2023 NFL DFS Week 12 Contrarian Plays: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Week 12 of the NFL season is here which means it's time to take a look at the DraftKings NFL and FanDuel NFL main slates to figure out which players we should be looking to build our lineups around for our NFL DFS Tournament contests. As ugly as this Week 12 main slate appears from a value standpoint, that's what makes it a great one especially for GPP's when it comes to being contrarian with your lineup builds. If you want to take down the big NFL DFS contests you need to find those high upside contrarian players to put into your lineup that will help you differentiate yourself from the rest of the field and while you don't need to go completely contrarian with your lineup builds it is generally a good idea to find one or two players to put into your lineup each week that may go again the majority of the field in hopes that it will give you a leg up on the competition.
Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!
| NFL DFS Watch List | DFS Playbook | QB Coach | RB Coach | WR Coach | TE Coach | D/ST Coach |
Top FanDuel & DraftKings NFL DFS Week 12 Contrarian Plays
C.J. Stroud, QB Houston Texans
I don't really get this one but if you look at our projected rostership for the week you will see that Stroud is expected to be less than 10% rostered in GPP contests and if that ends up being true then I need to have him in my lineups this week against the Jaguars. Jacksonville does not stop the pass all that well and Stroud has put together three straight weeks of 20+ fantasy points which included that incredible performance against the Buccaneers where he threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns. He has the upside to take down a GPP and if nobody is playing him then you can bet your last dollar that he will make my player pool.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB New England Patriots
All reports are seemingly indicating that the Patriots are going back to Mac Jones here in Week 12 and therefore many are looking at Rhamondre Stevenson who came away with 20 carries against the Colts in Week 10 before the Patriots bye week. While I think Stevenson is a fine play, I can't help but look at Elliott here who nobody is playing despite the fact that he continues to see a solid amount of carries, gets red zone work and has historically eaten up the New York Giants. If you really want to go against the grain here this week then Elliott, off a bye, against the Giants could be your golden ticket.
Greg Dortch, WR Arizona Cardinals
Everyone is looking at Justin Watson this week along with Khalil Shakir and both of those are fine plays with nice upside but an easy pivot here is to Greg Dortch who saw 75% of the offensive snaps last week and with Michael Wilson again ruled out should see similar workload here in Week 12. I also like that Dortch and QB Kyler Murray have chemistry as Dortch was the teams top target at times when Murray was under center over these past seasons. The Rams do not have a great secondary which I think Dortch can exploit and look to repeat his six catch effort from Week 11.
David Njoku, TE Cleveland Browns
I think Njoku here is just a victim of the price tag. He is in the mid-range when it comes to cost and the Browns are still starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 12 while being on the road in Denver. The thing is, Njoku had 15 targets last week from DTR and the Broncos are not a good defense against opposing tight ends. If nobody is playing a guy who had 15 targets last week then I'm certainly willing to give him a look in my GPP lineups.
Player News
Free agent Gabe Davis will visit the New York Giants.
Cut by the Jaguars after one season last week, Davis visited the 49ers on Monday. New York would be a reunion of sorts, as he played for Giants coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo. The G-Men already have several wideouts capable of stretching the field, but 26-year-old Davis could still be a decent role player in a strong offense. The problem, of course, is that the Giants profile as anything but, but rookie QB Jaxson Dart is comfortable throwing down the field.
Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington has been diagnosed with a torn achilles suffered during offseason training.
The fifth-year pro became a weekly starter for the first time last season, earning elite PFF marks in the process. He was a restricted free agent this spring but had yet to sign his $3.26 million tender. That’s a tough break, to put it mildly. Achilles timelines have shortened significantly in recent years, but Washington will probably still miss the entire 2025 campaign. The Ravens are protected in part by their first-round selection of fellow S Malaki Starks, but May is not the month you already want to be dipping into your depth. Going on 26, Washington’s career future is murky after he worked so hard to finally become a regular contributor last season.
Chiefs signed fourth-round WR Jalen Royals to a four-year contract.
Royals doesn’t have an obvious and open spot in the receiving corps to build short-term fantasy value with Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rashee Rice operating in the opening 11-personnel package. He may or may not play his way into WR4 duties depending on how the team feels about JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals has plenty of talent and Brown is on a one-year deal, so there is a future where Royals is more than a bit player for the Chiefs. It likely won’t happen in his first season without injuries in front of him.
Matthew Judon said he “probably” won’t return to the Falcons in 2025.
The Falcons, of course, drafted both Jalon Walker and James Pearce in the first round. In an exclusive interview with CardPlayer.com — not to be confused with our PokerNews.com James Cook scoop a few days ago — Judon said that his sack total was down because “I dropped (into coverage) on 60 percent of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.” Judon also told Kyle Odegard that “a couple” teams had expressed interest in him but he was in no rush to sign.
Jets released P Thomas Morstead.
Austin McNamara and Kai Kroeger will compete for the Jets punter job this year. The 39-year-old former Saint was the league’s oldest punter last season. If he wants to keep punting, he can absolutely join the tryout circuit or a competition elsewhere. But this is probably a sign that the Morstead’s 16-year career is close to an end at this point.
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said it’s “going to be a breakout year” for Jameson Williams.
Morton said he’d never “been around someone that fast,” then quickly corrected himself to note that Jhamyr Gibbs is also that fast. Williams came on strong last year with a 58/1001/7 receiving line, but offensive coordinator praise could mean even more targets are coming. It would likely come at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s production if Williams were to truly break out, though there’s plenty for St. Brown to give and still be a top-flight fantasy wideout. It’s risky to read too much into statements like this in the offseason, but the new offensive coordinator telling you he thinks it’ll be a breakout year for Williams is certainly noteworthy.