Thanksgiving is here, and that means football! Now, some of Thursday’s game’s aren’t exactly the most thrilling matchups, but nobody’s going to complain about having a triple-header to zone out on while their food digests. And to really make it exciting, you can always go for a little DFS action.
The Week 12 slate kicks off with the Detroit Lions hosting their traditional Turkey Day game. This year, they’ve got an NFC North matchup against the Chicago Bears, a team with three more wins than the winless Lions.
If you’re playing a DFS Showdown contest for this game, D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery, running backs for the Lions and Bears, respectively, are going to be popular choices for the captain spots. You could make the case for Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney too, but the running back position is a little safer with those two players in this matchup. Where you can really pull away from the competition is with the flex spots, so here are a few options.
Let’s take a closer look at the DFS outlook for this game. All prices via DraftKings.
Injuries
The Bears held walkthrough practices this week, so practice designations were estimates. However, as of Wednesday, quarterback Justin Fields and running back Damien Williams have been ruled out and wide receiver Allen Robinson is listed as doubtful. Wideout Darnell Mooney was listed as a limited participant this week but was removed from the final injury report.
The Lions went through walkthroughs as well and have listed quarterback Jared Goff as questionable for Thursday. He’s trending toward playing, but we won’t know for sure until inactives are announced at 11 a.m. ET.
Captain’s Chair
D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions
Swift is coming off back-to-back games with at least 130 rushing yards. He had 14 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown last week against the Brown, and 130 yards on 33 carrie the week before that, against the Steelers. He IS the Lions offense right now. Even with Jamaal Williams back in action last week, the Lions leaned hard on Swift, asking backup quarterback Tim Boyle to pass for a grand total of 77 yards. Boyle might start again this week too. If Jared Goff does return, that would most benefit Swift as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
Montgomery had just 14 carries for 58 yards against the Ravens last week, but managing 4.1 yards per carry against Baltimore is nothing to sneeze at. He should feast on Detroit’s defense. The Lions are the 30th ranked defense against opposing running backs. This should be Montgomery’s best game since returning from his injury a few weeks ago.
Value Plays
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions — $5,200
St. Brown caught all four passes that came his way last week against the Browns. That was the good news. The bad news is that all four passes added up to just 18 yards. However, with Jared Goff trending toward playing on Thursday, St. Brown is a decent play for a low-cost flex option in a Showdown contest for this game. With Goff, St. Brown should see his target share go up, and he’ll probably finish behind tight end T.J. Hockenson and possibly Swift for the team lead in the receiving categories.
Marquise Goodwin, WR, Bears — $7,200
With Allen Robinson likely to be sidelined for this one and Andy Dalton starting at quarterback, the Bears offense might actually do a little passing. Darnell Mooney should led the way among Chicago’s pass-catchers, but Goodwin did some damage last week—posting 104 yards on four catches, getting eight targets. He should have a decent day as Chicago’s No. 2 option in the passing game.