Thanksgiving is a great day for so many people. It’s the ultimate mash-up of all the big F’s: food, friends, family, and of course…football! This week we are treated to some great games all day.
In the morning, we get an NFC North clash between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. Following that game, we get a battle between the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys. We close out the day with another divisional showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.
With all these great games going, why not do a little wagering and put together a DraftKings lineup? Look no further than this article to put together a great winning lineup to bring you some cash to go spend on holiday gifts during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, or pick yourself up a discounted LAFB Network Subscription!
Thanksgiving DFS Optimal Lineup
QB – Mitchell Trubisky vs. Lions – $5,300
Trubisky has thrown for three or more touchdown passes in only five games in his career. Two of those five games were against the Detroit Lions. Trubisky has historically played well against the Lions and this week should be no exception. Coming off the short week, expect the Bears to have continued momentum and put together a good game-plan to put Trubisky in the best situation to succeed. Against the Giants on Sunday, he was able to air it out to the tune of 278 passing yards and one touchdown.
Furthermore, the Lions defense will give it up when it comes to passing defense. They’re currently allowing the third-most passing yards in the league and are tied for fifth in passing touchdowns allowed. A good cheap option for you to spend more money on other positions but still get good production from your quarterback position.
RB – David Montgomery vs. Lions – $5,400
Recent trends have shown that the Bears offense is going more through Tarik Cohen, instead of Montgomery. In his last two games, Montgomery has failed to eclipse the 50-yard mark in rushing yards. Part of that is he was dealing with an ankle injury recently and he should be 100% for this Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions. While head coach, Matt Nagy, may still split carries between Cohen and Montgomery, we should expect Montgomery to have a good bounce-back game.
RB – Devin Singletary vs. Cowboys – $5,800
There may be a youth movement in Buffalo, but let’s take a second to acknowledge the ageless wonder, Frank Gore. Gore just passed Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for third on the all-time rushing yards list. Gore is a great player and a sure-fire Hall of Fame inductee when he finally hangs up his cleats. In the meantime, he is continuing a great career in the NFL and mentoring the young Singletary to possible become a great running back like himself.
Singletary has been solid after coming back from an injury that kept him off the field. While he hasn’t scored a touchdown since week 9, he is racking up a good amount of rushing yards. In his last four weeks, Singletary has totaled 318 rushing yards and 4.9 yards per carry. He is finding the right running lanes and gives the Bills offense another threat, besides just quarterback, Josh Allen.
Singletary does face a tough Cowboys defense this week but with Allen in the backfield as well, this should give the defense a hard time on who to worry about. Singletary should get some good yards and finally find the endzone again, which should lead to a great turkey day performance.
WR – Allen Robinson vs. Lions – $6,700
If two Bears players are in your DFS roster this week, why not make it three? Robinson has become Trubisky’s go-to player in the passing offense. Robinson has been targeted 25 times in the last three games. This also includes a game where he put together a stat line of six receptions for 131 receiving yards and one touchdown, off of 10 targets.
The passing offense flows through Robinson as the supplemental receivers have not stepped up all year long. Robinson should be able to do some damage against one of the league’s worst passing defenses. We touched on this before in the quarterback section, but this really should be a good game for the passing offense to have back-to-back solid performances. Thanksgiving should be filled with great food, good memories with friends and family, and Robinson and Trubisky getting a victory through the air for Chicago.
WR – Calvin Ridley vs. Saints – $6,600
The evening will conclude with a good divisional match-up between the Saints and the Falcons. The last time these teams played, the Falcons came out and surprised New Orleans and the rest of the country with an impressive upset victory. While Ridley did not go off in that game, he should have a good game this week.
The Saints will look to shut down Julio Jones and come away with a victory. This should open up the lanes for Ridley to do some damage. Last year against the Saints, Ridley was able to garner 15 receptions for 239 yards and four touchdowns. Ridley knows how to beat the Saints and the Falcons should be able to rely on him with Jones possibly being double-covered during the game. Expect Matt Ryan and the offense to rely on Ridley to get into the endzone and give Atlanta two victories against the Saints this season.
WR – Kenny Golladay vs. Bears – $6,100
While Golladay has not been tearing things up over the last few games, on Thursday he should see a better performance. Jeff Driskel has been inserted into the lineup and the passing offense has unfortunately taken a dip. Even with the downgrade at the quarterback position, Golladay has been able to average a little bit more than 50 receiving yards per game in the three games Driskel has played. Also what will help Golladay turn in a good performance is the Lions running game. Finally, there is a consistent attack on the ground and this can open up the passing game for Driskel to find Golladay against the Bears. While Detroit may have a hard time coming away with a victory, coming from behind and scoring garbage points works all the same in fantasy. Golladay will have a nice fall holiday, while the rest of us enjoy a great Thanksgiving day.
TE – Jared Cook vs. Falcons – $4,800
Cook has sort of woken up from fantasy hibernation. In his first six weeks as a New Orleans Saint, Cook had 15 receptions for 168 receiving yards and two scores. This is around the same stat line he has had in the last three weeks.
Over the last three weeks, Cook has totaled 14 receptions for 206 receiving yards and two scores. The Saints offense is starting to get Cook more involved and he should be a good option in your DFS roster. While the Falcons are no slouch against opposing tight ends this year, he should be able to deal some damage as Michael Thomas will be giving the Falcons defense something more important to worry about. Pay the extra dollars for Cook as he is the most reliable tight end option during this Thanksgiving slate of games.
FLEX – Cole Beasley vs. Cowboys – $4,700
Revenge game anyone? Beasley is heading back to Dallas to face his former team. Besides playing his former team, Beasley has really started to perform well for the Bills. In his last four games, Beasley has been targeted 21 times and he has caught all but five of those targets. Also, he is averaging a little over 50 yards per game during that same span and he has scored twice. While these are not huge numbers, you can still see that Buffalo is looking to get him more involved in the offense. As more defenses look to stop John Brown, this opens the field up for Beasley to go to work and especially make things happen against his former team. Look for a good showing from Beasley.
DST – New Orleans Saints vs. Falcons – $3,500
The Saints have a shot to lock up the NFC South with a victory over the Falcons. Also, the last time these two teams faced each other, the Falcons got the best of them. One more storyline for this game is that the Saints want to stay in the race for a top seed in the NFC playoff picture. So there is a lot riding for New Orleans in this game and they should bring their best to come away with a victory.
The Saints defense is currently one of the top fantasy defenses in the league and while they are the most expensive option in DraftKings this week, they should be the most dependable. New Orleans is currently tied for 10th in the league in sacks generated. If the Saints can get good pressure on Ryan and the Falcons, this should prevent the Falcons offense from getting into the flow of things and move the ball down the field. With so much on the line for the Saints, expect the defense to play hard and give the Falcons trouble all evening. Pay the price for the defense and you should see a good return on your investment.
