Thursday Night Football FanDuel Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice for Week 13 Cowboys-Saints single-game tournaments

Week 13’s Thursday Night Football matchup features the Cowboys and Saints. Both teams are fresh off of Thanksgiving defeats and are riding multi-game losing streaks. The slide has only been two games for the Cowboys, but the Saints have dropped four consecutive contests. This FanDuel single-game lineup won’t feature either of the premier running backs even though Alvin Kamara appears to be trending in the direction of a return and Jerry Jones has said Dallas won’t ease Ezekiel Elliott’s workload. The DFS prices are too large to invest in backs who might not receive their typical workloads.

Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the “MVP” is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn’t cost any additional money like the “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel’s default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs, and there are no bonuses for 100/300-yard games like on DraftKings.

MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest

FanDuel Single-Game DFS Picks: Cowboys vs. Saints

$60,000 budget, need at least one player from each team

MVP: (1.5x points) QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($16,500)

There have been a couple of lows for Prescott this season, but he’s remained productive overall. He scored 25.3 FanDuel points on Thanksgiving, the second time in three games eclipsing 25 points. The Saints feature a tough defense, but another strong performance is within Prescott’s grasp, especially if the Cowboys ease up on Ezekiel Elliott (knee) even a little.

MORE TNF: DK lineup | Start ’em, sit ’em (link coming soon)

FLEX: WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($13,000)

Lamb is trending toward being active on Thursday after missing Thanksgiving  with a concussion. With Amari Cooper compromised — or inactive altogether due to COVID — Lamb will serve as the Cowboys’ clear No. 1 receiver. He’s likely to see the Saints’ primary secondary coverage for most of the night, but he’s hung large numbers on tough defenses this season, so we’re excited about what should be an increased target share.

WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

FLEX: WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys ($10,500)

Gallup filled in nicely as the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver on Thanksgiving, but we like him more in a secondary role. That’s the role he’ll serve on Thursday with Lamb expected back in action. It sounds like Cooper will be at far below 100 percent, though, so Gallup’s “plate of scraps” should have plenty of meat on it.

WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks | Lineup Builder

FLEX: TE Dalton Schultz, Cowboys ($9,500)

Schultz cracked double-digit FD points thanks to a touchdown in last week’s loss to the Raiders. Schultz’s effort marked his first time in double figures since Week 6, and with the state of some of the individuals on the offense — namely Elliott and Cooper — Schultz could reel off another multi-game streak of scoring 10-plus fantasy points.

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

FLEX WR Marquez Callaway, Saints ($8,500)

We’re required to include at least one Saint in this lineup, so we’re going to shoot for the fences. Callaway leads the Saints in targets, is averaging 14.7 yards per grab, and has scored six touchdowns. Las Vegas sportsbooks don’t love the Saints’ chances — they’re getting points as home underdogs — so we’re hunting for one or two big plays instead of trying to identify someone who will achieve sustained success on Thursday night.