NFL DFS Stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel - Top Week 12 Daily Fantasy Football Picks

It's the week of Thanksgiving, so I'd like to take the time to wish everyone a fantastic time with family, friends, and football. Along with discussing my favorite stacks for the 10-game main slate in NFL DFS on Sunday, I'll include my favorite stack on the three-game Thanksgiving slate for Thursday at the end of the article.

In this weekly article, we'll be taking a look at stacks and bring-back options that are ideal plays in GPPs (guaranteed prize pools) on DraftKings and FanDuel. Salaries and scoring formats can differ on both sites, making some players much better options on one site compared to the other.

When looking at stacks and bring-back players each week, you have to take into account potential game scripts and correlation. Before the 12th week of the season, here are my favorite stacks and bring-back options in NFL DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

• Trevor Lawrence ($6,400 DK, $7,800 FD)
• Calvin Ridley ($6,000 DK, $7,100 FD)
• Christian Kirk ($5,700 DK, $6,800 FD) or Evan Engram ($4,200 DK, $5,800 FD)

Trevor Lawrence easily had his best performance in Week 11 versus the pass-funneling defense of the Tennessee Titans. The former No. 1 overall pick completed 24 of his 32 attempts for 262 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 17 yards and another two scores. Lawrence will square off against the Houston Texans in Week 12, who are somewhat of a pass-funneling defense themselves. The Texans are 12th in run defense DVOA and 22nd in pass defense DVOA, while also allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Jaguars are also projected for the third-most points (25) among teams on the main slate.

Much was made about how Calvin Ridley performs better when Zay Jones is on the field. That came into fruition in Week 11 as Ridley caught seven of his nine targets for 103 yards and a season-high two touchdowns. When Jones is active, the Jacksonville Jaguars use him to run more of the deep, clear-out routes to give Ridley and Christian Kirk more room to operate. We also saw the Jaguars move Ridley around a bit more than in previous weeks against the Titans as putting him in the slot could benefit him tremendously.

Kirk is still seeing most of the slot snaps for the Jaguars, but he saw his production dip to three catches for 48 yards on six targets with Jones back. Since Week 1, Kirk has had fewer than six targets just once. Evan Engram has one of the most consistent workloads among tight ends as he's commanded five-plus targets in all 10 games this season. The Texans are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. This is a perfect week for Engram to score his first touchdown of the season.

Bring-back options:

• Tank Dell ($6,900 DK, $7,800 FD)
• Nico Collins ($6,400 DK, $6,900 FD) or Dalton Schultz ($5,400 DK, $6,800 FD)

Tank Dell has emerged as the preferred target for C.J. Stroud in Houston's aerial attack (and both sites have adjusted his salary to reflect that). In the last three weeks alone, the rookie pass catcher has combined for 20 receptions, 319 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. Dell is also seeing extremely valuable targets, evidenced by his 3.45 air yards per route run.

Nico Collins returned from a one-game absence in Week 11, logging seven catches for 65 yards on 11 targets. The 11 targets were the most Collins has tallied since Week 1 and the Texans are beginning to let Stroud air the ball out more. Dalton Schultz has gotten home on either volume or by scoring a touchdown in six of his last seven games. Among tight ends with 230 routes run this season, Schultz has the sixth-highest air yards per route run (1.6).

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Indianapolis Colts vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Gardner Minshew ($5,100 DK, $6,700 FD)
• Michael Pittman Jr. ($6,800 DK, $7,600 FD) or Josh Downs ($4,800 DK, $5,900 FD)

Recommending Gardner Minshew is more about the matchup than it is about him as a player. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have always been a pass-funneling defense under Todd Bowles, and that hasn't changed in 2023. If you remove the dud from rookie Will Levis in Week 10, the Buccaneers have allowed four of the last five quarterbacks they've faced to throw for 324-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. The Indianapolis Colts are coming out of their bye week and Minshew has shown he can be a serviceable passer.

What makes the Colts an enticing team to stack is how condensed the targets are in the passing game. Michael Pittman Jr. leads the team with a 30.4% target share (10th among wide receivers). Pittman has eight or more catches in four of his last five games. While rookie Josh Downs has combined for three receptions for 50 yards on four targets in his last two games, he's the clear No. 2 receiver in this offense. This is a perfect get-right spot for Downs as the Buccaneers allow the most receiving yards and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Tampa Bay's defense has also surrendered 43 explosive passing plays (20-plus yard completions), which is tied for the third-most in the NFL.

Bring-back options:

• Mike Evans ($7,400 DK, $8,000 FD)
• Chris Godwin ($6,300 DK, $6,400 FD) or Rachaad White ($6,100 DK, $7,000 FD)

It is also somewhat easy to pinpoint who to use as a bring-back for Colts stacks as the Buccaneers have a trio of players dominating opportunities. Mike Evans is proving that he is still an electric player at 30 years old. The big-play wideout has a touchdown in four of his last five games, and he's on pace to have his 10th straight season of 1,000 or more receiving yards to begin his career. With the Colts operating at the fastest pace on offense (23.2 seconds per snap), we've seen teams get into shootouts with them this season.

Chris Godwin has just one touchdown on the season as most of the end-zone targets are going to Evans. Given his lack of explosive plays and touchdowns, Godwin is a much better play on DraftKings than FanDuel. Rachaad White is seeing a healthy 32.2% opportunity share (12th-highest mark among running backs) as he's gotten 15 or more touches in all but one game this season. White is too cheap given his usage and the Colts are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to running backs.

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals

• Matthew Stafford ($6,300 DK, $6,900 FD)
• Cooper Kupp ($8,000 DK, $8,000 FD)
• Puka Nacua ($7,600 DK, $8,200 FD) or Tutu Atwell ($4,100 DK, $5,700 FD)

Matthew Stafford has undoubtedly been disappointing this season as he has just one game with multiple passing touchdowns. The gunslinging quarterback is dealing with a thumb injury and he's gotten unlucky throughout the season. At the same time, he has a prime matchup (again) versus the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12. Everyone is going to flock toward using Kyren Williams in his expected return from injured reserve, so I'll leverage that by stacking Stafford against the No. 29 ranked pass defense in DVOA. Stafford was also inches away from having a much different day in Week 12 versus the Seahawks.

Cooper Kupp suffered an ankle injury to the same ankle he underwent surgery on in the offseason in Week 11. The All-Pro wideout is diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain and Sean McVay said he's day-to-day. I'm not a professional doctor or anything, but I'm predicting the Los Angeles Rams will be cautious with Kupp and he'll be out for Week 12. On the other hand, if Kupp is healthy enough to play, he is worth taking a chance on in tournaments in a favorable matchup.

We've seen what this Rams offense looks like when Kupp isn't on the field. Rookie Puka Nacua becomes the go-to target for Stafford, while Tutu Atwell elevates to the No. 2 option in the passing game. In the first four weeks sans Kupp, Nacua led the Rams in targets (52), receptions (39), and receiving yards (501). Atwell saw a 24.1% target share when Kupp missed the first four games of the season, so he could be a massive value if Kupp is ruled out. If Kupp is active, then Atwell becomes nothing more than a dart throw in GPPs.

Bring-back options:

• James Conner ($5,900 DK, $6,600 FD)
• Marquise Brown ($5,200 DK, $6,500 FD) or Trey McBride ($4,700 DK, $6,100 FD)

In his first two games back from a stint on injured reserve, James Conner has handled 30 of the 34 running back carries for the Cardinals. While Kyler Murray prefers to throw the ball down the field, we could see Conner command a few more targets as the quarterback gets more comfortable in a new offense. Even though the Rams have been solid against running backs, Conner is still seeing a high usage.

The connection between Murray and Marquise Brown just hasn't been there yet. Brown has caught just three of his nine targets for 46 yards in his first two games with Murray this season. This could be a week where the duo connects on a couple of deep passes as the Rams have an inexperienced secondary and have given up 35 explosive passing plays. Trey McBride continues to see TE1 usage with Murray under center. The young tight end has registered 13 catches for 174 yards on 16 targets in his first two games with Murray. Greg Dortch and Rondale Moore are worth mentioning as dart throws if Michael Wilson is forced to miss another game.

Bonus stack: Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders

• Dak Prescott ($6,800 DK, $8,500 FD)
• CeeDee Lamb ($8,700 DK, $9,200 FD)
• Brandin Cooks ($4,500 DK, $5,700 FD) or Jake Ferguson ($3,900 DK, $6,100 FD)

I'm not going to overthink things on the Thanksgiving slate by stacking Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott has been sensational recently, throwing for 300-plus yards in three of his last four and multiple touchdowns in each of his last four games. The Washington Commanders are a defense we've targeted all season with plenty of success. Washington's defense is 32nd in pass DVOA, allowing the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and has given up the most explosive passing plays (45) in the league. Even Tommy Devito just carved the Commanders up for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

CeeDee Lamb is the most expensive wide receiver on both sites for the Thanksgiving slate — and for good reason. Since Week 6, Lamb has led all receivers in fantasy points and receiving yards. The Commanders are 10th in run defense DVOA, so the Cowboys could elect to go pass-heavy at home. Lamb is reportedly dealing with an ankle injury, so it will be worth keeping an eye on his status ahead of Thursday's contest.

Brandin Cooks has seemingly begun to grow more comfortable catching passes from Prescott. Aside from his nine-reception, 173-yard outing in Week 10, Cooks has a reception of 22 or more yards in three of his last four games. Jake Ferguson is entirely too cheap on DraftKings given his red-zone usage. The second-year tight end is tied for the most red-zone targets (18) in the NFL with Davante Adams.

Bring-back options:

• Terry McLaurin ($5,400 DK, $6,500 FD)
• Jahan Dotson ($4,600 DK, $5,700 FD) or Logan Thomas ($3,500 DK, $5,200 FD)

The Commanders lead the league in passing rate (72%) and they'll likely have to try to keep pace with the Cowboys. Dallas is projected for 29.75 points (highest on Thursday's slate), so Washington is going to ask Sam Howell to air the ball out often. Terry McLaurin is the best receiver on the Commanders as he leads the team with a 21.2% target share.

I prefer Curtis Samuel to Jahan Dotson on DraftKings due to the salary savings. Dotson seems to struggle when Samuel is on the field, making him a risky play. That being said, Dotson was a touchdown machine in 2022 and he's found the end zone in three of his last four games. No one wants to play Logan Thomas, but he has five-plus targets in five straight games.

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