Week 12 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Sleepers, advice, strategy for NFL DFS contests

Bennett Bedford

Week 12 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Sleepers, advice, strategy for NFL DFS contests image

The Week 12 NFL DFS slate gives us plenty of great high-end options to spend up on at each position, and in FanDuel and DraftKings cash games, I want to lock in at least one of the high-volume players per usual. There are also a number of high-end wide receivers who are in great spots, with Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, Keenan Allen, Mike Evans, T.Y. Hilton, and Josh Gordon all standing out. However, there are plenty of daily fantasy football value picks to be found at quarterback with the new QB pricing system on DraftKings, as well as a number of viable cheap sleepers at both running back and wide receiver.

We always caution that when looking for values, taking a cash game approach is the way to go. If you shake up your lineups at other spots in GPPs, you can get by with only a few values. RotoQL's Trending Players Tool can help you find the best value plays in a given week.

WEEK 12 DFS CASH LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel | DraftKings

We also always caution that this article should only be the beginning of your weekly NFL DFS research. The top DFS players consult several different sources before building their lineups. The best place to start is RotoQL's NFL lineup optimizer, which of course played a major role in the picks below. RotoQL’s industry-leading fantasy football packages are loaded with stats and easy-to-use DFS tools.

Follow me on Twitter (@DFSBenj) for more great NFL, NBA, MLB, and PGA DFS advice.

Week 12 Rankings:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker

NFL DFS Picks Week 12: QB sleepers, values

Carson Wentz, Eagles vs. Giants (DK: $5,900 | FD: $7,700)

I liked Wentz a lot as a cash game quarterback last week, but thankfully I switched onto Drew Brees at the last minute and avoided the pain that Wentz and the rest of the Eagles offense inflicted on DFS owners who rostered them. With that being said, this is a great chance to buy low on Wentz at his $5,900 price point on DraftKings in a great matchup against the Giants. Wentz has been excellent at home this season, posting a plus/minus of plus-2.8 with a 75-percent consistency rating. Wentz also offers a nice rushing floor so he should be able to more than pay off his $5,900 salary expectations.
 

Other QB Values: Lamar Jackson, Nick Mullens

WEEK 12 DFS GPP LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel | DraftKings

Week 12 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: RB sleepers, values

Peyton Barber, Buccaneers vs. 49ers (DK: $3,900 | FD: $5,8000

The running back position is a spot where I’m going to look to spend up at this week in cash games, but in GPPs there are some interesting cheap options, who, while risky, have the potential to smash value and give you huge leverage over the field. The Bucs-49ers matchup has by far the highest total on the slate at 55 points, and you can get the running backs in this game at great values. On Tampa, you have Barber, who has really taken command of the backfield with double-digit touches in six straight games. Barber has also completely taken over the red-zone rushing with six carries inside the red zone over the past two weeks. Barber is virtually completely reliant on scoring a touchdown to smash value, but he should have plenty of opportunities against a 49ers defense that ranks in the bottom third of the league against running backs.

Other RB Values: Josh Adams, Elijah McGuire

MORE WEEK 12 DFS: Last week's perfect lineup | Stacks | Lineup Builder

FanDuel, DraftKings Picks Week 12: WR sleepers, values

Doug Baldwin, Seahawks @ Panthers (DK: $5,100 | FD:  $6,500)

Wide receiver is going to be a position that most owners will look to save some money at this week, as the top-end running backs will take priority. That isn’t to say that there aren't some great mid-range value options at the position. For me, Baldwin makes a ton of sense at his $5,100 price on DraftKings and $6,500 price on FanDuel. Baldwin has been severely hampered by knee injuries this season, but he looked back to full health last Thursday night against the Packers, seeing a season high in targets and receptions en route to his best fantasy performance of the season. Baldwin and Russell Wilson have traditionally been a strong second half tandem and will look to keep it rolling this week against the Panthers who have struggled against the pass, ranking 16th DvP against wide receivers and 26th DvP against quarterbacks.

WR Marcell Ateman, Raiders @ Ravens (DK: $3,100 | FD:  $4,800)

While there are plenty of decent mid-range options at WR, it gets tricky once you start to dip below $4,000 on DraftKings. The Raiders provide some good punting opportunities, as they're running out of healthy bodies to use following injuries to Brandon LaFell and Jordy Nelson. Ateman was a talented player in college and will be the primary outside WR should Nelson be forced to miss his second-straight game, and he doesn’t need to do much to pay off his $3,100 DraftKings salary. The matchup couldn’t be much worse for the Raiders, who face the Ravens and their top-ranked pass defense. However, there is enough volume to go around in the offense that it won’t take many completions to get either Ateman or slot WR Seth Roberts to pay off their salary expectations.

Other WR Values: D.J. Moore, Adam Humphries, Willie Snead

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiverTight end

Week 12 NFL DFS Picks: TE sleepers, values

TE David Njoku, Browns @ Bengals (DK: $3,800 | FD: $5,100) 

The tight end options this week are rough outside of Zach Ertz and George Kittle, but there are a few TEs priced under $4,000 on DraftKings who should be able to provides us some targets are a nice price point. One of those guys is Njoku, who should be well rested following the Browns bye week. Njoku was struggling with rib and knee injuries prior to the bye but still was able to suit up so his status for Week 12 shouldn’t be in doubt. Njoku has a great individual matchup against the crumbling Bengals defense that ranks 28th DvP against tight ends, and he should return to his usual high-volume role, as he saw fewer than five targets for only the second time all season long last time out against the Falcons.

Other TE Values: Cameron Brate, Jack Doyle

Bennett Bedford