DraftKings Picks Week 13: Best NFL DFS lineup advice for daily fantasy football tournaments

Nick Brinkerhoff

DraftKings Picks Week 13: Best NFL DFS lineup advice for daily fantasy football tournaments image

The world is often divided into categories of two -- win or lose, boom or bust, contender or pretender, do or don't, yes or no, and so on. However, sometimes it pays to take a step back and realize that there's also a middle ground, with no shame in ending up there either. The spectrum is much more than an abyss in the middle. Maybe purgatory isn't so bad after all. You can win but also lose, much like how you can lose but also win. There's an overemphasis on being at the top or bottom in the world nowadays. 

Drake's famous lyrics, "Started from the bottom, now we're here," are often words to live by for so many. DFS contests remind us that there's value in batting around .500, though. In baseball terms, that's not only good enough for a second contract, but a spot in the Hall of Fame. We often talk about winning enough money to change our lives, but maybe we're right where we are supposed to be. Play responsibly and realize that this is supposed to be fun. Don't be one of those people who starts messaging players for being bad at their job, even if they are. Remember that we are playing a game that doesn't always have to be so cut-and-dry, even if we're hoping that the win is coming soon.

Now enjoy our Week 13 DraftKings lineup that we hope finally hits it out of the park. 

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 13 FANTASY ADVICE: Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit

DraftKings Picks Week 13: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments

Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget

QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins @ Commanders ($7,900). The Commanders now allow the second-most yards to WRs per game (195.3) and can't help but play in a shootout every week. Tagovailoa doesn't always have the best numbers in Miami's potent rushing attack, but his connection with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle should make for a great statistical showing from the quarterback in the nation's capital on Sunday.  

RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons @ Jets ($6,700). Arthur Smith was essentially bullied into playing Robinson and giving him opportunities to score in the red zone. The Falcons offense is mostly miserable to watch, but Robinson should run right through this Jets defense with ease. New York has struggled to contain running backs this year, and Robinson will be one of the best they've faced. In an Atlanta offense that actually features a great run scheme, this is quite the mismatch. 

WEEK 13 DFS:
FD lineup | Best stacks | Best values

RB Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Cardinals ($5,200). Jaylen Warren was supposed to be the starter. Warren was supposed to get more touches. Instead, it was the Harris show once again last week, as he scored a touchdown and saw 15 carries to Warren's 13. Harris was also the more efficient runner, though, totaling 99 yards to just 49 for his counterpart. It seems likely that the former Alabama star will be prioritized over Warren, especially around the goal line. Buy the discount on Harris and expect a better return on investment in this highly favorable matchup. 

WR Tyreek Hill, Dolphins @ Commanders ($9,600). Hill might break some records on Sunday. Whatever the number, we suggest picking the over. The Commanders' leaky secondary was basically begging to be beat down the field on Thanksgiving in Dallas, eventually resulting in the firing of Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator. We doubt Ron Rivera's presence is changing that personnel shortcoming, and Hill's speed is enough to give even the best defenses fits. Washington isn't in command on that side of the ball, leaving the 'Phins to deliver in a big way. 

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

WR Josh Downs, Colts @ Titans ($5,100). Downs continues to make an impact as a rookie and now gets a familiar matchup against the division-rival Titans, a team he thrived against earlier in the year. After posting 97 yards in the first meeting, Downs has a chance to replicate that after seeing 13 targets in his most recent game. Tennessee's secondary remains below average, and the Colts remain in the thick of the playoff race, giving Indy's rookie to take advantage. 

WR Jonathan Mingo, Panthers @ Buccaneers ($3,300). The Buccaneers' secondary couldn't defend someone standing still. They've been exploited by wide receivers all year long, allowing 196.9 yards to the position per game on average. Now they'll have to deal with a team that just fired their coach and should have a motivated offense. Mingo is coming off a 60-yard showing, hauling in four-of-six targets against the Titans. Adam Thielen is clearly WR1, but Carolina needs to start getting some of its younger players involved to avoid a completely lost season. Mingo should be featured plenty in Tampa.  

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

TE Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Chargers ($3,100). A Patriots' player not named Rhamondre Stevenson? This bold pick comes with Henry in a perfect spot. He has a revenge game against the Chargers, the team that allows the fourth-most yards per game to TEs (65.0), and he's also likely to be in a negative game script. Playing from behind, we don't care which Patriots QB starts -- Henry will be involved this week unlike last week.

FLEX WR Courtland Sutton, Broncos @ Texans ($5,400). Houston has a defensive problem. It's not as bad as it might seem, but the Texans continue to find themselves in back-and-forth games that feature plenty of points. Their defense obviously needs some work going forward, but we can take advantage right now. Sutton is a touchdown machine and draws a matchup against a team that's had its fair share of issues containing WR1s at times this season. 

DEF Falcons @ Jets ($3,400). Boyle, Tim. Need we say more? The Jets don't score touchdowns. The Jets don't move the ball. The Jets can hardly register a first down. The Jets offense is broken. The Jets are broken. Take the gift and move on.  

Best SuperDraft NFL DFS Picks for Week 13

This season, we're also listing our favorite Week 13 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: Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins (Multiplier 1.05x) 
  • RB: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (Multiplier 1x)
  • RB: Rachaad White, Buccaneers (Multiplier 1.3x)
  • WR: Tyreek Hill, Dolphins (Multiplier 1x)
  • WR: Adam Thielen, Panthers (Multiplier 1.3x)
  • WR: Courtland Sutton, Broncos (Multiplier 1.45x)
  • TE: Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (Multiplier 1.3x)
  • FLEX: RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons (Multiplier 1.25x)

This week's SuperDraft lineup features what we hope will be plenty of touchdowns. From CMC and the Miami stack that is destined to deliver to emerging players like White, Robinson, and Freiermuth, this lineup is surely taking home some green in Week 13. It's just a matter of how much it'll be. 

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.