Julio Jones and DeAndre Washington are in great spots this week. They top the list of DFS Core Plays for Week 16. Find who to build your daily NFL lineups around this week.
Julio Jones and Other Core Plays for Week 16 NFL DFS
Quarterbacks
Ryan Tannehill $6,600
The Tennessee Titans will need Tannehill at his best this weekend when they host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are three-point road favorites, and the over/under is 50.5, according to Vegas Insider consensus odds. Tannehill has played well since taking over as the starter in Tenessee. He’ll look to continue the stellar play this week, against the Saints 28th ranked defense versus quarterbacks.
Matt Ryan $6,200
Ryan went through a rough patch a few weeks ago when he was dealing with an ankle injury. He is well beyond the injury and playing at a high level once again. Over his last three, Ryan has two 300-yard games, six touchdowns, and only two interceptions. This week, Ryan gets a great matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who appear disinterested in playing out the rest of the season. Since Week 12, the Jags have allowed seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
Ryan Fitzpatrick $6,000
The Miami Dolphins have zero running game. Therefore, almost all of their offense goes through Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is not only the leading passer for the Dolphins, but he is also their leading rusher on the season. The Fins will need to run the offense through Fitzpatrick again this week when they face the Cincinnati Bengals. If DeVante Parker (hip) plays on Sunday, he and Fitzpatrick are optimal stack partners in a GPP lineup.
3 QBs lead their Team in Rushing Yards this season…
Lamar Jackson – 1,103
Kyler Murray – 504
Ryan Fitzpatrick – 219(via @ESPN)
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) December 16, 2019
Running Backs
Chris Carson $8,500
Carson is in a smash spot this week. However, his price feels a bit prohibitive. Hopefully, Carson’s high price tag will scare away some ownership this week. He’ll face the Arizona Cardinals at home, where Vegas Insider says 9.5 points favor Seattle. The Seahawks, who already favor the run game, will likely lean even more heavily on the run in this game while milking down the clock in the second half. Carson should see the vast majority of Seattle’s running back touches with Rashaad Penny (IR ACL) sidelined. It’s hard to get to Carson in cash lineups, but he’s worth throwing in some GPP lineups to capture the explosion of points Carson is capable of producing versus the Cards.
Ezekiel Elliott $7,900
Priced below $8,000 this week, Elliott, with his multi-dimensional role, has high upside. He has a high PPR floor based on his involvement in the passing game, and he is a candidate for 20+ touches in every game. The Dallas Cowboys might need even more from Elliott this week, with Dak Prescott nursing a shoulder injury. Last time the Cowboys played the Philadelphia Eagles back in Week 7, Zeke put up 29.7 DK points, and the Cowboys won the game. He’ll look to carry his team to another victory and playoff berth this Sunday.
Adrian Peterson $5,000
Peterson is operating as a workhorse running back now that Derrius Guice is on injured reserve. He has 19 or more touches in each of his last two games. With the majority of Washington Redskins running back touches and goal-line work to himself, Peterson is in good position to provide value on Draft Kings, where he is only $5,000. He’ll look to score a touchdown in his fourth straight game this week.
DeAndre Washington $4,000
With Josh Jacobs (shoulder) ruled out for Sunday’s game, Washington is expected to serve as the lead back for the Oakland Raiders. He provides excellent value for DFS this week. Last time Jacobs was held out in Week 14, Washington took 14 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, and caught six of seven passes for 43 yards. Washington has the potential to get 20+ touches again while Jacobs is out this week, giving him huge upside at $4,000. His opponent this week, the Los Angeles Chargers, are a middle of the pack run defense, but his volume and pricetag are too good to pass up, particularly in cash lineups. However, I can see pivoting away from Washington in some GPP lineups. No doubt, he will be a popular choice for DFS.
And Raiders’ rookie RB Josh Jacobs will be held out of Sunday’s game due to his lingering shoulder injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2019
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones $8,000
If you play Ryan, then you should stack him with Julio Jones. With Calvin Ridley out of the lineup last week, Jones was targeted a ridiculous 20 times in the game versus the San Francisco 49ers. Ridley is out for the rest of the season. Therefore, Jones is likely in for another considerable target share this week when the Falcons face the Jaguars. Since trading Jalen Ramsey to the Rams, the Jaguars have struggled to defend elite WR1s. Julio should feast in the game. Jones is a little too volatile for cash lineups. However, he and Ryan make a perfect pairing for GPP lines.
D.J. Moore $6,900
Moore has been a reliable PPR asset this season. He continues to see a high weekly target share. Moore has caught at least six passes in six of his last seven games. With the Panthers continually digging themselves a hole early in games and their defense giving up 29+ points in each of the last five, it’s reasonable to expect more volume for Moore this week. After all, the Panthers will likely have no choice but to lean on the passing game once again.
Robby Anderson $5,700
Anderson has heated up lately. The New York Jets are out of playoff contention, so Sam Darnold is playing without fear. Darnold’s new chuck-it-and-@&$?-it attitude is beneficial to Anderson, who makes his living on the deep pass. Anderson has been targeted 31 times over the past four games. This means, not only is Anderson getting targeted deep, he’s getting targeted often. Anderson only needs to convert on a couple of deep passes to be valuable for DFS at his price. He’s an ideal GPP play, with his home run hitting upside.
Mike Williams $5,000
Williams had a slow start to the season. However, he has come on lately. He has 100 yards or a touchdown in each of his last three games. Philip Rivers is throwing the ball a lot lately, so Williams offers upside at only $5,000. He has a good matchup against the Raiders who rank 27th in passing yards allowed per game.
Mike Williams:
Season YPT: 11.3 (third overall)
9th overall receivers in air yards (1460)
Last three games: 8 targets, 20+ yards downfield- caught 4, for 173 yards, 1 TD
Touchdown receptions in back-to-back games
Week 16 plays Raiders who are 29th in Deep Pass DVOA
— It’s Me🌎 (@ffps_pat) December 20, 2019
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz $6,400
Ertz is unquestionably the number one wide receiver in Philadelphia now that the team is without Alshon Jeffery (IR foot). Nelson Agholor (knee) is also looking iffy for this week’s game. Regardless of whether Agholor plays or not, Ertz will be leaned on heavily by quarterback Carson Wentz. The Cowboys have a solid defense. However, they have struggled to defend tight ends this year. They allow the third-most DK points to the position.
Jared Cook $5,000
Cook got off to a slow start in New Orleans this season, but he has played like a TE1 the second half of the season. Cook had scored double-digit DK points in seven straight before failing to do so Monday night. He’ll look to get back on track, and back in the end zone this week after scoring four touchdowns in his last five games.
Dallas Goedert $4,100
Goedert has been a reliable source for PPR points from the tight end position this season. He has scored double-digit DK points in five of the past eight games. With all the injuries in the Eagles wide receiver room, Goedert will be needed in the passing game again this week. Especially, since they are facing the Cowboys who struggle to defend tight ends.
Noah Fant $3,700
Fant is a boom or bust GPP play in DFS this week. However, he has shown some big-play ability while playing with Drew Lock under center. The Detroit Lions rank dead last in passing plays of 20+ yards allowed this season. At only $3,700 on Draft Kings, if Fant can make a couple of big plays Sunday, he would be a tremendous value.
Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers $3,900
The Steelers defense has been one of the top fantasy units this season. They have a matchup with the lowly New York Jets on Sunday. The Jets have been unable to find a run game this season, forcing them to pass more often. A pass-heavy attack plays right into the hands of the Steelers defense, whose strength is pressuring quarterbacks. They’ll look to force Darnold into making mistakes and turnovers when they play on Sunday.
Denver Broncos $3,500
The Broncos will host a Detroit Lions team playing with backups across all of the key skill positions. Lions quarterback David Blough has struggled the last two weeks in his second and third starts of the season. Marvin Jones was placed on injured reserve, leaving Kenny Golladay the lone remaining threat. Golladay drew a lot of attention from the Bucs defense last Sunday. The Broncos will likely follow a similar game plan, and try to make it so Blough will have to beat them throwing to someone else. Danny Amendola ($4,900 on DK) is a candidate for extra targets. He has some value on Draft Kings this week as a potential one-off. However, the Broncos should be able to keep the Lions offense tamed on Sunday.
New Orleans Saints $2,700
The Saints defense has been outstanding on the road this year. They have scored double-digit DraftKings points in every road game this season. The Saints will head to Tennessee to face the Titans on Sunday. If they can contain Derrick Henry on Sunday, and force the Titans into obvious passing situations, the Saints defenders can get after Tannehill, potentially forcing him into bad throws. Also, if Marshon Lattimore can lock down A.J. Brown on Sunday, Tannehill could be in for a long day.
Player pricing and data by Draft Kings
Vegas odds by vegasinsider.com
