This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 13 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EST and features 10 games. The Bears, Bills, Giants, Raiders, Ravens and Vikings will be on bye in Week 13, while the Thursday Night Football (Seahawks-Cowboys), Sunday Night Football (Kansas City-Packers) and Monday Night Football (Bengals-Jaguars) participants play outside the main slate. Yahoo will run plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 13, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $130,000 to the top 1,461 finishers, including $10,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 7,600 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $130k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Week 13 options include a pricey QB-WR stack that should be worth paying up for, as well as a pair of normally productive pass catchers poised to bounce back from uncharacteristic duds.
QUARTERBACK
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA at WAS ($35): With a few top-end QBs either on bye or playing outside the main slate, Tua looks even better by comparison against a lousy Washington defense that's allowing a league-high 29.2 PPG. Most of that damage has come through the air, as the Commanders' 28 passing TDs surrendered are at least five more than any other team in the NFL. Tagovailoa has been far better at home than on the road, but his 274.8 passing yards per game and 8:6 TD:INT through six road games are still decent, and he has an excellent opportunity to improve those numbers in what's expected to be the highest-scoring game in the Sunday Baller slate, with an over/under of 50.0 points.
Honorable Mentions:
Justin Herbert, LAC at NE ($34); Derek Carr, NO vs. DET ($24); Kyler Murray, ARI at PIT ($33)
Against the Grainers:
Brock Purdy, SF at PHI ($32); Russell Wilson, DEN at HOU ($26); Kenny Pickett, PIT vs. ARI ($20)
RUNNING BACK
Najee Harris, PIT vs. ARI ($20): Harris is actually a little more affordable than fellow Steelers RB Jaylen Warren ($22), and both are poised for strong games against an Arizona defense that just got gashed for 281 scrimmage yards and three TDs by the Rams RB duo of Kyren Williams and Royce Freeman. The Steelers just snapped a 58-game drought of 400-yard offensive performances from scrimmage last week in their first game after parting ways with former OC Matt Canada, and Harris was a key figure in the offensive outburst with 99 yards and a TD on 15 carries, while the smaller, shiftier Warren turned 16 touches into just 62 scrimmage yards and lost a fumble. Harris has at least 15 touches in seven of the past nine games, and with the Steelers touting their newfound run-first identity following last week's win over the Bengals, Harris is poised to see heavy volume against the Cardinals, who have surrendered the second-most rushing yards (1,445) and second-most scrimmage TDs (18) to running backs.
Zack Moss, IND at TEN ($17): With Jonathan Taylor (thumb) expected to sit out in Tennessee, Moss is in line to reclaim the workhorse role he had earlier in the season, when Taylor was first sidelined by, and then being eased back in from, an ankle injury. Over Moss's first seven appearances this season, he averaged 20.2 touches for 101.7 scrimmage yards per game and scored six TDs. His best game of the season came in Week 5 against the Titans, when Moss produced 195 scrimmage yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. A repeat of that performance is probably too much to ask for, but Moss should have little trouble outplaying his valuation given his expected heavy volume.
Honorable Mentions:
Alvin Kamara, NO vs. DET ($29); Rachaad White, TB vs. CAR ($27); Rhamondre Stevenson, NE vs. LAC ($20)
Against the Grainers:
Kyren Williams, LAR vs. CLE ($29); D'Andre Swift, PHI vs. SF ($27); Raheem Mostert, MIA at WAS ($24)
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyreek Hill, MIA at WAS ($43): Hill should be worth paying up for, especially if you plan to stack him with Tagovailoa and/or fellow WR Jaylen Waddle ($26) against a Washington defense that's been especially vulnerable against wide receivers. The Commanders have allowed 2,355 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns to the position, both of which are the highest totals in the NFL. Hill's already the league leader in both categories, with 1,324 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs, and the gap between him and the field could grow even larger here.
Adam Thielen, CAR at TB ($21): Some may be hesitant to look Thielen's way coming off a one-catch dud, but the most productive member of Carolina's offense has a nice opportunity to bounce back in the team's first game since firing head coach Frank Reich. Thielen had just two catches in his Panthers debut, but in nine games between that quiet performance and his poor Week 12 outing, he caught 74 of 95 targets for 714 yards and four TDs. This salary is a bargain for a player who ranks seventh league-wide in receptions and 21st in receiving yards, especially against the generous Tampa Bay secondary. Only the Commanders have allowed more yards to WRs than the Buccaneers' 2,173.
DeVante Parker, NE vs. LAC ($11): Whether you're planning to go with the pricey Tua-Hill stack or have your eye on some other high-salary stars, you'll need to find some bargains elsewhere. Parker has the potential to be such a player as New England's de facto No. 1 WR against a Chargers defense that ranks among the five most generous in both yards (2,084) and touchdowns (13) allowed to wide receivers. Demario Douglas is unlikely to play after entering the concussion protocol earlier in the week, and Kendrick Bourne (knee) is out for the season, so Parker should be set for an uptick in volume in the veteran wideout's second game back from a concussion. Whether it's Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe under center, the 2-9 Patriots are likely to fall behind and pepper Parker -- who finished second behind Douglas with 42 receiving yards last week -- with targets as they try to play catch-up.
Honorable Mentions:
Keenan Allen, LAC at NE ($35); Michael Pittman, IND at TEN ($24); Marquise Brown, ARI at PIT ($16)
Against the Grainers:
Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CLE ($26); DeAndre Hopkins, TEN vs. IND ($22); Garrett Wilson, NYJ vs. ATL ($18)
TIGHT END
Dalton Schultz, HOU vs. DEN ($22): Schultz is another player poised to bounce back in a favorable matchup after a rare down week. Prior to being held to two yards by the Jaguars, Schultz had scored a TD in five of the preceding seven games while racking up 32 catches for 406 yards and five TDs over that seven-game span. With sensational rookie C.J. Stroud throwing him the ball, look for Schultz to get back on track against a Denver defense that has allowed a league-high 783 receiving yards to tight ends while being one of five teams to surrender a league-high six TDs to the position, along with the Eagles, Saints, Cowboys and Jets.
Honorable Mentions:
Sam LaPorta, DET at NO ($21); David Njoku, CLE at LAR ($18); Pat Freiermuth, PIT vs. ARI ($14)
Against the Grainers:
George Kittle, SF at PHI ($25); Kyle Pitts, ATL at NYJ ($12); Tyler Higbee, LAR vs. CLE ($11)
DEFENSE
Atlanta Falcons at NYJ ($14): There are quite a few uninspiring QB options set to take the field with all the injuries at the position this season, but Tim Boyle may be the worst of them all. He has a career 4:11 TD:INT and has exceeded 200 passing yards just once in his career while averaging 176.3 yards in four previous starts. Boyle will be playing behind an injury-riddled, ineffective offensive line that can neither pass protect nor run block effectively. The Jets got a morale boost with Aaron Rodgers' (Achilles) 21-day window to return from IR opening Wednesday, but their problems on offense reach far beyond the QB position, as New York has just four offensive TDs in its last six games. Atlanta's defense should provide excellent value in the game with Sunday's lowest over/under (34.0 points).
Honorable Mentions:
New York Jets vs. ATL ($18); Miami Dolphins at WAS ($15); Los Angeles Rams vs. CLE ($14)
Against the Grainers:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. CAR ($17); Los Angeles Chargers at NE ($16); Philadelphia Eagles vs. SF ($11)
