4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target in Week 13

8mo

4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target in Week 13

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in daily fantasy football on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

Here are four studs to target on this week's main slate.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

FanDuel Salary: ($8,400)

It doesn't get much better than it should on Sunday for Tua Tagovailoa.

The Miami Dolphins will take on the Washington Commanders in a matchup that screams points in every way this weekend. Of course, most of those points are expected to come from the Dolphins' side, but I digress.

The game is set for a 49.5-point total, the highest of the Week 13 slate. And that's where the excitement with Tagovailoa comes in.

Miami's quarterback is in the top five in the two major categories, ranking fourth in passing yards (3,177) and third in passing touchdowns (22). With Josh Allen on a bye this weekend, Tagovailoa could be leading the touchdown category soon enough. He's averaging a strong 19.0 FanDuel points per game this season and is going to ball out against the league's worst defense on Sunday.

The Commanders are allowing pretty much the most of any stat you can hope for when picking a play to go against them. The best of it for Tagovailoa is that they are allowing 22.2 FanDuel points to opposing quarterbacks, the most of any team in the NFL. Passers are averaging 277.5 passing yards and 2.33 touchdowns per game. Washington is fresh off allowing Dak Prescott to throw for 331 yards and 4 touchdowns on Thanksgiving. That ended up being the final straw for now-former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who was fired by the Commanders after that game.

It's a mess in Washington, and the Dolphins are storming toward a playoff spot with the top seed still in reach. They're going to show up with their A-game.

Tagovailoa is the top-projected quarterback this week, per numberFire, coming in at 20.6 FanDuel points.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: ($9,800)

The matchup does not matter. We're targeting Christian McCaffrey in one of the best games of the season.

There have been few as consistent as CMC. He's averaging a position-high 23.0 FanDuel points. He's been a touchdown machine, scoring 11 times on the ground and adding another 5 through the air. He also leads the NFL in rushing yards (939).

It's going to be tough when the San Francisco 49ers face the Philadelphia Eagles, but he's the focal point of the offense -- CMC will get his.

The Eagles have been the toughest defense for running backs. RBs are averaging only 12.5 FanDuel points against the Eagles' front seven and company. That isn't ideal for most running backs. The good news is that McCaffrey is not most running backs.

Where the Eagles do give up points is through the air. Running backs are averaging 6.55 targets, 5.09 receptions, and 31.8 receiving yards per game against Philadelphia. It's great news for McCaffrey, who commands a 19.5% target market share. If it's not working on the ground, he should make up for it through the air, no problem.

McCaffrey is unsurprisingly the top running back of the week projection-wise, per numberFire's model. He's expected to finish his day with 20.0 FanDuel points, four more than the next-best player at the position.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

FanDuel Salary: ($10,000)

Read our Tua Tagovailoa write-up to know that Tyreek Hill should have himself a week.

After missing practice on Wednesday, Hill returned on Thursday and is in line to start. That's all we need to know to confidently get him in our lineups for Sunday.

Everything that the All-Pro wideout is doing this season feels like it's on a record pace. Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,324) and touchdowns (10) while ranking second in receptions (88). Overall, he's averaging 8.0 receptions on 10.9 targets week in and week out. Those numbers have played out to 120.4 receiving yards and nearly a score per game. This absurd output doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.

Add in that Tagovailoa is looking Hill's way more than anyone else. Hill is rocking a 32.8% target market share and 43.7% air yards market share. He's the main guy for the Dolphins and the must-watch wide receiver in the NFL.

And with all those favorable stats, he's about to face the league's worst defense. This should be a grand time to play Hill in any and all DFS lineups.

Not only are the Commanders allowing the second-most FanDuel points to wide receivers (35.5), but they're allowing the most points overall in the NFL. Washington is about to head into its bye week allowing 29.2 points per game. That's great news to fire up a Dolphins team averaging 30.8 points, the second-most behind Dallas.

It's not a difficult call this weekend. Get Tyreek Hill into your lineups and enjoy as the Dolphins light up the score. numberFire's model has Hill projected to finish with 20.6 FanDuel points -- the most of all wide receivers this weekend.

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

FanDuel Salary: ($9,000)

If there's anyone else you want to consider for your lineups this weekend at wideout, Keenan Allen is the easy selection.

Allen leads the NFL with 97 receptions, 9 more than Tyreek Hill in second. He's turned those receptions into 1,117 receiving yards (2nd) and 7 touchdowns. At 31 years old, he continues to dominate the competition and be Justin Herbert's first, second, and third option.

Since Mike Williams went out with injury, Allen is commanding a 32.8% target market share and 43.7% air yards market share. He's as good as it gets in terms of volume at the position and should feast against the slacking New England Patriots.

The Patriots are allowing 30.2 FanDuel points to opposing wide receivers, the ninth-most in the NFL. There's no cornerback to be afraid of in New England, and even if Bill Belichick tries to take Allen out of the game, it's unlikely to work with how much Herbert looks in his direction. From what we've seen with the Patriots this year, it's not likely that they'd succeed anyway.

Allen is projected for the second-most points at wide receiver on Sunday, set for 15.7 FanDuel points.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.