Finding Paydirt: Week 12

by Joe Cistaro (joeycis) Last Updated 2019-11-22 17:47:10

Touchdowns, while extremely variant, make or break daily fantasy success and swing thousands of dollars every Sunday. Every weekend, players wait anxiously for the players on their roster to find paydirt. The purpose of the contest is to provide an opportunity for the RotoGrinders community to come together and have fun as we spend much of our time during the week stressing over the construction of our weekly lineups. Did I mention there will be prizes? Let’s have some fun!

Happy Friday! The final week of the third month of the NFL season is here! Week 12… Everything is just moving so quickly. If you read the Week 11 Results article you would know that 1010mg is ready to claim another month if somebody does not get in his way. I have done no part in stopping 1010mg’s ascent as I am still searching for my first touchdown this month. This has been a rough month. Will I turn it around? Will 1010mg earn another victory? Will any players break out for three or four touchdowns? Let’s get started.

First-time reader? Welcome! Read through Finding Paydirt: 2019 Contest Guidelines for information about the contest and prizes. Ready? Let’s play.

Alas, the time has come for some cuts.

The Cut List

Simply put, to compete in this contest you must pick a running back, wide receiver, and tight end to score a touchdown on Sunday. The player must be on the DraftKings Main Slate and cannot be any of the players below. These players are the top five at both RB and WR and the top three at TE — I nix them hoping to make the contest more interesting.

The cut list feels a bit more appropriate this week, especially at the running back position. With DeAndre Hopkins and Davante Adams featured on primetime slates, the wide receiver list is a bit different as Tyler Lockett makes the cut list in a winnable matchup versus the Eagles. Tight end is again… yeah, horrible. No Kelce or Kittle on the slate. We cannot even pick Jared Cook!

With all of that said, the following are my picks for touchdowns in Week 12. If this week plays out similar to recent weeks, these players are very unlikely to find the endzone. Ha… (weeps)

Derrick Henry – RB – $6,900

The Titans are a reinvigorated bunch behind the lead of Ryan Tannehill as they continue to jockey for position in the AFC South. The Titans game plan has been pretty obvious behind Mike Ditk… ahem, I mean Mike Vrabel. Run the ball. Run the ball more. Down in games? Hand the ball off to Derrick Henry.

Despite my sarcasm, the Titans are a viable playoff contender in a division where nobody truly stands out. If Tennessee gets going downhill, Henry will be fed a lot with no threat to his workload around the goal line. Henry holds 75% of the rushing attempts for the Titans and 90% of the attempts inside the ten-yard-line. If Tennessee is close, Henry will tote the rock. To his credit, Henry has shown explosive ability with two touchdowns longer than 60 yards — one rushing and one receiving.

The Jaguars are a favorable matchup for running backs — allowing the ninth-worst fantasy points per game to the position. In 2019, Jacksonville has allowed eight rushing touchdowns to the running back position and the fifth-most rushing yards (1130 yards). The Titans were already going to feature the running game, a lot, and will likely continue to do so against the Jaguars’ weakness.

DJ Chark – WR – $6,400

Same game. Same building. Different position. Different offense.

DJ Chark is living up to the potential shown all the way back in the 2018 preseason. Unquestionably the top option in Jacksonville, Chark faces Henry’s defensive brethren in a so-so matchup.

In the first game of the seasonal series, Chark scored one of his eight touchdowns. With two multi-touchdown games already, Chark presents the opportunity to capture multiple touchdowns in a single game. Chark owns 24.1% of the targets in Jacksonville thus far in 2019 and was the main option when Nick Foles returned in Week 11. DJ saw 15 targets, converting eight for catches with two touchdowns. Chark garnered 52% of the air yards for Jacksonville — displaying his explosiveness.

The Titans are a middle of the pack defense against the pass and relatively solid with respect to the run. Leonard Fournette was unable to breach 100 scrimmage yards in the first contest as Tennessee remains pretty stingy on the ground. If last week was indicative of anything, it’s that DJ Chark will be featured heavily as a scoring option.

Ryan Griffin – TE – $4,200

I cannot remember if I have picked a single Jet this season, for good reason. I assure you, this has nothing to do with primetime slate issues or pricing.

The Jets are pretty horrendous in many aspects. Coaching, offense, defense, special teams, management, social media, etc… That said, the offense has shown a bit of life as of late. The return of Sam Darnold has made the passing attack, well, present. The matchups have not been that bad either.

Enter the Raiders — a really strong matchup for opposing tight ends in the fantasy world. The Raiders allow the fourth-worst fantasy points per game (14.96) to the Jets per RotoGrinders GridironIQ. Much of that is touchdown-centric as the Raiders have ceded seven touchdowns to the position. This is fine for the Jets who boast four touchdowns to the tight end position post-mono with three going to Ryan Griffin. Griffin might even be a popular play in DFS circles in a bad position for a reasonable price. Forget fantasy points, Griffin’s usage (4 EZ targets) and matchup make him a viable touchdown option this week. I am looking forward to the price of this touchdown prop.

Thanks for checking out this week’s article. Leave your touchdown picks in the comments for a chance at winning monthly and seasonal prizes.

Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images