Geoff Ulrich gives his contrarian DFS picks for Week 13’s fantasy football slate on DraftKings. Check them out!

The best lineups in GPPs are not won with the most popular players on the slate. It takes some high-level roster construction to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.

The goal of this article isn’t to name the best players on Sunday. It’s to find high-upside talent to add to your GPP rosters. Some top-tier players will be included, but lineups needs to be balanced out with some hidden gems, too.

Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.

Let’s dive into Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season.

Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].

Top DFS Contrarian Stack

Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold ($5,600) – Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($9,500) – Rashid Shaheed ($4,500) – T.J. Hockenson ($3,500)

Darnold enters Week 13 off another great game, having thrown for 244 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans on just 24 attempts. While he hasn’t broken 20+ FPTS in three straight starts, the potential is there for him to fix that situation against his old team in Week 13. Minnesota is a +11.5 underdog, and there’s every incentive for Darnold and his new head coach to light up the team that allowed him to walk this offseason.

Matchup-wise, there may not be much the Vikings’ defense can do to slow Darnold or top target Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN has ascended to elite pricing ($9,500), reflecting his status as the Alpha WR1 in this offense. However, since his QB’s price hasn’t followed a similar increase, there is plenty of value in pairing the two in a spot where Seattle has a 26.5 implied team total, the second-highest on the slate. Even in a blowout, he’s likely the reason Seattle gets the lead early. He makes a lot of sense for GPP builds this week.

Shaheed is also the perfect leverage play to pair with these two as a boom-or-bust deep threat. His price has dropped back to a level where just one big play can pay off, and multiple catches could easily help him reach 4-5x value, making him a strong contrarian option to get exposure to this offense. While he’s been slow to adapt to his new offense, the time will come when Darnold looks to him, especially as Smith-Njigba attracts a lot of attention on every route.

With a third-string QB starting for Minnesota, it’s a tough week to project the Vikings’ stars. But TE T.J. Hockenson at $3,500 still has appeal. Seattle has been terrible at covering opposing TEs all season, allowing the third-most fantasy points and second-most receptions to TEs on the year. It’s a spot where a rookie QB could likely look his way 6-8 times as a dump-off option, and if he finds the end zone, the game could turn into a big out-performance, with the Vikings passing late into the fourth quarter.

Quarterback

Jacoby Brissett ($5,800)

Brissett enters a road game at Raymond James Stadium as a four-point underdog, which actually boosts his DFS upside due to expected passing volume. Tampa Bay is known for its strong run defense, led by Vita Vea, and the Cardinals currently lack any elite options at RB, making this another favorable game for Brissett.

The Cardinals have shown no interest in limiting his pass attempts either. Brissett has thrown an impressive 106 times in his last two games alone. While those performances haven’t been highly efficient, this week’s matchup is an easy opportunity to reach value and has a good chance to outperform. At $5,800, he offers the flexibility to spend on top-tier RBs, and his stacking options are mostly budget-friendly.

Running Back

De’Von Achane ($8,300)

Achane is the premier “spend-up” option on the slate for me as he’ll be playing at home as a 5.5-point favorite and against one of the weaker defenses in the league. New Orleans hasn’t been as bad vs. the run as it has vs. the pass, but it’s not immune to giving up big plays either.  The Saints allow the 10th most rushing yards overall and have ceded at least one rushing TD to an RB in four straight games. 

I’d also anticipate Achane potentially finding tons of success this week as a receiver. Miami will likely utilize wheel routes to get Achane away from the Saints’ interior linebackers, who will be in a tough spot to shutdown one of the best and fastest receiving backs in the league. Even at $8,300, it’s hard to look past, given the matchup and Miami checking in as a solid home favorite.

Michael Carter ($4,200)

I like Carter for multiple reasons this week, the first of which is his upside as a receiver and potential to be an excellent correlation play with Brissett in full-PPR formats like DraftKings. The Buccaneers have traditionally been a pass-funnel defense under Todd Bowles, and not much has changed about that this season. They’ve allowed the most receiving yards to opposing RBs on the season and should make it easy for Brissett to hook with Carter on multiple checkdowns if needed. 

Add in the fact that the Cardinals still don’t have Trey Benson, and Bam Knight also popped up on the injury list this week. Carter could easily rack up six to eight targets on dump-offs and screens, and at $4,200, he doesn’t need a touchdown to hit value. 

Wide Receiver

Nico Collins ($6,700)

This AFC South divisional battle between Houston and Indianapolis this week has the highest over/under (44.5) of the early slate games, making it a solid target for some outsized performances. While we have seen a bit more varied targeting in the Houston passing game, Collins still gets primary looks on most dropbacks and will get his starting QB this week in C.J. Stroud, who cleared concussion protocol on Friday. 

The Colts often struggle against WR1s and have allowed back-to-back games of 100+ yards to the likes of Drake London and Rashee Rice. Collins has a very similar profile given his ability to work the middle of the field and deep routes, and should be a pivotal figure in what I expect will be a closely contested game. In a game with a tight spread (IND -3), a full four quarters of aggressive passing from Houston is certainly in the range of outcomes that could push Collins to another ceiling game in this spot. 

Chimere Dike ($4,400)

Dike is a viable tournament play given the Titans’ status as six-point home underdogs and the fact that he’ll be up against a Jaguars defense that tends to funnel to the pass. They’ve allowed the 11th most FPTS to opposing WRs and rank just 25th in success rate, with big plays often being their achilles heel. 

From a performance perspective, Dike has been the lone bright spot for Tennessee all season and should continue to be a focal point in Week 13 with Calvin Ridley out. On top of being the best punt returner in the league, he’s finally developed some chemistry with Cam Ward, who connected with him five times on seven targets last week, one of which went for a one-yard TD. The Titans are without any great perimeter options, so I’d expect the $4,400 Dike to continue to pile up targets and potentially smash value if he gets more garbage time action.

Tight End

Colby Parkinson ($2,800)

We had to wait and see how the targets would break down for the Rams after they lost Tyler Higbee to IR, and the early returns say that Colby Parkinson may be the answer for fantasy. The veteran played on 63% of the snaps for the Rams in Week 12 and led all Rams TEs in receiving with four receptions, 41 yards and a TD. It was actually the third time Parkinson has gone for 40+ yards in his last six starts (many of these with Higbee), and he’s now scored in three straight games and become something of a favorite for MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. 

When you consider the matchup with a Panthers defense that just allowed a monster game to George Kittle and has allowed the 10th most FPTS per game to TEs this season, he’s not a bad candidate for GPP lineups this week. You should look toward Parkinson if punting the TE position is your lineup build of choice. 

Defense/Special Teams

Texans ($2,900)

The Texans DST sets up as a nice undervalued play for me in Week 13. Daniel Jones has played well when insulated by big rushing days from Jonathan Taylor, but Houston isn’t likely to give him much of a luxury this week. The Texans allowed a single 100+ yard rusher all season and are coming off a game where they sacked Josh Allen eight times. 

The Colts will obviously try to do all they can to protect their QB, but as the Texans proved last week, even having a great rushing attack doesn’t make you immune to getting hit whenever you choose to drop back. Add in a QB like Jones, whose confidence has been eroding of late with four INTs in his last three games, and you don’t have a better upside spot than the Texans DST.