Good morning, and happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy your time today with your family, whether that means watching football or eating lots of food—or both, which I know will be the case for me. And just know I’m thankful for you following along with Winners Club each and every week.
O.K., let’s talk ball.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- Betting breakdowns for BUF-DET, NYG-DAL, NE-MIN
- DFS picks for the Thanksgiving games
- USA-England World Cup betting preview
- Fantasy football advice for Week 12
- College football rivalry week lines and picks
Things to be Thankful for: Thanksgiving Football
Bills (-8.5) vs. Lions
12:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
“Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills are the appetizer for NFL fans on Thanksgiving Day, kicking off the Week 12 three-game holiday slate when they head to Ford Field to square off with Jared Goff and the surging Lions.”
Click here for the complete BUF-DET betting breakdown
Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY Sports
Giants vs. Cowboys (-9.5)
4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
“Both teams have identical records but the Cowboys are heavy home favorites. The Giants are coming off an upset loss at home versus the Lions, who are now 4-6, while the Cowboys are coming off a monster win versus the Vikings, handing them only their second loss of the season in a 40-3 trouncing.”
Click here for the complete NYG-DAL betting breakdown
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Patriots vs. Vikings (-2.5)
8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
“Last week’s loss was a surprising letdown for Minnesota, which still maintains a strong hold on first place in the NFC North. A Vikings win Thursday would mark their first in the series since 2000. The last five games have gone to the Patriots, with the most recent meeting coming in 2018.”
Click here for the complete NE-MIN betting breakdown
Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
Extra helpings:
- DFS Thanksgiving picks
- Bills-Lions prop bets
- Patriots-Vikings prop bets
- NFL Week 12 betting guide
- NFL injury report
What’s Going on in the World Cup
The USMNT plays its second match of the tournament on Friday against England.
The U.S. played to a 1-1 draw against Wales on Tuesday while England romped to a 6-2 win over Iran on Monday. England is a strong, -175 favorite for Friday’s match, which begins at 2 p.m. ET.
Jen Piacenti previewed the match between the pair of Group B opponents.
Darko Vojinovic/AP
Elsewhere in the tournament, which has been full of surprising results so far, there are four games taking place today if you want some extra football with your football (though Cameroon-Switzerland and Korea Republic-Uruguay will be decided by the time this reaches your inbox). Ghana-Portugal begins at 11 a.m ET and Serbia-Brazil at 2.
Get the complete schedule for the Cup here.
Fantasy Football Week 12 Prep
Be sure your lineup is set before you sit down and start stuffing yourself with turkey!
Six teams are in action on Thursday and there are no teams on bye this week, which means—injuries aside—you have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to your fantasy squad. Allow our experts to assist with those difficult lineup calls with our weekly columns, advice, projections and interactive player rankings tool.
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Quarterbacks: Tua Tagovailoa is ready to tee off against the Texans.
Running backs: Stay away from D’Andre Swift against Buffalo this week.
Wide receivers: Christian Kirk is due for a big outing against the Ravens.
Tight ends: Fade Bucs rookie Cade Otton in Cleveland.
Kickers and defenses: The Chiefs’ D is a great option against the struggling Rams.
Positional Rankings
Quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes is QB1 this week against L.A.
Running backs: Ken Walker is a top-six play against Las Vegas on Sunday.
Wide receivers: Terry McLaurin is a top-12 wideout when the Falcons come to town.
Tight ends: T.J. Hockenson is a top-end play at his position versus New England.
Flex: A wide receiver beat out a running back for the top flex spot this week.
Kickers: Brett Maher wowed last week and he could again on Thursday.
Defenses: As usual, the Broncos should be started, especially against Sam Darnold.
Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports
Stat Projections
Quarterbacks: After a few down games, Josh Allen is set to explode on Thanksgiving.
Running backs: You’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Tony Pollard this week.
Wide receivers: Miami’s top two receivers are both projected for 20-plus points.
Tight ends: Cardinals rookie Trey McBride should be solid against the Chargers.
College Football’s Rivalry Week is Here
The rivalry games get going Thursday night with the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State, so let us remember Elijah Moore’s infamous celebration from a few years back that actually altered the outcome of the game.
There’s plenty of other heated games going on around the sport Friday and Saturday as well, including a few contests that will shape the College Football Playoff debate ahead of the conference championship games, namely Michigan-Ohio State and Notre Dame-USC.
Get expert picks for the college football slate here.
Top-25 Action
Friday, 12 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 19 Tulane vs. No. 24 Cincinnati (-2)
12 p.m. ET (Fox): No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State (-8)
3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 9 Oregon (-3) vs. No. 21 Oregon State
7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 15 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 USC (-5.5)
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network
Other Games for Your Consideration
Thursday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN): Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Ole Miss (-2.5)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): Florida vs. No. 16 Florida State (-10)
3:30 p.m ET (CBS): Auburn vs. No. 7 Alabama (-22)
*Games on Saturday unless otherwise noted
College Football Playoff Rankings Update
The top four teams remain unchanged in the latest iteration of the CFP rankings. It still goes: Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU. Something will have to give this weekend when the Buckeyes host the Wolverines. That could open the door for No. 5 LSU or No. 6 USC to move into a playoff spot after this week, with a win of course.
In Other News
Jets to Bench Zach Wilson Against Bears: The No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft will not be under center for New York on Sunday when it hosts Chicago. Mike White will take over at quarterback for the 6-4 Jets.
2023 Draft Prospects on the Rise After Week 12: Northwestern tackle Peter Skoronski is one of five players around college football who drew eyes for his stellar play last week. Richard Johnson called him one of the most complete tackles in this year’s class.
Sam Darnold to Start for the Panthers on Sunday: The No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft will make his first appearance of the season as the starting quarterback this week against the Broncos. He’ll become the third different quarterback to start for Carolina along with P.J. Walker and Baker Mayfield.
Thanks for reading Winners Club and enjoy your day of food, family and football! I’ll be back in your inbox Sunday morning.