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Week 12 DraftKings Plays: Miles Sanders, Deebo Samuel, and More

Week 12 DraftKings Plays - Miles Sanders and Deebo Samuel should have fantastic outings in DFS and should lead to a hefty payout.
Week 12 DraftKings Plays

Week 11 is in the books and it’s on to the next one. One of my favorite parts is fantasy football. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings. Every week is like a new puzzle to figure out. Whether you are more of a cash game player or a tournament player, each presents a unique challenge. Let’s take a look at the best Week 12 DraftKings plays.

Fantasy Football Week 12 DraftKings Plays

Week 11 Recap

It’s always good to be completely transparent and demonstrate accountability. That’s what I like to do with everything I do and that goes for fantasy football as well. Whether it’s bold takes or DraftKings recommendations, I always like to keep track of wins and losses. It’s not only good for the readers to know, but also helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.

Looking back at Week 11, it was much better than Week 10. This week 56% of the recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. This time the running back group led the way with a 71.4% success rate. Meanwhile, the wide receiver group brought up the rear this week with a 37.5% success rate. It was another profitable. The cash build won all seven of the double-ups and went 10-8-1 in H2H’s. We’ll look to do even better with the picks and keep making money in the Week 12 DraftKings plays.

  • Week 11 – $359 → $473 ($114 PROFIT)
  • Year Total – $3,602 → $4,260 ($658 PROFIT)

Week 12 DraftKings Plays

Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts (PHI) – $7,300 @ NYG

Despite the rumors that may be floating around, Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback for fantasy purposes. It seems every week people are unsure whether or not to start him but he just continues to deliver. Hurts has been a QB1 in every single start of his career that he has played the full game. This year he’s averaging 23.6 DraftKings points per game. Hurts is most dangerous with his legs. This season he has 618 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns so far. He’s had at least seven carries in every game this year and has ramped it up lately with at least 10 in five of his last six games. Over the last five games, he’s rushed for at least 55 yards in every game. Hurts is a cheat code for fantasy football. This week’s matchup against the New York Giants may not seem great at first glance but Hurts should no trouble carving up that defense.

Cam Newton (CAR) – $5,600 @ MIA

Making his first start of the year last week, Cam Newton came through in a big way for the Carolina Panthers. He dropped 26.2 DraftKings points in that one. Perhaps the most encouraging part was the 10 carries. Newton turned those 10 carries into 46 yards and a score. If he’s able to continue to see double-digit carries, including goal-line carries, per week then his price will skyrocket soon enough. For now, let’s take advantage of the low price for a running quarterback. Newton was also encouraging as a passer as well with 189 yards and two touchdowns. The nice part is that he has such great weapons that he only needs to be able to get the ball in their hands and let them create after the catch. This week’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins is a great one. The Dolphins are not very good on defense and have allowed the sixth-most DraftKings points to quarterbacks so far.

Others to Consider: Tom Brady (TB) – $7,600 @ IND, Justin Herbert (LAC) – $6,600 @ DEN, Tyrod Taylor (HOU) – $5,300 v NYJ

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey (CAR) – $9,000 @ MIA

This is the weekly reminder that Christian McCaffrey stays underpriced. As mentioned last week, he should be at least $10,000 every single week considering his workload, especially in the passing game. McCaffrey is averaging 20.7 DraftKings points per game and that includes a six-point game earlier in the year in which he left with an injury. Aside from that game, he’s scored at least 24 DraftKings points in five of six games. The craziest part is that he’s only scored two touchdowns all season and has not had a yardage bonus even once. Just imagine if he hits the bonus and scores a couple of times in the same game. That’s how insane McCaffrey can be in fantasy. This week’s matchup against the Dolphins is solid. The 42-point combined total isn’t anything great but the game is projected to be close with the Panthers as two-point road favorites. The Dolphins defense has played better lately but is nothing to write home about. McCaffrey should have no problem producing another great game.

James Robinson (JAX) – $6,200 v ATL

The playmakers for the Jacksonville Jaguars keep dropping like flies. James Robinson, however, keeps on chugging. He missed one game earlier in the year but he’s been one of the lone bright spots for the Jaguars this year in what has become a lost season. Robinson is averaging 15.9 DraftKings points per game this year. This week he gets a juicy matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons defense is horrible and they allow the fourth-most DraftKings points to running backs. This game also has a decent combined total of 45.5 points. It’s very possible that neither of these teams can stop the other one and in that case, it’s likely that Robinson will be a big part of that.

Miles Sanders (PHI) – $5,100 @ NYG

Miles Sanders just returned from injury last week. He has missed the previous three weeks with an ankle injury but looked no worse for the wear. He saw 16 carries in his first game back and turned that into 94 yards against one of the best run defenses in the league in the New Orleans Saints. Sanders did lose a fumble, however, which is something that may limit some touches depending on how his coach handles it. It would be a bit more worrisome if Jordan Howard was healthy. With Howard out, it leaves one less mouth to feed and Sanders could be in line for another big workload against the Giants. The Giants have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points per game to running backs this season. Sanders is just far too cheap for a possibly large workload in a great spot.

Others to Consider: Austin Ekeler (LAC) – $8,400 @ DEN, Saquon Barkley (NYG) – 6,300 v PHI, Darrell Henderson (LAR) – $5,800 @ GB, Ty Johnson (NYJ) – $4,300 @ HOU

Wide Receivers

Deebo Samuel (SF) – $7,900 v MIN

Deebo Samuel can truly do it all. Whether it’s catching passes or taking hand-offs, he’s truly one of the best playmakers in the NFL with the ball in his hands. Samuel’s 994 receiving yards are second-most in the NFL while his 541 yards after catch lead the league. He also leads the NFL in yards per route run at 3.60. Samuel’s 32.6% target share is also second-best in the NFL. On top of that massive target share, he’s also a major weapon in the running game, even more so lately with 13 carries over the past two games. This week’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings is a good one. The Vikings defense is not very good, especially the secondary. This game also has the second-highest combined total on the slate at 49 points.

Diontae Johnson (PIT) – $6,600 @ CIN

Diontae Johnson is a target monster. There aren’t many wide receivers who see more targets as his 29% target share is fourth in the NFL and his 95 total targets are sixth in the NFL. Johnson is averaging more than 10 targets per game. His consistency has been insane as well. Johnson has scored at least 11.7 DraftKings points in every game this year and is averaging 18.1 DraftKings points per game. The matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals is not anything special but it’s not one to fear either. This game has a 44.5-point combined total with the Bengals favored by 3.5 points. That may help the game script to be in Johnson’s favor in this one but this one is ultimately all about that sweet, sweet target volume.

Michael Pittman Jr. (IND) – $5,600 v TB

Sure, Michael Pittman Jr. busted last week, but that game went sideways and game flow wasn’t in his favor as Jonathan Taylor went berserk. Before that Pittman had rattled off four straight games with double-digit DraftKings points scored and eight of his last nine. He’s become the clear alpha wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts at this point. This matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a great spot for a bounce-back performance. The Buccaneers have been a pass funnel dating back a couple of years now. They are one of the best run-stopping units in the NFL. The 53-point combined total is by far the highest on the slate. The Colts are also three-point home underdogs as well so this looks like the perfect game environment for Pittman to have a big game.

Others to Consider: Chris Godwin (TB) – $7,000 @ IND, Davante Adams (GB) –  $8,600 v LAR, Brandin Cooks (HOU) – $5,800 v NYJ, Tee Higgins (CIN) – $5,400 v PIT, Jamison Crowder (NYJ) – $4,700 @ HOU

Tight Ends

Kyle Pitts (ATL) – $6,100 @ JAX

It’s been a weird rookie season for Pitts so far. Relative to other rookie tight end seasons it’s been great but at the same time, it feels like a bit of a disappointment. The usage had been incredible and everything that everyone hoped for but the Falcons offense has been brutal so far and it’s dragged him down a bit. Even still, the tight end position itself is brutal which makes Pitts an every-week option, especially for GPP builds. As previously mentioned, this game has a decent combined total and it could turn into a bit of a shootout if neither defense can stop the other. The Jaguars have nobody that can really match up with Pitts so if they don’t double him, he could end up with a big game in this one.

Jared Cook (LAC) – $3,000 @ DEN

Jared Cook hasn’t been anything special this year but this is just too cheap for him. He has a lot going in his favor. The biggest thing is that he runs a lot of routes on a team that is one of the fastest-paced teams in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers also average 39.5 pass plays per game. That’s the fourth-most in the league. This game also has the third-highest combined total at 47 points. The Denver Broncos have been pretty good at limiting tight ends so far this year but tight end defense can be a bit noisy. The game environment itself is a much more influential factor and it’s much more favorable. Not only that but with how cheap Cook is this week, he doesn’t need to do too much to pay off this salary.

Others to Consider: Dallas Goedert (PHI) – $4,800 @ NYG, Rob Gronkowski (TB) – $4,400 @ IND, Tyler Conklin (MIN) – $3,700 @ SF

Defense/Special Teams

In terms of choosing a defense/special teams, it’s the last spot I fill in every week. It’s pretty random but there are a few areas to gain an advantage. I look to target the heavily favored teams as they usually are playing with a lead. This forces their opponent to throw it more often which can help lead to extra sacks and turnovers and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. My advice is to fill out the rest of your lineup first and then pick your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.

My Tentative Cash Game Lineup

  • QB – Tyrod Taylor
  • RB – Christian McCaffrey
  • RB – Miles Sanders
  • WR – Diontae Johnson
  • WR – Brandin Cooks
  • WR – Jakobi Meyers
  • TE – Jared Cook
  • Flex – Deebo Samuel
  • DST – Houston Texans

Make sure to tune in next week to see the results from my Week 12 DraftKings plays and to see the best picks for Week 13. Best of luck to everyone and let’s all enjoy some football and win some money!

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Robert Norton

Robert Norton

He's been writing about sports on and off for years now but started back more regularly again in 2019. His main focus has been fantasy sports, with most of the articles being fantasy football based. It originally started as a fun way to add a unique aspect to his longest-running home league and has expanded from there. Sports and fantasy sports are definitely a love and passion of his as he's been watching and playing since he was very young. He played most sports growing up, although basketball was always his favorite to play and still play regularly to this day. He's currently 33 years old, work in Accounting/Analysis for Accuscripts Pharmacy, and live in Ohio with his amazing wife of 7 years and their 4-year-old and 6-month-old sons. Any questions, whether personal or sports/fantasy sports related, don't hesitate to reach out and ask!

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