The best lineups in GPPs are not won with the most popular players on the slate. It takes some high-level roster construction to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.
The goal of this article isn’t to name the best players on Sunday. It’s to find high-upside talent to add to your GPP rosters. Some top-tier players will be included, but lineups needs to be balanced out with some hidden gems, too.
Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.
Let’s dive into Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Jalen Hurts ($6,600) – A.J. Brown ($5,900) – CeeDee Lamb ($7,900) – DeVonta Smith ($5,600)
Hurts remains one of the few quarterbacks with true slate-breaking upside thanks to his dual-threat profile. Even with efficiency dipping slightly in 2025, he’s still capable of rushing for multiple TDs any week, a feat he accomplished back in Week 1. From a GPP standpoint, his run of poor games should help keep ownership on Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game low, making this a great time to buy low vs. the worst pass defense in the league.
While the relationship with Brown and the Eagles has been contentious of late, there is no mystery around how you should be stacking if you’re playing Hurts. Brown is a must-add and still trends to around a 30% target share whenever the game script stays tight. Even against two poor passing offenses in a row, the Cowboys still allowed TDs to opposing WRs in each of their last two games, including last week to Tre Tucker in a game where the Raiders could barely move the ball on the ground. While you hate the recent form with Brown, the overall talent, matchup, and sub-6k price tag say this is a great risk-reward spot for Week 12.
In terms of how to finish off a Philly-Dallas stack, Smith at just $5,600 is certainly in play if you want to tempt fate and go all-in on a big passing day for Hurts. He’s coming off a miserable day vs. the Lions, but his upside includes games like the 183 yards, nine receptions and a TD game vs. the Vikings he put up in Week 7, which saw him go for 36 FPTS.
Finally, if we expect Philly to need to pass, that will, of course, mean that Dallas has been keeping pace, or even outpacing the Birds in terms of scoring. Lamb may have taken a backseat to George Pickens last week, but with Lamb’s propensity to run from the slot more often, I expect he’ll have the better matchups this week and is the player I’d want to target in this spot. The Eagles barely shut down Lamb in Week 1, and with a ton on the line in Week 12, I expect Lamb may reach his ceiling in targets once again.
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett ($5,300)
Brissett enters Week 12 as one of the more intriguing value quarterbacks on the DraftKings main slate. At $5,300, he’s priced as a clear punt option, but given how little Arizona is running the ball, his situation offers more stability — and potential upside — than most in his range. The veteran threw for an NFL record number of competitions in his last game (47), and while a dip in volume is likely coming, the matchup this week vs. Jacksonville is in his favor just from a game script standpoint.
Overall, Jacksonville has allowed the fifth-most FPTS per game to opposing QBs this year, and its elite run defense tends to funnel more work to the pass. Even without Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals are still likely to lean on Brissett’s arm (and legs), given the injuries they are dealing with at RB. Overall, Brissett just continues to look too cheap, and this is a spot where he’ll have a great shot to return 4-5x in value, once again.
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,300)
The Giants’ rush defense has been regressing for most of the season, making this a solid spot for Detroit’s ground game. New York is down to 25th in EPA per rush and has allowed at least one running back to go for 80+ yards in three of its last four games. That stretch includes a breakdown against the Eagles in Week 8, who had two RBs go for 100+ yards.
Overall, I expect the Lions to pound the ball here with Gibbs as much as they can. Fresh off a loss to the Eagles, who bottled Gibbs up on the ground, but did allow him to break the century mark as a receiver, Detroit should get back to its bread and butter as it tries to re-establish the run. With Detroit now out of first in its division and no longer able to play things safe, that should mean a ton of carries for Gibbs. The Giants are simply playing out the string at this point and aren’t likely to have any answers, making the Detroit RB a great premium option once again.
Kenneth Walker III ($5,400)
Walker enters this week with a bit of an injury note (glute), but head coach Mike Macdonald has noted that Walker is likely to suit up. That could be massive for Walker’s fantasy potential this week as Tennessee continues to rate as one of the worst rush defenses in the league. Through 11 weeks, Tennessee has now allowed the eighth-most FPTS to opposing RBs, but also allowed the second-most rushing TDs. Walker has been hit hard by some TD-regression this season, but his red-zone usage of late has gone up as he took 16 carries vs. the Rams, one of which was a short-yardage carry that went for a score (his first since Week 3).
While there is some injury risk involved, the upside appeal of Walker in this range is too hard to ignore this week with Seattle being heavily favored. As a mid-tier tournament target, Walker is the exact kind of underpriced upside play who can propel lineups if he hits.
Wide Receiver
Chris Olave ($6,400)
Olave headlines the mid-$6K tier for me this week as one of the better upside plays for DFS. Despite occasional volatility driven by erratic quarterback play this season, his underlying metrics like air yards share and route participation remain among the league’s best.
At $6,400, he’s also priced in that range, which keeps him out of being an extreme value, where he’d likely creep up to 20% or more in terms of ownership.
While the early returns with Tyler Shough were a little rough vs. the Rams, the two broke out in Olave’s last start, where the WR went for 104 yards and a TD. That’s a line he’s more than capable of repeating vs. the Falcons. Atlanta is great at limiting cheap yards in the middle of the field, but it has been burned of late by elite outside receivers, and last week gave up career games to Tetairoa McMillan and Bryce Young. Overall, the Falcons have allowed 12 TDs to opposing WRs, the seventh-most in the league. It’s a solid spot to deploy Olave once again, who looks like a great core value at under 6.5k.
Jerry Jeudy ($4,100)
There is a ton of volatility with Jeudy in play this week once again. He’ll be working with a new QB in Shedeur Sanders, who completed just four of his 16 passes last week in relief work. Still, Sanders was up against Baltimore in a horrible spot and had no prep time. Sanders will face a much more forgiving defense this week in the Raiders, who just allowed four passing TDs to the Cowboys last week.
Jeudy has also re-solidified himself as the top option in this offense after a mid-season slump, as he’s now seen 19 targets over the Browns’ last two games. He’s also one week removed from his game against the Jets in which he tallied six receptions, 78 yards and a touchdown for 19.8 FPTS. Even at just 4.1K, his ownership should stay low, which only enhances his tournament appeal. He’s more than capable of hitting for value on just a play or two. Hard not to like him as a GPP punt or value option.
Tight End
Hunter Henry ($3,900)
Henry remains a sneaky DFS tight end at a forgiving sub-$4K price. He won’t dominate overall volume, but his targets concentrate where it matters, especially in the red zone, where he quietly leads the Patriots’ tight ends in looks. That kind of role gives him a cleaner path to a big day and potentially a multi-TD game, especially vs. a weak defense like the Bengals, who have allowed 12 TDs to opposing TEs, the most in the league by a wide margin.
From a roster-building standpoint, Henry is also the sort of player we want to target under 4k. His absolute floor isn’t as poor as some of the names in his range, but it’s his upside that matters, and sets him apart. Henry has already proven what he can do in this offense, posting 29 FPTS in Week 3 vs. the Steelers when he scored two TDs. While he’s gone quiet for a few weeks in a row, the likelihood of a bounce-back game vs. the Bengals seems likely. Add in a potential Joe Burrow return, which could push this game into video game territory. Henry looks like a fantastic way to get exposure to this game.
Defense/Special Teams
Steelers ($2,800)
Even in down seasons, the Steelers’ defense maintains some fantasy relevance thanks to relentless edge pressure from T.J. Watt and a turnover-savvy secondary. Last week, they managed just a single sack, but scored twice and put up 21 FPTS against the Bengals. The two weeks prior? They put five sacks and made one of the hottest QBs in the league in Justin Herbert, look ordinary.
As a DFS play, they always carry game-breaking upside, but especially against mistake-prone offenses and QBs. While the Bears have been running hot in the win-loss column, it hasn’t been due to superior QB play. Caleb Williams comes in having passed for under a 60% completion rate in three straight games and has passed for zero TDs in three of his last five starts. While there are some weaker QBs on the slate, the Steelers come in far cheaper than many of the other solid options and aren’t likely to be heavily rostered this week in larger fields. They’re a great DST option for anyone looking for a mid-range contrarian pick in Week 12.
