Draftkings NFL Week 12 Picks, Sleepers & Strategy

Win some money back after hitting the bars all holiday weekend.

Here at Roto Street Journal, we fancy ourselves as fantasy addicts. Fantasy football has evolved into something much more than your standard league draft. With the opportunity to enter new lineups every week through Daily Fantasy Sports, the RSJ will be giving you the best plays for your lineups, in order to win you some cash. From the high-priced superstars, to the penny stock sleepers, we have you covered to piece together the optimal lineup week by week.

Note:

  • Standard DraftKings salaries are used when creating these lineups.
  • All Thursday, and Monday Night Football games are excluded from tournament play

Quarterbacks

  • Top Shelf

    • Tom Brady ($7,800) – Fresh off another AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor, Brady travels to his rival Jets against an aging Darrelle Revis and struggling secondary. Get ready for all the “butt-fumble” nostalgia this week.
  • Retail Price

    • Cam Newton ($6,800) – This is the lowest Newton has been priced the entire year. Facing the Raiders allows for big production at an unusually low price.
    • Russell Wilson ($6,700) – Wilson is red hot, and taking on the Bucs should be no problem for him. His running game took a hit with the loss of CJ Prosise, meaning more of an aerial attack from Russ.
    • Derek Carr ($6,100) – Carr has been unbelievable this year, and should continue that success against a Luke Keuchly-less Panthers defense. Carolina has been much better against the run than they have been with passing.
  • Bang For Your Buck

    • Colin Kaepernick ($5,700) – For as big of a douche as he’s been, Kaepernick has been productive in fantasy terms since becoming the starter. He looked solid in the first half against the Patriots, and should have an easier time in Miami on Sunday.
  • My Pick

    • Carson Palmer ($5,300) – Palmer hasn’t been the elite QB we hoped for this season, but finds himself in a dream spot here against Atlanta. We all know how bad the Falcons secondary is, so Palmer should have no problem slinging the ball around. The Vikings were a tough matchup for Palmer, so he should be right back in the 20 point range this week.

Image result for carson palmer

Running Backs

  • Top Shelf

    • David Johnson ($8,900) – If you are looking for top end production from the RB spot look no further. DJ can put up numbers with the best of them and we should expect nothing less again this week.
    • Jay Ajayi ($7,600) – Ajayi takes on the league’s worst run defense of the 49ers at home. This matchup is just too good to be true. He should be a lock in most lineups.
    • Melvin Gordon ($7,000) – Gordon comes fresh off his bye week as one of fantasy football’s top running backs. His usage still hasn’t slowed down which is great for us. Houston should not be an issue for Gordon to run wild once again.
  • Retail Price

    • Spencer Ware ($6,100) – Ware has been getting constant carries in the Chiefs offense. With Jeremy Maclin still out for Kansas City and Denver struggling with the run, Ware could be in a very nice spot to produce.
    • Lamar Miller ($5,800) – Miller showed what he can do when given plenty of carries in the offense. He looked fluid and explosive, granted against the Raiders. With how pathetic Osweiler has been, the run game should be their focus.
    • Todd Gurley ($5,700) – While Gurley has been unimpressive this year, a date with New Orleans could bring flashes of his 2015 year. The big “if” will be if New Orleans gets hot and scores a ton, forcing the Rams to throw the ball more than they want to.
  • Bang For Your Buck

    • Jeremy Hill ($3,900) – With Gio Bernard done for the year, Hill will be option A, B, and C out of the backfield. He won’t have to worry about touchdowns being vultured, and could show that end of season spurt similar to 2014.
  • My Pick

    • Rashad Jennings (5,600) – Jennings has progressively gotten better since his return from injury. Last week he finally saw 20 touches and ran for 85 yards and a score. Against the Browns, he should be doing the same, if not adding on a handful more.

Image result for rashad jennings giants

Wide Receivers

  • Top Shelf

    • Julio Jones ($8,500) – Jones probably won’t be a popular play drawing coverage from Patrick Peterson, but big receivers have shown the ability to put up numbers. Playing in the dome always helps Julio’s value.
    • Amari Cooper ($7,700) – Cooper showed his elite speed while breaking away from defenders on his touchdown catch. Facing a leaky Panthers secondary sets up nicely for Cooper and the first place Raiders.
  • Retail Price

    • Julian Edelman ($6,800) – With Rob Gronkowski out, Edelman saw a huge jump in targets and production. Gronk should be out again this week, so Edelman will be Brady’s go to receiver for the second straight week.
    • Doug Baldwin ($6,400) – Baldwins recent success directly correlates to the hot streak of QB Russell Wilson. Baldwin had a massive run to end the 2015, this is where he does the same in 2016.
    • Steve Smith Sr ($6,000) – Smith has continued to run his mouth while backing it up at the same time. Touchdowns in two straight games while continuing to be the primary weapon in Baltimore’s offense.
    • Tyrell Williams ($6,000) – Tyrell has been on fire lately (aside from Denver of course) as the main receiver for Philip Rivers. He shows no signs of slowing down in the offense.
    • Rishard Matthews ($5,800) – Matthews has established himself as a stud receiver in the Titans offense. He faces the Bears secondary who have given up the most DK points to fantasy receivers this year.
    • Sterling Shepard ($5,500) – While Odell Beckham has struggled with his consistency, Shepard has caught a touchdown in three straight games. Facing Cleveland, he shouldn’t be slowing down this week.
  • Bang For Your Buck

    • DeVante Parker ($4,700) – Parker has started to receive the attention and looks that we hoped Jarvis Landry would be getting. Parker’s deep threat abilities and size should allow him to bully the 49ers corners.
    • Tyler Boyd ($4,000) – Boyd will see the biggest jump from the injury suffered by AJ Green. For such a low price to buy a WR1, he offers maximum flexibility in a high passing offense.
    • Ted Ginn Jr ($3,900) – Ginn brings lots of speed to the Panthers offense, and had an amazing touchdown catch in the back of the end zone last week. The Raiders have a suspect secondary, so Ginn could come up with a big play for the second straight week.
  • My Pick

    • Larry Fitzgerald ($7,000) – I love this spot for Fitz this week in Atlanta. He should see a ton of targets and have no problem carving this secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey. What’s great about playing Fitz is you know the looks will be there, and he’s historically good at converting those chances.

Image result for larry fitzgerald

 

Tight Ends

  • Top Play

    • Greg Olsen ($5,800) – Olsen against the Raiders is a plus matchup for the tight end. He’s been struggling mightily as of late, but if there’s a game for him to break out again, it’s here.
  • Bargain Plays

    • CJ Fiedorowicz ($3,300) – For some reason, Osweiler loves to target his tight end more than elite receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Riddle me that. Anyhow, the Texans tight end has proven to consistently draw targets in the offense.
    • Vance McDonald ($3,000) – McDonald has been the 49ers best option in the passing game and has done well with Kaepernick. At a measly $3k, McDonald can provide value to your lineup.

Defenses

  • Top Play

    • Buffalo Bills ($3,800) – The Bills find themselves in a dream spot here at home against a very turnover prone Blake Bortles. You can guarantee at least one interception, and there’s a solid chance one can be returned for a touchdown.
  • Bargain Plays

    • Baltimore Ravens ($3,100) – The Ravens play host to an AJ Green-less Bengals offense. Cincinnati could struggle to move the ball as well without their elite receiver.
    • Tennessee Titans ($2,800) – The Bears have struggled a lot on offense, and with Jay Cutler dealing with injury, the Titans could capitalize on this opportunity.

Author

  • THE Inaugural 2016 RSJ Fantasy Football League Champion. Owner of a #bigbrain, and lover of football, baseball and college hoops. When not grinding for the RSJ, can be found captaining his beer league softball team.

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Related Posts