FanDuel NFL DFS Thanksgiving Picks and Plays for Cash Game and GPP Lineups
Thanksgiving NFL DFS Contests are here, and everyone is looking to cash in on the big daily fantasy football money at FanDuel. Every week, we’ll bring you our top daily fantasy NFL picks for each position and recommend them as Cash and/or GPP plays. And to keep up with all things PlayPicks, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
As with any DFS, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, gameflow, and more factors. This is important when constructing a roster. And we’re in the weather part of the season, so be sure and check for heavy winds around the league.
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Best Thanksgiving NFL DFS Quarterbacks on FanDuel
Kirk Cousins vs. NYG ($8.8k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
The Giants defense showed backbone against the Chiefs and that should give you some pause when considering Kirk Cousins this week. Yet the Redskins QB will be extremely motivated after the way his squad choked down the stretch last Sunday and his performance against an elite Vikings pass defense and underrated Saints unit the past two weeks asserts his worth as a cash play. Cousins led the slate last Thanksgiving with 449 yards and three touchdowns against a decent Dallas defense and while the G-Men played well last week, they still rank 29th in DVOA pass defense this season.
Matthew Stafford vs. MIN ($7.7k FanDuel) – GPP
The routine of playing on Thanksgiving speaks for something and Matthew Stafford’s been through it all every year as the franchise QB for the Lions. He draws a tough matchup on paper against the Vikings, but is home at least, where he’s averaging 291.4 passing YPG with 10 TDs and 2 picks this season. Minnesota’s secondary showed some vulnerabilities against the Rams last week, but lucked out on some key misfires from that young group, and could be without elite CB Xavier Rhodes (leg) this Sunday. We know the Lions can’t effectively run the ball in the red zone, so Stafford’s upside is securely tied to a high-volume game plan.
Best Thanksgiving NFL DFS Running Backs on FanDuel
Samaje Perine vs. NYG ($7.6k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
He’s got issues with ball security and isn’t the most efficient runner, but Samaje Perine is locked into heavy usage with both Rob Kelley (knee) and Chris Thompson (leg) ruled out of this contest. The Oklahoma product compiled 126 YFS on 24 touches with a rushing touchdown in a shootout at New Orleans and his only competition this week will be Byron Marshall, who was recently signed off the Eagles practice squad and can’t be expected to see too much work with a new team just a few days later.
Latavius Murray @ DET ($6.5k FanDuel) – GPP
Jerick McKinnon continues to lose touches to Latavius Murray, who seems to have a stranglehold on goal line work after rushing for two short touchdowns in a win over the Rams on Sunday. Both backs are in line for productive days against a backsliding Lions defense that has given up the second-most rushing TDs (13) along with the sixth-most receptions per game (6.22) to opposing RBs this year. Murray’s been between 15 and 20 carries in each start since Dalvin Cook (knee) was lost for the year and could benefit from positive game script once again if the Vikings continue to play this well in all three phases.
Alfred Morris vs. LAC ($6.1k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
The Cowboys are in an identity crisis with their best lineman on the shelf in Tyron Smith (back) and Ezekiel Elliott suspended. Perhaps they’ll get back to their bread and butter by riding Alfred Morris in a prime draw at home this Thanksgiving. His first two starts were torpedoed by negative game flow and included a brutal matchup against the Eagles, yet he still compiled 146 rushing yards over those contests. Smith appears close to a return and his status could seriously improve Morris’ outlook against the Chargers 29th-ranked defense. Rod Smith looked far less effective than Morris and the Chargers could certainly come out flat on a short week after a big home win on Sunday.
Best Thanksgiving NFL DFS Wide Receivers on FanDuel
Adam Thielen @ DET ($8.3k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
He’ll be a popular play this week for good reason, as Adam Thielen’s established an elite floor-ceiling combination and a great rapport with surprisingly capable starter Case Keenum. He can tie Cris Carter’s Vikings franchise record with 11 consecutive 5-catch games this Sunday and he’s been blowing up with Stefon Diggs (groin) limited in recent weeks. Diggs is getting healthy, but rather than eat into Thielen’s workload, that could force the Lions to honor both sides of the field and decline to use shutdown CB Darius Slay as a shadow on Thielen.
Keenan Allen @ DAL ($8.0k FanDuel) – Cash
Keenan Allen finally flashed his upside with a humongous game against the struggling Bills and he’ll face another befuddled unit on Thursday. The Cowboys new cornerback tandem of rookie Jourdan Lewis and second-year man Anthony Brown is playing pretty poorly behind veteran Orlando Scandrick, as they were repeatedly burned on slant routes against the Eagles on Sunday night. Allen runs some of the best ankle-breaking routes in the business and with Sean Lee (hamstring) doubtful at ILB, the Cowboys defense remains vulnerable in the short passing game.
Golden Tate vs. MIN ($7.3k FanDuel) – GPP
The underrated Bears secondary was able to slow Golden Tate down on a windy day in Chicago on Saturday, but he’s a much more challenging receiver to cover indoors. This Thanksgiving he’ll do battle with Vikings slot CB Captain Munnerlyn, who is a big-bodied DB and could struggle to deal with Tate’s quickness. Tate’s averaging 85.9 receiving YPG over his last 11 home games and was rolling prior to last Sunday’s dud. He makes for a great pairing with Stafford as the Lions most effective means of moving the ball against a Vikings team that shuts down the run and plays excellent pass defense along the boundaries.
Best Thanksgiving NFL DFS Tight End on FanDuel
Vernon Davis vs. NYG ($6.4k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
Even on a day in which his team failed to score a TD, Travis Kelce continued the string of TEs to have huge days against the Giants defense. The G-Men have a great secondary led by the cornerback trio of Janoris Jenkins, Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but rank 26th in DVOA pass defense against opposing TEs this season. Jordan Reed (hamstring) is still dealing with a laundry list of injuries, leaving Vernon Davis to vacuum targets from Kirk Cousins in a pass-happy offense.
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