Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 13

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan) Last Updated 2025-11-28 17:21:38 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 13. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

The Thanksgiving slate was a blast, but this weekend might be one of the ugliest slates of the entire season. Personally, I love slates like this — when things get messy, the advanced data becomes even more valuable, and it can guide us straight into the true smash spots that separate your lineups from the field.

We do have some weather concerns this week with temperatures dropping, and our NFL DFS projections, are crucial for anticipating how those impacts might shift the slate. Monitoring ownership on the studs will also be huge — there are plenty of elite options, but the pricing makes it tough to fit them, which should create some real leverage spots.

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NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, WRs, & TEs for Week 13

Game Stacks

Matthew Stafford ($7,000, QB, Los Angeles Rams)

Puka Nacua ($9,000, WR, Los Angeles Rams)

Colby Parkinson ($2,800, TE, Los Angeles Rams)

Rico Dowdle ($6,900, RB, Carolina Panthers)

If the Panthers are without Jaycee Horn, these Rams WRs are set up for massive performances. Carolina sits in Cover 3 at one of the highest rates in the league, and Puka Nacua has shredded that look with Matthew Stafford all season. I also like taking a cheap swing on Colby Parkinson as the red-zone TD piece Stafford needs to get there at his price — if Stafford hits, he almost certainly needs 3 TDs and close to the 300-yard bonus.

My preferred bring-back is Rico Dowdle. When Dowdle runs well, the Panthers offense actually functions, and they’ll need him to keep this game competitive enough to force Stafford into volume. Dave Canales apologized for the play calling last week vs. the 49ers, and the clearest correction is leaning heavily on Dowdle. He’s the key to making the full game stack work.

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