Thursday Night Football heads to Louisiana for Week 13 where the Saints will host the Cowboys. Both teams lost their Thanksgiving Day matchups, and together they have dropped six in a row — two straight for the Cowboys, four consecutive for the Saints. Before we begin, it’s worth noting that we’re shying away from both Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott. With Kamara tentatively slated to make his return following a multi-game absence due to a knee injury and the Cowboys interested in resting Elliott to a degree, we don’t want to pay the DFS price required to include them in this DraftKings Showdown lineup.
Remember these important settings for DraftKings single-game contests: It’s full-point PPR, and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player’s original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Cowboys vs. Saints
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain: (1.5x salary, 1.5x points) QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($17,700)
Prescott is fresh off of his third-highest scoring effort of the season, totaling 28.3 DraftKings points on Thanksgiving. It was his fourth time earning DK’s three-point bonus for throwing for over 300 yards, and if the Cowboys are serious about being careful with Ezekiel Elliott (knee) a little bit, Prescott is a strong bet to reel off another 300-yard effort and deliver another strong DK score.
MORE TNF: FD lineup | Cooper update | Start ’em, sit ’em
FLEX: WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($10,000)
All signs are pointing to Lamb suiting up on Thursday night after missing Thanksgiving with a concussion. Amari Cooper (COVID) is still feeling the effects of the virus, and even if he’s active, Lamb will be leaned on as the clear lead receiver. He’s produced big performances against tough defenses, and another such performance will be in the cards.
WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks | Lineup Builder
FLEX: WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys ($6,800)
Gallup handled himself well as the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver on Thanksgiving, scoring 18.6 DraftKings points, including the three-point bonus for racking up 100 receiving yards. He’s better suited for a secondary role, however, and with Lamb back in the fold, Gallup will find himself in positions to inflict damage on another defense.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: RB Mark Ingram, Saints ($5,000)
Ingram (knee) has practiced in full and Alvin Kamara (knee) practiced on a limited basis this week, so even if both are active, Ingram will probably handle a healthy workload. Ingram missed last week’s contest, but he had been on a run of three consecutive double-digit DK-point efforts prior to that absence.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: WR Deonte Harris, Saints ($4,600)
When we’re selecting pieces of the Saints’ passing game, we want to target those who can make big plays. After all, they’re five-point home underdogs and don’t know who their quarterback will be. Harris has averaged 15.2 yards on 30 touches (27 receptions), and we’d rather bet on someone making one or two big plays instead of hoping for someone to produce consistently over the course of the entire game.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo
FLEX: Dallas Cowboys D/ST ($4,400)
The Cowboys were a lot more generous against the Raiders than the matchup suggested, but they’re still only two games removed from hanging 23.0 DK points on the Falcons. On the surface, the Saints are a much better team, but they’re mired in a four-game losing streak and are struggling with a number of injuries on offense. We think this is a spot where the Cowboys can deliver enough defensive and special teams plays to make them worth including here.