The Week 12 NFL DFS Yahoo main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EST and features 11 games. The Broncos, Chargers, Commanders and Dolphins are on bye, while the Thursday Night Football (Bills-Texans), Sunday Night Football (Buccaneers-Rams) and Monday Night Football (Panthers-49ers) participants are excluded from the main slate.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) Yahoo DFS football contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS football contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. NFL DFS Yahoo lineups consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Yahoo DFS picks for Week 12 include a star QB possibly returning from injury, a RB who could fill in for an injured starter, and a WR coming off a career-best performance.
QUARTERBACK
Joe Burrow, CIN vs. NE ($20): Burrow took first-team practice reps without limitations both Wednesday and Thursday, as it's looking increasingly likely that the star quarterback will return in Week 12 for his first game since Week 2 after recovering from turf toe. Even operating without top WR Ja'Marr Chase (suspension), it's hard to pass up the opportunity to grab Burrow at just $20 considering Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes last season. New England has allowed 19 touchdown passes this season, which is tied for seventh-most in the NFL. The risk of Burrow being hampered by rust or injury is priced in with value to spare.
Honorable Mentions: Drake Maye, NE at CIN ($41); Jalen Hurts, PHI at DAL ($41); Jared Goff, DET vs. NYG ($35)
Against the Grainers: Jaxson Dart, NYG at DET ($33); Tyler Shough, NO vs. ATL ($25); Tyrod Taylor, NYG at BAL ($20)
RUNNING BACK
TreVeyon Henderson, NE at CIN ($30): Regardless of whom the Bengals start at QB, their defense should remain as vulnerable as ever. Cincinnati's allowing a league-high 33.4 points per game, and the Bengals have been particularly poor at defending RBs, allowing the most scrimmage yards (1,856) and total TDs (15) to the position. Henderson has excelled with 243 scrimmage yards and five TDs over New England's last two games, capitalizing on Rhamondre Stevenson's (toe) absence. Stevenson could be back against the Bengals, but the rookie-second round pick would still have plenty of appeal as the shiftier half of a backfield platoon, especially considering Cincinnati's inability to cover RBs in space out of the backfield. Six of the 15 TDs scored by RBs against the Bengals have come via receptions, including two by Pittsburgh's Kenneth Gainwell in Week 11.
Emanuel Wilson, GB vs. MIN ($13): Wilson got the majority of playing time at RB and turned 12 touches into 49 yards and a TD after Josh Jacobs (knee) exited Green Bay's Week 11 win over the Giants. Jacobs has a legitimate chance to suit up Sunday, so his status will bear monitoring, but Wilson would be a terrific value at just $3 above the minimum if the Packers ultimately take a cautious approach with their star RB. Green Bay's RBs have combined for three rushing scores compared to two passing TDs for QB Jordan Love over the past three games, and the Packers are unlikely to deviate from their usual run-heavy approach as home favorites against a Vikings defense that's allowing the 10th-most rushing yards per game.
Honorable Mentions: Jahmyr Gibbs, DET vs. NYG ($44): Derrick Henry, BAL vs. NYJ ($34); Kenneth Walker, SEA at TEN ($25)
Against the Grainers: Chase Brown, CIN vs. NE ($31); Travis Etienne, JAC at ARI ($29); Alvin Kamara, NO vs. ATL ($23)
WIDE RECEIVER
A.J. Brown, PHI at DAL ($27): Both Brown and DeVonta Smith ($30) have plenty of upside against a Cowboys defense that has allowed 17 receiving TDs to WRs, three more than the second-worst Bears. Brown gets the slight edge thanks to his more affordable price and edge in momentum. After voicing his displeasure with his lack of involvement, Brown set season-highs in both targets (11) and catches (seven) in Week 11 against the Lions. He has had more weeks of famine than feast this season, but Brown still has an elite ceiling, with 230 yards and three TDs across his two best games.
Jameson Williams, DET vs. NYG ($25): Amon-Ra St. Brown ($35) projects to bounce back from his worst game of the season as well, but the speedy Williams has a similar ceiling (albeit with a much lower floor) against a Giants secondary that has surrendered 1,817 receiving yards to WRs, which is fourth-most in the NFL. Williams relies on big plays and has consistently produced them in recent weeks, as he's riding a three-game TD streak while averaging 94 receiving yards per game over that span. Jared Goff struggled in blustery outdoor conditions in the Lions' Week 11 road loss to the Eagles, but Detroit's passing game should bounce back playing at home in a dome against a far weaker defense.
Michael Wilson, ARI vs. JAC ($18): Wilson stepped up in a big way in Marvin Harrison's (appendicitis) absence against the 49ers in Week 11, as Wilson recorded 15 catches for 185 yards, which is the highest single-game total of receiving yards for any player this season. Harrison has been ruled out for Week 12, so Wilson will remain Arizona's top WR against an inconsistent Jaguars defense that's tied with the Giants, among others, for the eighth-most receiving TDs allowed to WRs (11). Jacksonville gives up the second-fewest yards per game on the ground and the seventh-most through the air, so the Cardinals are likely to deploy another pass-heavy game plan after Jacoby Brissett set the regular-season NFL record with 47 completions against the 49ers, 15 of which went to Wilson.
Honorable Mentions: Tee Higgins, CIN vs. NE ($32); Stefon Diggs, NE at CIN ($31); Rome Odunze, CHI vs. PIT ($26)
Against the Grainers: Justin Jefferson, MIN at GB ($28); Darnell Mooney, ATL at NO ($18); Isaiah Hodgins, NYG at DET ($10)
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce, KC vs. IND ($22): Kelce has exceeded 90 yards and scored a TD in two of the past three games, and he just set season-highs with nine catches on 13 targets in Kansas City's Week 11 loss to the Broncos. The veteran TE has always been Patrick Mahomes' go-to option in the most pivotal moments, and every game is a big game the rest of the season for a Kansas City team that's on the outside looking in at 5-5. The Colts are unlikely to slow Kelce down, as only the Bengals give up more yards per game to TEs than Indianapolis' 72.6.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Andrews, BAL vs. NYJ ($19); Dallas Goedert, PHI at DAL ($18); Hunter Henry, NE at CIN ($16)
Against the Grainers: Harold Fannin, CLE at LV ($14); Mason Taylor, NYJ at BAL ($13); Chig Okonkwo, TEN vs. SEA ($10)
DEFENSE
Las Vegas Raiders vs. CLE ($12): As if the Browns weren't already a mouthwatering matchup for a defense (only Tennessee averages fewer offensive yards than Cleveland's 257.3 per game), Cleveland will also be starting rookie fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders in this game. Sanders has received no shortage of attention, and his first taste of NFL action proved much more satisfying for his haters than his supporters, as he completed only four of 16 pass attempts with an interception while playing the entire second half of Cleveland's Week 11 loss to the Ravens. Vegas has some talent on defense, led by star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, and the Raiders have held two of their last five opponents to 10 points, so they have proven capable of capitalizing on favorable matchups.
Honorable Mentions: Baltimore Ravens vs. NYJ ($15); Detroit Lions vs. NYG ($15); Green Bay Packers vs. MIN ($13)
Against the Grainers: Chicago Bears vs. PIT ($13); Minnesota Vikings at GB ($12); New Orleans Saints vs. ATL ($10)
