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Week 12 DraftKings Plays: Stefon Diggs, Derrick Henry, and More

Week 12 DraftKings Plays; One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings every week.
Week 12 DraftKings

It is so exciting to have real, live NFL football back in our lives. One of my favorite parts is fantasy football. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings every week. 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 my favorite Week 12 DraftKings plays.

READ MORE: Week 12 Streamers

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 good for the readers and helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.

Looking back at Week 11, it was a little worse than Week 10 from a recommendations standpoint. This week only 52% of my recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. This time the quarterback group led the way tied at an 80% success rate. Meanwhile, the tight end group brought up the rear at a 20% success rate. Personally, it was a profitable week this week. We’ll look to get it going even better with the picks and keep up the profits in the Week 12 DraftKings plays.

  • Week 11 – $495 → $825 ($330 PROFIT)
  • Year Total – $4,311 → $3,777 ($534 LOSS)

Quarterbacks

Kyler Murray (ARI) – $6,900 v LAR

There were questions about how much Kyler Murray would run when he returned from his torn ACL this year. Those questions can be put to rest at this point as he looks just as fast and quick as ever. Through his first two games back, Murray has 13 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also averaging 20.5 DraftKings points per game. Murray and Marquise Brown haven’t even started clicking yet so there’s certainly room for that to go up as Murray only has one touchdown pass through two games so far. This week he gets a solid matchup as the Arizona Cardinals take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are tougher to run on than pass on and the Cardinals are currently 1.5-point home favorites in a game with a 44.5-point combined total. That should lead to plenty of dropbacks for Murray. This game is also being played in a dome which is a nice boost for passing offenses. Expect Murray to keep up the good production and has spike-week potential.

Gardner Minshew II (IND) – $5,100 v TB

Gardner Minshew II has been a rollercoaster this season regarding fantasy production. In Week 7 he put up 34.1 DraftKings points but hasn’t even scored that much in the three games combined after that. That includes two straight games with single-digit DraftKings points. That should change this week as the Indianapolis Colts host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers are not a good defense in general but especially the secondary. They’ve been getting shredded on a weekly basis and have allowed the third-most DraftKings points to quarterbacks this season. The Colts also have a 23.5-point implied team total and the game itself has a projected 44.5-point combined total. The spread is close as well so it could be a back-and-forth affair which would be great for fantasy production. This game is also being played in a dome as well. Add it all up and Minshew looks like one of the best Week 12 DraftKings plays at quarterback.

Others to Consider: Desmond Ridder (ATL) – $4,800 v NO, Bailey Zappe (NE) – $4,400 @ NYG, Baker Mayfield (TB) – $5,500 @ IND

Running Backs

Derrick Henry (TEN) – $6,400 v CAR

It’s fair to wonder whether Derrick Henry is finally wearing down. I think that “King” Henry still has one more late-season run in him this year and that starts this week against the Carolina Panthers. Over the last two weeks, he’s only scored a total of 8.4 DraftKings points. That’s been 21 carries for 62 yards to go with two receptions for two yards on three targets. It’s certainly been ugly but it’s been mostly bad game scripts for him. This week that should change. The Tennessee Titans currently sit as 3.5-point favorites with a 20-point implied team total. Henry should be used early and often, making him one of the best Week 12 DraftKings plays at running back.

Rachaad White (TB) – $6,100 @ IND

After an up-and-down start to his 2023 campaign, Rachaad White has settled in nicely and playing extremely well lately. He’s averaging 19.46 DraftKings points per game over his last five games. During that span, White has scored at least 15.9 DraftKings points in all five games, including a 27.9-point performance. He’s doing it by being heavily involved in the passing game. White is tied for fifth in the NFL among all running backs with 44 targets and tied for third in the NFL among all running backs with 41 receptions this year. Being so heavily involved as a pass catcher is a huge factor in fantasy production and helps keep him less game-script-dependent. This week he gets a great matchup against the Colts. As previously mentioned, the Colts defense is not very good. They’ve allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points to running backs this year. White should be able to keep the good times rolling this week.

Others to Consider: Jonathan Taylor (IND) – $6,900 v TB, Javonte Williams (DEN) – $5,700 v CLE, Jerome Ford (CLE) – $5,600 @ DEN, Kyren Williams (LAR) – $6,600 @ ARI, Rhamondre Stevenson (NE) – $5,800 @ NYG

Wide Receivers

Stefon Diggs (BUF) – $8,800 @ PHI

Maybe Week 12 should be labeled as the bounceback week as we have a few star players that have been struggling lately but are in nice spots this week. Stefon Diggs is that guy when it comes to wide receivers. Diggs was enjoying a great season until he put up two straight duds in the last two weeks. He’s scored 13.1 DraftKings points in those two games combined. Before that, he hadn’t scored less than 13.6 DraftKings points in any single game in 2023. The Buffalo Bills will look to get him back on track in a potential Superbowl preview against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles secondary has struggled mightily this season allowing the most DraftKings points to wide receivers this year. Some of that has to do with the fact they stop the run so well and some of it also has to do with the fact teams are often trailing and throwing more often against them. This game has the highest combined total on the slate at 48.5 points and the Bills are three-point underdogs with a 22.75-point implied team total. Diggs should have no problem bouncing back in a big way this week.

Demario Douglas (NE) – $4,400 @ NYG

Demario Douglas has become the de facto alpha wide receiver for the New England Patriots over the last month or so. In the last four games, he’s caught 20 passes on 29 targets and turned them into 218 yards. Douglas has averaged 11.05 DraftKings points over that span. That’s a solid amount, especially considering he hasn’t scored a touchdown during that span, or on the season for that matter. It’s been clear the Patriots have been trying to get the ball in his hands as he’s the only wide receiver that has any juice right now. This week he gets a great matchup against the New York Giants. The Giants are in the midst of a dreadful season and have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points to wide receivers this season. Douglas’ price actually went down and given his recent usage and the matchup, he looks like one of the best Week 12 DraftKings plays among all wide receivers.

Others to Consider: Diontae Johnson (PIT) – $4,900 @ CIN, Tank Dell (HOU) –  $6,900 v JAX, Rashid Shaheed (NO) – $4,300 @ ATL, A.J. Brown (PHI) – $9,000 v BUF, Michael Pittman Jr. (IND) – $6,800 v TB, Justin Watson (KC) – $3,000 @ LV

Tight Ends

Trey McBride (ARI) – $4,700 v LAR

We’re back in the same situation we saw with McBride two weeks ago. He was coming off a disappointing game but the underlying metrics for his usage were still promising. That’s exactly what we have here. McBride only had 9.3 DraftKings points last week but still saw seven targets. This week he gets a nice matchup as the Cardinals take on the Rams. As previously mentioned, the Cardinals are in a nice setup for passing volume as they are 2.5-point underdogs, at home, in a dome. The last time the Cardinals faced the Rams, McBride had 10.2 DraftKings points. That was his first double-digit performance of the season and this was before he became a full-time player and before Zach Ertz was placed on the IR. The Rams are much better in their secondary along the perimeter which should set McBride up to be one of the best Week 12 DraftKings plays among all tight ends.

Hunter Henry (NE) – $3,400 @ NYG

Hunter Henry started off the season on a high note looking like he could be one of the better late-round tight ends this season. After that, his production fell off in a big way. Henry has scored single-digit DraftKings points in seven of eight games since Week 2. The last two weeks, however, he’s starting to get more involved again. He has caught seven of 12 passes thrown his way for 60 yards and a touchdown. That’s nothing incredible but it’s an improvement from what he’d been. There’s hope Henry can creep back towards his usage from the first couple of weeks. The matchup is a good one against the Giants. As previously mentioned, the Giants are having a tough season on both sides of the ball so this is not a matchup to fear. The Patriots are 3.5-point favorites with an implied team total of 18.75 points. Henry’s price has only gone down as well making him great from a point-per-dollar standpoint.

Others to Consider: Evan Engram (JAX) – $4,200 @ HOU, Dalton Kincaid (BUF) – $5,300 @ PHI, David Njoku (CLE) – $4,100 @ DEN

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, turnovers, and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. I advise filling out the rest of your lineup first and then picking your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.

My Tentative Cash Game Lineup

  • QB – Gardner Minshew II
  • RB – Jonathan Taylor
  • RB – Rachaad White
  • WR – A.J. Brown
  • WR – Tank Dell
  • WR – Demario Douglas
  • TE – Evan Engram
  • Flex – Trey McBride
  • DST – Houston Texans

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

 

Main Photo: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

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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