There are so many opportunities to play NFL DFS in Week 16, so if you missed out on your fantasy football championship game, we're here to help you still go out a winner. We've put together a FanDuel tournament lineup for Saturday's three-game slate, which features Buccaneers at Lions, Cardinals vs. 49ers, and Dolphins at Raiders.
The key on a small slate is to not sweat the little overlaps that might bother you on a regular Sunday. A RB-WR stack from the same team doesn't make a ton of sense, but it might happen in a three-game contest. There's also less to choose from, so leaving some money on the table isn't the worst thing if you feel you've made a better lineup than by simply filling up the dollars.
Week 16 Saturday NFL DFS Lineup: FanDuel tournament picks
QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. 49ers ($8,700)
If you just gave Murray his rushing stats with no passing, he'd be a top-10 running back this season. That's how dominant he's been on the ground, and when you pair that with supreme talent as a passer, he's always going to be a great play. On a short slate, using Murray is even more of a no-brainer (with Tom Brady a close second against the Lions). It doesn't feel like any other QB on Saturday has Murray's game-to-game upside. When Murray played the Niners in Week 1, he had 27.3 FD points and the 49ers were much healthier then than they are now.
SATURDAY DRAFTKINGS LINEUPS: Bucs-Lions | 49ers-Cardinals | Dolphins-Raiders
RB Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers @ Lions ($7,000)
Ronald Jones (COVID, finger) is unlikely to play this week, which means this is the Fournette show against the worst run defense in the NFL. Fournette has disappointed his fantasy owners in the past, and FD is right on top of fair pricing here, but he's still tantalizing in this matchup. If he gets 15 carries and a few catches, he's got the potential for a monster fantasy day.
SATURDAY FANDUEL LINEUPS: Bucs-Lions | 49ers-Cardinals | Dolphins-Raiders
RB Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers @ Cardinals ($6,000)
You'll want to check on JWJ's health status leading into Saturday since he's dealing with an ankle injury, but Raheem Mostert (ankle) is out, so Wilson should lead this backfield if he's healthy. If not, pivot to Tevin Coleman and use those extra dollars elsewhere, but Wilson is a powerful runner who will get all the goal-line carries and even catch a few passes. He's a lot like Fournette for $1K cheaper.
SATURDAY FULL-SLATE DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings
WR DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals vs. 49ers ($8,700)
If you're paying up for Murray, you have to pay up for Hopkins, too, especially on this short slate. He may get the Richard Sherman treatment, but given Hopkins' tendency to make incredible catches with a defender (or three) draped all over him, we're not too worried about that. Murray's most obvious path to a big passing day is through Hopkins, so we want them both.
WEEK 16 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
WR Antonio Brown, Buccaneers @ Lions ($6,600)
In a three-game slate, you're going to have some unconventional overlap, like a wide receiver and running back on the same team. We're playing Brown not as a reaction to his season-high 93 yards with a touchdown in Week 15 but simply because he's the lowest priced of three Tampa Bay wide receivers who trade off production every week. The Lions really can't guard any of them, so having some shares of Mike Evans or Chris Godwin wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
WEEK 16 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
WR Lynn Bowden Jr., Dolphins @ Raiders ($5,300)
Unless all three of DeVante Parker (hamstring), Jakeem Grant (hamstring), and Mike Gesicki (shoulder) return, Bowden should maintain a prominent role in Miami's offense as a slot receiver. Tua Tagovailoa has targeted him 16 times total across the past two weeks, so Bowden can pile up some stats in a hurry if he's on the field.
MORE WEEK 16 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
TE T.J. Hockenson, Lions vs. Buccaneers ($6,200)
Overall, Tampa Bay has a strong defense. The one area the Buccaneers have struggled is defending the tight end, as they're in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to the position. Hockenson is at a solid discount from the top option on this slate, Darren Waller, and with our defense choice of Miami, it makes sense to go Hockenson here.
FLEX Salvon Ahmed, Dolphins @ Raiders ($6,600)
First, a note: If Myles Gaskin is activated from the COVID-19/reserve list and is indeed active for the game, he's the same price as Ahmed and should probably be your choice. If not, Ahmed is coming off a 122-yard rushing day and should find running room again against a Vegas defense that's allowed the third-most FD points to running backs this season. (Update: Gaskin has been activated, and he makes sense as a logical pivot.)
DEF Miami Dolphins @ Raiders ($4,700)
It seems simple, but the most upside on a three-game slate likely comes from playing a defense facing players you don't have in your lineup. We put together the lineup without any Raiders, and we have the salary to play the Dolphins, so that's what we've got. It helps that Miami has been an impressive defense all season long and will face either Marcus Mariota or a less-than-100-percent Derek Carr (groin).