Last week's Yahoo DFS cash lineup had three big hits, one other decent showing, and five big duds. The hits were Ryan Tannehill, Chris Carson and Saquon Barkley. Keenan Allen was decent, but Emmanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr., David Montgomery, the Browns D/ST, and the worst of them all, David Njoku, really let us down. Njoku wound up being a healthy scratch out of nowhere, and we had to watch his backup score two touchdowns. The process was sound, but the results weren't. We'll do better with our Week 16 daily fantasy football lineup picks.
Our central strategy is building around Lamar Jackson and Julio Jones. Fortunately, there are a couple value receivers with prime matchups who we can pay down for and still feel comfortable with. We're paying up a bit for our backs, but we're getting high-volume ball carriers in very favorable matchups. The same goes for our super-chalky TE.
WEEK 16 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
The biggest question marks in this lineup come in the form of Montgomery, who has let us down every time we've played him, and the Eagles D/ST, which is a pure punt because we needed a minimum defense (not something we like to do in a cash game). If we just had a dollar more, we could have afforded the Chargers -- a D/ST we actually feel good about -- but we'll play the Eagles and hope they can create a big play or two at home.
WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS:
FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! GPP
Week 16 Yahoo NFL DFS Lineup: Picks, Advice for cash games
QB: Lamar Jackson, Ravens @ Browns ($40). Here's the worry: Jackson and the Ravens take it easy in this game, doing just enough to get the W and get Jackson out of there by the fourth quarter. If that happens, he might not pay off his sky-high price tag. But then you also have to remember that he's Lamar Jackson and the Browns suck, so even 75 percent of Lamar could equal 30 fantasy points. We'll pay up.
RB: Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Dolphins ($28). Since the start of Week 8, Mixon is averaging 23.4 touches and 117.5 total yards per game. The volume is not a worry, and a matchup with the Dolphins, who have allowed the most rushing yards to RBs and the sixth-most fantasy points to RBs, is not a worry either. The Bengals offense can get bogged down at the worst times, but Mixon should get ample opportunities to pay off his hefty price tag.
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
RB: Marlon Mack, Colts vs. Panthers ($25). This one is all about the matchup, as the Panthers allow the most fantasy points to RBs. It's been especially bad over the past four games, as they've given up seven RB rushing touchdowns and at least 84 rushing yards to four different runners. As long as Mack is feeling healthy, he should get plenty of volume and more than pay off his relatively affordable price.
WR: Julio Jones, Falcons vs. Jaguars ($30). Jones took advantage of Calvin Ridley's absence, hauling in 13-of-20 targets for 134 yards and two TDs against the 49ers last week. We know he's going to get plenty of looks, and against the reeling Jaguars, he should be able to produce. Jones is the WR2 in pricing, but he's $8 below Michael Thomas, so we'll take those savings.
SATURDAY DFS: DraftKings main slate lineup | Showdown lineups
WR: Mike Williams, Chargers vs. Raiders ($18). Williams has produced solid numbers in three straight games, scoring in each of the past two and posting a season-high 117 yards in Week 13. We feel like we're chasing points here, but the Raiders have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to WRs and oftenget beat deep, which is Williams' forte. Even better -- you know Philip Rivers is going to heave it to him.
WR: Chris Conley, Jaguars @ Falcons ($12). This also feels like we're chasing points, as Conley caught two TDs last week against the Raiders. But he also led the Jaguars in targets (8), catching four for 49 yards. Keelan Cole actually led the team in yards (76), and Dede Westbrook is going to be involved, too. All three are priced at $12, so it's really just a coin flip. Either way, this is a solid matchup against a Falcons team that ranks in the bottom 10 in pass defense, so we'll hope lightning can strike twice.
MORE WEEK 16:
Waiver pickups | FAAB planning | Stock watch | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff tips
TE: Jacob Hollister, Seahawks vs. Cardinals ($19). We almost always use TEs against the Cardinals. They're just so bad against the position (two more TDs allowed to a backup TE last week), it's silly not to. Hollister has cooled down a bit over the past four games, but he's still getting regular looks. That's all that's needed.
MORE WEEK 16 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
FLEX: David Montgomery, Bears vs. Chiefs ($19). We swore after last week that we'd never pick Montgomery again...and then we were making this week's lineup, saw his matchup and price, and just had to take him. The Chiefs allow the fourth-most fantasy points to RBs and Montgomery has received 18.5 touches per game since the start of Week 8. With that kind of volume, it's only a matter of time before we runs all over a bad run defense. (And, yes, we know we used this exact rationale last week against the Packers when Montgomery had 49 total yards on 15 touches, but we're going to stick with the process.)
D/ST: Eagles vs. Cowboys ($10). We have absolutely no confidence in this pick, but it was either the Eagles, Cardinals (@ Seahawks), or Browns (vs. Ravens). The other two made even less sense, so let's hope the Eagles have some pride in a huge divisional game at home.
