DK Reignmakers Week 12 Elite Tier Strategy

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to the Week 12 edition of the 4for4 DraftKings Reignmaker strategy series! Each week Andrew Fleischer and I will both have an article detailing different strategies that will help you take home the money in DraftKings’ newest DFS offering played with NFTs.

We’ll start with a recap of last week’s tournament-winning lineup and how our picks did in week 11

RMF Classic Elite Fiat Frenzy $100K Winning Lineup (2,265 Entries, 867 Paid = 38.3%):

Tony Pollard won someone $100,000 for the second week in a row, scoring 39.9 DK points. Ezekiel Elliot was out-snapped for the first time when both he and Pollard are active. Some of this could be attributed to Elliot’s first week back from injury, but fade Pollard going forward at your own risk! Davante Adams is also a familiar face in winning lineups. He finished with 36.1 DK points and got a win in Denver. Looking at the quarterback position, we see a quite unfamiliar face. Derek Carr is viable in low-scoring weeks as we saw in Week 12. He finished as the QB10 on the week but was only eight points off the QB1. When Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Fields aren’t putting up 40+ DK points, you can get by with the 23.28 that Carr got you in Week 12 as long as you hit big on the other positions. Chris Olave continues to be the best rookie wide receiver in 2022. His five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown were good for 24.2 DK points. Tee Higgins finally had that monster game we have been waiting for since the Ja’Marr Chase injury. His 26.8 DK points were good for WR4 overall in Week 12.

It was not a great week for the optimal plays based on 4for4 projections. Josh Allen finished all the way down at QB18 as the Bills just didn’t need to do a ton through the air against Cleveland. Still, you expect more than 197 passing yards and a touchdown when you click that box to start Allen. Even more terrible of a play was Saquon Barkley who had what was seemingly a good matchup at home against Detroit but he just couldn’t get anything going against a team that was a top-10 matchup for enemy running backs entering Week 11. Justin Jefferson was a complete bust scoring only 6.3 points against Dallas, Stefon Diggs salvaged a good day despite being dragged down by his quarterback’s uncharacteristically low numbers. CeeDee Lamb wasn’t much better with 9.5 DK points. Dallas blew out the Vikings thanks to Tony Pollard and the defense so it just wasn’t in the cards for Lamb to have a big day.

Moving over to our value selections, Justin Fields did not have a slate-breaking performance for the first time in a few weeks. He still managed to be a top-seven scorer at the position thanks to 85 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Antonio Gibson wasn’t flashy but he turned in another solid RB2 performance and easily paid off his price tag. On to Week 12!

Optimal Options

If money is no object, here are the best plays at each starting spot based on the Week 12 rankings over at 4for4.

Josh Allen, QB BUF (Elite FP: $1,175, Rare FP: $84)

We’re going back to the well with Allen as the top-ranked quarterback on the week at 4for4. He is projected to score 30.9 DK points with the bonus for 300 passing yards. Buffalo is a 10-point road favorite against the Detroit Lions. Detroit is the best matchup in the league for quarterbacks, giving up the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Bills have a 32.25-point implied team total, the highest of the week.

Austin Ekeler, RB LAC (Elite FP: $300, Rare FP: $31)

Ekeler is the top-ranked running back at 4for4 and is projected to score 22.7 DK points. Los Angeles is an early four-and-a-half-point road favorite against the Arizona Cardinals who are giving up the 10th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing running backs. The Chargers have a 26-point implied team total, the sixth-highest of the week.

Stefon Diggs, WR BUF (Elite FP: $1100, Rare FP: $89)

Diggs is the top-ranked wide receiver at 4for4 and is projected to hit the 100-yard bonus for receiving yards and score 27.5 DK points. Diggs had zero catches last week against Cleveland before a sideline conversation with his coaches. After his conversation, Diggs scored every single one of his 14.8 fantasy points. Detroit is giving up the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Diggs should get the squeaky wheel treatment in Week 12 in a fantastic matchup and I expect to see him in winning lineups.

Tyreek Hill, WR MIA (Elite FP: $475 Rare FP: $54)

Tyreek Hill has a tough matchup coming off the bye against the Texans who have been surprisingly unkind to enemy wide receiver production. He is the WR2 at 4for4 and is projected to score 24.6 DK points with the bonus for 100 yards, despite the matchup. Miami is an early 12.5-point home favorite against the Houston Texans, who are giving up the third-fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Tyreek Hill is a matchup-proof wide receiver though and if Miami elects to win via the pass, Hill should get his. There is some risk that this is a running back game as the Texans are awful against the run. The Dolphins have a 29.75-point implied team total, the second-highest of the week.

Ja’Marr Chase, WR CIN (Elite FP: $500, Rare FP: $69)

Keep checking the injury reports, but Chase is expected to play in Week 12 and he should be in lineups despite the extended break. Chase is the WR11 at 4for4 and is projected to score 15.2 DK points but as we all know, he is a threat to be the WR1 overall in any given week. Cincinnati is a one-point road favorite against the Tennessee Titans who are giving up the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Bengals have a 22-point implied team total, the 13th-highest of the week.

Value Plays

Geno Smith, QB SEA (Elite FP: $550, Rare FP: $89)

Smith can be had on the marketplace for $625 less than Josh Allen and has one of the best matchups for quarterbacks in Week 12. Smith is ranked as the QB10 this week by 4for4 and is projected to score 18 DK points. The Seattle Seahawks are a three-and-a-half-point home favorite against the Las Vegas Raiders who are giving up the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Before Week 11, quarterbacks were averaging 21 points per game against Las Vegas. Russell Wilson completely screwed up that average with his measly 10.58 points. The Seahawks have a 25.5-point implied team total, the seventh-highest of the week.

Terry McLaurin, WR WAS (Elite FP: $179, Rare: $18)

Mclaurin has completely turned his season around with Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback. He is ranked as the WR7 at 4for4 and is projected to score 18.3 DK points. Washington is an early four-and-a-half point home favorite against the Atlanta Falcons who are giving up the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. The Commanders have a 23-point implied team total, the 10th-highest of the week.

That’s going to do it for this week’s edition. If there’s something you would like covered in a weekly strategy article for DraftKings Reignmakers contests please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter!