Week 13 DFS Contrarian

Photo: Philip G. Pavely, USA Today Sports

Contrarian means opposing or rejecting popular opinion, going against the current practice. Being a contrarian in fantasy football is difficult because it's not chalk as the DFS kids would call it today. Risk is involved, but it could be a league-winning selection. Contrarian is where the big money is made within DFS, especially in large tournaments, because you'll submit more unique lineups than your competitors.

Do mix in one or two of these players within a lineup to maximize individuality.

Do not create your entire lineup based on the contrarian picks below.

Key for charts:

• Player = recommended contrarian play
• Opponent = Home or away and the opponent
• FD Roster % = This week's FanDuel roster percentages
• FD Salary = FanDuel salary to roster the player
• DK Roster % = This week's DraftKings roster percentages
• DK Salary = DraftKings salary to roster the player

CONTRARIAN QUARTERBACKS

Coming off a season-high four TD passes last week, Matt Stafford's confidence is high heading into a tough matchup against Cleveland. However, the Browns will be without Denzel Ward for this game. Star DE Myles Garrett returned to practice on Friday and intends to play. After Garrett was not able to lift his arm for multiple days, it's in the range of outcomes for him to not be 100% when playing the Rams. The timing for Stafford is excellent against a less than 100% Browns defense.

Despite Detroit not playing well the last three weeks, Jared Goff is still producing at a high level by averaging 300 passing yards and two TDs each game. Goff will be playing a Saints team coming off a two-game losing streak and hasn't faced a good quarterback since week 7 of the NFL season, contributing to their ninth-ranked defense. However, the Saints will be without S Marcus Maye and LB Pete Werner, with DE Cameron Jordan questionable after not practicing all week. It's rare to have Goff available in a contrarian lineup, so I'm going to capitalize.

The Steelers' offense saw a large boost in production after they moved on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 278 passing yards, which was a breath of fresh air because he averaged 116 passing yards in his previous four games. The Steelers face Arizona this week in a juicy matchup because the Cardinals are last in the NFL in overall defense. Last week, Arizona allowed Stafford to throw for four TDs, and the previous week, C.J. Stroud lit them up for 336 passing yards and two TDs. To convince you further of this juicy matchup, the Cardinals will be without both starting CBs, and two of their strong safeties are questionable. Trusting Pickett isn't easy, but he's low-rostered, has a cheap salary, and has the best matchup this week.

This Eagles defense isn't the same as last year, they have allowed more than 330 passing yards in three of their last four games. Philadelphia ranks 27th in the NFL in opposing QB passer rating at 94.8 and allows the third most fantasy points to opposing QBs. Brock Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating, and he's among the top ten in most passing categories. Last week, Purdy had a down game, but he averaged over 330 passing yards and two touchdowns over the previous three games. The Eagles defense will be without starting LB Zach Cunningham, and DT Fletcher Cox is also questionable.