For multiple reasons, this Thursday is unlike any other in the NFL regular season. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, there are three games for us to enjoy. It’s an all-day overload of football, and we want to make sure you can enjoy it with a winning lineup of DFS picks. The day starts with the Chicago Bears traveling to Detroit to take on the Lions. We then get another divisional matchup with the Dallas Cowboys hosting the New York Giants. Our day then comes to a close with the Miami Dolphins taking on the Green Bay Packers. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Initially, we will take a look at running back and wide receiver options as that will be the basis of your lineup. That will be followed up by a look at two quarterback and tight end options for your consideration.
Thanksgiving Day DFS Picks
Top Tier
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
After exciting action early on Sunday with a shoulder injury, the status of David Montgomery is still to be determined for today. Should the veteran be sidelined, then Jahmyr Gibbs truly becomes a top option on the slate. However, even with both sharing the backfield, there has been enough DFS production to go around this season.
Through 11 games, Gibbs has 111 carries for 854 yards but he’s also adding 265 yards through the air on 26 receptions. With 11 touchdowns, Gibbs consistently finds the end zone and he is also a large part of Detroit’s game plan. This is expected to be both the highest-scoring game, over/under of 48.5, and the most one-sided game of the day. With the Lions favored by 10 points, the action will stray towards the ground, and that’s great news for Gibbs.
Ceedee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
For two proud divisional foes, this game really could be a nightmare. Neither team is where they expected to be this season, but at least the Dallas Cowboys picked up the victory last week. The New York Giants can’t say the same thing as they continue to be embarrassed on both sides of the ball.
While he’s listed on the injury report, Ceedee Lamb was on the field against Washington, and he continued to be highly involved in the offense. Today is the perfect situation for him to break his four-week touchdown drought as it hasn’t been due to lack of trying. Lamb has 46 targets in that stretch and has caught 32 passes. The problem is that the yardage totals haven’t consistently been there as that is a function of Cooper Rush under center. However, facing the Giants defense should alleviate that situation.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Now with Tua Tagovailoa back under center, order appears to have been restored in the Miami offense. One piece of that is establishing De’Von Achane as the main running back for the Dolphins.
Achane receives double-digit targets on a weekly basis as well as being involved in the passing game. Last week he didn’t do much on the ground, gaining just 32 yards on 10 carries, but he made up for it through the air. The running back caught three passes for 24 yards, but two of those were for touchdowns. It was very much a one-sided game so it’s hard to truly draw conclusions from Achane’s production, but he figures to be highly involved tonight against Green Bay.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
After his third 100-plus yard game on Sunday, Josh Jacobs is coming in on a high note. He carried the ball 26 times for 106 yards, but more importantly, he scored two touchdowns. That gave Jacobs 944 yards and eight touchdowns on the season in what has been a successful first season with the Packers. He’s averaging a strong 4.7 yards per carry, and with 202 carries, there are questions on his role within the offense. Sometimes all we need to do is to accumulate volume and production.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
The fact that Tyreek Hill didn’t practice on Tuesday due to a personal issue is concerning. However, the larger concern is the impact that his wrist injury is still having on him. With that being said though, Hill still caught five passes on Sunday. Granted, it was only for 48 yards, but Hill still found a way to be involved in the offense. This is cheaper than we have seen Hill in a long time and I still trust him more than most on today’s slate.
Mid Tier
Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants
Before fumbling for the second straight week, Tyrone Tracy was on his way towards another strong game. The hope is that he can put those issues in the past as the Giants give him another large workload this week. Tracy has proven to be up to the task and it should all be about looking towards the future at this point.
Tracy gained 42 yards on nine carries, but he also caught four passes for another 28 yards. Had he been on the field all day, that was shaping up to be a strong game. The hope is that he gets back on track today.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Having his quarterback healthy again has done wonders for Jaylen Waddle. The fact that Tyreek Hill isn’t fully healthy is perhaps the bigger variable for Waddle, but this only works with Tagovailoa under center. Last week, that was on full display as Waddle reminded us what he is capable of. The explosive receiver caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. While we aren’t looking for a repeat effort, it’s a nice reminder of his upside.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Even as the Bears offense has struggled, DJ Moore has at least retained a strong workload. In each of the last two weeks, Moore has been targeted seven times. The efficiency has been there as Moore has a 100% catch rate for 168 yards in that stretch. Of more importance, Moore got back into the end zone last week which gave him four touchdowns on the season.
Detroit figures to jump out to an early lead which will force the Bears to play from behind. That means they will have to take through the air, and Moore should reap the benefits of that.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Should Amon-Ra St. Brown not be healthy enough to play, then this pick jumps up on my list. Jameson Williams is the clear number two receiver to St. Brown, and Detroit’s offense has proven to be vast enough to sustain both receivers. Two weeks ago, Williams had a 64-yard touchdown catch as part of a 124-yard day as big plays are clearly in his wheelhouse. He followed that up with five catches for 64 yards last week. When on the field, it has been a strong campaign for Williams and that should continue tonight.
Quarterback
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
We aren’t used to seeing Jared Goff as the most expensive quarterback on the slate, but here we are. It’s just a three-game slate, and it’s hard to trust Cooper Rush, and especially Drew Lock, in the second game of the day. Caleb Williams is a rookie who has had an up-and-down performance this season, so that brings us to Goff. The veteran is our top option and he ultimately isn’t too cost-prohibitive.
Playing at home on Thanksgiving seems to build out the best in the Lions. Goff has 20 touchdowns on the season, compared to nine interceptions. Just three of those interceptions have come at home. At 251 passing yards per game and multiple weapons, Goff continues to have a strong season.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
We are going to default to the home quarterback in the nightcap as our other option. Statistically, Love didn’t have the biggest day last week, but the Packers did pick up the victory against a tough San Francisco defense. Love threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns as he got the job done in securing the victory.
In five games at home this year, Love’s splits are quite favorable. He has thrown 13 of his 18 touchdown passes in Green Bay while also averaging 25 more passing yards per game.
Tight End
Jonnu Smith, TE, Miami Dolphins
I for one wasn’t expecting there to be a slate this season where Jonnu Smith was the most expensive tight end. Furthermore, he’s my top option as well. It’s still a reasonable price and we have seen production to back that up. Smith has emerged as a main piece in Miami’s offense and has been targeted 19 times in the last two weeks. He turned that into 15 catches for 188 yards. More importantly, Smith has three touchdowns in that span.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Dallas Cowboys
With Jake Ferguson out again, Luke Schoonmaker steps into the starting role. Last week, he caught his first touchdown of the season as he continues to be a dependable option. Role and availability of targets is a big thing here, and Schoonmaker has that this week. He was targeted four times and turned that into three catches for 55 yards. This week should be similar, and you can’t beat that for a minimal investment.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!