Sunday Night Football DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Browns vs. Giants

December 20, 2020

Jorge's top NFL DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Week 15's Sunday Night Football Browns vs. Giants matchup. His daily fantasy football advice and value plays.

Sunday Night Football has arrived and we get treated to a great matchup that has playoff picture implications for both the AFC and NFC as the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Football Giants. This game features an over/under of 45.5 with the Browns being favored by 4.5 points.

In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Sunday Night Football slate on December 20th (Week 15). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

If you have any questions you can follow me on Twitter @jorgepucks and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with myself and other NFL DFS analysts any time you'd like!

DFS Quarterbacks

The quarterback play will be very important in this game and it will also be an important position to roster in this showdown slate. For the Browns, Baker Mayfield has been fantastic over his last three games played as he has thrown for over 900 yards and eight touchdowns while only throwing one interception during that three-game stretch. Mayfield has posted back-to-back 30+ DK point performances and is in complete control of this Browns offense as they head towards a potential playoff birth. The Giants Defense has struggled against the pass as they allow opposing teams to throw for 2626 yards per game so if the running game is bottled up for Cleveland, they might turn to Mayfield and his receivers to win this game.

The Giants could have Daniel Jones give it a go as he has been hampered by an ankle/hamstring issue all week long. Jones has had a rough season so far as he has thrown for over 2,400 yards and has eight passing touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season. Jones has been in a funk recently as he has not thrown a touchdown in his last three games played. If he is unable to start, the Giants will turn the keys to the offense back over to longtime vet Colt McCoy. McCoy has started one game this season and completed 59% of passes while throwing for 105 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against Seattle. He doesn't offer much of an upgrade over Jones and the only thing that would be beneficial is that he offers some salary savings for your roster construction. The Giants offensive line has also struggled this season as they have allowed the third-most sacks in the league which bodes well for this Browns Defense as they have generated 34 total sacks on the season.

Analysis: Mayfield is the top quarterback option and should be considered in all formats. Jones is worth a stab if multi-entering but would not be a core play with how poorly he has played throughout the season. If McCoy plays, he could be a tournament play just due to his pricepoint.

DFS Running Backs

This game will feature teams that run the ball efficiently and the ground game will definitely be a focus for both squads. The Browns have the best running back duo in the league in both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb is the lead back for this Browns offense and he sees a very high volume of touches every game. Chubb has gotten 17+ carries in each of his last five games played and has scored four rushing touchdowns over his last three games played. Kareem Hunt has been a great fill-in back for when Chubb went down with an injury and has excelled as a change-of-pace back primarily in the passing game. Hunt has seen 17 targets over his last five games played while also seeing double-digit carries in four of his last five games as well. The Giants Defense has been very solid against the run as they are holding opponents to just 101.5 rushing yards which ranks seventh-best in the league. The Brown's bread and butter on offense is establishing the run and it will be a tough matchup for them against a solid run defense.

The Giants have utilized Wayne Gallman Jr. as the lead-back in this Giants offense as he has had double-digit carries in each of his last six games played. Gallman has been very consistent from a fantasy perspective as he has racked up double-digit DK points over his last seven games played as he is often utilized on both the ground and in the passing game. Dion Lewis has backed up Gallman and while he hasn't had many carries, he did vulture a rushing touchdown from Gallman last week. The Brown's run defense is middle of the pack as they allow 116 rushing yards per game to opponents but they do allow 27 points per game which mean they can cough up points at any moment.

Analysis: Chubb, Hunt, and Gallman are all viable candidates with Chubb being the best option out of the bunch. Hunt carries the most risk since he doesn't see quite the volume like the rest but is still worth consideration in all formats.

DFS Wide Receivers

When looking at both teams, they have a pretty concentrated receiving pool that they utilized which makes it easier from a fantasy perspective. The Giants rely primarily on three wide receivers in their offense. Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard are the two most targeted receivers as they have both seen 60+ targets this year. Shepard is the more consistent receiver as he has he averages over five catches a game and averages over 10 DK points per game. Slayton is a little more volatile of a player as he can have big-time performances and then follow it up with a letdown game. Golden Tate is the slot receiver for the Giants and while he isn't the dynamic playmaker that he once was, he still gest a few targets and receptions a game that makes him viable for your player pools.

The Browns have had some younger receivers emerge in the absence of Odell Beckham Jr. due to injury. Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones have both seen increased target shares over the past several weeks as they have become true complements to Jarvis Landry. Higgins has really found his stride as he has had back-to-back double-digit DK performances while also hauling in a receiving touchdown in back-to-back games. Jarvis Landry has been the best Browns receiver and has been the biggest beneficiary to ODB being out. He has seen 30 targets over his last three games played and has recorded at least six catches in each of his last three games. Landry has built a great rapport with Mayfield and is the safest receiving option on the slate.

Analysis: Landry is the top receiving option on the slate with Shepard being the best Giants receiving option. Higgins and Slayton are great secondary pieces and all four are cash game viable. Peoples-Jones and Tate carry some risk due to lower target numbers but should be included in your tournament player pools.

DFS Tight Ends

This game features some solid tight end play and it all starts with Evan Engram of the New York Giants. Engram leads the Giants offense in targets (88) and holds 20% of the team's total target share. Engram also leads the team with 48 receptions but is still looking to be more productive in the red-zone as he only has one receiving touchdown on the season. Engram does carry the questionable tag with a calf injury but is expected to give it a go. The Browns have three viable tight ends with Austin Hooper leading the way. Hooper has been a tad disappointing this season as he was coming off of a strong year with the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. Hooper is tied for the second-most targets on the team (44) but does have a neck injury that could keep him out of this game as well. If he does miss this game, the Browns have utilized David Njoku and Harrison Bryant in their passing game. Bryant and Njoku combined for 10 total targets in their most recent game against Baltimore and could see a similar workload against the Giants.

Analysis: Engram is the best tight end play on this showdown slate and is viable in all formats. Hooper could miss this game and Njoku is also carrying the questionable tag so if they both miss, Harrison Bryant could be viable in all formats.

DFS Defense/Special Teams

This game features a lower overall game total and with how well both teams have been playing, both defenses could be viable tournament options on this showdown slate. The Browns have forced 10 fumbles on the season which is third-best in the league while the Giants have fumbled 10 times which is tied for the second-most in the league. The Giants do a great job holding opponents to under 22 points a game and will be a tough overall challenge to this Browns offense. From the kicking game, both Parkey and Gano are viable for tournament lineups as they are averaging eight DK points per game but do carry some risk as their success is predicated to the offense being able to get into solid field position.

Analysis: Both defenses are candidates for tournament builds while kickers should also be considered. Cleveland has the better matchup so they would be deemed as the safer defensive option.

Good luck, RotoBallers, and remember to mix it up and don't be afraid to be different in these large field GPPs!

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