Week 16's Saturday main slate features a thin-but-intriguing player pool for NFL DFS players. We're going with a full-on stars-and-scrubs strategy for our FanDuel lineup, but our scrubs still profile as decent value plays thanks to relatively solid volume. We're hoping that by stacking a high-priced Chiefs trio and paying up for the most expensive RB, we'll still have plenty of lineup differentiation despite some chalky picks.
Before we break down our picks and strategy, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel contests: four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings
FanDuel Picks Week 16: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $60,000 budget
QB Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. Seahawks ($9,200). The Seahawks sport a middle-of-the-road pass defense, but matchups don't matter with Mahomes. He's averaged a league-high 321.2 passing yards per game to go along with 2.7 total TDs per outing. Seattle has been torched by tight ends all year, so Mahomes could have an even bigger game than usual just by passing to Travis Kelce. Pay up and enjoy the production.
RB Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Texans ($9,800). Henry ran for 219 yards and two TDs when these teams met in Week 8, and he's honestly capable of even more this time around. Houston continues to rank last in run defense by a wide margin, so Henry should extend his 100-yard, one-TD streak to three games with another huge performance. He's chalky, but he's worth every penny.
WEEK 16 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
RB Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs vs. Seahawks ($7,300). We usually don't like paying up for a player who seems due to crash after two huge games, but McKinnon continues to see his snap share and touch share increase. Isiah Pacheco's fumbling issues have contributed to McKinnon's increased playing time, but with 17 catches, 16 carries, 256 total yards, and four TDs over the past two games, McKinnon is earning it, too. He stacks well with Mahomes because of his frequent targets, and if he continues to get around 10 carries, he'll have good rushing numbers against the Seahawks' 31st-ranked run defense.
WR Marquise Goodwin, Seahawks @ Chiefs ($5,800). Goodwin should see six-plus targets with Tyler Lockett (finger) likely out, and the last time one of Seattle's two big wideouts missed most of a game (DK Metcalf in Week 7), Goodwin stepped up with four catches, 67 yards, and two TDs. Kansas City allows the fourth-most fantasy points to WRs, so Goodwin should have plenty of chances to make big plays.
UPDATE: With Goodwin (wrist) "questionable," be prepared to pivot to Penny Hart ($5,000).
WEEK 16 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
WR Richie James Jr., Giants @ Vikings ($5,200). James has seen 23 targets over the past four games, and he's scored three times in his past five games. Minnesota allows the second-most FanDuel points to WRs, so James is in a great spot to return value on his affordable price. New York's low-wattage passing game limits his ceiling, but he should have a decent floor.
WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Quez Watkins, Eagles @ Cowboys ($5,100). Watkins has at least four catches in three straight games and at least five targets in four straight contests. That hasn't netted him many fantasy points, but he's clearly a key cog in Philly's offense. The Cowboys allow the seventh-most FD points to WRs, so this is a better matchup than you might think. Watkins used to be known as a big-play specialist, so we're hoping he can recapture that magic and break out this week.
TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. Seahawks ($8,600). Seattle just gave up 93 yards and two TDs to George Kittle, so you know Kelce is licking his chops. He's on a three-game scoreless streak, tied for his longest of the season, but he's remained heavily involved, catching 18-of-25 targets for 232 yards. He's going to be a chalky pick, but we're hoping most DFS players don't want to pay up for both him and Mahomes.
WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX DeSean Jackson, Ravens vs. Falcons ($5,000). We originally had Amari Rodgers ($5,100) here, and while we don't hate that pick, the return of Brandin Cooks (calf) made us pivot to Jackson. He's the ultimate boom-or-bust tournament play, but with Devin Duvernay (foot) out, D-Jax should see more snaps against Atlanta's 28th-ranked pass defense. He's always a threat to take one to the house, and that's what we'll be banking on.
DEF Lions @ Panthers ($3,900). Sam Darnold hasn't turned the ball over in his three starts this year. You know that won't last. Detroit's been playing much better defensively lately, posting 15 sacks and eight takeaways over its past five games. It likely won't be highly owned, giving us a high-floor, high-ceiling contrarian play to round out our lineup.
