The Week 16 NFL DFS main slate arrives earlier than usual. In a gift to NFL fans, the league moved most of its games to Saturday so as not to completely interfere with Christmas festivities. Of course, not all of the games are on Saturday, though, so once again, daily fantasy football players will be tasked with navigating a 10-game slate. That means DFS players will still need to identify value sleepers and stacking opportunities to differentiate their lineups in DraftKings and FanDuel contests.
Stacking is one of the best ways a daily fantasy football player can differentiate their lineup. At this point in the season, everyone knows who the top players are on any slate, but finding the right combination of sleepers and prices is how DFS players can win big.
There are a few ways to stack lineups. Traditionally, QBs are paired with WRs/TEs and RBs go with D/STs. These positions usually have correlated success, so a quarterback that has a big game will often lead to his top receivers faring well, too.
WEEK 16 DFS: Best values
That said, you can go against the grain and create some more unique stacks. That's especially true this week when weather could force numerous teams to take a more run-heavy approach. As such, going with a mobile QB and a top RB may be more fruitful than usual in the right spots.
DraftKings and FanDuel remain the top DFS platforms worldwide, but DraftKings has the more variable pricing. That makes it a bit easier to craft creative stacks, especially when targeting cheaper receivers. That's not to say you can't stack on FanDuel; it's just sometimes harder to find value when doing so.
Below are some of our favorite sets of teammates for Week 16 DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 16 NFL DFS Picks: Top cash game stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel
QB Patrick Mahomes, RB Jerick McKinnon, and TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. Seahawks (DK Stack)
There is going to be a lot of cold and severe weather across the NFL in Week 16, but the Chiefs are getting a bit lucky. It will be 16 degrees on Saturday but the wind will only be about 10 mph. That will allow Patrick Mahomes and Co. to have a strong game. Mahomes is one of the league's highest-volume passers and has posted at least 22.4 DK points in all but one start dating back to Week 4. He is a safe option and should be able to move the ball with ease against a declining Seattle defense.
Any time you're looking for a high floor, it's best to pair Mahomes with Kelce. The tight end has been targeted a team-high 127 times in 2022 and should continue to be a high-volume option against a Seattle defense that allows the second-most fantasy points to TEs.
There are a few ways to fill out the final part of this stack. You can go with a high-floor player like JuJu Smith-Schuster or a high-ceiling option like Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Kadarius Toney. McKinnon is the best of both worlds for DK lineups, as he has recorded 17 catches for 191 yards to go along with 16 carries for 74 rushing yards and four total touchdowns over the past three weeks.
Seattle has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards to RBs this year (1,704) and second-most rushing TDs (14), so McKinnon should do damage both on the ground and through the air.
WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
QB Kirk Cousins, WR Justin Jefferson, and TE T.J. Hockenson, Vikings vs. Giants (DK/FD Stack)
Want a surefire way to avoid weather problems? Stack players in a dome. Minnesota has a roof on its stadium, so that should allow Kirk Cousins to have a solid outing against a Giants defense that has allowed multiple passing TDs in three of its past four games. Cousins has thrown for 425 and 460 yards, respectively, in his past two contests, and with Minnesota's defense allowing a league-high 399.5 yards per game, he may have to throw a lot again to earn another close win.
Stacking Jefferson and his 158 targets with Cousins is a no-brainer, but the third choice is more open. Adam Thielen gets the most targets, but K.J. Osborn is coming off a massive 10-catch, 157-yard outing. Either could work, but Hockenson is our choice given his target floor (8.1 per game with the Vikings) and New York's struggles against TEs this year (10th-most fantasy points allowed).
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
RB Christian McCaffrey and San Francisco D/ST, 49ers vs. Commanders (DK/FD Stack)
Some might not want to spend up for McCaffrey this week given that the Commanders have a solid run defense. However, they haven't been as good against pass-catching backs, allowing six receiving touchdowns to the position, tied for the most in the NFL with the Dolphins.
It also helps that Brock Purdy should be under pressure, as the Commanders have a good defensive line. He will likely check it down to McCaffrey frequently, so CMC's reception floor makes him a nice play in both DraftKings and FanDuel.
The 49ers D/St is arguably the best in the NFL. Meanwhile, Taylor Heinicke is one of the league's bottom-graded passers and has nine turnovers in eight starts while being sacked 17 times. That's an advantage for San Francisco, so it is worth spending up for the top-tier defense.
WEEK 16 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Week 16 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Best stacks for daily fantasy football tournaments
QB Justin Fields, RB David Montgomery, and TE Cole Kmet, Bears vs. Bills (DK/FD Stack)
Bills vs. Bears figures to be one of the games most impacted by weather in Week 16. It's going to be nine degrees with winds north of 22 mph during the contest, so that will make it very hard for the teams to throw consistently.
As such, the contest will be a run-dominant one. That will benefit the Bears, as they have Fields, who became the third quarterback to record 1,000 rushing yards in a single season in Week 15, and Montgomery, a 225-pound bruiser who should be an effective runner in cold weather. Chicago leads the NFL with a 58.2 running percentage, so Fields and Montgomery should be high-volume ball carriers in this one.
Kmet completes this stack by giving us at least one Bears option in the passing game. The tight end could be asked to work the intermediate part of the field, so he may be able to make a handful of grabs. He led the team in targets against the Eagles with five, making him a nice, cheap option with scoring upside.
QB Gardner Minshew, WR A.J. Brown, and TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles at Cowboys (DK/FD Stack)
Jalen Hurts is dealing with a right shoulder sprain and might not play on Saturday. Even so, you shouldn't be worried about the Eagles' offense continuing to play well.
Minshew is one of the NFL's best backups and should prove to be an effective game manager if Hurts can't play. He started two games for the Eagles last season and recorded two passing touchdowns in each of them. He should continue at that clip with a better supporting cast.
Pairing any two of Brown, Goedert, and DeVonta Smith with Minshew makes sense. We're rolling with Brown because he has been the team's No. 1 receiver this season and fared well against the Cowboys earlier in the year, catching five passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Goedert gets the nod over Smith because he has a low ownership projection in his first game back from a shoulder injury. Also, Smith caught just five passes for 56 yards in Minshew's two starts last season. Comparatively, Goedert caught six passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns while playing in just one of Minshew's starts.
RB Alvin Kamara and New Orleans D/ST, Saints at Browns (DK/FD Stack)
Kamara has largely been a disappointment for fantasy owners save for his three-touchdown game against the Raiders. However, this is a good matchup for him.
The Browns have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards to RBs (1,663), the second-most rushing touchdowns (14), and have only been average when it comes to defending running backs as receivers. That should allow Kamara to have another good game, especially if the Saints have to run a lot due to the windy, snowy weather in Cleveland.
The Saints' defense is a bit more of a risk, but the Browns have scored just 29 offensive points since Deshaun Watson's return from a two-year NFL absence. He is still shaking off the rust, so the Saints should be a good, low-cost option with upside.
