Since the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the Chicago Bears have scored 46 total points over their last two games after scoring no more than 15 points in the previous three contests. Bears receiver D.J. Moore had a season-high 106 receiving yards last week as Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards, the second-most of his rookie season, so could Chicago options in the NFL DFS player pool provide value for NFL DFS lineups even against a Lions defense that ranks No. 2 in points allowed on Thanksgiving Day?
Cowboys vs. Giants has an over/under of 37.5 total points, the lowest of any game on the entire Week 13 NFL schedule. Does this mean daily Fantasy football players should avoid this matchup when making NFL DFS picks? Dolphins vs. Packers wraps up Thanksgiving and Miami tight end Jonnu Smith had 188 yards and three touchdowns over the last few weeks, meaning he could be a top value in the NFL DFS player pool. Before locking in any NFL DFS lineups Thanksgiving on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS lineup advice, strategy and player stacks from SportsLine NFL daily Fantasy expert Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a NFL and DFS expert for SportsLine, who opened the 2022 NFL season by winning DraftKings’ NFL Showdown Thursday Kickoff Millionaire contest. He edged out over 355,000 other entrants in the contest and also has multiple five-figure tournament wins on his DFS resume. Kaylor, who cashed big all season in 2022, has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, and his background as a former college and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.
Kaylor hit on epic NFL DFS picks for SportsLine members throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2022, he was all over Travis Kelce’s four-touchdown performance against the Raiders on Monday Night Football, Kirk Cousins‘ 460-yard, four-TD performance on Thanksgiving Day, and T.J. Hockenson’s 13 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15. In 2023, he hit on Ja’Marr Chase’s massive Week 5 performance (15 catches, 192 yards, three TDs), D.J. Moore’s eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in Week 14, and De’Von Anchane’s breakout performance (233 total yards, four TD’s) in Week 3.
This season, some of Kaylor’s top picks in Showdown DFS slates include Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed, (4-138-1, 33-1), Bills quarterback Josh Allen (263-4), and Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (509-4). Anyone who followed his picks is way up.
Now, Kaylor has turned his attention to Bears vs. Lions, Giants vs. Cowboys and Dolphins vs. Packers on Thanksgiving in Week 13 and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Thanksgiving
One of Kaylor’s top NFL DFS picks for Thanksgiving is Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill ($6,900 on DraftKings and $7,800 on FanDuel). Hill, who was limited at practice with a wrist injury, hasn’t been playing at full health in recent weeks and his production reflects that. The 30-year-old hasn’t had more than 80 yards in a game since Week 1 and he’s averaging 41.7 yards per game over his last three contests. But Hill is being targeted when it most counts as he has a 1-yard touchdown and 8-yard score over that span to boost his NFL DFS output.
Hill still leads Miami in receiving yards (571) and is tied for the most receptions (49) this season. He has back-to-back seasons of more than 1,700 receiving yards and still has the ability to break a big play any time he touches the ball. Hill had four receptions for 103 yards against the Packers in 2022 and in front of a national audience, Kaylor expects Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel to scheme Hill open for some chunk plays and a potential score on Thanksgiving. See who else to target here.
Kaylor is also targeting Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed ($6,700 on DraftKings and $6,900 on FanDuel). Although Reed has been held to fewer than 30 yards in back-to-back contests, he remains one of the receivers with the highest ceilings in the NFL DFS player pool. He has more than 110 yards in three games, including two contests with more than 130 yards and a touchdown. Reed has often been a boom-or-bust receiver this season, but a matchup against the Lions has massive potential for a strong result.
Reed runs the majority of his routes from the slot and the Lions have struggled against the slot this season, including allowing six receptions for 96 yards to Michael Pittman Jr. last week, who had the majority of his production from the slot and in the middle of the field. The 24-year-old Reed had five receptions for 113 yards in his first contest against Detroit this season. Kaylor likes Reed’s big-play potential in this matchup against a Lions defense allowing 227.2 passing yards per game, which ranks 25th in the league. See who else Kaylor likes right here.
How to set Thanksgiving NFL DFS lineups, player pool
Kaylor is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Thanksgiving Day. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of Kaylor’s NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
So who is Jimmie Kaylor including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Thanksgiving, and which under-the-radar NFL DFS picks offer huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from an NFL DFS expert who won a prestigious Millionaire Maker tournament, and find out.
