The menu for Thursday just expanded.
As matchups become more significant with the playoffs rapidly approaching, Thanksgiving provides the perfect backdrop for a pivotal day of football. Fill your plate and glass, sit back, and enjoy this cheat sheet to sound like an expert at the dinner table.
I’ve found a pair of players that remind me of cranberry sauce—wildly undervalued and able to shift the entire landscape. They are a bargain, and these two guys are must-start value options for these crucial Turkey Day showdowns.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.5M Thanksgiving Millionaire [$1M to 1st] (Thu)
Thanksgiving Value Plays
Tyrone Tracy Jr. ($5,800) at Dallas Cowboys
During a grim time in New York football history, Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been a dim beacon of light for a prosperous future. The rookie from Purdue currently has the most rushing yards out of any first-year back, having triple the production of the third spot on that list. Even with a disastrous offensive line and substandard passing attack, Tracy Jr. has shown plenty of flashes. He’s averaging over five yards a carry and is a competent receiver out of the backfield.
Ball security has slowed his ascent—notably, he coughed up the rock in overtime against Carolina to effectively lose that game. He had another pivotal fumble near the goalline in the recent loss against Tampa Bay and was subsequently benched for a few series afterward. This is a concern for many rushers early in their careers—it’s not a long-term concern quite yet.
This club’s best chance at finding the endzone is feeding Tracy Jr. and trying to wear teams out on the ground. Even with his recent stumbles, he’s still a dynamite runner who makes spectacular plays out of nothing. Dallas has a decent front seven but is vulnerable to allowing chunk gains. I love Tracy Jr.’s price and think he can be a steal for your lineup.
Keenan Allen ($5,100) at Detroit Lions
At his best, Keenan Allen is still a route-running messiah who can create separation in a flash. Much has been made of the disappointing Chicago aerial attack, but it looks like they finally figured something out last week. Allen netted an absurd 15 targets, corralling nine for 86 yards and a score. It was the first time the veteran wideout crossed the 50-yard mark on the season and only the second contest where he found the endzone.
The 32-year-old should benefit from a rookie signal caller. Allen does most of his work near the sticks, has a reliable pair of hands, and can do damage after the catch. For some reason, the chemistry with Caleb Williams has been off, but after getting such attention Sunday, it’s safe to assume that the partnership is trending upwards.
Detroit’s weakest point is its secondary, which has played far better than the sum of its parts so far this campaign. Allen will be the focal point of the gameplan for Chicago in a divisional game it’s desperate to win.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is xaiver-aguiar) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
