NFL Betting and DFS Advice for Thanksgiving Day 2020

A new week of NFL betting and daily fantasy football action is upon us. This one is different than most, of course, as we get three NFL games slammed together on one slate before Sunday arrives.

That’s right, somewhere in the midst of your awkward family conversations, green bean casserole, and a face full of turkey, there are NFL games to bet on.

You can either try to make money betting on the NFL on Thanksgiving Day, or you can piece together daily fantasy football lineups. Or both!

Rather than cram it all into one big slate like too much stuffing in the turkey, I’m here to break things down just for Thanksgiving NFL betting and DFS.

Here you will find Thanksgiving Day odds and advice for all three games, as well as NFL DFS picks, sleepers, and lineup help.

Thinking of laying some money down to make Turkey Day a bit more fun this year? Get a head start on the competition with my 2020 Thanksgiving Football betting and DFS guide.

Thanksgiving is about the three F’s; family, food, and football. It’s pretty weird that some of the worst teams in the league play on the big day this year, but here we are.

Before you bet on NFL Thanksgiving Day games, you need to know the pricing first.

You also should check around at your favorite NFL betting websites, but to get you all the Thanksgiving NFL odds in one place, I’m listing the pricing for all three games from BetOnline.

The first game of the 2020 Thanksgiving football betting slate has the Texans and Lions waging war in Detroit.

The Lions are a staple of the Thanksgiving NFL tradition, but that doesn’t change that they’ve been awful this season.

Detroit scored exactly zero points in Carolina last week, and their defense hasn’t been much better as a whole on the year.

That said, this game sports the highest total of the day, and there should be quite a bit of scoring. It also has a tight spread, so we could have a good, old fashioned barn burner on our hands.

At first glance, I like Houston to win, but the best bet is probably the Over in a likely shootout.

For more betting assistance, hit the posts below.

Game two features an NFL rivalry as old as time. The Washington Football Team heads to Big D, where the Dallas Cowboys await.

This projects as a game with some scoring upside, and also one that should be rather close.

Both of these NFC East rivals are coming off of rare wins and are 3-7 going into a crucial matchup. The state of this division doesn’t really make this game a must-win, of course.

There is a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East 👀

Eagles: 3-6-1
Giants: 3-7
Cowboys: 3-7
Washington: 3-7 pic.twitter.com/d3wi671uRt

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 23, 2020

Even so, the Cowboys have a slight edge. They’re at home on a short week, and they simply have much more offensive talent to lean on.

The Over is a solid play here, while bettors should also favor the ‘Boys. See the following posts for a little extra Washington vs. Dallas betting advice.

Lastly, we come to a huge AFC North clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Waiting all week for Thanksgiving Night.@Ravens vs. @Steelers… let's go!! pic.twitter.com/Bjn0UThqis

— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) November 23, 2020

Ben Roethlisberger and co. are 10-0 and hoping to stay perfect in this spot, and could also pull off the season series sweep.

Lamar Jackson has regressed from last year’s MVP form, but it’s been more about decision-making than anything else. If he can snap out of his funk, the Ravens could get a huge win and keep the Steelers from running away with the division just yet.

This has the makings of a classic Ravens vs. Steelers slugfest, but this is still arguably the best game of the Thanksgiving NFL betting schedule.

Baltimore ATS feels like a good call, and I even like them to pull off the upset. Don’t just listen to me, though. Check out some of our other Ravens vs. Steelers Thanksgiving betting content.

While this Thanksgiving football betting and DFS guide is about the odds and tops for these three games, the betting aspect is just part of it.

Betting on NFL Thanksgiving games is fun and potentially profitable, but building Thanksgiving NFL DFS lineups is also tons of fun.

To assist you in doing that, here’s a quick look at my favorite Thanksgiving NFL DFS picks, sleepers, and lineup.

Matthew Stafford has the best matchup, but he isn’t 100%. Lamar Jackson used to be the high upside play, but he hasn’t been that guy in 2020.

Deshaun Watson is easily one of the best NFL DFS picks for Thanksgiving, as he’s coming off a 34-point fantasy outing and is averaging 24.4 fantasy points per game on the season.

His matchup is plenty fine, as he faces a very beatable Lions defense that has allowed 18 passing scores in 2020.

Zeke also stands out as the top running back on this slate. Thanks to competent quarterback play from Andy Dalton, he returned to relevance with 22 fantasy points last week.

Washington is strong up front, but Elliott has the volume and touchdown equity to be a major factor. I can’t imagine fading him on this slate.

On the other side of that Cowboys game is McLaurin, who is in a dome and has the speed to kill. He’s mildly banged up, but I don’t have any fear against a Dallas secondary that ranks 31st against wide receivers this year.

Mark Andrews has a brutal matchup (Steelers rank #1 vs. TEs), but he’s a touchdown threat in any spot. He popped off last week (20 fantasy points) and will be needed here.

I also like the value with the Ravens on defense. Pittsburgh is bound to slow down at some point, and a crucial game Baltimore has to win could be where they unravel a bit.

Want some daily fantasy football advice beyond Turkey Day? Check out my top NFL DFS picks for week 12.

Alex Smith has been one of the best stories of the 2020 NFL season, simply by being on Washington’s active roster. If he’s not the league’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year, I don’t know who is.

Alex Smith locked up NFL comeback player of the year forever ago. Now he's just going full Secretariat at the Belmont.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) November 15, 2020

He hasn’t been amazing when you look at his work on the field, but he’s shown he still has the ability with two 300+ yard passing days. On Thursday, he gets his weapons in a dome against Dallas, who have allowed the 6th most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

I normally wouldn’t be super into Gus Edwards, but he’s looking at a massive role with both J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram out due to COVID-19 this week.

Edwards actually gashed the Steelers for 87 rushing yards and a score a few weeks ago, and he’s plenty capable of thriving in this spot. Just consider pivoting to Justice Hill in tournaments a bit.

One of the Sims could be huge here for Washington. They’ve both found the end-zone recently, and they’re good athletes in a smash spot. I like Steven Sims Jr. a bit more, but exposure to both of these Thanksgiving NFL DFS sleepers isn’t a bad idea.

Jordan Akins doesn’t have the best matchup by the numbers, but he was terrific (13 fantasy points) last week, and he’s really cheap. At a bad position, punting with a guy in the most explosive game on Thanksgiving Day isn’t the worst call.

There really isn’t a defense that stands out this week, so a full punt with the Lions at $2.2k really isn’t crazy. I love the Texans in this matchup, but it’s always possible they get some sacks and/or a defensive score.

The savings alone could make them worth the risk on this three-game slate.

There is more value to be had in daily fantasy football beyond Thursday. Take a look at my favorite week 12 NFL DFS sleepers for this week’s main slate.

I am very high on Watson this week. The other options aren’t enticing at quarterback, but he’s also been fantastic, offers the most upside, has the best floor, and has one of the best matchups.

Oh, and the betting odds are favorable from every angle, too.

I have no qualms about any stacks featuring him, so you can fire up his receivers (Fuller and Cook) as seen here, and run it back with Swift. Just make sure the latter is playing.

If Swift is out, you can pivot to a Steelers offensive player.

I also like Washington skill players as they likely play from behind. That puts Scary Terry high on my list. That said, Dallas is among my safest week 12 NFL picks, so I think they win here.

Understandably so, that makes Zeke and the Cowboys defense a pretty appealing pairing opposite of McLaurin. Schultz is just a nice middle of the road tight end to toss in that stack, but I admittedly don’t feel great about any tight end this week.

Lastly, Gus Edwards is the obvious free square this week.

#Ravens RBs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be placed on the reserve list later today, according to sources. All aboard the Gus Bus for Thursday vs. the #Steelers.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 23, 2020

I don’t see much reason in fading him, but he’ll be really chalky. You could get cute here and pivot to Hill or just fade the Ravens running backs completely, but that isn’t the route I’ll be taking.

Hopefully, this Thanksgiving football betting and DFS guide serves you well on Turkey Day.

The point of this post is to shine a light on the latest Thanksgiving NFL odds, take a look at each matchup, and detail which spots may be the best to attack, both for betting and DFS purposes.

Some of the links included in this Thanksgiving NFL betting and DFS guide should also assist you, as there are a lot of different wagers and props to consider on Thursday.

Whatever you do, I hope this guide helps you on a day of family, food, and football. May you also enjoy some winnings in the betting or DFS genres. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!