Sunday’s Best NFL DFS Core Plays: GPP Building Blocks – Week 13

Welcome to my NFL Daily Fantasy Sports guide for this Sunday’s games! In this article, I’ll walk you through my strategic approach for selecting top players and crafting optimal lineups to give you a winning edge in NFL DFS for 2024. I’ve thoroughly analyzed each game and position to highlight the best plays and explain the reasoning behind my selections.

*I’ll be updating this article on Sunday morning if there are any changes. Be sure to check back for the most current and accurate DFS plays

Sunday Updates

Adding Chase Brown to RBs

Adding Even Engram to tight ends

Quarterback Rankings

• Matthew Stafford: favorite mid-tier GPP QB; see Ram’s receiver paragraph
• C.J. Stroud: 5% owned and love Collins and Dell
• Jalen Hurts: The Ravens’ pass D is terrible and might have Smith back. I am seeing 3% owned right now. That can’t be right, can it?
• Justin Herbert: He could easily lead the league in passing attempts
• Baker Mayfield: 3% owned vs the Carolina Panthers

Running Backs

Los Angeles Chargers 

Is Gus Edwards explosive? Nope. Is he $4,300 on DraftKings? Yep. He will be the main beneficiary (aside from the Chargers pass catchers) with J.K. Dobbins being ruled out against the Atlanta Falcons. The Dirty Birds aren’t great at stopping the run, and all Edwards has to do is not much at all. I am not sure he even has to score at that price tag. His low salary allows you to fit a starting RB and jam in a ton of studs. We saw someone take down the Milly maker just two weeks ago with Audric Estime at a similar salary when he technically had a “dud” game. If Edwards scores, you will have to have him. The Falcons allow 22 fantasy points per game to the position while allowing only three rushing TDs and three receiving TDs to running backs. 

Rookie Kimani Vidal also has my attention. I expect him to be the pass-catching back, not Hassan Haskins. The Chargers coaching staff have been teasing a larger role for the Marietta, GA native against the Atlanta Falcons in the press this week. If the Falcons can get a lead early, we could see more Vidal in the second half in somewhat of a two-minute drill roll. Vidal was the main beneficiary when Gus Edwards was out earlier in the season. He would get a handful of touches a game and also caught a 30-yard TD pass from Herbert. He costs $4,000 on DraftKings and should be used in Milly Maker formats only. 

Jonathan Taylor

In Week 12, the New England Patriots were the worst team defending the run (32^nd) via DVOA. On the season, they are ranked 30^th in DVOA against the run. They are allowing 24 fantasy points per game and 15 total touchdowns (rushing and passing) to the position in just 12 games. With arguably the Colts WR1 (Josh Downs) out, perhaps there will be more focus on running the ball, although I can not say that has been the case in the past. Look for Taylor to bounce back from just 11 carries in a terrible game script last week and get closer to 20 this week. 

Bucky Irving or Rachaad White note

Everyone knows the Panthers are the team to target with running backs (and every skill position), so I don’t think I have to clarify at this point in the season. I certainly get the appeal of rostering one of the two main Bucs RBs. Bucky Irving had the better fantasy day last week, largely due to him catching 6 of 6 passes from Baker Mayfield and also scoring. Both he and White got 12 rushing touches. Irving is the more explosive back, yet White has scored 6 times in the past 5 weeks. The issue you run into when rostering the Bucs RBs is that they are all involved, all can score, yet none of them get the volume to rely on with consistency. Irving is best suited for cash games, while White could be worth a stab in GPPs. 

Alvin Kamara

If you are fading Taysom Hill, you should certainly highly consider Alvin Kamara in what could be a shootout game. Kamara is game script proof (unless Taysom Hill drops 40 again). He will run the ball more than Hill; he almost always out targets him. The only issue is he takes up a premium RB spot. That said, I don’t love many RBs this week. 

Derrick Henry

No one is playing King Henry this week. The Eagles have been pretty shut down against receivers lately so I do not have that much interest in Lamar Jackson or his pass catchers. These are the games Henry was brought to the Ravens for. While the Eagles have been good against the run, they are not better than Henry with a full head of steam. He needs to find open space, or the goal line one time to get in the endzone and stack up 100+ yards. 

Others to consider:

• Joe Mixon: If I didn’t have a piece of the Houston pass attack, I would prioritize getting Joe Mixon. The Jaguars allow the second most fantasy points to RBs on the season while allowing 15 total TDs (rushing and receiving). 

Wide Receiver 

Cooper Kupp and the Los Angeles Rams

Last week, I targeted the Bears with Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ pass attack. Besides his highest-priced option, Justin Jefferson, Darnold exceeded value and supported all of his pass catchers (tight end included). I made the point that the Bears corners gave the first and second most YPRC on the slate, and their primary matchups were Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, both of which scored touchdowns. This week, the two worst corners on the slate that give up the first and second most YPRC are on the Saints. Their primary matchups are Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson. To be transparent about how the Rams run their offense, Kupp, Robinson, and Nacua move all over the field, so pivoting to Nacua, from Robison, isn’t “bad.” Both Kupp and Nacua have the first and second-highest target percentage on the slate. The highest targeted corner on the entire slate is Ugo Amadi, who covers the slot almost exclusively. Cooper Kupp runs 67% of his routes out of the slot. This is an amazing matchup for Kupp, and you can be damn sure that Matt Stafford knows it. I will be making plenty of Rams stacks this week with a low-owned Matthew Stafford. 

Tank Dell and Nico Collins

Nico Collins has the highest target percentage receiver on the slate besides the Rams duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. He takes on a Jaguars team that is dead last in DVOA against receivers. They are ranked 13^th against the WR1 (Nico Collins) and dead last against the WR2 (Tank Dell). Dell is a Daytona Beach native. I happen to remember that last time he played there, he called it a “friends and family game.” He went on to put up 145 yards and a TD, although a chunk of it came on a broken coverage play. 

Ladd McConkey

Justin Herbert is playing the best football of his career, and the Chargers run game is questionable, with J.K. Dobbins hitting IR. McConkey is by far the best pass catcher Herbert has. He leads the team in target % (21.4%) and yards per route run. He runs 73% of his routes out of the slot, which will directly avoid A.J. Terrell. His salary of $6,100 is fair for a guy who could easily see ten targets. 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

He has 6 TDs in the past 7 weeks and is still only $4,300 on DraftKings. He will see plenty of Benjamin St-Juste, who is allowing a bottom 10 YPRC on the slate. Washington’s defense is improved, but they still ranked 30^th against the WR1 (Calvin Ridley) and 21^st against the WR2 (NWI). 

Best Pivot: Calvin Ridley 

Mike Evans

I played him last week with nearly no ownership, and if the Buccaneers hadn’t blown out the Giants so badly, I feel very confident he would have had a big week. The Tampa run game should once again be able to enforce their will against the Panthers, but $6,700 for such an elite talent like Mike Evans is too hard to ignore. I will have plenty in GPPs and have zero issues playing him in a main lineup if you fade the other Tampa skill players. 

AJ Brown Note

If Smith is out, he and Dallas Goedert will be difficult to ignore. Brown has the highest YPRR on the slate, taking on a terrible Ravens secondary.

Other Good Options:

• Calvin Ridley
• Terry McLaurin
• Drake London
• George Pickens
• Michael Pittman
• Marvin Harrison Jr. 
• Zay Flowers
• Brian Thomas Jr. 
• Alec Pierce

Favorite Values

• Adonai Mitchell
• Marquez Valdez-Scantling
• David Moore: Hard to ignore coming off ten targets at $3,500 for a team that will likely be trailing and doesn’t have a tight end

Tight End 

Taysom Hill

His price shot way up, but you are still playing Superflex but rostering a QB/RB/WR/TE at the most unreliable position on the slate. Saint’s OC, Klint Kubiak, was quoted as saying, “We are ready for Taysom Hill to play every play of the game” when asked about his plans with Hill going forward. This is just coach speak, but also somewhat encouraging with all the injuries the Saints have had to persevere through. Last week, Hill played a season-high 55% of snaps while running the ball 7 times and catching 8 of 10 targets. I would play the rushing attempts alone at the TE position. If you fade Hill, the best pivot is Alvin Kamara. He is also a guy who can get ten targets a game while also being used as a RB1. The issue is he is $2,700 more and takes up an RB spot. 

TJ Hockenson 

Great call out last week on the WinDaily livestream that more production should be headed Hockenson’s way with Josh Oliver being ruled out.  Oliver had taken 56% of snaps the previous week, while Hockenson had 48% in his third game back. Last week, we saw Hockenson shoot up to 68% while Johnny Mundt picked up the slack behind him. The Cardinals have been solid against the TE, only allowing a single receiving TD this season, but I still like the salary of Hockenson ($4,400 DK) coming off a 7-reception game. It is also worth noting Justin Jefferson was covered up last week, so Sam Darnold had to find somewhere else to throw the ball. 

Dallas Goedert

I like him regardless of DeVonta Smith’s plays, but he gets better if the receiver is out. The Ravens ranked 23rd in DVOA against the TE, and more passes should be funneled his way if Smith is out. 

Others to consider:

• Mark Andrews: $3,900 is too cheap
• Will Dissly 
• The Pittsburgh tight ends are in a good spot, but Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are splitting snaps. It is hard to pin down. You can consider in large field GPP if multi-entering. 

Again, I will update this article if anything changes. Be sure to come back and check for the most up-to-date plays.