Happy Hump Day, and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Sorry to be delivering your Week 13 DFS values and sleepers a day late — we've been running this column on Tuesdays for years now, but my entire house decided that contracting RSV was a proper way to extend the holiday (0/10, would not recommend!). But alas, we are fighting through it — just like we battled back from a poor Week 11 to crush our FanDuel and DraftKings tourneys in Week 12.
All season long, we have been raking it in on DraftKings and FanDuel by targeting sleepers, under-the-radar value plays, and high-upside dart throws. We scour the DK and FD player pools to pinpoint the best investments based on matchups and stat trends. By capitalizing on affordable sleepers in certain DFS roster spots, we leave ourselves the budget to greatly improve other roster spots with weekly studs. Let's face it, in order to afford a Travis Kelce ($7,900 on DK), you must invest in the occasional DeAndre Carter ($3,900).
This column has consistently produced this season, and readers are seeing healthy returns on their DraftKings and FanDuel accounts. We have averaged 10-12 big hits per week, with a per-player average of right around 20 DraftKings points. That was no different in Week 13, with another 10 notable hits. Check out last week's highlights:
| Pos. | Player | Week 12 Game | DK Price | Pts. |
| QB | Mac Jones | Patriots at Vikings | $5,100 | 26.3 |
| QB | Geno Smith | Seahawks vs. Raiders | $6,000 | 24.3 |
| QB | Derek Carr | Raiders at Seahawks | $5,700 | 22.8 |
| RB | Rachaad White | Buccaneers at Browns | $5,100 | 19.9 |
| RB | Samaje Perine | Bengals at Titans | $5,600 | 19.3 |
| WR | Zay Jones | Jaguars vs. Ravens | $4,600 | 30.5 |
| WR | Isaiah McKenzie | Bills at Lions | $4,000 | 22.3 |
| TE | Hunter Henry | Patriots at Vikings | $3,000 | 15.3 |
| TE | Foster Moreau | Raiders at Seahawks | $3,400 | 12.3 |
| DST | Kansas City | Chiefs vs. Rams | $2,800 | 11.0 |
Boom! Back up the gravy boat because this turkey went HAM on Thanksgiving weekend! We saw three QBs at or below $6,000 exceed 22 points. We hit 19 with two RBs at $5,600 or less. We exploded with our Zay Jones featured pick at $4,600 as well as our Isaiah McKenzie flier at $4,000. Even our tight ends and defenses hit! And a ton of the plays that didn't make the "highlights section" posted solid double-digit performances that proved well worth the drafted costs.
WEEK 13 DFS: Best stacks
When you're getting an average of 20.4 points from your sleepers and dart throws — guys costing an average of $4,530 — you are sitting pretty in the majority of your DFS tournaments. That kind of cheap production affords you proven weekly studs at other position spots and greatly increases your odds of winning some cash for the holidays.
Let's get right back into the swing of things and roll into Week 13 with the confidence of Mike White in the Jets locker room.
All player values are from DraftKings and FanDuel. All stats are from NFL.com and Pro Football Reference.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
NFL DFS Picks Week 13: QB sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars at Lions (DK: $5,900 | FD: $7,500)
Stop me if you've heard this before (wait, you can't stop me — I'm writing this ahead of time), but the Lions allow the most fantasy points to QBs regardless of format or platform. Meanwhile, T-Law put up one of the best fantasy lines of his young career last week against Baltimore. The long-locked Knoxville native tossed for 321 yards, three TDs, and zero interceptions en route to a personal-best 129.8 QB rating. I'm not one to chase points, but I'm all over Lawrence this week. Detroit has allowed 722 total yards and five total TDs to QBs over the past two weeks. Go get the Law!
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers vs. Dolphins (DK: $5,700 | FD: $7,000)
Hello, Jimmy, my old friend. When Jimmy G needs to step up, he does just that. He threw for 228 yards and four TDs two games ago in Arizona, and he can do the same against a Dolphins D that has surrendered the second-most DK points and third-most FD points per game to QBs. Miami is a cakewalk compared to New Orleans last week, and Garoppolo will have to pass a bunch to keep up with Tua, Tyreek, J-Waddle, and old friends Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert. At these prices, you can't do better.
More solid Week 13 QB values: Aaron Rodgers, Packers at Bears (DK: $5,800 | FD: $7,100); Derek Carr, Raiders vs. Chargers (DK: $5,600 | FD: $7,300); Mike White, Jets at Vikings (DK: $5,400 | FD: $6,900); Jared Goff, Lions vs. Jaguars (DK: $5,300 | FD: $6,800); Kenny Pickett, Steelers at Falcons (DK: $5,200 | FD: $6,700)
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
NFL DFS Picks Week 13: RB sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel
Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Browns (DK: $5,900 | FD: $6,500)
If not now, then when again this season? Pierce has seen his Rookie of the Year stock all but fizzle out the past couple of weeks, almost as dismal a picture as Davis Mills' future as a starting NFL quarterback. But we still believe in the power runner, and we know Cleveland presents an easier challenge to RBs than Washington and Miami did in Weeks 11 and 12. The Browns have yielded the second-most FD points and third-most DK points per game to RBs, so consider this a strong buy-low, not a risky dart throw. The PPR floor here is 14, but the ceiling is 24-plus.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs at Bengals (DK: $5,700 | FD: $7,000)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire's high-ankle sprain paved the way for Pacheco's usage spike, and the rookie has cruised down the avenue of opportunity with style. He saw 15-plus touches in Weeks 10 and 11, finishing with 189 combined rushing yards, but in Week 12, he touched the ball a whopping 23 times for 86 yards and his first TD since Week 1. An RB with this kind of trust and respect in such a high-flying offense for $5,700? Sign us up.
Other great Week 13 RB values: AJ Dillon, Packers at Bears (DK: $5,600 | FD: $6,900); Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders at Giants (DK: $5,300 | FD: $6,600); Kareem Hunt, Browns at Texans (DK: $4,800 | FD: $5,800); Zonovan Knight, Jets at Vikings (DK: $4,600 | FD: $5,800); Jordan Mason, 49ers at Dolphins (DK: $4,500 | FD: $5,400)
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
NFL DFS Picks Week 13: WR sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers vs. Dolphins (DK: $6,100 | FD: $6,700)
We usually don't feature guys over $6,000 on DraftKings, but there are 15 receivers on DK and 20 on FD priced higher than Aiyuk, who could easily be a top-five play this week. With Christian McCaffrey (knee) banged up and Elijah Mitchell (knee) out, Jimmy G will be going to the wideout who has become his most productive receiver. You read that right, it's not Deebo Samuel! Deebo has 17 catches and 123 yards over his past four games; Aiyuk has 19 for 250 in his past four! Plus, he has four 80-yard games and five TDs since Week 6! Stack Jimmy G with Aiyuk and enjoy your blessed weekend.
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks at Rams (DK: $6,000 | FD: $7,400)
The big bad Rams are a shell of their Super Bowl selves — hell, they're a shell of their Week 1 selves, and now Aaron Donald (ankle) and Matthew Stafford (neck) are close to getting shut down. Geno Smith is cooking better than anyone in the NFC West, and with Jalen Ramsey usually doing most of his battle with DK Metcalf when these squads meet, you'll want all the Lockett downfield passes you can get. A $6,000 investment here could easily net you more points than 80 percent of the wideouts priced $7,000 and higher.
More strong Week 13 WR values: Courtland Sutton, Broncos at Ravens (DK: $5,500 | FD: $7,200); Garrett Wilson, Jets at Vikings (DK: $5,300 | FD: $6,600); George Pickens, Steelers at Falcons (DK: $5,100 | FD: $6,700); Zay Jones, Jaguars at Lions (DK: $4,900 | FD: $6,400); Drake London, Falcons vs. Steelers (DK: $4,700 | FD: $5,900); Treylon Burks, Titans at Eagles (DK: $4,600 | FD: $6,100)
WEEK 13 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
NFL DFS Picks Week 13: TE sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel
Foster Moreau, Raiders vs. Chargers (DK: $3,600 | FD: $5,500)
Yeah, we're running it back! Moreau found the end zone last week against the Seahawks, putting up at least 12.3 DK points for the second time in three weeks. He has become a dependable target for Derek Carr, at least in the red zone, and should be trusted against a Bolts defense that ranks in the top 10 in most fantasy points allowed to TEs.
Other decent Week 13 TE values: Gerald Everett, Chargers at Raiders (DK: $4,400 | FD: $5,400); Tyler Conklin, Jets at Vikings (DK: $3,100 | FD: $5,000); Pat Freiermuth, Steelers at Falcons (DK: $4,300 | FD: $5,900)
NFL DFS Picks Week 13: D/ST sleepers, values for DraftKings, FanDuel
Green Bay Packers at Bears (DK: $3,000 | FD: $4,700)
The Packers defense is better than its recent game logs would lead you to believe, but it's had a rough string of matchups against Dallas, Philly, Buffalo, Detroit, and Tennessee. A banged-up Justin Fields — or whatever the heck kind of situation ends up starting in place of him should he end up sidelined again — plus no Darnell Mooney (ankle) or Khalil Herbert (hip)? This all sounds bad for Chi-town, good for Cheeseheads.
Other solid Week 13 D/ST values: Giants vs. Commanders (DK: $2,900 | FD: $4,000); Jaguars at Lions (DK: $2,700 | FD: $3,900)