When setting your weekly NFL DFS lineups, it can be just as helpful to have an idea of whom you DON’T want to include as whom you do. Every Friday we’ll highlight a few players that you might want to fade. When a player appears here, it mainly refers to fading him in cash games. If you play in a lot of large field, multi-entry tournaments, you might consider just being underweight on these players relative to the field rather than not using them at all.
Players I’m fading for Week 12 include:
Mike Glennon, QB, Jacksonville
Glennon is cheap on a week with lots of reasons to spend up. I’m all for a good bargain, but Glennon is not the path I’m choosing to save on. For one, he hasn’t started a game since 2017, and for two, he will be without D.J. Chark and Chris Conley this week. It might be a great time to roll with James Robinson if you’re set on a Jaguar, but I’m heavily targeting the Browns backs this week in what should be a decisive Cleveland victory.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota
It’s always risky to write about fading a great player in a great spot, but I try to go by how I’ve actually constructed lineups to this point in the week, and Cook isn’t making it. He’s the most expensive player on every site, by not a small margin ($11,000 FD, $9500 DK, $42 Yahoo). You can scrimp and save at other key positions to fit him in, I just don’t love what I end up with when I try it. So, this is not me saying Cook is going to have a bad day (I would never!), but I am hoping the points per dollar can be optimized without him.
Josh Jacobs, RB Las Vegas
Again, I’m not hating Jacobs here, but I’m pretty high on the Raiders pass game this week, which leaves me without much Jacobs. There may not be a bad play in this game (though Matt Ryan does love a challenge…) given the sky-high total and narrow spread. Jacobs has a wide range of outcomes and I think he’ll probably come out on the lower end of his average (maybe around 15 fantasy points) this weekend. Fine, but I won’t hate not rostering him.
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Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay
Gronkowski continues to be priced above actual production and usage this season. Consider a low threshold of 2X value; Gronk has met that five times on DraftKings, and four times on FanDuel. He’s a bit cheaper on Yahoo, but still more expensive than Noah Fant or Jonnu Smith, both of whom I prefer. The Chiefs’ secondary has been pretty effective this season, so if you’re planning to spend on TE this week, go ahead and splurge on Darren Waller or Travis Kelce.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR Arizona
Hopkins falls into a salary range with Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen. If I’m smart, I’ll hedge my heavy rostering of those three with some Hopkins, who, as we know, can be a slate-changer. Part of me worries that Kyler Murray’s shoulder isn’t perfect, and that New England’s defense can key in on the opponent’s best player, which is clearly Hopkins. I’d rather go for some Chase Edmonds, Christian Kirk or even Andy Isabella, and take on less risk for a piece of this Cardinals Offense.
Players I like, but who are expected to have high ownership in Week 12 include: Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, Darren Waller, Travis Kelce, Miami D/ST. You might consider deviating away from this player pool and pivoting in large GPPs if you’re after a more unique lineup.
