DraftKings.com NFL DFS Week 12 Stack Picks for Cash and GPP Lineups
Week 12 of NFL DFS is here, and everyone is looking to cash in on the big money daily fantasy football contests at DraftKings. Every week, we’ll take a look at the top stacks for players over at DraftKings, finding optimal combinations based on matchup, usage, and recent performance, among other noteworthy metrics.
As with any daily fantasy sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player, stack, or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, gameflow, and more. This is important to keep in mind when constructing a roster.
Free DFS money! Click here for a free $3 entry at DRAFT!
Week 12 DraftKings.com NFL DFS Top Stacks
Carson Wentz ($7.2k), Alshon Jeffery ($6.3K) vs. CHI – Cash
There are plenty of ways you can take this game, as it’s almost certainly going to be a lopsided affair. However, I can’t get away from the Alshon Jeffery narrative this week, as he takes on his former team in the Chicago Bears. Considering how this season has gone, Jeffery is the clear winner in their parting ways. The Bears are awful again, repeating history by building a solid defense around an incompetent offense with no real weapons. Jeffery, meanwhile, is on a legitimate Super Bowl contender and has six touchdown catches this year, the same amount he had in his final two seasons in Chicago. The Bears are above average against the pass, but Carson Wentz won’t be stopped by that team, and Jeffery is averaging over eight targets in his last three games.
Marcus Mariota ($6.3K), Corey Davis ($4.9K) @ IND – GPP
This is not the play you want to make in Cash, but I wrote earlier this week about how much I liked Corey Davis as a breakout candidate. Well, I still like him, thanks to a terrific spot against a Colts team ranked 26th in DVOA. He’s also seen 17 targets in his last two games, and while he didn’t do much with them, he was up against difficult defenses (Steelers and Bengals).
Meanwhile, Marcus Mariota is another high-risk/high-reward guy, who boasts tremendous upside thanks to his rushing ability and athleticism but can also struggle. Thankfully, the Colts are 27th in DVOA against the pass, and he’s scored more than 18 DK points in each of the past two weeks.
Tom Brady ($7.7K), Rob Gronkowski ($6.9K) vs. MIA – Cash/GPP
The New England Patriots boast an implied total of 32 in this matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Therefore, Tom Brady seems like a fine option per usual. The Dolphins rank 31st in Pass DVOA, and Brady has gone for more than 20 DraftKings points in each of his last three games. However, prized tight end Rob Gronkowski has not been as impressive, seeing just three targets last week in a blowout win against the Oakland Raiders.
But this week against a bad Dolphins team (ranking 25th in TE DVOA), Gronkowski is in a prime bounce-back spot. Many will move off Gronk this week given his recent struggles, meaning you can gain some leverage on the field by going Brady-Gronk instead of Brady-WR or Brady-RB. It’s difficult to believe in the upside of any Pats running back, since three get pretty consistent work. And if I’m going to pay up for a Patriots’ pass-catcher at a premium, I’d prefer Gronk at -$200 to Brandin Cooks’ $7.1K salary. Brady and Gronk are solid for your Cash lineup while providing the massive upside you want in GPPs.
Matt Ryan ($6.4K), Julio Jones ($7.7K) vs. TB – GPP/Cash
With Thursday’s slate stealing away a lot of the best plays this week, it’s really important not to miss on the studs on the main slate. As such, Julio Jones should very much be on your radar in Cash and GPP up against a Buccaneers defense ranking 27th in DVOA. The Falcons also have an implied total of 29 for the game, meaning I’m not necessarily looking to limit this play to Jones.
While I believe many will go to Tevin Coleman (and I think he is a top play for a variety of reasons), I’m warming to the idea of stacking Julio Jones and Matt Ryan. The Bucs are much better against the run than the pass, and the Falcons aren’t getting anywhere close to 29 points just on the ground. With Devonta Freeman still in concussion protocol, Ryan has additional upside, as does Julio. After all, Coleman saw just two targets last week against the Seattle Seahawks, while Ryan targeted Jones 10 times. Also, the last time Jones played the Bucs, he dropped 28 DraftKings points. At just $7.7K, Jones has the upside you want in GPPs, and Matt Ryan is the one throwing him the ball.
More free DFS money! Click here for $1 free at Draftboard DFS!
Cam Newton ($6.6K), Christian McCaffrey ($6.9K) @ NYJ – GPP
Much like Russell Wilson, Cam Newton has seen players disappear around him this season. He’s lost Greg Olsen to injury and top WR Kelvin Benjamin to the trading block. That didn’t stop Newton from having a strong October, nor did it stop him from dropping 35 DK points on the Miami Dolphins last week. The Jets are decent against the run (13th in DVOA) but below average (22nd in DVOA) against the the pass.
Thankfully, Christian McCaffrey’s value really isn’t derived from his ability to run the ball (or not run the ball) this season, as he gets plenty of work in the passing game. The rookie has never seen fewer than five targets in a game in his young career, peaking at 14 among the last five outings. During that span, he never scored fewer than 10 DK points in a week, while hitting at least 20 DK points in three of the five weeks. That’s largely based on his work in the passing game, which makes him a somewhat obvious stack with Newton, who can also help compensate for McCaffrey’s lack of efficiency on the ground.
J.D. McKissic ($3.7K), Russell Wilson ($7.0K) @ SF – GPP
The Seattle Seahawks are really having a hard time identifying a running game outside of Russell Wilson. But against a 49ers team allowing the second-most receiving touchdowns to running backs, this may be the week they give a more featured role to their most versatile back, J.D. McKissic. He is just $3.7K after scoring 10.3 DK point against the Atlanta Falcons. That’s not spectacular, but it is promising considering he saw six targets in the passing game. Meanwhile, Eddie Lacy and Mike Davis combined for nine carries, two more than McKissic. He’s clearly the preferred Seattle runner — well, excluding Russell Wilson, who is objectively the best ground force on this team.
Speaking of Wilson, he is Seattle’s only hope now that the Legion of Boom is down Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. He looked great last week, racking up 32 DK points and leading the team in rushing. He also tallied three touchdowns. San Francisco ranks 26th in points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Wilson will have his way with them, and I like pairing him with McKissic, who is an interesting leverage play. The majority of players will flock to Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham.
Other Stacks to Consider:
Andy Dalton, A.J. Green
Tom Brady, Brandin Cooks
Drew Brees, Michael Thomas
Paxton Lynch, Demaryius Thomas
Blake Bortles, Marqise Lee
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati D/ST
Tyrod Taylor, Charles Clay
Sign up at DRAFT for a free $3 entry and a new way to play DFS!
