Daily Fantasy Football Advice For Week 12 Of NFL Action

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely holiday or if grandpa is on about “the globalists” again I hope you’re pounding alternating shots of gravy and whiskey as a means of survival. As is customary around these parts, UPROXX Sports (a division of Standard Oil) is here to provide some daily fantasy football advice worth considering before whipping up your DraftKings or FanDuel DFS lineup.

In the market for advice for traditional league play in Week 12? Pleasant smelling UPROXX gent Jason Nawara has you covered.

This go-around we’re going to look exclusively at Sunday’s slate of games. Let’s hop to it, shall we?

Quarterback

Invest in Russell Wilson: The Seahawks are firmly planted in the heart of injury hell, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from a friendly matchup coming up for Seattle’s pivot. Russell Wilson is coming off a boffo pass/rushing outing versus the Falcons that racked up a glowing 32.9 fantasy points on DraftKings. (Sure, Seattle lost, but they can cram it with walnuts. This is about personal fantasy glory as God intended.) Next up? A clash with the Niners who’ve given up an average of 19.36 fantasy points-per-game this season which is exactly the sort of thing a Seahawks team in need of a playoff chase boost craves. Don’t be scared off by Wilson’s underwhelming outing versus San Francisco in Week 2. Wilson has hit his stride and the semi-desperate Seahawks are coming for blood. And maybe something cute from the gift shop if there’s time.

Avoid Drew Brees: Drew Brees, a quarterback that’s been playing in the NFL since the Coolidge administration, has been enjoying a banner year as the Saints march back to relevance. It’s been fun to watch, but Week 12 could make for some anxious viewing for Saints fans and the nation’s bead industry. New Orleans visits Los Angeles for a late afternoon showdown with the Rams and while Wade Phillips’ L.A. defense won’t be able to completely shut the door on the explosive Saints offense, the Rams appear destined to give Brees fits. L.A. has given 12 passing TDs this season with an equal number of picks to show for it and a Top 5 defense in terms of QB fantasy points stinginess. Brees has had trouble with frustrating defenses this season (see his games against DET, CHI, BUF for evidence), so shelving the Saints veteran as an option in Week 12 seems like the sensible thing to do.

Consider Tyrod Taylor: Can you hear that? It’s the agonized wail of Bills fans still coming to grips with coach Sean McDermott benching Taylor last week to put rookie Nathan Peterman’s future and quite possibly Buffalo’s playoff chances in prime guillotine position. Buffalo sports fans don’t even have the luxury of that familiar emotional numbness anymore, it’s just seeing how the Bills and Sabres can break your heart. On that cheery note, Tyrod Taylor is back, baby! McDermott has put Taylor back in the starter’s role (for now) and Sunday serves up a vulnerable Chiefs defense that has surrendered yards in the air and on the ground to QBs all season. A budget-friendly $5,800 DraftKings salary makes the package all the more enticing.

Running Back

Invest in Leonard Fournette: Yes, Leonard Fournette’s status is clouded by the big scary Q currently next to his name, but Fournette’s questionable ankle health hasn’t derailed Jacksonville’s star rusher. Fournette will look to build on the momentum of last week’s 111-yard showing versus a tough Cleveland rush defense with a sweetheart contest in Arizona. The sputtering Cards have seen their ability to shut down RBs erode over the season and surrendered two fourth-quarter TDs to Texans rookie D’Onta Foreman in Week 11. This has the potential to be a monster game for the crown jewel of Jacksonville’s offense.

Avoid Adrian Peterson: Adrian Peterson has had precisely two good outings in fantasy football this season. Outside of stellar showings against Tampa Bay and San Francisco, AP has been a garbage smoothie that hasn’t scored more than 5.7 fantasy points in DraftKings formats in any of his other contests. Peterson’s value to the Cards is largely wrapped up in his workload and the quality of his opponent. Jacksonville has only been a mid-level obstacle for opposing running backs when it comes to fantasy totals, but the likelihood of the Jags defense completely dominating a limited Cardinals offense seems pretty darn likely and that spells disaster for Adrian Peterson.

Consider Devontae Booker: Feeling dangerous like some sort of sexy cat burglar? Consider adding Devontae Booker to your DFS lineup. Booker (a thrifty $3,700 play on DraftKings) had more carries in Week 11 than flashier Denver backfield names like C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles, plus a more impressive stat line thanks to catching five of his six targets on top his rushing totals. The decision to start Paxton Lynch might change Denver’s offensive chemistry a bit, but Booker has the potential to emerge as the real threat in the Broncos attack and the Raiders have a history of getting lit up by running backs that can catch passes.

Wide Receiver

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Invest in Julio Jones: After a hideous 1-4 midseason stretch, the Falcons are finding their groove again with two consecutive wins and the time’s right for Julio Jones to light up an opposing offense. Who are they playing? *waits for fax to come through* Tampa Bay? Oh, you’ll do fine, Julio. The superstar wideout saw a team-high 10 targets in ATL’s Monday night win over the Seahawks, but we haven’t seen Jones hit paydirt since Week 7’s humiliating loss to the Patriots. That should change against the Buccaneers who are the league’s second-most generous defense versus fantasy receivers and gave up big totals to Dolphins wideouts Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry in Week 11.

Avoid Larry Fitzgerald: Yes, this appears to be a rough week for the Cardinals. Best to wrap your hand in leftovers and just gnaw on it for a while if you’re an Arizona die-hard this week. This game won’t be pretty. Blaine Gabbert follows up his not-that-bad showing against the Texans with a date against a merciless Jags pass defense. This is bad for Gabbert and bad for Larry Fitzgerald who has supercorner Jalen Ramsey making life miserable for Week 12’s Cards air attack. (Fellow ARI WR John Brown is questionable with a turf toe injury which provides no favors either.) It’s going to take a herculean effort for Fitzgerald to even hit the floor of his projected fantasy output against the AFC South-leading Jaguars.

Consider Zay Jones: If you have faith in Tyrod Taylor having a strong showing against the Chiefs, it stands to reason you could see Zay Jones turning in a performance that dwarfs his $4,000 DraftKings salary. Bills receivers Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews and Deonte Thompson are all questionable due to injury concerns and that means an increased spotlight on the team’s 2017 second round pick. The Chiefs have been shredded by opposing receivers throughout the campaign and Jones’ improved play points to a rather tempting scenario. Mind you, these are the Bills, so there’s a strong chance Zay Jones gets hit by a train somehow during this weekend’s action.

Tight End

Invest in Rob Gronkowski: It’s been a while since we’ve seen a true Gronkian outing from Jinder Mahal’s mortal enemy, hasn’t it? That should be remedied on Sunday when the Patriots host the reeling Dolphins who have given up four straight Ls. Miami’s been weak in stopping tight ends of late and a force of nature like Rob Gronkowski (who has 6 TDs in 10 career games versus the Fins) stands to benefit in a big flashy way.

Avoid Jack Doyle: Colts QB Jacoby Brissett has forged quality chemistry with his tight end, but Doyle’s value (currently a $4,500 selection on DraftKings) isn’t what it could be against the Titans. Tennessee has kept opposing TEs to 5.1 fantasy points-per-game over their last four contests and Doyle’s been shut down and made largely into a non-factor when playing tough defenses like the Steelers and Rams.

Consider Tyler Kroft: A hand injury derailed Kroft’s production in Week 11, but the Bengals tight end is definitely worth consideration provided he’s good to go on Sunday. Cincinnati host a Browns squad that’s given up the second-most TDs to tight ends all year and have been left to drown in a winless abyss. The last time Kroft went toe-to-toe with the Browns, he emerged with six catches for 68 yards and collected TDs on two of those receptions.

Here’s a friendly visual aide confirming that you can nestle your big investments alongside budget-friendly options.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving and a lovely Grey Cup.