This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 13 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EST and features 10 games. There are no teams on bye in Week 13, but the three Thanksgiving Day matchups (Bears-Lions, Giants-Cowboys and Dolphins-Packers), Friday's game (Raiders-Kansas City), Sunday Night Football (49ers-Bills) and Monday Night Football (Browns-Broncos) all take place outside the main slate. Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 13, but the biggest is the NFL $115K Guaranteed contest, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $115,000 to the top 1,156 finishers, including $25,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 6,700 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $115K Guaranteed lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Week 13 plays include an affordable RB thrust into a starting role by an injury, as well as a pair of rookie WRs poised to feast on subpar secondaries.
QUARTERBACK
C.J. Stroud, HOU at JAC ($23): Stroud's an excellent value with 14 starting QBs carrying larger cap hits this week, as he'll face a Jaguars defense that has surrendered a 23:5 TD:INT -- only Stroud's own Texans (24) have allowed more touchdown passes, with no other team having permitted more than 21. Jacksonville has also given up the second-most passing yards (3,168) and third-most rushing yards (329) to QBs. While Stroud's 14:9 TD:INT through 12 games as a sophomore is disappointing after he posted a 23:5 mark across 15 starts as a rookie, he's averaging 269.9 passing yards in the seven games that top WR Nico Collins ($39) has played this season compared to just 197.2 in five games without him. Stroud's low cap hit can help fit Collins in under the salary cap for a Houston passing game stack, but the QB makes for a fine standalone play as well considering he carved up the Jaguars for a season-high 345 passing yards when these AFC South rivals met back in Week 4.
Honorable Mentions:
Jalen Hurts, PHI at BAL ($37); Justin Herbert, LAC at ATL ($28); Matthew Stafford, LAR at NO ($24)
Against the Grainers:
Baker Mayfield, TB at CAR ($31); Trevor Lawrence, JAC vs. HOU ($26); Anthony Richardson, IND at NE ($25)
RUNNING BACK
Tony Pollard, TEN at WAS ($26): Pollard has racked up at least 88 scrimmage yards in seven of 11 games this season, adding a TD in four of those seven. After posting a season-high 129 scrimmage yards and a score last week against Houston, he'll take on a Commanders defense that has allowed a league-high 1,449 rushing yards to RBs. Washington's also tied for the fifth-most rushing TDs allowed to the position, with 11. The Commanders have been particularly vulnerable to the run during their current three-game losing streak, allowing 459 rushing yards and four TDs over that span. Pollard could see a slight dip in workload if Tyjae Spears clear the concussion protocol, but the former Cowboy is locked in atop the depth chart in Tennessee, having averaged 19.7 touches per game.
Gus Edwards, LAC at ATL ($11): Edwards has a golden opportunity as the lead back for the Chargers in the wake of J.K. Dobbins' knee injury. Rookie Kimani Vidal will probably siphon some backfield snaps in passing situations, but Edwards is likely to see a workhorse role on the ground against a Falcons defense that's giving up 24.9 points per game. Atlanta has been more vulnerable to the pass than the run, but Edwards shouldn't have trouble outplaying his modest valuation considering the Chargers have developed a run-first identity under coach Jim Harbaugh -- they have run on 47.4 percent of plays this season, which is the seventh-highest rate in the NFL. The 238-pound Edwards is particularly effective by the goal line, as he powered in 13 rushing TDs with the Ravens last season and scored his first rushing TD of the season for the Chargers after Dobbins went down last week.
Honorable Mentions:
Kyren Williams, LAR at NO ($32); Breece Hall, NYJ vs. SEA ($31); Bucky Irving, TB vs. CAR ($29)
Against the Grainers:
Chase Brown, CIN vs. PIT ($29); Jonathan Taylor, IND at NE ($28); Travis Etienne, JAC vs. HOU ($15)
WIDE RECEIVER
A.J. Brown, PHI at BAL ($33): Brown has been excellent when healthy this season, as he's averaging a career-high 90.9 receiving yards per game, has at least five catches in all but one appearance this season and has scored four TDs in eight games. With fellow standout WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) banged up, Brown's poised to see the lion's share of targets in Philadelphia's passing game against Baltimore's league-worst pass defense. The Ravens have allowed the second-most receiving yards (2,229) and second-most receiving TDs (16) to WRs, 25 yards behind the Lions and one TD fewer than the Texans.
Marvin Harrison, ARI at MIN ($23): Harrison hasn't lived up to expectations as the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he hasn't been a bust, either, as he leads all Cardinals WRs across the board with 36 catches for 546 yards and two TDs. He has at least 13.0 fantasy points in five of 11 games and has exceeded 20.0 twice. This should be more of a ceiling game than a floor game for the talented wideout considering the Vikings are allowing a league-high 188.6 receiving yards per game to WRs and have allowed 13 TDs to the position in 11 games. Minnesota's secondary has been particularly generous recently, allowing three different WRs to post at least 86 yards and a TD in the last two games.
Brian Thomas, JAC vs. HOU ($22): Thomas would be especially appealing if the Jaguars get starting QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) back from a two-game absence, but even if Jacksonville rolls out backup Mac Jones under center again, Thomas should deliver coming out of a bye against Houston's struggling secondary. The rookie out of LSU leads the Jaguars in all receiving categories with 42 catches for 689 yards and five TDs on 63 targets, including six catches for 86 yards and a score against the Texans in Week 4. That Thomas TD was one of a league-high 17 receiving scores that WRs have produced against the Texans.
Honorable Mentions:
Puka Nacua, LAR at NO ($33); Ladd McConkey, LAC at ATL ($25); George Pickens, PIT at CIN ($28)
Against the Grainers:
Justin Jefferson, MIN vs. ARI ($31); Davante Adams, NYJ at SEA($26); Michael Pittman, IND at NE ($18)
TIGHT END
Pat Freiermuth, PIT at CIN ($14): Freiermuth's a low-risk, high-reward option at this salary against a weak Bengals defense that's tied for the second-most TDs allowed to TEs (seven) and is giving up 62.2 yards per game to the position (sixth-most). He has been a steady part of Pittsburgh's offense with multiple catches in every game this season, and Freiermuth has topped 50 yards in two of five games with Russell Wilson at QB after reaching that threshold only once in six games with Justin Fields. Freiermuth has posted at least 75 receiving yards or a TD in five of six previous games against the Bengals, including career highs of nine catches and 120 yards the last time the Steelers went to Cincinnati.
Honorable Mentions:
Taysom Hill, NO vs. LAR ($23); Cade Otton, TB at CAR ($20); T.J. Hockenson, MIN vs. ARI ($19)
Against the Grainers:
Evan Engram, JAC vs. HOU ($18); Kyle Pitts, ATL at LAC ($16); Hunter Henry, NE vs. IND ($15)
DEFENSE
Indianapolis Colts at NE ($15): This unit has produced double-digit fantasy points on three occasions, and this trip to New England offers a nice opportunity to add another such performance. The Colts are still hanging around in the AFC playoff race at 5-7, so this matchup with the 3-9 Patriots is significant, and the defense may have to lead the way given second-year QB Anthony Richardson's unsteady play. Rookie Patriots QB Drake Maye has been a turnover machine, giving the ball away 11 times in the six games he has played from start to finish. Meanwhile, the Colts have been adept at taking the ball away, as their 17 forced turnovers are eighth-most in the NFL.
Honorable Mentions:
Houston Texans at JAC ($19); Tampa Bay Buccaneers at CAR ($14); Los Angeles Rams at NO ($13)
Against the Grainers:
New England Patriots vs. IND ($13); Arizona Cardinals at MIN ($12); Philadelphia Eagles at BAL ($12)
