Thanksgiving is all about family, food, and of course, football! Whether you're sneaking away from the table to check your lineups or watching the games surrounded by loved ones, this holiday slate is a unique opportunity to combine two of the best parts of the season. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to dominate your DFS contests—both Showdown and Classic formats. From player recommendations to game strategies, this article has you covered so you can enjoy the action on the field without missing a beat. Let’s turn turkey day into payday!
Short-Slate Game Strategy
Thanksgiving slates play by their own rules. With only three games available, DFS tournaments become less about identifying the “best plays” and more about understanding how ownership condenses and how to build lineups that tell a different story than the field. Chalk becomes fragile when players push 40–50 percent ownership, and fading even one or two of those pieces can meaningfully separate your lineup, even if your pivots aren’t low-owned themselves.
Short slates also reward embracing outcomes that look uncomfortable. Last year’s Mega Millionaire winner ran a Dolphins triple stack in a game Miami trailed 24–3 at halftime, simply because almost all of Tua’s usage flowed through three players. The same thing happens when bad real-life teams or trailing offenses consolidate targets and touches — concentrated volume beats efficiency on slates this small. Building around gamescripts instead of individual plays is the key: blowouts, shootouts, collapses, and comeback scripts all shift value dramatically, and the field tends to build as though everything will go according to plan.
This is also one of the few environments where anti-correlation becomes viable. On a 10-game slate, pairing your quarterback with the opposing defense is unnecessary, but on a three-game slate, one defensive touchdown can swing the entire tournament. Weird builds win here: QB vs. opposing DST, heavy stacks on teams projected to lose, and leverage plays that capitalize on chalk failing. You don’t need to be contrarian everywhere — you just need to be intentional and willing to embrace a story the field doesn’t want to tell.
Early Game: Green Bay at Detroit
Injury Considerations: Jayden Reed was not activated from injured reserve, so Green Bay will roll with the same receiver group they’ve used in recent weeks. The one player to monitor is rookie Matthew Golden, who enters Thursday still questionable with a wrist injury.
Detroit will be without Khalif Raymond (ankle), who was banged up last weekend, and Brock Wright, who injured his neck while filling in for Sam LaPorta. Wright’s absence opens up some cheap Showdown punts. Up front, the Lions will also be missing Graham Glasgow, a loss that could matter for Jahmyr Gibbs after the best game of his career last week.
Gamescript & Analysis: These teams met back in Week 1, when Green Bay controlled every phase and won by two touchdowns at Lambeau. Detroit’s offense has since woken up, averaging 31.3 points per game, and Vegas has bought in—they project a 26–23 Lions win in the rematch.
As the season moves on, it’s getting harder to ignore how flimsy Green Bay’s résumé looks. Outside of that opening-day win over Detroit, the Packers have beaten only one team with a winning record (Pittsburgh). Detroit’s losses have come to stronger opponents, and the Lions look more like their 2024 version each week. With both teams chasing Chicago atop the NFC North, I expect a controlled, possession-driven game where Detroit’s overall quality wins out.
Of the three games on the slate, this is my least favorite for fantasy purposes, but there are still pieces worth considering. PREDICTION: Detroit 24, Green Bay 16
GPP Plays: REMOVED SECTION ON MATTHEW GOLDEN AT 11:55 AM (EST). The rest of the Packers’ offense is harder to endorse. Josh Jacobs’ return likely erases any actionable value for Emanuel Wilson, and while Wilson’s breakout last weekend should earn him a few touches, both backs feel thin. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are viable in theory, but they’ve combined for only two GPP-winning performances across 15 games, which makes fading them a reasonable starting point.
**Thursday Update: Matthew Golden warmed up on the field, but was announced as inactive. Please remove him from any lineups. While disappointing, Golden's absence increases Christian Watson's floor and ceiling. Dontayvion Wicks becomes a sleeper selection who should be on the field for approximately half of Green Bay's offensive snaps.**
On Detroit’s side, I’m likely out on the running backs--the combination of offensive-line injuries, elevated salaries, and Gibbs’ monster game last Sunday creates more downside than upside at their price points. Amon-Ra St. Brown remains a core play, and Isaac TeSlaa becomes an interesting salary-saver with Khalif Raymond sidelined. Jameson Williams is also in the mix after posting a zero last week, though his $4.8K tag limits enthusiasm. Lastly, Ross Dwelley is quietly one of the better salary relievers on the slate. He should step into the TE1 role in a high-functioning offense and comes in at the stone minimum $2.5K.
Showdown Captain Picks: For the Captain slot, my top options are Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff. I’d also consider Isaac TeSlaa as a large-field differentiator. His elevated 15.6 aDOT gives him a path to a slate-breaking play while freeing up salary for premium options elsewhere. He’s not a core Captain, but he’s worth consideration if you’re hunting for leverage.
Kickers and Defense: Detroit should control this game, but I’m not convinced their defense deserves the highest salary on the board. The Lions have only four sacks and one takeaway in November, which makes it hard to justify paying a premium for them in DFS. Green Bay arguably has the better defense, but I’m hesitant there as well—it's tough to see them slowing Detroit the way they did back in Week 1. If you feel compelled to roster one, side with the Packers and hope their playmakers can force a mistake from Jared Goff.
In Showdown formats, the kickers are firmly in play. It’s Brandon McManus versus Jake Bates, and the profiles point in different directions. McManus is a steady veteran with an 82 percent career conversion rate, but Bates offers more ceiling. He has hit 86 percent of his field goals this season and is a true weapon from deep, going 10-for-15 from beyond 50 yards, including a 59-yarder last week. With DraftKings rewarding long attempts and a likely script where Detroit plays from ahead, Bates is the preferred option for Showdown builds.