Winners Club: Picks, Props and DFS Plays for the Thanksgiving Tripleheader
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day of family, turkey and football.
Here’s a special Thanksgiving edition of Winners Club to catch you up to speed on the Bears-Lions, Raiders-Cowboys and Bills-Saints matchups.
Thanksgiving Preview
Chicago Bears (3-7) at Detroit Lions (0-9-1)
12:30 p.m. ET, Fox
The Lions playing on Thanksgiving is a tradition. The Lions losing on Thanksgiving is a sort of tradition too, with Detroit's last win coming in 2016. If that streak ends against the Bears, who are three-point favorites, it would mark the first win of the Dan Campbell era and would reportedly put an end to Matt Nagy’s time in Chicago.
Even if the game is bad, who’s to say you can’t enjoy it by making a few bucks while the cooking is going on?
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Player Props to Target: Jen Piacenti has a pair of running back player props she’s recommending, especially since the quarterback play is likely to be ugly.
Best Bets for the Early Game: Frankie Taddeo has two bets that can make watching this game worthwhile. Read his breakdown and explanation before tailing his prop bet and Over/Under pick.
Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) at Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
These teams are in very different places entering this game. The Cowboys lost last week to the Chiefs, but they remain firmly in the NFC Playoff picture with a healthy division lead. The Raiders are on a three-game losing streak, during which they have failed to score more than 16 points. All of that explains why Dallas is a 7.5-point favorite at home. So, is there any value in betting on Las Vegas or its players? Or is it all America’s team on Thanksgiving?
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Good Value Prop Bets: Piacenti has three player props she likes, and is targeting one position from both teams. Find out which players Jen believes will have big days.
How to Bet LVR-DAL: Taddeo has an Against the Spread (ATS) pick and a prop bet for this game. See which team and player Taddeo is riding with.
Buffalo Bills (6-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-5)
8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The Saints aren’t what they were at the beginning of the season, and, iit turns out, the Bills aren’t what we thought they were. The Bills need a win to start gaining on the Patriots, who now lead the AFC East. The Saints are looking for their first win since upsetting the Buccaneers in Week 8. Buffalo, for all of its streakiness, is still a six-point favorite in the Superdome.
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Prop Bets You Can Trust: The Bills’ offense has been out of sync over the past few weeks, but Jen still likes a pair of prop bets involving Buffalo. You may be surprised to see which receiver Jen believes will have a strong game.
BUF-NOLA Betting Breakdown: Does Buffalo right the ship in New Orleans? Taddeo weighs in with an ATS pick and a prop bet to boot. Stefon Diggs hurt the Saints with a rather famous touchdown a few years back. Can he do it again?
Essential Reading
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Six teams playing on Thanksgiving means there are lots of fantasy implications. David Montgomery, Michael Fabiano’s Start of the Week at running back, is in action in the early game. There are a few other players on the Start and Sit lists suiting up later in the day, so check out Fabiano’s piece before you start eating turkey.
Thanksgiving DFS Options: Shawn Childs has the scouting insight you need to set your daily fantasy lineups. The crop of running backs is pretty decent, but wide receiver and quarterback is a bit thinner.
Week 12 Player Projections: Lamar Jackson is Childs’ No. 1 quarterback this week in his return to action. See how his stat line breaks down against the Browns, as well as projections for dozens of other top fantasy contributors.
Super Bowl Roundtable: Our staff got together to reveal which team they would bet to win the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers are the favorite at SI Sportsbook, but no one chose them. See who our writers picked, and get those bets in while there’s still value.
Play of the Day
There’s quite a few decent tight ends playing on Thanksgiving. The position is typically barren for season-long fantasy leagues, and you’re often stuck looking for a cheap dart throw on a player who’s likely to catch a touchdown in DFS leagues. Dawson Knox is here to solve your tight end problem for a low, low price. (Prices based on Thursday only leagues—FD: $5,900 | DK: $4,400.)
Photo credit: Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports
The Bills’ tight end had six catches for 80 yards on 10 targets in his second game back from injury last week. He does draw a difficult matchup against New Orleans, but he’s still the fourth-most expensive tight end and might end up leading all players at the position Thursday. He’s a good bet to catch a touchdown, and has the chance to be fantasy-relevant even without a score. That’s all you can ask for from tight ends not named Travis Kelce, who’s on bye this week. Go with Knox.
