Daily Fantasy Football Week 12: DraftKings, FanDuel Strategies and Value Picks
The pool of players to choose from for Sunday's NFL daily fantasy football contests is the smallest it will be all season.
Eight teams are off the board already because of the three Thanksgiving Day games and the bye weeks for the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs.
Some of the regular top DFS options, such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, will not be at your disposal for Sunday's slate, so you may have to get a little creative.
The Sunday afternoon schedule includes two potentially ugly clashes between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New York Jets and Houston Texans. If you take those games out of the equation, you have only half of the NFL teams to choose from then.
The decision-making process for your roster could be difficult, but there is still plenty of value out on the board.
Take Advantage of Denver's Matchup with Chargers' Poor Rushing Defense
Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams should be two of the first running backs you consider on Sunday.
The Denver Broncos' two-pronged rushing attack is coming off a bye and will be facing the worst rushing defense in the NFL.
The Los Angeles Chargers conceded 1,451 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in their first 10 games, and they have allowed over 100 ground yards to eight of their 10 opponents.
Los Angeles' poor ground defense is the lone unit in the top five of rushing yards conceded that you can take advantage of on Sunday. The Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders played on Thursday, and the Jets and Texans are using backup running backs in porous offenses.
Gordon and Williams come into Sunday with plenty of motivation. If the Broncos win, they will be right back in the AFC West and wild-card races.
The two Denver running backs have near-even splits. Gordon has 15 more carries and eight more yards than Williams, but the rookie is averaging 0.6 yards more per carry.
Gordon should have the slight edge over Williams on Sunday because of his five touchdowns compared to one for the North Carolina product.
Those splits may not matter if the Broncos run through the Chargers' front seven. In that case, Gordon and Williams could both earn red-zone touches.
Look to Boston Scott for Value at Running Back
Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott loves playing against the New York Giants. Four of the eight highest single-game rushing totals in his career have come against Big Blue.
The 26-year-old should play a decent-sized role in the Philadelphia offense on Sunday with Jordan Howard "most likely out" with a knee sprain, as head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters.
Philadelphia has put more focus on the run during the last month, and Scott should receive a handful of carries despite being behind Miles Sanders on the depth chart.
The Eagles ran for over 200 yards in three of their last four games and have six straight performances with at least 100 ground yards.
Scott averaged 5.05 yards per attempt in his career against the Giants, and he should factor into the game plan in some capacity.
He should not be your No. 1 running back in DFS on Sunday, but he could carry value as a secondary option at the position or at the flex role because of his history with the Giants.
Target Red-Hot New England Offense
The New England Patriots can continue their ascension into the AFC hierarchy with a win over the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium.
New England's red-hot offense has the potential to light up the Tennessee defense and produce one of the top DFS lineup stacks of Week 12.
The Titans allow the most receiving yards and second-most touchdown catches to wide receivers in the NFL. They have also conceded over 300 total yards to nine of their 11 opponents, and only the Houston Texans in Week 11 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 failed to reach that mark.
New England is averaging 387.2 yards per game during its five-game winning streak, so look for Mac Jones to have another solid day in the pocket.
Hunter Henry, who has four touchdowns during that stretch, should be added to a lineup stack with the rookie quarterback. After that, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor are the options to choose from.
Meyers leads the Patriots in targets and receptions, but he has only one touchdown. Bourne leads the team in receiving yards, but he and Agholor both have three scores through the air.
Some combination of those three receivers, Jones and Henry should produce a notable point total against a Tennessee defense that has been gashed for yards all season.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.