NFL

5 NFL FanDuel Value Plays to Target in Week 12

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Nov 25th, 2020

One of the crucial aspects of daily fantasy football is unearthing cheap production.

Our projections can help you do just that by allowing you to sort players by their point-per-dollar value. A lot of times, the top value plays come as a result of injury situations, meaning it's imperative to see inactives on Sunday morning before setting your lineups.

When looking for a salary-saving option, check out one of these main-slate players this week.

Week 12 of the NFL is here! We have a loaded 11-game slate, and there are plenty of options across the board. Let's take a look at some value plays to help you afford the top stars on the main slate.

Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants ($5,700)

The New York Giants are coming off their bye week and have a favorable matchup waiting for them.

In Weeks 7-10, Wayne Gallman led all Giants running backs in snap percentage and is still under $6K. As you can imagine, Gallman also led all running backs in total touches in each of those weeks, and there are no signs of him slowing down, especially with a matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals on tap this week. Cincinnati comes into this game allowing 21.0 FanDuel points per game to opposing running backs, which is right at the league average. They have also allowed the fourth-most rushing yards to running backs this season.

After the Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow to a knee injury this past week, the Giants find themselves as 5.5-point road favorites. This should put Gallman in a good spot to see the ball plenty, including a bit in the passing game. Gallman has a total of 10 targets in the past four weeks, which is good but not great. He isn't a large part of the passing game, but seeing a few targets every game will always help increase his floor of points and give him a path to fantasy points if they fall behind in this game.

Michael Pittman, WR, Indianapolis Colts ($5,700)

The Indianapolis Colts are taking on the Tennessee Titans for the second time in three weeks with the over/under set at 50.5.

As of now, there are only four games with over/unders of 50 or higher, so we could see some of the players in these games be very popular. One such player could be Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who is having a strong second half of the season. Over the last three weeks, Pittman has seen 18 total targets, turned those into 14 receptions for 223 yards and a single touchdown. Pittman led the team in targets in two of these three weeks, which is a promising sign for the rookie receiver.

This week, he is up against the Titans, who are allowing the sixth-most (33.7) FanDuel points per game to opposing wide receivers this season. We saw that lack of defense a few weeks ago when Pittman dropped 7 receptions, 101 yards, and a touchdown on them. Pittman is the number one wide receiver for the Colts, and it's not up for debate. T.Y. Hilton has been irrelevant in fantasy football this season, and Pittman is the receiver from the Colts you should be targeting.

Jakeem Grant, WR, Miami Dolphins ($4,800)

With Preston Williams on injured reserve for the Miami Dolphins, a bit of value has opened up at wide receiver.

We know that DeVante Parker is the clear number one receiver for the Dolphins, but with Williams going down, the number two spot has opened up. In the past two weeks, we have seen wide receiver Jakeem Grant step up and play on 76% and 85% of the offensive snaps, both of which were the second-highest on the team.

Grant's 11 targets in the past two weeks are also the second-highest on the team behind Parker's 16 targets. So we have an inexpensive wide receiver who is seeing plenty of snaps and seeing good volume in the passing game, but what about the matchup? It's great, because he is taking on the Jets. I'm not sure if you've heard, but the Jets aren't a good football team this year. In fact, they are one of the worst against the pass, clocking in at second-worst with a 0.27 Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play.

Grant has the role, the matchup, and a great salary to fit in any lineup this week.

Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns ($5,100)

It's been two weeks since tight end Austin Hooper returned from his injury, and he is still a value play.

The Cleveland Browns have dealt with a number of different injuries this season, and Hooper was one of the players to miss a few games. Since returning, he has very modest production, but that could look much better if quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't overthrow the ball in the end zone.


Anyone who rostered him this past week would've loved to see that pass on target, but that could've meant an increase in his salary heading into this week. Regardless, we should be looking towards Hooper again this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are allowing the fourth-most (12.4) FanDuel points per game to opposing tight ends.

The Jaguars aren't just bad against tight ends specifically, they are bad against the pass in general. They come in with the seventh-worst (0.23) Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play. This should lead to plenty of scoring for the Browns, who hold a 27.75 implied team total, which is the fourth-highest on the slate.

Frank Gore, RB, New York Jets ($5,200)

It's the year 2020, and Frank Gore is still a viable fantasy option.

The New York Jets placed running back La'Mical Perine on injured reserve this week, which should open up some extra opportunity for Gore. It's not as if Gore is coming out of nowhere to see the field. He has double-digit carries in each of the last five games, along with a total of eight targets. It might bit a bit much for Gore to have 20 total touches this week, but seeing 13-17 total touches is well within the realm of possibility.

The Jets find themselves at home against the Miami Dolphins, which gives the Jets a modest 19.0 implied team total. However, the Dolphins are allowing the 12th-most (22.0) FanDuel points per game to opposing running backs this season, putting Gore in a solid spot.