4 NFL DFS Stud Picks for Week 13

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in NFL DFS on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

With some help from our NFL DFS projections, here are four studs to target on this week's main slate, which starts at 1 p.m. ET.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL DFS Stud Plays for Week 13

Joe Mixon, RB, Texans

FanDuel Salary: ($9,500)

Following Joe Mixon's 7.0-FanDuel point showing in Week 12, it could be time to get back on the Houston Texans' star back. Virtually any team facing the Jacksonville Jaguars should be a go as the Jags carry the worst schedule-adjusted defense while allowing 28.7 points per game (third-most) and 6.2 yards per play (the most).

Houston is currently holding the sixth-highest implied total for Sunday's main slate (24.5 points). After facing the seventh-best adjusted rush defense a week ago, Mixon has a much more favorable matchup against the seventh-worst rush defense this week. Jacksonville also surrenders the second-most FanDuel points per game to running backs.

Mixon checks in with the highest salary among running backs on the main slate, and he's up this high for all of the right reasons. While the Jags have the worst adjusted pass defense, I'm still hesitant on C.J. Stroud as he's logged -0.12 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db) over the last month of play (via NFL Next Gen Stats).

Mixon, meanwhile, owns the fourth-highest opportunity share, sixth-most rushing attempts, and second-most red zone touches among running backs, per PlayerProfiler. Against one of the league's worst rush defenses, Mixon should feast on Sunday as he's projected for the second-most FanDuel points on the main slate among tailbacks (18.4 points).

Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings

FanDuel Salary: ($8,900)

Justin Jefferson -- one of the league's top-tier wideouts -- has been in a drought over the last few games, failing to finish among the top-20 receivers in FanDuel points since Week 9. Eventually, this cold spell will snap, and it could come in a solid matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

We are getting Jefferson at a decent salary (fourth-highest among WRs) due to his recent dip in production. The value is there as the Cardinals are in the bottom half of adjusted pass defense, passing yards allowed per game, and passing yards allowed per passing attempt. This is certainly a matchup where Jefferson could thrive, especially with Arizona leaning into zone coverage (second-highest rate).

According to Pro Football Focus, Jefferson ranks 17th with a 82.6 receiving grade against man coverage, compared to sitting 4th with a 85.8 receiving grade when seeing zone coverage. Facing a heavy zone coverage team should mean a big day for JJettas.

During Jefferson's dip over the last three games, Jordan Addison is tied with Jefferson for the highest target share on the team (22.2%) while carrying the highest air yards share (33.4%). However, Jefferson leads the Vikings with a 37.5% red zone target share during the span, yet he hasn't scored one touchdown over the four-game stretch. Some positive regression could be imminent, especially with Minnesota showing a 24.5-point total for Sunday.

Jefferson should finally deliver on his high DFS salary. The Vikings are favored by only 3.5 points, suggesting this one should stay close; that should give Jefferson even more chances to flourish.

A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles

FanDuel Salary: ($8,800)

With DeVonta Smith out of the lineup in Week 12, the Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown shined by logging 19.9 FanDuel points, backed by six catches for 109 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven targets.

Philadelphia is in a positive scoring environment against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday -- hence the game's 50.5-point total. This should be a close one, too, with the Ravens favored by 2.5 points. The stage is set for a back-and-forth shootout. We could see the Eagles, who carry the highest rush play rate, look to pass the ball more often as Baltimore carries the second-best adjusted rush defense and seventh-worst adjusted pass defense.

Brown is already projected for the fifth-most FanDuel points among wideouts (13.4 points), but this is under the impression that Smith returns from injury. Smith did not practice once last week with a hamstring injury. Considering the lingering nature of hamstrings, there's a chance Smith misses more time. Practice reports leading up to game day will give us a better idea on where his status stands. But for now, Brown could step into this game as the Eagles' clear top target yet again.

The Ravens give up the most FanDuel points per game to wide receivers. After carrying a 36.8% target share and 58.4% air yards share without Smith last week, Brown has clear spike potential in Week 13. He can pop even if Smith suits up, but his ceiling gets a lift if Smith is out.

Taysom Hill, TE, Saints

FanDuel Salary: ($7,000)

Rounding out our stud picks of the week, let's turn to a tight end. The New Orleans Saints' receiving corps is down its top two players in Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee). This has allowed Taysom Hill to shine in his Inspector Gadget role.

Since returning from injury in Week 8, Hill has produced three top-16 weekly finishes at tight end. Two of those were top-five finishes, and his only week outside of the top 20 since coming back from injury was in his first game back. Following his absurd 38.5-point showing in Week 11, Hill should be eager to go coming off a bye.

New Orleans will line up against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, and this defense gives up the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to tight ends. L.A. also sits 10th-worst in both overall defense and pass defense.

Over the last four games, Hill carries a 18.3% target share while averaging 9.0 touches per game paired with a 27.8% red zone rushing attempt share. He gets to face a weak pass defense after totaling a season-high 10 targets in his last game, and we obviously can't overlook Hill's 138 rushing yards from Week 11 as the Rams gave up more than 300 rushing yards last week.

Hill carries the third-most projected FanDuel points among tight ends for Week 13's main slate (9.8 points). After recording 15 touches in his most recent game, Hill's ceiling should be sky high against a bottom-10 defense.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.