This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Bye weeks are in the rear view mirror, but the Week 13 NFL slate is split up into three Thanksgiving Thursday games (Bears-Lions, Bills-Cowboys and Saints-Falcons), 12 Sunday games and one Monday game (Vikings-Seahawks). Due to this scheduling quirk, the content below will feature a slightly different format than usual, with recommendations split into Thursday and Sunday sections instead of GPP and Cash Game sections. While a familiar face headlines the quarterback position in the Thursday slate, there's a surprisingly effective lesser option set to find success Sunday, and a red-hot tight end option is available at a bargain despite facing a vulnerable opponent.
Thanksgiving Thursday
QB: Drew Brees, NO at ATL ($31): The Thanksgiving slate features four of the 10 stingiest defenses by scrimmage yards allowed per game and two of the seven most generous. The two quarterbacks who get to face vulnerable defenses are Chicago's Mitchell Trubisky -- who can't be trusted against anybody -- and Brees. Brees failed to find the end zone in his team's previous meeting with the Falcons this season, but he has an 11:3 TD:INT in four other full games played, so expect a much better performance from him in the rematch.
RB: David Montgomery, CHI at DET ($18): While Montgomery has struggled in recent weeks, he gets a nice opportunity to get back on track against a Lions defense that's giving up 120.7 yards per game on the ground -- easily the most out of the six teams taking the field Thanksgiving. The rookie running back is earning decent volume with an average of 17 carries and two catches per game over the last five, and Chicago's likely to play from ahead against a Lions team that's starting either backup quarterback Jeff Driskel -- who's playing through a hamstring injury -- or third-string undrafted rookie David Blough, and which just lost to Washington.
WR: John Brown, BUF at DAL ($21): Brown was held under 50 yards for the first time all season by the Broncos last week, but fantasy owners hardly minded, as the wide receiver scored his third touchdown in the last two games. He ranks among the league's top 20 in both catches (58) and receiving touchdowns (five), while ranking top 10 in yards (856), yet Brown can be had for just $21.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Matt Ryan (ATL, $31), Mitchell Trubisky (CHI, $23)
RB: Alvin Kamara (NO, $29), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $30), Bo Scarbrough (DET, $16)
WR: Calvin Ridley (ATL, $20), Michael Gallup (DAL, $22), Michael Thomas (NO, $38)
TE: Jared Cook (NO, $18), Jason Witten (DAL, $11)
DST: Chicago Bears (at DET, $16), Dallas Cowboys (vs. BUF, $14)
Sunday Main Slate
Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, TEN at IND ($27): We now have a five-game sample of starts on which to judge Tannehill with the Titans, and the results are impressive. He's led the team to a 4-1 record while averaging 23.19 fantasy points -- only Lamar Jackson averages more among the quarterbacks on the Sunday slate. Despite that success, Tannehill remains more affordable than 13 other quarterbacks, making him a bargain against the middling Colts secondary.
Running Back
Jonathan Williams, IND vs. TEN ($18): Williams was given the workhorse role last week with Marlon Mack sidelined by a hand injury, rushing 26 times for 104 yards and a touchdown while hauling in all three of his targets for another 17 yards. With back-to-back rushing efforts over 100 yards in his pocket, Williams is primed for another nice performance behind the Colts' stellar offensive line, as Mack has already been ruled out against a Titans team that's allowed a running back to score multiple rushing touchdowns in two of its last three games.
Christian McCaffrey, CAR vs. WAS ($42): McCaffrey requires a major financial commitment at $42, but his ceiling is astronomical at home against a bottom-five Redskins run defense that's allowing 137.6 yards per game on the ground. He has 16 touchdowns through 11 games while averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground and over 50 through the air. Plus, McCaffrey has caught at least nine passes on four different occasions this season, including each of the past two weeks.
Wide Receiver
Robert Woods, LAR at ARI ($16): After missing the previous game for personal reasons, Woods was the Rams' leading receiver in Monday's loss to Baltimore, compiling 97 yards on six catches to top 80 yards for the third time in the past four contests. While quarterback Jared Goff has struggled recently, Los Angeles' passing game should find at least some measure of success against a Cardinals defense that's allowing a league-high 297.5 yards per game through the air, and recent results suggest Woods is the most consistent cog in the Rams' aerial attack.
D.J. Chark, JAX vs. TB ($26): Chark's posted two duds in his last three games, but he remains among the league's most effective receivers this season, ranking 12th in yards (834) and second in touchdowns (eight). He gets a terrific opportunity to climb those leaderboards against a Buccaneers defense that's surrendering 289.9 passing yards and 30.5 points per game -- both marks are second highest in the league.
Davante Adams, GB at NYG ($31): Adams has seven catches in each of his three games since returning from turf toe and 31 catches on 48 targets in his last four games played. He finally found the end zone last week, ending a surprising drought following three consecutive seasons with double-digit touchdown totals. Even with quarterback Aaron Rodgers underperforming of late, Green Bay's No. 1 wide receiver should thrive against a Giants defense that's allowed 2,167 yards and 15 touchdowns to the wide receiver position -- second most and third most in the league, respectively.
Tight End
Zach Ertz, PHI at MIA ($19): Ertz is on a phenomenal run, recording no fewer than nine catches or 91 yards in a game over the past three en route to 30 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns over that stretch. Despite that recent success, the star tight end can be had for the reasonable price of $19 against a Dolphins team that's yielded a league-high 31.5 points per game this season.
Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns, CLE at PIT ($13): This unit scored 16 fantasy points in the Nov. 14 meeting between these teams and backed that performance up with a respectable eight fantasy points last week against the Dolphins. With undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges starting under center for Pittsburgh in this rematch and neither starting running back James Conner (shoulder) nor No. 1 wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion/knee) guaranteed to suit up, Cleveland's defense should have no problem outperforming its modest $13 valuation.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Sam Darnold (NYJ, $28), Lamar Jackson (BAL, $37)
RB: Le'Veon Bell (NYJ, $28), Miles Sanders (PHI, $16), Aaron Jones (GB, $31)
WR: D.J. Moore (CAR, $25), Tyler Boyd (CIN, $16), Chris Godwin (TB, $29)
TE: Ryan Griffin (NYJ, $13), Tyler Higbee (LAR, $10)
DST: New York Jets (at CIN, $18), Philadelphia Eagles (at MIA, $17)
