Welcome back for another week of cashing in here at Razzball. This week, instead of building a lineup for the Sunday main slate, we’re going to spice up Thanksgiving dinner and build out a lineup for the 3-game Thanksgiving slate. This DFS Flash article will still go position by position, giving you my favorite pay-up option and my favorite pay-down or dart-throw option at each position to help you build out a winning DFS lineup. I use DraftKings pricing as a point of reference to seek out some values, and the goal is to help you “double up” in a 50/50 cash game with solid plays. Of course, you can use the dart throws to try to win the GPP tournaments, but at the end of the article, I give you my “double up” lineup using players discussed in this article. This week, with the small slate, we will have to find a way to differentiate a little to make our lineup slightly unique. Let’s get right into it, let’s build this lineup and let’s make some money.
QB:
Pay up – Josh Allen – $8,000– There is 2 ways to look at this slate. The first way to look at it is to see that Buffalo/Detroit game and think it will be an absolute shootout. If it is, you would expect Josh Allen to account for multiple touchdowns and be worth his hefty price tag. The matchup is one of the best you can get, as the Detroit defense ranks dead last in points allowed to the quarterback position. The problem with that thinking is that if you’re playing in a tournament, a lot of other people will think that way also and have Allen in their lineups as well. If you have the funds and want to spend up at QB, especially in a cash game, then go for it and differentiate elsewhere.
Pay Down – Dak Prescott – $6,200 – If you do pivot off Allen, it should be to Dak. You can also look at the slate and think that in a game Buffalo is heavily favored in, they won’t push Allen to do too much and will want to protect his elbow for their playoff run and Super Bowl aspirations. In that case, Prescott becomes the best QB play on the board and has a favorable price tag. Dak has gone over 20 fantasy points in his last 3 games and at this salary, we would only need 18.6 for a 3x return on our investment. Dak has 7 touchdown passes over his last 3 games and this should be a week where he once again throws for multiple scores.
RB:
Pay Up – Saquon Barkley – $8,000 – The top options on this slate, and the only real pay-up options are Saquan Barkley at $8,000 and Dalvin Cook at $7,400. I won’t be paying up at the position this week as there are factors for both of these guys that I don’t like. Cook has a tough matchup against a solid Patriots run defense and Barkley faces a Dallas defense that kept Cook in check last week. If I am going to pay up, I would lean to Barkley because he can still be involved as a pass catcher even if this game has the negative game script that I expect for the Giants. The matchup may scare others away so paying up for Saquan may actually be a way to differentiate your lineup.
Pay Down – Rhamondre Stevenson – $6,400 – Stevenson has been a steady tide at the running back position over the past few weeks. He has had at least 15 carries in 5 of his last 6 games and has been involved as a pass catcher as well to add to his value. In fact, Stevenson has seen an average of 7 targets over his past 4 games and we love that in a PPR format. He gets a matchup this week against a Minnesota team who allows over 120 yards per game to the running back position and ranks 22nd in the league against opposing running backs. With the steady role and involvement as a pass catcher, he is a good play at this price.
WR:
Pay Up – Stefon Diggs – $8,000 – There are a few of the top-tier receivers playing in this slate and I like the situations for most of them. The matchup for Diggs is the best of the bunch with him going up against a Detroit defense that ranks 28th in the league against opposing wide receivers. Coming off a down week, Josh Allen and the Bills will want to get their star receiver back on track in this favorable matchup and Detroit doesn’t have anybody to hang with him. I will say that I like the situations for CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown as well so try to get at least 2 of these guys in your lineups, starting with Diggs.
Pay Down – Jakobi Meyers – $5,100 – If you use Prescott at quarterback and can’t get Lamb into your lineup, you can consider Michael Gallup here, but I like Jakobi Meyers a little better. Meyers is a guy who is the main target in the New England passing “attack” and is the one they rely on in big spots. He has double-digit fantasy points in 6 of the 8 games he has played this season and I expect them to get him back on track in this plus matchup this week. Minnesota ranks 27th in the league against opposing wide receivers and Meyers will have a favorable matchup against Chandon Sullivan in the slot. Meyers should be peppered with targets and may even find his way into the endzone to be the icing on the cake in the final game of the Thanksgiving slate while you’re eating your dessert pie.
*Bonus Dart Throw – Isaiah Hodgins – $3,000 – Here is your dart throw differentiator. If you pay up for Allen or Dak, pay up for Saquan and then mix in 2 of those higher-priced receivers then you are going to need some salary relief. The way to do that is to find someone in the Giants’ passing game that can take some of the volume they lose with the injury to Robinson. Slayton is the “#1”, but he will see heavy coverage and a lot of Trevon Diggs, so I think there is some opportunity here for Hodgins on the other side of the formation. This won’t be a guy who catches 10 balls for 120 yards and multiple touchdowns, but if he catches 4 or 5 and gets us 50 yards then her will give us over the 3x return on investment we need while also giving us salary relief to pay up elsewhere. He’s worth throwing a dart at.
TE:
The play is Dalton Schultz at $3,800. The only high-cost option is T.J. Hockenson and I don’t like him matched up against Kyle Duggar so I will save the $1,200 and play Schultz. At only $3,800 he is the 2nd highest-priced option at tight end, but everyone after Hockenson that you would play are all in that same $3,000-ish range. Not only is Schultz the best of the bunch, but he also has been getting a ton of targets ever since he and Prescott have been back in the lineup together. He’s the must-start play for me at tight end in this slate.
Defense:
Pay Up – Dallas – $3,700 – If you have money to blow use it on Dallas who will be able to pressure Daniel Jones and his limited weapons.
Pay Down – Detroit – $2,100– It’s scary to play a defense against Buffalo, but if we can pay all the way down to Detroit and they get us positive points it can work. They’ve actually scored double-digit fantasy points in 3 straight games and even got to 10 the week they gave up 30 points to Chicago. They’ve been racking up sacks and interceptions so I’d take a shot and hope they can even give us 5 points and allow us to save some salary.
JB’s Example “Double Up” Lineup:
QB – Dak Prescott
RB – Saquan Barkley
RB – Rhamondre Stevenson
WR- Stefon Diggs
WR- Isaiah Hodgins
TE – Dalton Schultz
Flex – Jakobi Meyers
DST – Lions
That will do it for your Week 12, special Thanksgiving edition, DFS Flash. Thanks for checking in and I look forward to seeing you here every week to build out a winning DFS lineup. Make sure you check out all the fantastic new tools on Razzball.com and sign up for a FREE TRIAL of the Razzball tools subscription as you get ready to set the rest of your Week 12 fantasy lineups. You are always invited to follow me on Twitter @FantasyCoachJB and ask me any questions you may have. Good luck in your upcoming matchups, and I’ll see you in the winner’s circle!
