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.
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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
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins has been arrested and held on domestic violence charges in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Judkins was booked on Saturday and remains in custody as of this evening. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Judkins’ initial court appearance will come Sunday morning. The Browns have said they are “aware and gathering more details.” Judkins’ arrest comes on the eve of training camp, and gets his professional career off to the worst possible start. A lengthy stay on the commissioner’s exempt list would be all but guaranteed if the charges stick. A suspension would then follow if he were convicted or admitted guilt. The situation should be updated on Sunday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Chargers second-round WR Tre Harris did not report with fellow rookies.
That effectively makes Harris a holdout, something that has become common practice for second-round players amidst ongoing negotiations regarding guaranteed money. 30 of the 32 second-round selections from the 2025 NFL Draft have yet to sign their rookie contracts, with Harris now the first official holdout after the Chargers’ rookie report date came and went. This appears to be nothing more than “just business,” but fantasy managers will want to track the ongoing behind-the-scenes saga unfolding this year.
Veteran DT Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement from the NFL.
Suh announced his retirement in a heartfelt post on X early Saturday morning, bringing up a conversation he had with his father before the latter’s passing as the deciding factor of his decision. “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter,” Suh reflects. The five-time All-Pro amassed 600 combined tackles in 199 games during his 13-year professional career, winning Super Bowl LV as a member of the Buccaneers during the 2021 season. He last played for the Eagles in 2022 before failing to catch on as a free agent the following two seasons.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Kenny Pickett “developed a strong on-field rapport” with Jerry Jeudy after training with the team’s top receiver this offseason.
At 27 years old, Pickett is the middle-aged member of the Browns’ four-person quarterback competition. Although he is perhaps the least discussed member of the bunch, Oyefusi notes, Pickett respectably went “14-10 as a starter in two seasons with the Steelers.” Developing rapport with the team’s top option could give Pickett an edge in training camp and the preseason, though Pickett is unlikely to produce even high-end QB2 results were he to win the starting job.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to return to the scheme he ran early in his Cleveland tenure “with more under-center formations that utilize play-action.”
The Browns employed a 24.9 percent play-action pass play rate last season, ranking 17th among NFL teams. In his first season at the helm in 2020, Stefanski ran play action at a sixth-ranked 28.7 percent rate. Increasing the fantasy-friendly play’s usage would be a boon to Browns pass catchers. They can use all of the schematic advantages they can get, given their team’s unsettled quarterback situation.
Jaylen Waddle said he is honing his hand-eye coordination this offseason while improving his chemistry with Tua Tagovailoa.
Per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Waddle viewed his hand-eye coordination as an area that “needed immediate improvement.” We agree. Although Waddle’s six drops last year tied for his career low, they led all Dolphins pass catchers and his 9.4 percent drop rate was just 0.2 percent under his career high. Louis-Jacques also notes, “these practices have also proven to be valuable reps for Waddle with Tagovailoa. Waddle is operating as the team’s No. 1 WR with Tyreek Hill (wrist) sidelined, which Tagovailoa said has allowed him and Waddle to “grow [their] chemistry.” Head coach Mike McDaniel adds that Waddle’s offseason performance is an “example of the culture the team is trying to build in 2025.” If Waddle can continue asserting himself as the team’s No. 1 WR in training camp and the preseason, a WR1 season-long finish is possible.