NFL

4 NFL FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 12

I am having an emotional rollercoaster as we start Week 12 in the NFL season. But, there's no time for sadness -- it's time to get those buckies in DFS play.

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on the high-priced players in your lineup. They require a big chunk of your salary, and when paying up for a player, you shouldn’t have to worry about him letting down your lineup.

Here are four studs who should prove to be worth their high price tag.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

FanDuel Price: $7,900
Projected Points: 21.4

It's been an odd year so far in 2019, and a tough one at that for the Atlanta Falcons. They have struggled, but things have been admittedly picking up as of late.

While signal-caller Matt Ryan may not look like a darling, per our metrics, he checks out pretty well. In peeking at his Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back, Ryan actually checks in at a cool 12th (0.19) so far this season. In looking at Passing Success Rate -- or the rate of plays that generate a positive NEP -- Ryan ranks 10th (51.34%).

Ryan makes even more sense for DFS purposes as he faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rank 24th against the pass by numberFire's metrics. The Falcons are 4.0-point favorites and sport one of the highest implied team totals of the week.

Take a peek at Ryan, and you should be in a good spot at quarterback.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

FanDuel Price: $8,300
Projected Points: 18.9

In the non-Christian McCaffrey division for Week 12, Alvin Kamara looks like an incredible option against the Carolina Panthers this week.

First, let's peep the why. The Panthers are one of the league's worst rushing defenses, ranking dead last per our metrics. And for some insight on why that rank is so dang low, look at some recent running performances against the Panthers, including 91 rushing yards and 3 scores by Aaron Jones, along with a combined 232 rushing yards for the San Francisco 49ers.

With Kamara's 23 touches a week ago, he's likely to be a heavy focus of the offense, so if you can afford Kamara, think about the stud runner.

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

FanDuel Price: $8,200
Projected Points: 17.6

There's a second running back that could be in line for a big day, and while Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns hasn't scored since Week 6, there's plenty of reasons to believe.

First, the Miami Dolphins, who Chubb squares off against, are quite bad against the run -- 26th-worst per our metrics. Even though he hasn't found the end zone in a few weeks, he's still been heavily involved in the run game. He's hit 20 or more carries in each of the last five contests, including a combined 208 rushing yards in the last two weeks.

With a tasty matchup and a heavy work load recently, Chubb should be in line for a big Week 12.

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

FanDuel Price: $8,400
Projected Points: 16.6

It feels like every year, we are treated to one monster Julio Jones game a season. Could Week 12 be that?

Well, as we noted above, the Bucs are very poor against the pass, and Matt Ryan has been pretty darn good so far this season. While Jones "only" has 59 catches so far this season, his 22.2% target market share still ranks as a solid number this year.

To shed some light on big weeks from fantasy wide receivers and their success against Tampa Bay, just a week ago, Michael Thomas destroyed them for 8 catches, 114 yards, and a score, and Christian Kirk ripped 'em for 6 catches, 138 yards and 3 scores.

Keep your fingers crossed and hope that this is the week Jones explodes.


Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.