Week 12 Yahoo Fantasy Football: NFL DFS picks, lineup advice for GPP tournaments

Matt Lutovsky

Week 12 Yahoo Fantasy Football: NFL DFS picks, lineup advice for GPP tournaments image

Last week's Yahoo GPP lineup busted in a major way thanks to our Carson Wentz-Alshon Jeffery-Zach Ertz onslaught failing to show up. If we're being honest, pretty much all of last week's NFL DFS picks failed to show up with the exception of Marlon Mack, so it's best for everyone to just pretend it didn't happen and move on. Our Week 12 daily fantasy football tournament picks will be better...they have to be.

This week's central stack is a Browns onslaught, and while it might seem counterintuitive to pair Nick Chubb with Baker Mayfield (as opposed to Duke Johnson), we think Chubb has a higher ceiling and can still be involved in the passing attack like in Cleveland's last game. Because we're paying up at RB and one WR spot, we have to hunt for bargains at other positions. This is truly a boom-or-bust GPP lineup, but we like the matchups our one-off sleepers will be facing.

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

High-priced RBs and at least a couple random WRs are common in our weekly DraftKings perfect lineup review, so we're hoping we've hit on the right ones this week.

Yahoo Fantasy Football: Week 12 NFL DFS tournament lineup

QB Baker Mayfield, Browns @ Bengals ($30). Normally we're leery of Mayfield on the road, but he has four TDs to only one turnover in his past two road affairs. The yards have been disappointing (395) -- and he needed a good garbage-time drive against Pittsburgh in Week 8 to even crack 120 yards for that game -- but everyone has been lighting up the Bengals recently (save for Lamar Jackson and his 27 rush attempts). Mayfield has produced multiple TDs in four straight games, and he tossed a career-high three touchdowns in his last game in a favorable matchup against Atlanta. Trusting Mayfield comes with risks, as the Browns could lean on their running game again, but there could easily be enough points to go around for both Mayfield and Nick Chubb to go off again.

THANKSGIVING DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings

RB Melvin Gordon, Chargers vs. Cardinals ($40). With no Todd Gurley, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, or Alvin Kamara on the Sunday slate, Gordon is the most bankable RB, particularly in a matchup against a Cardinals defense that's been in the top three in terms of fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to RBs all season. Coming off a TD-less game, it's likely Gordon gets in the end zone at least once, if not twice, this week. Pay (for) the man.

RB Nick Chubb, Browns @ Bengals ($27). Chubb is priced below the elite backs, and it's understandable given his relative lack of track record and lack of involvement in the receiving game. But since taking over as the starter in Week 7 (four games), he has 78 carries (at least 18 in every game), 406 rushing yards, and four total TDs. That's elite-level stuff right there. He even got involved in the receiving game in Cleveland's last game, catching three passes for 33 yards and a score. The Bengals were just shredded by Gus Edwards, so Chubb seems likely to go off again. In order for this Mayfield-Chubb stack to really work, we'll likely need at least one big catch-and-run or a touchdown catch from Chubb, which is asking for a lot, but it's possible Chubb has 150-plus yards and a score and Mayfield has 250-plus yards and three TDs, which would mean both pay off at nice price points.

WEEK 12 DFS GPP LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings

WR Odell Beckham Jr., Giants @ Eagles ($35). There's some risk involved in paying up for OBJ in a game where Eli Manning could be under constant pressure, but the Eagles are decimated in the secondary, so Beckham should continue his hot streak. OBJ was held to a season-low 44 yards and no scores when these teams met earlier this season, but Beckham has been on fire since, posting two 100-yard games and four TDs in four contests. Philadelphia won't hold him down twice.

WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers vs. 49ers ($16). Last week Mike Evans and Adam Humphries scored for the Bucs while DeSean Jackson tied Evans for the team lead in targets. All that means is Godwin is due to step up this week. You can't really handicap the Bucs WR situation based on trends -- any of the four could have a big game in a given week. Godwin caught all seven targets in Week 10 for 103 yards, so even though he hasn't scored since Week 6, that only means he's overdue to get into the end zone. The 49ers have struggled against WRs most of the year, and with O.J. Howard (ankle) banged up, Godwin could be in line for more targets.

​WEEK 12 DFS CASH LINEUPS: YahooFanDuel | DraftKings

WR Antonio Callaway, Browns @ Bengals ($13). Callaway is a favorite of this article despite basically never paying off in favorable matchups. After only seeing two targets in Cleveland's last game, perhaps it's time to give up on Callaway, but the matchup is so good that you know at least one Browns receiver is going off. Maybe it's Duke Johnson, maybe it's David Njoku, maybe it's Rashard Higgins, but we're taking our chance with Callaway once again. The big-play specialist could produce at any point, and given his cheap price, we'll take our chances.

TE C.J. Uzomah, Bengals vs. Browns ($11). Uzomah has mostly been a disappointment since stepping into the starting role, but he saw a relatively healthy five targets last week, and even if A.J. Green (toe) is back, Uzomah has upside against the Browns. At $11 against a defense allowing the ninth-most fantasy points/game to TEs, Uzomah is as good of a value play as anyone. When you're paying up for Melvin Gordon, Odell Beckham Jr., and Nick Chubb, you need to take some chances. Here's another lotto ticket.

MORE WEEK 12 DFS: Values | StacksLineup Builder

FLEX Elijah McGuire, Jets vs. Patriots ($13). In his two games this year, McGuire has seen 13 carries for 60 rushing yards and six catches (11 targets) for 64 receiving yards. Coming off a bye, McGuire could be more involved in the Jets offense, and the projected game script against the Pats would seem to favor him over Isaiah Crowell. New England allows the seventh-most receiving yards per game to RBs (55.6), plus another 91.3 rushing yards per game to backs, so McGuire should have chances to pay off his cheap price.

D/ST Jacksonville Jaguars @ Bills ($14). Even with Josh Allen expected back, the Bills are an offense you want to exploit. Jacksonville showed some fire against Pittsburgh last week, and even with this game on the road, we expect them to cause some turnovers and produce some sacks against the rookie.

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.