Fantasy Football Week 12: Best FanDuel, DraftKings Lineups and Advice

Let's be honest, folks—it isn't easy to unearth one-week gems like Jonas Gray. In fact, you could argue it's nearly impossible. 

For some, of course, that is probably the approach—mine for the diamond in the rough, find the ultimate value, revel in your own brilliance, and when you hit, man, oh man, do you hit big.

I'm generally a bit more conservative (though not necessarily this week). Sure, I'd love to find that 40-point performer, but I'd much rather focus my energy on a few players I feel confident can hit the 20-point mark and do so at a solid—if not amazing—value. 

Keeping that in mind, check out my FanDuel and DraftKings lineups below. If you think you've got the next Gray lined up, power to you. I'll settle for a balanced lineup with high upside. 

FanDuel

Position	Player	Team	Price
QB	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	$8.8k
RB	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	$7.7k
RB	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants	$6.6k
WR	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	$7.8k
WR	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills	$7.5k
WR	Torrey Smith	Baltimore Ravens	$6.5k
TE	Coby Fleener	Indianapolis Colts	$5.4k
K	Billy Cundiff	Cleveland Browns	$4.5k
DEF	-	Buffalo Bills	$5.2k
			Total = $60k

I'm throwing caution to the wind on FanDuel this week because, frankly, that's what the matchups and the player values are suggesting I do.

We'll start with Jay Cutler, who is currently seventh in points per week at FanDuel (18.8). But just consider the matchups some of the players above him are dealing with this week.

Peyton Manning faces a tough Miami Dolphins defense. Russell Wilson faces the Arizona Cardinals. Tom Brady gets the Detroit Lions. Just below Cutler is Philip Rivers, who gets a St. Louis defense that has really turned it on of late and just stymied the Denver Broncos.

Given some of the difficult matchups the other top options have this week, it wouldn't be shocking if Cutler finished as a top-three scorer, especially against a Tampa Bay defense that has given up 20 passing touchdowns this season, tied for 27th in the NFL.

Besides, Cutler has scored 19 or more points on FanDuel seven times this season—he's not as risky as you might think. That makes him a great value this week.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Again, I'm rolling the dice at running back. I know LeSean McCoy has been disappointing this season, generally being good but never great for owners in all fantasy formats. But boy, is it tough to ignore his matchup against the Tennessee Titans this week.

The Titans have given up a whopping 557 rushing yards and six total touchdowns to opposing backs in the past three weeks. That's absurd, folks.

In other words, for the 11th-highest price at running back this week, you're getting a player who has the potential to score the most FanDuel points at the position. I'm rolling the dice on Shady for sure. 

Rashad Jennings returned to the New York Giants last week and didn't produce much, totaling 22 touches for 67 yards. But try not to focus on the yards and instead look at the touches. It's clear that Jennings is the main man in the Giants backfield, which makes him pretty valuable at a volatile position.

It also makes him a great value, especially when you consider that the Dallas Cowboys have given up five touchdowns to opposing backs in the past three weeks. I really like the bang for the buck Jennings is giving you this week. 

Marc Serota/Getty Images

Things really get wild at wide receiver, however. Let's start with Sammy Watkins, who comes in at a reasonable $7,500 after two disappointing weeks in a row. But let's not forget that in Week 8, he torched the New York Jets for 157 receiving yards and a score, good for 23.2 points at FanDuel. Expect him to exploit the shoddy Jets secondary for a second time. 

One thing to keep in mind with Watkins—monitor the weather very carefully in Buffalo. If they are still experiencing blizzard-like conditions, he's obviously not a player you want to gamble on.

I think Torrey Smith is a really great value at $6,600, albeit a risky option because he's generally touchdown-reliant when it comes to fantasy value. Still, it's hard to ignore that he has 12 or more points at FanDuel in five of Baltimore's last seven games or that he gets a New Orleans Saints defense that has given up 12 touchdowns to opposing wideouts this season. 

While Steve Smith has floundered of late, Torrey Smith has hit his stride. For the price, I'm willing to gamble on him reaching the end zone this week. 

And then there is Josh Gordon, whom I didn't really plan on selecting this week but, well, my lineup ultimately made him a logical selection. 

Look, I know the risks involved. He hasn't played competitive football in months, for heaven's sake. We don't know if he's anywhere near football shape. His own coach, Mike Pettine, has preached patience, per Jim Corbett of USA Today:

"

We're excited to have a player of his caliber back. But we also can't get ahead of ourselves. He's been out and hasn't had contact in a game, I think it's 75-80 days. It comes down to functioning within the structure of the offense, knowing what to do, get lined up. It's a player-safety thing. ... Josh is an elite receiver. He's proven that. But we just have to very smart with how we handle it.

"

But you know what? I still think he'll tear it up upon his return. 

Last season, Gordon returned from his two-game suspension and caught 10 passes for 146 yards and a score. The Browns desperately need a spark on offense, and Gordon is the man capable of providing one. And their opponent this week, the Atlanta Falcons, have given up 11 receiving touchdowns to wideouts and allowed opposing receivers to register 175 or more yards through the air eight times this year.

If Gordon is on the field, he's a threat to have a huge game. I'm taking a chance on him this week. 

At tight end, I really like Coby Fleener considering Ahmad Bradshaw is done for the year and Dwayne Allen may not play this week, as he didn't practice on Wednesday, per Mike Chappell of RTV6:

Bradshaw and Allen were Indy's two best weapons in the red zone, so those looks have to go somewhere else now. Fleener—who has posted pretty decent numbers at tight end in his own right—seems the logical choice. 

At defense, I like Buffalo. It posted 16 points on FanDuel against the Jets in Week 8 and isn't too expensive. As for a kicker, stick to the cheaper options. I think Billy Cundiff could benefit from a matchup against Atlanta's shaky defense and should have plenty of opportunities this week.

DraftKings

Position	Player	Team	Price
QB	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	$7.7k
RB	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	$6.2k
RB	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants	$5.1k
WR	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	$7.3k
WR	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills	$5.6k
WR	Torrey Smith	Baltimore Ravens	$5.4k
TE	Larry Donnell	New York Giants	$3.9k
FLEX	Denard Robinson	Jacksonville Jaguars	$5.6k
DEF	-	Indianapolis Colts	$3.2k
			Total = $50k

As you can see, there aren't too many differences over at DraftKings. Let's highlight the adjustments. 

At wide receiver, I was able to sneak A.J. Green into my lineup. He's safer than Gordon, he's a better value than you're getting at FanDuel (he's the seventh-most expensive wideout at FanDuel whereas at DraftKings, he's No. 10), and he faces a Houston defense that is 32nd in points allowed to opposing wide receivers in DraftKings leagues.

All of the above factors—along with his 27.7 points last week—made him an obvious choice for lineups this week. 

With a flex addition, I was able to budget for Denard Robinson, who has 15 or more points in DraftKings leagues in four straight games. Facing an Indy defense ranked 27th in points allowed to opposing backs in DraftKings formats, Robinson is a great value.

Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

To shave a bit off my budget, I went with Larry Donnell over Fleener at tight end. DraftKings also has Fleener as the fourth-most expensive tight end this week, so he wasn't much of a value at the site. On the other hand, Donnell caught seven passes for 90 yards against Dallas in Week 7, and Dallas is giving up the second-most points to tight ends in DraftKings leagues this season, so he's a solid value.

Finally, the Indianapolis Colts are only the seventh-most expensive defense at DraftKings. Why should you care? Because they play the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, a team that has been the most accommodating to opposing defenses this year in pretty much every fantasy format. 

Nothing is guaranteed in fantasy football. But this season, it has been a virtual lock that the defense facing the Jags will post solid fantasy numbers. 

All statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues, FanDuel or DraftKings leagues. Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than being Aaron Rodgers right now. OK, not quite. Fine, it's not like that at all. Jeez.