There's always been something special about Dec. 21. It's almost as if the magic in the air is finally starting to officially settle in. The hustle and bustle since September is winding down, the end of the year is near, and last-minute preparations are underway. After a while, you cozy up in the warmth of home, flip on a movie, and simply allow yourself to enjoy the moments. Nostalgia creeps in, reminding you of the good times and the bad. All in all, these last few days before the big day might be some of the few when actually we live in the moment.
During Christmas, it's only fitting that the Saints will be marching into town for a date with the Rams. On a Thursday night in L.A., we'll be there ready to enjoy the moment, especially as our FanDuel single-game DFS lineup captures the magic of the season for itself, as well.
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.
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | ATS pick | Top props | Start-sit
Saints-Rams FanDuel Picks Week 16: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
$60,000 budget, at least one player from each team required
MVP (1.5x points) RB Kyren Williams, Rams ($16,000). Sean McVay might've been joking when he said Williams is on his fantasy team, but evidence is starting to suggest otherwise. Despite playing in only 10 games, Williams checks in with a league-high 18.6 rushing attempts per game. He's not the fastest or biggest RB you'll ever see, making it curious just how he's pulling this off. Regardless, Williams is a good football player who seems to have made the end zone his primary residence in 2023. He also has at least 100 total yards in six of the plast seven contests. Getting 1.5x on points for a player of his caliber is legalized robbery. Take the free space and worry about the rest later.
FLEX RB Alvin Kamara, Saints ($15,000). Kamara isn't a bad Robin to our Batman in this lineup, especially considering the state of the Saints offense. Outside of an outlier performance against the Giants, Derek Carr has been bad, and the New Orleans offense still has a hard time scoring. Kamara's presence is one of the only things keeping this team somehow afloat in a horrendous NFC South that nobody wants to win. As both a runner and receiver, this Saint is also their best chance to score points on Thursday night.
FLEX TE Taysom Hill, Saints ($10,000). It's always fun to have a wild card thrown into the situation, and that's exactly what Hill represents. He can make an impact as a passer, runner, or receiver, leaving us with plenty of ways for this Swiss army knife to make his mark on the game in a positive way. We should expect plenty of Hill as usual, especially since Aaron Donald might blow up whatever plan is in place for Carr to execute. The most "exciting" part of all is that Hill can just as easily turn in a one-point performance (which we saw last week) as a 20-point outing. The boom-or-bust pick can go a long way to putting us in the green.
FLEX WR Rashid Shaheed, Saints ($9,500). Another mostly boom-or-bust pick is the speedster Shaheed. The Rams do have some weakness in the secondary and have been exploited by slot receivers in recent weeks. Shaheed's ultimate value is actually helped by Carr's presence, as he's one of the receivers that the QB has shown to have a solid rapport with. This WR can flip the entire game upside down with one catch, and since playing it safe won't get us anywhere in the DFS world, we're taking some big swings.
FLEX WR Demarcus Robinson, Rams ($8,500). Our last swing on Thursday night comes in the form of Robinson, another player who has the ability to change everything with a play or two. The receiver has scored touchdowns and recorded 40 yards or more in three straight. Better yet, he did that against the Browns and Ravens in two of those games, indicating that he is here to stay even in bad matchups. While the Rams are getting Tutu Atwell back in the fold, Robinson's efficiency is hard to ignore. The snap count has continued to increase, so Robinson is more than capable of making a play while the Saints key in on Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Another touchdown could be on the menu for this overlooked WR.
Best SuperDraft NFL DFS Picks for Saints-Rams
This year, we're also listing our favorite weekly DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
MORE: Win BIG with SuperDraft! Get a free $10 deposit when you use promo code "TSN"!
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- Champion (+50% points): RB Kyren Williams, Rams (Multiplier 1.5x)
- Super FLEX: WR Cooper Kupp, Rams (Multiplier 1.05x)
- Super FLEX: RB Alvin Kamara, Saints (Multiplier 1.1x)
- Super FLEX: TE Taysom Hill, Saints (Multiplier 1.55x)
- Super FLEX: WR Demarcus Robinson, Rams (Multiplier 1.65x)
Our SuperDraft lineup is trusting the chalky options on either side while taking our swings on a few picks that could go either way. We know that the Rams will run their offense through Williams and Kupp, much like the Saints will with Kamara. But Hill and Robinson are game-wreckers who can vulture a score at any point, meaning they are worthy selections capable of putting us over the top.
