Family. Turkey (or ham, or steak, or brisket). Football. Amidst the quality family time and eating good food, football on the television on Thanksgiving Day has been a staple in my house. If you’re watching football, you’re likely building some Thanksgiving Day NFL DFS lineups, and don’t worry, we got you covered here at Fantasy Alarm!

 

 

 

Of course, we’ll have our DFS Coaches for Sunday’s Week 13 NFL DFS action, but this article is specific to the NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR coach for the three games being played on Thanksgiving Day. From my top receivers, to a wideout I’m fading, to my favorite NFL DFS wide receiver on Thursday, and everything in between, this NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR coach has you covered!

NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

Detroit leads the way in terms of implied total, but that Chicago secondary is no joke. I expect more production from the running backs and tight ends more so than the receivers, which is why one of Detroit’s top wideouts is an easy fade for the NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR coach on DraftKings on Turkey Day.

Albeit less than stellar quarterbacks, there’s a lot to like through the air in the Cowboys-Giants game, especially CeeDee Lamb, as his volume is sky-high right now. Lastly, Jayden Reed has the best matchup on paper for the Packers through the air, so he’s the 2024 NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR coach preferred target in that game.

 

 

 

NFL Thanksgiving Wide Receivers

Thanksgiving Day features three games, two of which have a total of at least 47 points, and then the Cowboys-Giants game currently in the upper-thirties.

The first two games of the day are played in a dome, so nothing to worry about there, but I have some concerns about the Miami offense traveling to Lambeau Field in frigid conditions. The temperatures are going to be below freezing, and traditionally, Tua Tagovailoa has been less than stellar in the cold, so I’m unsure if I want to pay up for any of his receivers.

Per Fantasy Points’ Data Suite, here is how Tua is fared in recent years in games below 50 degrees:

  • 2023 (2 games): 240 passing yards per game, 3:4 TD/INT ratio, 63.2% CMP%
  • 2022 (2 games): 272 passing yards per game, 3:3 TD/INT ratio, 60.0% CMP%
  • 2021 (1 game): 205 passing yards per game, 0:1 TD/INT ratio, 47.4% CMP%

Ultimately, I really like getting to CeeDee Lamb as my top tier receiver and then setting in with Jayden Reed and my NFL DFS Thanksgiving WR coach “play of the week” to round out the wide receiver room. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Top Tier Picks For Thanksgiving

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $8,600

Lamb may not have the overall ceiling that he does when Dak Prescott is under center, but there’s no questioning the overall volume. The star receiver has seen at least 10 targets and one rushing attempt in every Cooper Rush start this season, and he’s averaging nine receptions per game over the last two weeks.

This is a good matchup for Lamb, as New York’s corners are vulnerable, and Lamb is just about the only man in town. High-floor play with the chance for more, especially if he can find the end zone.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $5,700 | FanDuel: $6,900

Romeo Doubs is unlikely to play in this contest, which could pave the way for more targets for Reed, as he figures to have the best matchup on the field. Primarily running out of the slot, he shouldn’t see much of Miami’s perimeter corners (Jalen Ramsey and Storm Duck), thus, putting him across from Kader Kohou. 

Over the last four weeks in slot coverage, Kohou has allowed 83.3 percent of his targets to be caught for just under 10 yards per reception, and a 128.8 passer rating when targeted. Furthermore, Miami loves to play Cover 3, and Reed has the eighth-highest fantasy points per route run against Cover 3 this year in the NFL, per Fantasy Points’ Data Suite.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Mid-Tier Picks For NFL Thanksgiving

Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $5,000 | FanDuel: $5,500

DJ Moore had a big week last week, but I prefer Allen and Odunze to Moore this week. Moore goes into the slot the least of these three, which is where you want to attack Detroit, and Odunze is second the Bears in yards per route run out of the slot since Thomas Brown took over play-calling duties in Chicago. 

The rookie receiver has 10 targets in back-to-back weeks, and teams tend to pass more against Detroit, whether it be because they are playing from behind, or it’s incredibly tough to run the ball on the Lions. I like this spot for Odunze, going up against a Detroit team that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to receivers in 2024.

Wan’Dale Robinson - DraftKings: $4,700 | FanDuel: $5,600

I really like Malik Nabers, and if you have the money, go for it. However, looking at the slate, running backs figure to take a good chunk of your salary. So, we pivot to Robinson. He caught all five of his targets from Tommy DeVito last week for 47 yards, and even had a rushing attempt in that contest. Am I crazy for liking Robinson a bit more with Drew Lock [likely] under center?

Dallas has been vulnerable out of the slot the past four weeks, and the damage against them has been quite notable:

  • Jourdan Lewis has allowed over 30 yards per reception and a 143.8 passer rating when targeted in slot coverage
  • Israel Mukuamu has allowed over 17 yards per reception and a 116.7 passer rating when targeted
  • Trevon Diggs has allowed a 158.3 passer rating and 2 TDs on six slot coverage snaps 

If Diggs plays, he’ll handle a lot of the reps against Nabers, and with Robinson having the best matchup on the field, expect the Giants to look his way. Earlier this year, albeit with Daniel Jones, Robinson was targeted a career-high 14 times against Dallas, hauling in 11 of those passes for 71 yards.

Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $4,200 | FanDuel: $5,400

With Christian Watson likely seeing a good bit of Jalen Ramsey, as well as being pretty quiet on the year against Miami’s preferred defensive setup (Cover 3), I’m going to look to Wicks. When a Green Bay receiver goes down, and Wicks gets more snaps, he tends to produce! 

He’s played in 70+ percent of the snaps twice this season, and in those two games, he’s averaged 10 targets per game. Sure, he’s only caught seven of those 20 targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns, but nonetheless, volume should be there. Reed is my preferred Green Bay wideout, but Wicks would be option #2 over Watson.

 

 

 

NFL Thanksgiving DFS WR Value Picks

Jalen Brooks, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $3,100 | FanDuel: $4,500

As I mentioned with Washington, on these small slates, you have to zig where others zag on these small slates. Hence, we are looking to Brooks, instead of a Ryan Flournoy or Jalen Tolbert. The hope here is that Brooks can haul in a long reception (or two), and maybe even find the end zone. 

Brooks has a very healthy 18.7 average depth of target (aDOT) in Cooper Rush’s three starts this season, and he lines up on the perimeter, and we all know New York is susceptible to deep passes on the perimeter. I expect more ownership to go to Tolbert, but production hasn’t been there for him, so I’m going to take a chance on Brooks and his 16.4 yards per reception this season.

Malik Washington - DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $4,500

Gotta differentiate, right? I have some concerns about Miami heading to Green Bay in what is expected to be a cold, and potentially wet evening, so we could see some manufactured touches for Washington like we’ve seen recently. He has at least two targets and one rushing attempt in each of the last three weeks, averaging 9.7 yards per reception and nine yards per carry. 

Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill will likely see the majority of ownership amongst the Miami receivers, and rightfully so, but the way in which they deploy Washington could help alleviate some of the weather concerns at Lambeau.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Fades For Thanksgiving

Jameson Williams - DraftKings: $6,100 | FanDuel: $5,700

Chicago is NOT a good matchup for wide receivers whatsoever. The Bears have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to receivers for the season, and the sixth-fewest over the last four weeks. Under one-third of his routes have come out of the slot, and Chicago has allowed the fifth-lowest catch rate (57.1%) on the perimeter, per Fantasy Points’ Data Suite. 

Williams is going to see a good bit of Jaylon Johnson, and that is not a good matchup whatsoever. I’ll be fading Williams on this slate, as I think he’s more bust than boom on Thanksgiving. If you want to play Williams, he’s a far better value on FanDuel compared to DraftKings.

 

 

 

NFL Thanksgiving WR Play Of The Week

Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $6,500

Stop me if you’ve read this before… You attack Detroit out of the slot. In two games with Thomas Brown as the Offensive Coordinator in Chicago, Allen has 2.86 yards per route run out of the slot, and a healthy 0.71 fantasy points per route run, per Fantasy Points’ Data Suite. 

Furthermore, he’s been efficient against man coverage, something Aaron Glenn and the Detroit Lions love to deploy, and Amik Robertson has the lowest coverage snaps per target ratio in the NFL over the last four weeks. We love our slot receivers against Detroit, and Allen is incredibly affordable in this divisional showdown on Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 13 WR Projections