DFS Building Blocks – Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving team! One of the best days of the year is here, kicking off with Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions and concluding with one of the NFL’s best rivalries, San Francisco vs Seattle Seahawks. What a beautiful day to eat food and watch hours of football. Ah, bliss.
In addition to the three games today, we also have a bonus game to enjoy tomorrow. Amazon Prime will host the first-ever Black Friday NFL Game, with Tua Tagavailoa and the Dolphins heading to MetLife stadium to tackle the New York Jets.
We will be hitting you with Sunday’s slate later this week, but for now, let’s see what DFS magic we can find for today!
Game Overviews
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Time: Thursday 12:30 p.m. ET
Money Line: Green Bay Packers (+300) ; Detroit Lions (-380)
Spread: Detroit Lions -7.5
Total: 47.5; Opened: 45.5
There might be some signs of life with Jordan Love, you know. Everyone plays well against the Chargers’ defense, but Love’s 322-yard, 2-touchdown performance was vastly improved from what we had been used to. He has a wide array of young receivers who are producing for him, and the Lions’ secondary is the place to attack this team.
It is difficult to figure out which wide receiver will pop off each week, but they are all at least cheap, making them a useful flex option with good upside. My preference would be the rookie Jayden Reed, who has had double-digit points in four of his last five games.
Musgrave heading to IR means more targets for wide receivers, and Tyler Kraft should step into the TE role this week. Aaron Jones is also set to miss with injury, freeing up yet more targets for the receivers. AJ Dillon will step in to carry the load, but he is not an appealing option against a very stout Lions defensive line.
For Detroit, all your usual suspects will be popular. Amon-Ra is a locked and loaded top-5 receiver, with Gibbs and Montgomery both usable in the running back slot. They are splitting work pretty evenly, but both are so talented and this offense is so good, that they are still producing. I am very confident recommending both against this Packers defense who are in the bottom 10 against running backs. I like Montgomery on FD where touchdowns matter more and Gibbs on DK where receiving volume matters more.
The one person who might be becoming an odd man out is Sam LaPorta. His targets have dipped with Gibbs back in the lineup. He remains a good option at tight end, but the upside is capped. I’d rather save salary and take a shot on Kraft on the other side.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Love + Montgomery + Reed + St Brown (+Kraft)
Goff + Gibbs + St Brown + Reed/Kraft
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Montgomery
Gibbs
Reed
Doubs
Watson
St Brown
LaPorta
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Tyler Kraft
Jameson Williams
Dontayvion Wicks
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: Thursday 4:30 p.m. ET
Money Line: Washington Commanders (+550) ; Dallas Cowboys (-800)
Spread: Dallas Cowboys -13.5
Total: 48.5; Opened: 46.5
Dallas has been on a demolition run in recent weeks. They have beaten their last two opponents 82 – 27 combined, and I like their chances of a similar result today. Dak Prescott has been slinging it, coinciding perfectly with Dallas’ decision to move CeeDee Lamb around the line. He has been lining up inside and outside since the bye, racking up 538 yards and 4 touchdowns in the four games since.
The Commanders are giving up the third most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, so CeeDee Lamb is in an incredible blow-up spot, ready to give DFS players something to be thankful for. I also like the matchup for Cooks. Dallas has been looking to get him involved recently, and he could also score highly.
Prescott and Pollard will also be popular. The stack will be chalky, but there is a reason for that. Washington has traded away two of their best defensive players and have been hemorrhaging yards.
Sam Howell should be able to keep this game fun for us though. He hasn’t been short of the odd mistake, but he is averaging 276 passing yards per game. He won’t be scared to throw on this Dallas defense. Hopefully, he can keep the game interesting for us and force Dallas to leave their starters on the field.
Terry McLaurin is the only Commanders wide receiver you can trust, but his upside is capped by their insistence on employing a wide receiver rotation. Brian Robinson will be in a great spot if Antonio Gibson misses again. Robinson taking on the pass-catching role has propelled him into RB1 territory. The matchup could lead to him having lower ownership than normal, so I like him this week.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Prescott + Lamb + Cooks + McLaurin
Prescott + Pollard + Lamb + McLaurin
Howell + Robinson + Pollard + Lamb + Thomas
Prescott + Robinson + Lamb + Cooks + McLaurin
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Pollard
Robinson
Lamb
Cooks
McLaurin
Ferguson
Thomas
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Michael Gallup
Antonio Gibson
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: Thursday 8:20 p.m. ET
Money Line: San Francisco 49ers (-320) ; Seattle Seahawks (+260)
Spread: San Francisco 49ers -7
Total: 44.5; Opened: 43.5
The headline event is an NFC West clash between the 49ers and Seahawks. Brock Purdy is another quarterback on the Thanksgiving slate who is playing lights out at the moment. The Seattle secondary is young but talented, led by Devon Witherspoon, who is contending for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Nevertheless, Purdy has elite weapons and is passing with such accuracy that we can roll with him this week.
The Seahawks are worse against the run, which makes Christian McCaffrey one of the best plays on the day. He has such a huge role in the 49er offense that he is a weekly stud in fantasy, but this is a crucial game for San Fran and I can see them riding their elite running back.
With Aiyuk likely to see a lot of Witherspoon, this one could be more of a Deebo game. I would prefer him over Aiyuk this week, and Kittle is a great option at tight end.
On the Seattle side, it is a tough matchup all around. Kenneth Walker’s injury makes Zach Charbonnet playable, even against the 49ers’ excellent run defense. He is used enough in the receiving game to warrant a selection.
I wouldn’t want to play Geno Smith, but sticking in one of the Seahawks’ receivers isn’t a bad option. The best way to attack them is through the air, especially after they lost safety Talanoa Hufanga. Metcalf is the most dangerous, but Lockett has a knack of popping up in these big games. Those two are playing ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba still, so the rookie remains a lottery pick.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Purdy + CMC + Deebo + Kittle+ Metcalf/Lockett
Purdy + CMC + Deebo + Metcalf/Lockett
Purdy + Charbonnet + CMC + Deebo + Metcalf
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
CMC
Charbonnet
Deebo
Aiyuk
Metcalf
Lockett
Kittle
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Time: Friday 3 p.m. ET
Money Line: Miami Dolphins (-450); New York Jets (+360)
Total: Miami Dolphins -9.5
Total: 40.5; Opened: 42.5
This game looked so much better before the season. Jets fans who were looking forward to watching Aaron Rodgers face off against their bitter AFC East rivals, now have to hang their hopes on Tim Boyle. Boyle has a career completion percentage of 60% and has thrown 3 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. I am sorry to say that the outlook for any Jets players is rock-bottom.
We need to fill out the roster though, so Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are your best options. We have to rely on skill alone to create any potential scores. Wilson is an elite separator and might just be able to get open enough times to give you a floor play. Both players have the speed and skill to turn a play into a house-call, so we just cross our fingers and hope.
It’s the polar opposite for Miami. The Jets are an elite defense, but you can still trust almost all of the Dolphins. De’Von Achane’s injury means there should be more targets for Jaylen Waddle and more opportunities for Raheem Mostert. I like them both a lot in this game.
Tyreek Hill will have the toughest matchup against Sauce Gardner, but his skill set combined with Mike McDaniels’ play designs make him relatively matchup-proof. All the Dolphins I have mentioned are in a good spot, including Tua.
Finally, the Miami defense is also a great play. As previously mentioned, Boyle has thrown 9 interceptions and only 3 touchdowns. Fire up the Dolphins D!
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Tua + Mostert + Hill + Wilson + Dolphins D
Tua + Hall + Mostert + Waddle + Dolphins D
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Mostert
Hall
Hill
Waddle
Wilson
Dolphins D/ST
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Israel Abanikanda
The Lineup Build
This is a day of should and could. Build around what *should* happen if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning first but sharing the top prize and build around what *could* happen if you want a lower chance of winning first but a greater chance of winning first by yourself.
On FD in particular, Pollard is expected to be pretty highly owned, giving us a great chance to get some ownership leverage simply by building around what should happen – a Cowboys passing onslaught. Of course, now that I said that, Pollard could get three TDs. Howell has been great this year and could turn this game into a shootout.
The Lions should handle the Packers easily but Jordan Love could surprise with another solid game at the lowest price of all the starting QBs at around 5% ownership. That would win you all the money by yourself.
The 49ers should handle the Seahawaks, playing to their expected game total and spread, but they could completely dominate them with all of their injury concerns. Or the Seahawks could surprise and we get a competitive shootout.
Pick your favorite should or could and make sure your lineup tells that story.
Here’s one you could build… Pay up for the Cowboys, with Prescott, Lamb and Cooks set for big games. To represent the opposition, add Brian Robinson. And Logan Thomas if you want to overstack even more.
Zach Charbonnet takes the other RB slot, and pair him up with Gibbs in the flex. Having two explosive pass-catching running backs sounds good. Could swap to Montgomery instead on FD. And I’m trying to find ways to get CMC and 49ers DEF in some lineups also, so Charbonnet won’t make it into those lineups.
Finally, Jayden Reed takes the last wide receiver slot and the Lions are my chosen defense. But can also move up to Deebo on FD and then you don’t have a WR playing against your defense, although that’s less a concern on these small slates.
Note on Yahoo – Cooks is much more expensive on Yahoo, so can swap in Gallup, who also stands a good chance of coming down with a touchdown.
I’ll be playing around with that lineup because of the upside, but if I’m building a lot of lineups I’m trying to maximize my exposure to Prescott plus one or two pass catchers, Tyler Kraft for the salary savings, and CMC plus 49ers DEF, and Deebo where I can. Play around with what you can build and see what you like based on whether you’re building for should or could. And remember one other great strategy on a small slate is leaving some salary on the table as a way to be unique.