Coming off an epic Thursday Night Football game which saw the Browns take down the Steelers in the snow, Sunday’s 10-game NFL main slate should surely provide some of that same drama. In this space, we’ll walk through the top NFL DFS Picks for Week 12, including the top stacking options, GPP plays and cash game value.
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NFL DFS Picks for Week 12: Best Cash & GPP Picks This Week
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NFL DFS Picks for Week 12: Quarterback
Cash Game Pick: Geno Smith (SEA): $5,700
Though there’s no obvious cash game quarterback this week, Geno Smith is as close as it gets at $5,700. Smith is averaging 19.0 points per game, and only five quarterbacks on Sunday’s slate are averaging more than he is. Despite his clear production, Smith is priced as the QB12 on DraftKings, and he stands out as one of the top overall value plays on the slate. Furthermore, Smith is projected to be the highest-owned signal-caller on Sunday at 15.8%, and in cash games we want to follow that ownership.
GPP Pick: Tua Tagovailoa (MIA): $5,800
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins were good to us last week against the Raiders, so I’m going right back to him in an equally good spot against the Patriots. Tagovailoa is coming off his best game of the season and is now over $500 less than his average price tag on DraftKings in 2024. After years of having a vaunted defense under Bill Belichick, New England has given up at least 20 points seven times already this season, and it’s easy to see why Miami currently sports the third-highest implied team total of the slate.
Not only does Tagovailoa look good himself, but almost all of Miami’s skill position players are underpriced this week on DraftKings. Despite Tagovailoa’s clear upwards trajectory and those cheap price tags, the field isn’t getting to Tagovailoa at nearly the rate it should be on Sunday. As of this writing, Tagovailoa is projected to be optimal 9.02% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings, and he’s showing up in 19.7% of my top 300 lineups according to their ROI in Stokastic’s Sims.
Other NFL DFS GPP quarterback picks: Jayden Daniels, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Anthony Richardson
NFL DFS Week 12 Picks: Running Back
Cash & GPP Pick: Kareem Hunt (KC): $5,700
DraftKings tried to get ahead of things by pricing Kareem Hunt under the presumption that Isiah Pacheco would be back this week, but unfortunately for them, Pacheco isn’t expected to make his return until at least next week at the earliest. Hunt is priced at $5,700 on DraftKings, and with the Chiefs’ healthy 10.5-point favorites in Carolina, expect to see the ball in Hunt’s hands early and often on Sunday.
Since becoming Kansas City’s lead back in Week 5, Hunt is averaging 17 DraftKings points per game, and he’s priced as the RB17 on Sunday. the Math ain’t mathing, and Hunt looks like a free square in both cash games and tournaments. As of this writing, Hunt is projected to be in 41.9% of lineups on DraftKings, and he’s showing up in a whopping 73.3% of the top 300 lineups in Stokastic’s Sims.
Other NFL DFS Cash Game & GPP running back picks: Joe Mixon, De’Von Achane, Josh Jacobs, Brian Robinson Jr., Rico Dowdle, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
NFL DFS Picks for Week 12: Wide Receiver
Cash Pick: Jakobi Meyers (LV): $5,100
On a slate lacking a ton of truly cheap value, Jakobi Meyers stands out at only $5,100. Though he’s not in a good spot matched up with Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos secondary, Meyers is simply too cheap for his role as Las Vegas’ wide receiver 1. It’s no surprise that Meyers is currently projected to be the highest-owned wide receiver on DraftKings at 20.4%, and in cash games he’s an easy click.
Other NFL cash game wide receiver picks: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill, D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Courtland Sutton, Calvin Ridley
GPP Pick: Kayshon Boutte (NE): $3,500
Last week’s chalk de jour, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is now falling through the cracks in a big way on DraftKings. Though he wasn’t particularly good last week against the Dolphins, putting up 7.3 DraftKings points, Boutte was on the field for 73 of a possible 76 snaps and saw six targets exactly for the fourth straight game.
While his production has left a lot to be desired, the buying signs are there for Boutte, and he’s currently projected to be optimal 12.38% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings. After letting down the masses last week, however, Boutte is only projected to be 10.3% owned at a similar $3,500 price tag. Stokastic’s Sims are even higher on Boutte, as he’s currently showing up in 38.3% of the top 300 lineups.
Other NFL DFS GPP wide receiver picks: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Josh Downs, Noah Brown
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NFL DFS Week 12 Picks: Tight End
Cash & GPP Pick: Travis Kelce (KC): $5,800
Another popular player on DraftKings last week, Travis Kelce again looks like the top tight end on the board at a now-discounted $5,800 price tag. Though there’s some concern that Kansas City won’t need Kelce much against the Panthers, Carolina is awful against tight ends, and I expect the Chiefs to control the ball for much of Sunday’s game.
This is only the second time Kelce has been priced below $6,000 this season, and it makes sense that 23.9% of the field is projected to roster him on DraftKings. Stokastic’s Sims don’t think that’s nearly enough, however, as Kelce is showing up in a crazy 39.7% of the top 300 lineups. Lock Kelce in and move on.
Other NFL DFS Cash Game & GPP tight end picks: Trey McBride, Cade Otton, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry
NFL DFS Picks for Week 12: DST
Cash DST Options: Texans, Dolphins, Packers
GPP DST Options: Broncos, Bears, Raiders
