Thanksgiving is upon us, and what is a better way to celebrate than with some football and fantasy football. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Las Vegas Raiders during their annual Thanksgiving Day game. Both teams sport top 10 offenses in terms of total yards, so there is no shortage of options to choose from on the Cowboys-Raiders DraftKings showdown slate.
Let’s look at some quality captain and flex plays.
Captain Choices:
RB Ezekiel Elliott ($16,200) – Ezekiel Elliott hasn’t cracked 100 yards rushing since week five against the Giants and hasn’t surpassed 51 yards rushing since week six against the Patriots. However, this could be a get-right game for Zeke, as the Raiders are the 27th ranked team against running backs in DraftKings points allowed.
They also aren’t good in real football against running backs as they are the 29th ranked team against the rush in the NFL, giving up 132.1 yards per game. With Amari Cooper out and CeeDee Lamb potentially out, the Cowboys could rely on the run in this game. Look for Zeke to finally produce in this game.
WR Hunter Renfrow ($12,300) – Hunter Renfrow is not usually a player you would choose to captain. There honestly aren’t many good-value plays in this game, so taking a shot at Renfrow in the captain spot will save you some cash and allow you to fit in some more prominent names on your roster.
Renfrow had a down game last week against the Bengals, but so did the whole Raiders offense. Before last Sunday, Renfrow had received eight or more targets in five of his previous six games.
Those targets have resulted in catches. Renfrow has had seven catches in three of his last four games, with two touchdowns in that span.
The Cowboys’ defense is also giving up the 12th most receiving yards in the NFL, so Renfrow will have a chance to produce.
Flex Choices:
QB Dak Prescott ($11,200) – Dak Prescott is coming off his worst game of the season. The whole Cowboys offense is coming off a huge dud. Expect the offense to bounce back in this one, though. Prescott is still averaging over 280 passing yards per game with more than two touchdowns per contest. In his last two Thanksgiving Day outings, he is averaging 322 passing yards.
Don’t let last week’s performance cloud your mind. Dak is a must-start in this showdown slate.
TE Dalton Schultz ($7,600) – Dalton Schultz’s salary is higher than usual because Amari Cooper has been ruled out, and CeeDee Lamb is highly questionable. Schultz should produce in this game, as the Raiders have the 10th worst pass defense DVOA rating and allow the second-most PPR fantasy points to tight ends.
Schultz had eight targets last week against the Chiefs with Cooper out and Lamb missing the second half. Even if Lamb does play, expect Schultz to get anywhere from 6-8 targets which should be more than enough to do damage against this Raiders defense.
WR DeSean Jackson ($2,200) – DeSean Jackson is nothing more than a dart throw. Jackson just joined the Raiders a few weeks ago and didn’t even draw a target last week. On the bright side, his snaps nearly doubled last week from his first game with the Raiders.
Jackson is a homerun threat and only needs one or two plays to return value at this meager price. He also allows you to fit in some of the much-needed high-priced talents on this slate.
TE Darren Waller ($10,600) – Darren Waller is Derek Carr’s favorite target by a wide margin. He has seen 26 targets over his last three games, turning that into 232 yards. Dallas is ranked 25th in DraftKings points against at the tight end position, so Waller has a real chance to duplicate his seven-catch 116-yard performance from a week ago.
DEF Dallas Cowboys ($3,800) – The Cowboys’ defense averages 9.5 DraftKings points per game. That is very good for defense. Dallas has nine sacks over its past three games with four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
The Raiders offense has been struggling as of late, failing to score more than 16 points in any of their last three games. Derek Carr has thrown five interceptions in his previous four games. So opportunities for the Cowboys’ defense could be there again.
