The Dallas Cowboys are synonymous with Thanksgiving dinner. This year’s entree is a little less glamorous than usual with the struggling Cowboys facing the last-place New York Giants, but we can spruce up your meal with a winning DFS lineup.
Using DraftKings’ prices, let’s analyze the best strategy to ensure that your wallet gets to feast during this game as well.
Week 13 Giants-Cowboys DFS Picks
- CAPTAIN: Rico Dowdle ($14,400)
- FLEX: CeeDee Lamb ($10,800)
- FLEX: Tyrone Tracy Jr. ($9,800)
- FLEX: Brandon Aubrey ($5,600)
- FLEX: Graham Gano ($5,000)
- FLEX: Luke Schoonmaker ($4,400)
DFS Strategy: Captain Rico Dowdle
CeeDee Lamb is easily the most reliable fantasy option in this game, but the Cowboys wide receiver comes with an exorbitant captain price tag of $16,200. With that in mind, it’s worth making Dowdle your captain instead, given his volume.
Dowdle has become the Cowboys’ bell-cow back, taking a season-high 42.3% of the team’s touches in Week 12. Now, he gets a New York Giants defense allowing the seventh-most PPR points per game, one of the best matchups for any position on Thursday.
Given that this is one of the few matchups where Dallas is expected to enjoy a positive game script, expect Dowdle to receive a similarly high share of touches after he carried the ball 19 times on Sunday.
DFS Strategy: CeeDee Lamb, Luke Schoonmaker, and Brandon Aubrey
Lamb is a must-roster in this matchup as easily the most (and arguably only) reliable fantasy option. The Cowboys’ WR1 has seen a bountiful 30.9% target rate on 110 routes since Cooper Rush became the starting QB in Week 10.
Although the explosiveness is down and Lamb has yet to score with Rush, the strong likelihood of double-digit targets gives Lamb the highest floor in this game.
Brandon Aubrey has attempted multiple field goals in all but one game this season (a result of Dallas ranking 31st in red-zone efficiency). Although the typically ultra-reliable kicker missed a pair of field goals on Sunday and has missed three in his last two games, his volume means he’s likely to post a strong point total regardless. In addition, Aubrey is 33/34 on FGs at AT&T Stadium, with the only miss coming two weeks ago vs. the Houston Texans.
Finally, Luke Schoonmaker is a solid cheap option to round out your lineup with Jake Ferguson (concussion) out for the second straight game. Schoonmaker has effectively been the Cowboys’ starting tight end for two games since Ferguson was hurt so early in the Texans game. In that span, his 14 targets rank sixth among TEs, making him a startable option in re-draft and DFS formats alike.
DFS Strategy: Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Graham Gano
There’s some consternation around Giants lead back Tyrone Tracy Jr., given that Devin Singletary saw the field after Tracy fumbled at the goal line in Week 12. It’s Tracy’s second critical fumble in as many games after he fumbled against the Carolina Panthers in overtime in the game before the Giants’ bye.
However, it’s tough to get away from Tracy against a Cowboys defense allowing the third-most PPR points per game to running backs this season. Dallas has given up a league-high 19 rushing touchdowns and at least one score to a running back in seven out of its 11 games.
As for the other Giants representative — yes, we’re recommending you include two kickers in your lineup for this game. That says a lot about the quality of the options themselves, but the Cowboys do allow the sixth-most fantasy points per game to kickers. New York has trouble finishing drives, ranking last in red-zone efficiency, so there should be opportunities for Graham Gano to hit multiple field goals.