I'm going to bite the bullet and pay up at tight end in NFL DFS contests again in Week 12. The pricing and player pool on the Sunday featured NFL DFS slate presents some real challenges to finding the capital to do that in DraftKings cash games, but hopefully we cracked that code to dodge the TE wasteland and fill out with solid all-around lineup picks.
Last week was, uh, tilting. Kerryon Johnson was going full smash before he exitedl Marcus Mariota had pass-heavy script ahead, and his injury also torpedoed the Corey Davis play. Our DraftKings cash lineup still escaped total disaster with Kenny Golladay and Ezekiel Elliott sparking us to 126.9 points, leaving our season average at 153 DK points, via the cash game log .
Week 12 Rankings:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
NFL Week 12 DraftKings Cash Lineup
QB Philip Rivers, Chargers vs. Cardinals ($5,800): Rivers topped 400 passing yards last week and gets $200 cheaper this week. It's nice to see a higher ceiling established with the Chargers finally pushing that volume over 40 attempts Sunday, and the floor seals it with Rivers hitting 15-plus DK points in every game this season.
THANKSGIVING DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings
RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Seahawks ($7,900): The receiving floor is just too good to pass up in cash when they price him below $8K, particularly on a thin RB slate. CMC's seen five more targets over the past two games than Saquon Barkley, who's $1,200 more. We'll need that to avoid this slate's $4K WRs.
RB Nick Chubb, Browns @ Bengals ($6,300): Again, the thin RB slate means no Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliot and Kareem Hunt. Foregoing double-premium is the move at RB in cash, at least this week. Diving below $7K at RB2 produces one clear call since Chubb's eating with 23 touches in two straight games.
WEEK 12 DFS GPP LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel | DraftKings
WR Josh Gordon, Patriots @ Jets ($6,400): Gordon and teammate Julian Edelman both ranked top five in WR targets over the three weeks leading into the Pats' bye. There's a dodgy case to say a Gronk return could take volume from Gordon, but it could just as easily divert defensive attention. We're saving $600 off Edelman in a good WR matchup.
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE : WR TY Hilton, IND vs. MIA ($6,500): Hilton in feels a little weird, but he is averaging eight targets since the bye. AJ Green getting scratched puts us on Tyler Boyd auto-fade every time.
PREVIOUS: WR Tyler Boyd, Bengals vs. Browns ($6,000): I sat out Boyd sans A.J. Green when DK kept pricing him in the $7Ks. It's actually counterintuitive that Boyd's price drops a grand in Green's return (we'll adjust if Green is out again) since he actually expands the pie for the whole offense and keeps Boyd from being the primary focus.
WEEK 12 DFS CASH LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE : WR DJ Moore, CAR vs. SEA ($4,600): The injury news surrounding Doug Baldwin in the lead-up — followed by a rather stressful pregame workout — have us jumping off the Seahawks slot. Moore received only a moderate price bump after a smash week, so this isn't really chasing points. Embracing points.
PREVIOUS: WR Doug Baldwin, Seahawks @ Panthers ($5,100): Baldwin's nagging injuries have improved enough that he's close to form -- at least that's how Russell Wilson is treating him. Baldwin resumed alpha status in the 'Hawks pass O in garnering 10 targets last Thursday, yet DraftKings still prices him $1,100 below his Week 1 cost at Denver.
TE George Kittle, 49ers @ Bucs ($6,200): Zach Ertz burned us last week, but we think the rest of the TE pool remains too rough to avoid premium cost in cash. He and Kittle have seen a one-target difference over the past three weeks, per Pro Football Focus data, but I won't pass up Tampa's No. 31 defense in yards allowed per pass.
MORE WEEK 12 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
FLEX Josh Adams, Eagles vs. Giants ($3,800): Adams saw nearly 60 percent of offensive snaps on Sunday, which happened to come right after his coach announced his usage would increase. Getting the Eagles lead back at sub-$4K, which allows us to pay up elsewhere without getting too thin for cash game, is great value as far as cheap flex plays go.
D/ST San Francisco 49ers @ Bucs ($2,300): Bucs quarterbacks have already thrown 23 interceptions. The closest runner-ups are at 16, including the Bills. Tampa's DGAF duo could post 400 yards and still get the Niners comfortably to 3X value.