Thursday Football Preview: Week 12 Happy Thanksgiving! Week 12 is always a special holiday slate. And 2023 is no different. We’ve got a full day’s worth of NFL and fantasy football action with three games. Additionally, the first Black Friday […]
Thursday Football Preview: Week 12
Happy Thanksgiving! Week 12 is always a special holiday slate. And 2023 is no different. We've got a full day's worth of NFL and fantasy football action with three games. Additionally, the first Black Friday game is one day away. The FullTime Fantasy Thursday Football Preview: Week 12 previews all three Thanksgiving games from a fantasy, DFS, and sports betting perspective.
Green Bay at Detroit
Open: DET -7.5, 44.5
Current: DET -8, 47
As always, the Detroit Lions kick off the holiday festivities. However, these aren't the hapless Lions of years past. Dan Campbell's squad has the second-best record in football and boasts a balanced, top-5 offense.
QB Jared Goff plays his best football at home and will be amped to rebound off of a subpar Week 11 showing. Meanwhile, Detroit has a pair of elite fantasy running backs primed to feast off of Green Bay's 28th-ranked run defense.
The matchup isn't as great for the pass catchers. However, Goff does have 10 TD strikes in six career games against the Packers. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has scored a touchdown or exceeded 100 receiving yards in all nine games this season. However, Green Bay allows the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts, so it may take double-digit targets for that streak to continue.
For the Packers, Jordan Love is coming off of his two best games. Facing a Lions' secondary that has yielded the ninth-most fantasy points to the position puts Love in a favorable spot to deliver another week of high-end QB2 numbers.
However, things look lousy for the ground game. Aaron Jones won't play, leaving the backfield to A.J. Dillon. Dillon has dominated the backfield snaps and touches when Jones has been sidelined. But he's been ineffective in that role, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and just one total reception in the three games Jones has missed.
Detroit is also allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson topped double-digit fantasy points against this secondary back in Week 4. Also, Jayden Reed has developed into a solid WR3/4 option who went 3/55/0 in that game.
TE Luke Musgrave is injured and will be replaced by a committee led by Tucker Kraft. The rookie is a cheap DFS option, only.
Green Bay is 2-5 straight up and against the number since opening the season 2-1. They've struggled on the road, losing four straight after winning in Chicago to open the 2023 campaign. And it's been particularly tough against Detroit, who has covered the spread in 11 of the last 13 matchups with Green Bay.
Detroit has won four of their last five against Green Bay. Also, the Lions have covered in five straight Ford Field matchups hosting the Packers. Detroit beat Green Bay by 14 back in Week 4, but I'm not sure it will be that easy in the rematch. The UNDER has hit in five of Green Bay's last...
How will Thursday's games go?
| TEAM | OFFENSE | PASS | RUSH | YDS/PLAY | POINTS |
| Green Bay Packers | 22 | 19 | 21 | 13 | 20 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
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