It’s Turkey Day yet again and you know what that means – a heaping, helping of Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. This year features the matchups of Chicago-Detroit, Buffalo-Dallas and New Orleans-Atlanta. Here are some Thanksgiving DFS plays for you, a veritable cornucopia of quarterbacks, running backs and receivers:
Drew Brees, Saints QB ($6,800 on DraftKings, $8,500 on FanDuel)
Brees is showing no lingering effects from the thumb injury that sidelined him for five games, completing more than three-quarters of his passes and tossing nine touchdowns since Week 8. He put up a stat line of 30 of 39 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and a pick against the Panthers last week and faces one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL this week in the Falcons.
Ezekial Elliott, Cowboys RB ($7,400 on DK, $8,400 on FD)
Despite facing that ferocious Patriots defense last week, Elliott still managed 126 yards from scrimmage (86 rushing and 40 receiving) and should find the sledding easier this week against the Bills. He is averaging nearly 20 carries and three catches per game and is a solid option on Thursday against Buffalo.
Alvin Kamara, Saints RB ($8,100 on DK, $8,300 on FD)
What Kamara hasn’t done on the ground (an average of less than 60 yards per game running the ball) he has made up for in the air (an incredible 27 receptions in the past three games). That makes him particularly valuable on DraftKings and its point-per-reception format. The Falcons defense is porous, having surrendered more than 27 points in five of its past seven games.
Michael Thomas, Saints WR ($9,100 on DK, $9,200 on FD)
Yes, he’s the highest priced player on the slate, but he sure seems worth it. Thomas continues to be a receiving machine, with 104 catches, 1,242 yards and six TDs on the year. He’s on pace to easily eclipse Marvin Harrison’s single-season record for receptions, which now stands at 143. On top of that, the Falcons are one of the worst in the league against opposing wide receivers in DFS, so Thomas is probably the best-of-the-best Thanksgiving DFS plays.
Anthony Miller, Bears WR ($3,900 on DK, $5,300 on FD)
To slot in Thomas, we need salary relief and Miller provides an opportunity for great value. Last week against the Giants, he caught six of nine targets for 77 yards. That’s 12 catches and 20 targets in the past two weeks as quarterback Mitchell Trubiskiy has started to look Miller’s way more often.
Jared Cook, Saints TE ($4,800 on DK, $6,700 on FD)
You may see a pattern emerging of us heavily attacking the Falcons D. Thomas and Kamara aren’t catching all of the balls in New Orleans, as Cook has emerged late in the season as a receiving threat himself. Cook has scored double-digit DFS points on DK in five consecutive games, averaging nearly 15 DFS points per game during that span. He caught six of eight targets for 99 yards and a TD last week against the Panthers and will look to be heavily involved in the offense again this week.