DFS Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 12
DFS Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 12
The NFL Week 12 slate is ready for us to attack, but first, let's think about how to react to last week's DFS slate. With eleven weeks of data under our belts, it's hard not to overreact to what we saw on the field, particularly as injuries and outlier performances pile up. Let other people chase the outcome stats, and we will instead focus on usage and opportunity.
We will go through each position at a variety of salary levels to see who are the best plays in cash games on DraftKings and FanDuel. For these purposes, a cash game is any contest that pays out more than one-third of the field. While these are also viable GPP options, we are primarily looking for a safe floor combined with high usage that can lead to ceiling games.
DFS Tools
Previous Week's Results
Results in select DraftKings contests:
- NFL MASSIVE $25 Double Up [Single Entry] - 1644/5747
- NFL GIANT $5 Double Up [Single Entry] - 2617/11494
- NFL GIANT $5 Double Up [Single Entry] - 1915/6896
- NFL $5 Double Up [Single Entry] - 871/2298
- NFL GIANT $2 Double Up [Single Entry] - 1357/4825
- NFL GIANT $10 Double Up [Single Entry] - 1777/5747
- NFL Single Entry $2 Double Up - 918/2873
- NFL GIANT $10 Double Up [Single Entry] - 1226/3448
Winning percentage in Single Entry contests - 100%
Cash line in DraftKings Massive $25 Double-Up contest - 156.62
This was my cash game lineup for all contests in Week 11:
This was a pretty straightforward week for me in cash, and it was certainly one of the chalkiest weeks of the year. My last decision before lock was a 2-v-2 between Kyler Murray and Aaron Jones or Brock Purdy and Tony Pollard. Clearly, Purdy/Pollard was the smash and was one of the best (and most popular) lineups in cash. But based on my experience the last few weeks, I declared Tony Pollard dead to me and I had a brain-lock on not rostering him. That was a bad call, and thankfully the rest of my lineup was able to carry me past the cash line despite the Aaron Jones injury.
Be sure you're following me on X (@CableBoxScore) for any updates I make to my player pool as we get closer to lock. I will update that account every weekend with additional players as other news emerges.
Scoring Differences Between DraftKings and FanDuel
A quick primer on DraftKings versus FanDuel scoring for DFS if you are unfamiliar with their platforms.
- On DraftKings, you are selecting nine spots with a total of $50,000 to spend. FanDuel has nine spots with $60,000 to spend, so salaries are slightly higher.
- DraftKings is full PPR scoring, while FanDuel is half-PPR.
- DraftKings deducts one point for a fumble lost and an interception. FanDuel is minus two points for a lost fumble and minus one for an interception.
- DraftKings awards three-point bonuses for 300-yard passing games, 100-yard rushing games, and 100-yard receiving games. FanDuel does not award bonuses.
With those differences in mind, let's look at which players make good selections in Week 12.
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts (DK: $8,300, FD: $8,800) is the highest-salary quarterback on the slate and his performances of late back it up. His 20 fantasy points in Week 11 were the first time since Week 1 that he did not have at least 21.8 in a game and now he gets Buffalo with the second-highest implied team total on the slate. This game against the Bills is also the highest game total of the Week 12 slate at over 48 points.
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Ryan Kirksey
Ryan is a 20-year veteran of fantasy baseball, football, and basketball leagues. He has been writing about fantasy sports, sports betting, and DFS since 2018 and is a member of the FSWA and IBWAA. A native of Houston, he is a die-hard fan of the Astros, Rockets, and - reluctantly - the Texans. When he is not buried under sports analysis and TV show recaps, he works full-time in higher education and can be found pursuing his other passions: drinking coffee and writing about comic book investment and speculation.