure-to-be wild Week 12. 

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.

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

DraftKings Picks Week 12: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments

Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget

QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. Rams ($6,900). Murray has played in two games and has two rushing touchdowns. So much for that knee injury, right? The Cardinals quarterback is up to his usual antics and in a week where 12 of the league's 32 signal-callers are off the main slate, Murray is one of the best options on a board that is littered with backups.  

RB Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Raiders ($6,200). Take one look at the Chiefs receivers and this pick will make plenty of sense. Factor in that the Raiders run defense has struggled this season, and this becomes a smash spot for Pacheco. Patrick Mahomes is making the throws, but his receivers can't catch. The running back who was picked in the seventh round last year is playing far too well to ignore.  

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

RB Rachaad White, Buccaneers @ Colts ($6,100). White is quickly becoming a mainstay in our weekly lineups, as our early-season optimism has finally paid off. He's posted five straight double-digit fantasy point performances and faces a Colts defense that has nearly allowed at least 97 yards on the ground in four straight. White should be active once again as one of Tampa's best weapons on offense. 

WR Tank Dell, Texans vs. Jaguars ($6,900). Officially now known as "Tank," Dell is making sure the Texans are far away from that conversation. He's scored a touchdown in three straight and has been targeted 35 times over that span, recording two 100-yard games. What was once a receiving corps dominated by Nico Collins has now become Dell's, as the rookie is becoming a sure-fire WR1 right before our eyes. Keep riding that wave before oddsmakers and DFS price-setters catch up. 

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

WR Michael Pittman Jr., Colts vs. Buccaneers ($6,800). Pittman isn't finding the end zone as much as you'd like right now, but the volume is definitely there. The Colts should be well-rested coming out of the bye, and Pittman will be trying to continue posting solid numbers. He's been targeted 52 times over the past five games, but he only has two touchdowns and surpassed the century mark once. That volume will start bringing better results soon, and there's no better time than the present. Tampa is officially allowing the most yards per game to WRs (198.9) and the fourth-most fantasy points per game (25.6). Even with the Colts offensive struggles, it would be hard to ignore Pittman's upside.  

WR Khalil Shakir, Bills @ Eagles ($3,600). Speaking of teams that struggle to defend WRs, we introduce you to the 9-1 Eagles. Don't let that record fool you -- this team has its fair share of problems that haven't come back to bite it yet. While everyone splurges on Stefon Diggs, we will instead opt for the receiver who's less likely to be rostered. The receiver has become a fixture in the slot and has a knack for getting open. Joe Brady taking over as offensive coordinator also provided a boost to his stock moving forward, as Shakir played a season-high 66 snaps in Week 11. The big play came on an 81-yard touchdown, something we can't rely on every week, but the opportunities are there for the rising Shakir with Brady calling the shots.    

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

TE Trey McBride, Cardinals vs. Rams ($4,700). We're stacking Murray with McBride once again after the tight end continued to be one of the most targeted Cardinals last Sunday. Greg Dortch paced the team with eight targets on the afternoon, but McBride slid in right behind with seven, collecting five catches for 43 yards. It's clear that Murray will continue looking for McBride, and Arizona is often playing from behind. Those two realities add up to a nice stack that doesn't break the bank.  

FLEX RB Jerome Ford, Browns @ Broncos ($5,600). The team that runs the ball the most is taking on the team that allows the most rushing yards per game. The Browns, who run the ball 34.3 times per game, should be licking their chops at the sight of this Broncos' defense that allows 160 yards per game on the ground. All of that translates to a big week from Ford, who isn't in danger of Cleveland going pass-happy with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. Sometimes it's just that easy. 

DEF Chiefs @ Raiders ($3,100). The Chiefs receivers can't catch, and the offense looks nothing like something we'd see from Andy Reid's team. So, it's a good thing that Steve Spagnuolo's defense is firing on all cylinders this year. If anything, K.C. should be thanking the defensive coordinator for the team's 7-3 record, which would be worse without them. They've forced turnovers, gotten pressure on the quarterback, and have seemingly done everything but score. The Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell will be having nightmares on Sunday after playing behind his offensive line against this Chiefs defense. 

Best SuperDraft NFL DFS Picks for Week 12

This season, we're also listing our favorite Week 12 DFS lineup on SuperDraft, with some of our picks and analysis overlapping. 

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 a few matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.

Win BIG with SuperDraft! Join now and get a free deposit match of $20!

Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPRfour-point passing TDstwo-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards100 receiving yardsand 300 passing yards.

MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft

  • QB: Kyler Murray, Cardinals (Multiplier 1.15x) 
  • RB: Joe Mixon, Bengals (Multiplier 1.25x)
  • RB: Rachaad White, Buccaneers (Multiplier 1.3x)
  • WR: Stefon Diggs, Bills (Multiplier 1.05x)
  • WR: Puka Nacua, Rams (Multiplier 1.15x)
  • WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Colts (Multiplier 1.25x)
  • TE: Trey McBride, Cardinals (Multiplier 1.35x)
  • FLEX: RB Jerome Ford, Browns (Multiplier 1.35x)

This week's SuperDraft lineup aims to provide a buffet of high-upside options on Sunday from Mixon and the Murray-McBride stack to a bounce-back effort from Diggs to continued success for White, Nacua, Ford, and Pittman. 

Nick Brinkerhoff

Nick Brinkerhoff Photo

Nick Brinkerhoff is a content producer at The Sporting News covering the NFL, NBA and other sports. A proud New Jerseyan, Nick is also a graduate of Rutgers University. He is always in the mood for a good joke, the day’s best bets, or a debate about the mediocrity of the New York sports scene.