Week 12 DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks, Lineup Tips for Sunday

The top NFL running backs face a handful of intriguing matchups in Week 12.

Christian McCaffrey appears to be back in automatic-start territory. McCaffrey's increased totals alongside Cam Newton and his matchup with the Miami Dolphins should make him one of the most popular daily fantasy football selections Sunday.

Jonathan Taylor lies on the opposite end of the matchup spectrum. The Indianapolis Colt running back has been on fire over the past month, but he is set to face a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers unit.

Dalvin Cook, Najee Harris and Austin Ekeler will all play in matchups that affect the playoff picture. If you combine one of them with McCaffrey, there could be a high DFS score in your future.

If you pay up for the top-salaried running backs, you need to find value at wide receiver and tight end in a few lopsided matchups.

McCaffrey should be the first player inserted into DFS lineups when he is healthy.

The Carolina Panthers running back had 119 total yards and a touchdown against the Washington Football Team in his most recent outing.

McCaffrey has 206 rushing yards and 180 receiving yards since his return to the gridiron in Week 9.

The star running back and the Panthers face a favorable matchup Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Miami has given up the most total yards in all of the NFL with 4,211. Only five other franchises have allowed more than 4,000 total yards.

The Dolphins have also allowed 56 catches on 74 targets and eight touchdowns on the ground to opposing running backs.

The combination of McCaffrey's high usage rate and the matchup against Miami makes his presence in your DFS lineup an easy decision. Figuring out the rest of your lineup could be a difficult task, but it is nice to start with a player you know will produce a high point total.

Taylor has reached McCaffrey-like status in DFS contests because of his knack for finding the end zone.

But his run as a top DFS point-scorer could end Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed the fewest rushing yards to opposing running backs.

The Buccaneers are the only NFL team that let up under 600 rushing yards through 10 games. They have also allowed four ground touchdowns to running backs.

Taylor's potential lack of space in the ground game makes him a less-than-ideal start for one week only. McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook and Najee Harris all face better matchups Sunday.

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay passing offense could thrive in their matchup with the Colts. Indianapolis has the worst scoring passing defense in the NFL and has allowed 25 passing touchdowns and 6.7 yards per attempt.

Brady has multiple passing touchdowns in each of his past six games. That trend will likely continue against Indianapolis.

Some combination of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski should be used in a stack along with Brady. Evans, Godwin and Gronkowski had six receptions each in the Week 11 win over the New York Giants. Godwin leads the team in receptions and receiving yards, while Evans is the top scorer with 10 touchdown catches.

Deebo Samuel has one of the highest usage rates of NFL wide receivers.

The San Francisco 49er has been a constant target in the passing game, and he can play a role in the ground attack as well.

In Week 11, Samuel only caught one pass for 15 yards, but he made a larger impact on the ground, with eight carries, 79 yards and a touchdown.

Samuel has found the end zone on eight occasions this season. He caught five scoring throws, and he used his legs for the other three scores. Before his single-catch performance, he had at least five receptions in four consecutive games. If he returns to the same target rate Sunday, he will once again be up there with the top DFS point-scorers.

Samuel is facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that ranks in the bottom five in receiving yards and touchdowns allowed to opposing wide receivers.

Sunday's clash at Levi's Stadium carries importance in the NFC wild-card race. A win would boost the 49ers into sixth place in the NFC. With all of those factors in play, Samuel should see one of the highest production volumes in Week 12, which makes him close to a must-start player.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.