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It's late November and that can mean only one thing......the NFL Thanksgiving Day slate is here! More DFS, more NFL bets, and more fantasy football to go with that extra helping of potatoes and stuffing!
It's been a few years now, but ever since the NFL added a third primetime game to Thanksgiving this has become one of my favorite slates of the year. Not only do we get Detroit and Dallas (as usual) but we also get a rematch of my 10-0 Pittsburgh Steelers against their division rival Baltimore Ravens in the nightcap!
In this article, I will be providing you with my Week 12 Thanksgiving Day Slate daily fantasy football lineup picks on FanDuel. These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our weekly FanDuel DFS lineup picks and lots of other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big! Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter @ThunderDanDFS.
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NFL Thanksgiving Day Slate
12:30 PM EST: Houston (-2) @ Detroit (51.5 O/U)
4:30 PM EST: Washington (+3) @ Dallas (47.5 O/U)
8:20 PM EST: Baltimore (+3) @ Pittsburgh (46.5 O/U)
FanDuel Quarterbacks - Week 12 Picks
Deshaun Watson vs. DET ($8,700)
Watson is the priciest player at the position, but with pricing being pretty loose this week you can fit him pretty easily with the guys you want and that's exactly what I would do in cash games. After a bad game in Cleveland with high winds in week 10, Watson bounced back nicely against New England last week by throwing for over 340 yards with two scores and added a rushing TD to top it off.
The Lions' pass defense was dissected by former XFL player P.J. Walker on Sunday and Watson should have plenty of chances to do some damage in this one. I expect this early game to be popular with the highest total on the slate, but for good reason as neither defense is very good. I'll happily pay this price for Watson in a dome game that could end up a shootout.
Ben Roethlisberger vs. BAL ($7,700)
I like Big Ben here to be a bit contrarian. Yes, I am a Steelers fan but I am not letting my fandom influence this pick. Since the Steelers win against Baltimore on November 1, Ben has attempted an average of 45 passes per game as Pittsburgh has somewhat abandoned their traditional running game for spread formations and short passes.
Ben had a rough first half against Baltimore in that first matchup but threw for two touchdowns in the second half while rallying them to a win and is playing exceptionally well right now. Meanwhile, the Baltimore defense has looked very average of late in their last two losses to New England and Tennessee.
UPDATE: The Steelers-Ravens game has been moved to Sunday.
FanDuel Running Backs - Week 12 Picks
D'Andre Swift vs. HOU ($7,200)
Swift was all set to be chalky play last week before he was ruled out due to not being able to get cleared from a concussion. Hopefully, he's in this week because we saw Detroit's offense lay an egg and get shut out against a mediocre Carolina team without him on Sunday. Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson did nothing while Swift was out so he should be the guy this week assuming he goes and the matchup here is a good one against the lowly Texans' run defense.
Antonio Gibson @ DAL ($6,800)
Gibson is coming on strong for Washington and had another fine performance last week against the Bengals as he rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown. He now has five touchdowns in his last four games. His best game of the season came against Dallas the first time they met as he rushed for 128 yards on 20 carries and a score. The Cowboys are playing better, but were still gashed by Dalvin Cook last week and are vulnerable against the run and the pass. Lock and load Gibson on FanDuel over J.D. McKissic, who predictably came back to Earth last week.
Gus Edwards @ PIT ($5,200)
Edwards went from being in a three-back committee to being the last man standing for this game as both J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram have been ruled out with positive COVID tests. The matchup is bad on paper as the Steelers are a top 3 run defense, but the Ravens managed 200+ rushing yards against them in the first matchup and Edwards had 87 of those yards and score. Even if he doesn't get going on the ground, he has chops in the passing game and should be able to secure enough touches to easily pay off this tag. He's chalk, but probably the kind you should eat and get different elsewhere.
UPDATE: The Steelers-Ravens game has been moved to Sunday.
FanDuel Wide Receivers
Terry McLaurin vs. DAL ($7,900)
Scary Terry is the most expensive receiver on this slate, but I'll happily roster him on a bunch of my teams anyway. Even with three different quarterbacks this year he's managing to put up impressive numbers and is one of the most talented young receivers in the league.
Dallas's defense continues to give up big games to wideouts (three touchdowns to Thielen/Jefferson on Sunday) and McLaurin fared well in this matchup when they met earlier this month posting a 7-90 line with a touchdown.
Will Fuller V @ DET ($7,400)
I am going to make it a point to stack Will Fuller with Watson this week as I think he has one of the best ceilings on the slate. Detroit's cornerbacks have been very vulnerable and Fuller is likely to line up on the left side a lot on Thursday which happens to be the same spot that D.J. Moore just smashed in last week. Fuller hasn't found the end zone the last two weeks, but was targeted eight times in both of those games and is still Watson's favorite target.
Brandin Cooks is a fine play, too, but keep an eye out on Keke Coutee as it looks like both Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills will be out this week and Coutee is dirt cheap as Watson's slot receiver (scored a TD last week).
Diontae Johnson ($6,800) and Chase Claypool vs. BAL ($6,600)
There's not too much analysis needed here. Yes, the Ravens are a quality opponent but both of these young receivers are badly underpriced for the volume of targets they are getting in Pittsburgh's pass-first offense. Johnson caught 12 of 16 targets for 111 yards last week while Claypool caught 4 of 8 for 59 yards and a score. Claypool's size is a big problem for defenses and he's going to continue to see targets in the red zone from Big Ben and usually gets 1-2 carries in the running game on jet sweeps.
UPDATE: The Steelers-Ravens game has been moved to Sunday.
FanDuel Tight Ends
Eric Ebron vs. BAL ($5,700)
I know, I know - another Steeler, but Ebron is well worth a roster spot this week and is fairly priced yet again. He caught a touchdown pass for the third time in four games last Sunday and had a solid 4-48 line against Baltimore with a score in their first matchup.
UPDATE: The Steelers-Ravens game has been moved to Sunday.
Jordan Akins @ DET (5,200)
Akins is easily the more athletic tight end between him and Darren Fells and is a bigger threat in the vertical passing game. He's fresh off a 5-83 game against the Patriots and played 51% of the snaps compared to Fells' 34% (Akins highest snap share since week 4).
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