It's Week 16, and while the fantasy football playoffs are in full swing, that's not the only way to keep the fantasy fun going. Daily Fantasy can let you keep playing all the way until the Super Bowl. And the best part? Everyone is available. You just have to fit the players you want under the salary cap. Here's how our team is approaching Week 16 for the DraftKings Sunday main slate, as well as our favorite Pick 6 options of the week.
Jump ahead
Lineup construction | Building blocks | High-upside plays
Solid floor plays | Narrative street | The stacks
Don't be surprised... | Contingency plans | Late-swap special
Pick 6
Lineup construction
Tyler Fulghum on the optimal lineup build given slate dynamics to maximize your floor and upside
The Week 16 DraftKings main slate feels like it's going to be a high-scoring one because we have great plays at almost every position.
At quarterback, we are once again spending down for value. Jacoby Brissett seems to throw the ball 40-plus times every game and should be very popular given his price. We even have two QBs in the $4K range -- Gardner Minshew and Quinn Ewers -- that are viable options.
At running back, we need to spend big. Both Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are priced above $8K, but they appear to be far and away the two best values per dollar spent. Optimal lineups should include at least one of these backs. The best may include both. In tournaments, it is going to be great leverage if you can find high scores in the $5-6K range.
At WR, the main slate will be absent the two best players in fantasy. With Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba having played on Thursday night, the main slate isn't nearly as deep with high-quality options at WR as it is at RB. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase are always good clicks, but I doubt they'll be flooding optimals given the amount we're spending at RB. Instead, DK Metcalf, Jameson Williams and Chris Olave will be popular at thousands less than the two elites.
At TE, we're seeing some real depth develop down the stretch of the season. No one should ever feel bad about rostering Trey McBride, but even after last week's eruption his ownership is going to be scant due to sticker price. Instead, the majority of lineups will be shopping in the $4-5K range and likely playing two TEs to afford multiple elite RBs. Harold Fannin Jr. and Kyle Pitts Sr. are the two most likely to get clicked.
At D/ST, you can shop almost anywhere. The New York Jets are popping as an almost bare minimum value ($2,100) and it sure does feel like the Texans ($4,000) are in an absolute smash spot at home against the rudderless Raiders. Shop wherever you like at this position. There are good plays all over the place.
Another cheap QB, elite RB and double-TE week is developing for Week 16. As long as DraftKings keeps the price inflated at wide receiver, it's going to look like this. It's been hard to find confident plays lately priced below $4K. Good luck in Week 16!
Building blocks
Mike Clay on the safe, chalky players who are likely to be among the most played this week
Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals ($5,300): Brissett is easily the top value at quarterback this week, pricing out 12th among the 22 projected starting quarterbacks on the slate despite having reeled off nine consecutive top-12 fantasy outings. Brissett, who defied the odds with 249 passing yards and three touchdowns against Houston last week, is averaging 20.5 fantasy PPG since taking over as Arizona's starter. That ranks fourth among quarterbacks. He's in line for another big game against an Atlanta defense that has allowed 19-plus fantasy points to four quarterbacks (Bryce Young, Tyrod Taylor, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield) since Week 11.
Aaron Jones Sr., Vikings ($5,200): Jones is the 23rd-priced running back, which makes him a terrific building block against a struggling Giants defense. Jones' low pricing does make some sense, as he's yet to reach 16 fantasy points in a game this season and he's been in the single digits four games in a row. However, he does have 14-plus touches and 65-plus yards in two straight games and the Giants have allowed 5.9 yards per carry (highest in the NFL), as well as the second-most yards and fantasy points to running backs.
High-upside plays
Matt Bowen on some high-risk, high-reward players who are in a position to pop this week
Theo Johnson, Giants ($3,700): Johnson has topped the 70-yard receiving mark in two of his last three games. He has the formation flex to draw matchups versus the Vikings, plus he can work the seams against two-deep coverage.
Jalen Coker, Panthers ($4,400): Coker has a touchdown reception of 30 or more yards in back-to-back games. He's a big-play target with late-separation ability at the third level. Take the upside here versus the Tampa secondary.
Solid-floor plays
Field Yates details why Omarion Hampton is a backend RB2 against the Cowboys.
Eric Moody on the players who are consistently part of the game plan and will produce at a reasonable price
Omarion Hampton, Chargers ($5,800): Hampton didn't come alive in Kansas City, but facing Dallas' mess of a defense should allow him to get back on track with the kind of big game he had before getting hurt. This should be a get-well game for the entire Chargers offense.
DK Metcalf, Steelers ($5,400): Metcalf is a solid option despite inconsistent target volume, as he faces a Lions defense that's allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. The veteran receiver is in sync with Aaron Rodgers, and Detroit doesn't have the secondary personnel to slow him down in a game with one of the highest totals on the slate.
Narrative street
Liz Loza's got a feeling ....
Mike Evans, Buccaneers ($6,300): Evans made his first appearance since Week 7 and promptly led the team's receiving corps, converting six of 12 looks for 132 yards last Thursday night. The effort resulted in a season-high 19.2 fantasy points. In a game with massive postseason implications, Baker Mayfield figures to lock in on his best playmaker against the division-rival Panthers. Evans has averaged 26.2 fantasy points per game over his last six meetings against Carolina.
Jalen Royals, Chiefs ($3,000): Having a little fun with a cheap dart throw here. The Chiefs' receivers are in rough shape with Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton in concussion protocol. I'm betting on Gardner Minshew to whip up a winning amount of chaos and spark in an exploitable matchup at Tennessee. Royals -- a speedy receiver with massive YAC appeal -- could find himself cooking against a vulnerable Titans secondary that has allowed the fourth-most yards to opposing wideouts on the season. Royals hasn't been active since Week 7. Still, with KC out of the playoffs, there's a chance Andy Reid unleashes the rookie on Sunday.
The stacks
Daniel Dopp on teammates who are set up for joint success
Jared Goff ($6,300) and Jameson Williams ($6,400), Lions: The Lions are in win-or-go-home mode with the Steelers in town this week. Goff has put together a nice month of football, scoring at least 18 fantasy points in four straight games, including a 28.5-point outing last week against a tough Rams defense. And while Goff doesn't use his legs, he always as the potential for a 300-yard passing game (something he's done in back-to-back weeks), which gives us an extra 3 fantasy points at DraftKings.
As far as the pass catcher is concerned, I'm fine if you want to go with either Amon-Ra St. Brown or Williams in this situation, as both have great matchups. I'm leaning towards the latter since he's $2,000 cheaper and offers managers high upside with a relatively safe floor. Yes, I know he had two goose eggs in Weeks 7 and 12, but other than those two weeks, Williams has topped 16.5 points in every other matchup since Week 6. And with games of 29.4, 29.9 and 26.9, all coming in Week 10 or later, Williams is primed to continue on as a big target for one of the most productive offenses in the league.
Jacoby Brissett ($5,300) and Marvin Harrison Jr. ($5,600), Cardinals: Let's double down on Clay's building block of Brissett with a wide receiver ... made a bit trickier by the potential return of Harrison since Michael Wilson has not been the same option for Brissett when MHJ is on the field. I love Wilson and would absolutely stack him with Brissett if Harrison doesn't play in Week 16, but for now I'm going in the opposite direction, and for $1,300 cheaper! Atlanta has been awful against opposing passing offenses this season, so I'm leaning into the matchup and the price point, which gives us a little bit extra to spend elsewhere. But I want to end with this: I'm finding a way to stack Brissett this week no matter what. Whether it's with MHJ or Wilson, or running a double stack with both of them, I'm finding a way to get some Cardinals into my DK lineup this week.
Don't be surprised ...
Eric Karabell on fading the market and expecting the unexpected
Jakobi Meyers, Jaguars ($5,500): This thriving offense should be tested in Denver against the top AFC seed, but Meyers is playing at a near-WR1 level since joining the Jaguars. The Broncos, while strong defensively, are barely among the top 10 defenses in preventing WR fantasy points. Don't overrate the situation. Stick with a hot player.
Quinn Ewers, Dolphins ($4,000): This is the rookie from Texas making his debut in place of benched Tua Tagovailoa, and while it may seem foolish to trust any big numbers are coming ... he plays the Bengals. The Bengals are so bad on defense, and one cannot get a lower price on a QB than this. Go cheap at QB and build up elsewhere.
Contingency plans
Tristan H. Cockcroft anticipates the injury-related plays you may want to make if and when players get ruled out
Woody Marks ($6,600)/Jawhar Jordan ($5,000), RB, Houston Texans: Primary running backs who have faced the Las Vegas Raiders over the past five weeks have averaged 18.0 DraftKings points, meaning you'll want a piece of this matchup. Marks suffered an ankle injury in Week 15 that cost him practice time and if he can't go, Jordan, who had 16.8 points in relief of Marks, is frankly a more fabulously priced fill-in.
Alvin Kamara ($5,500)/Audric Estime ($5,000)/Evan Hull ($4,500), RB, New Orleans Saints: We might not know his identity until close to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but someone from this bunch will benefit from this super-tasty matchup against the New York Jets. If this is the week Kamara returns from his knee injury, he'd surely see enough work to be a bargain pick. If he joins Devin Neal as players ruled out in advance of the kickoff, Hull might have a slight edge over Estime on the rushing front, but Estime's greater receiving appeal makes both options appropriately priced.
Our favorite Pick 6 plays
Our favorite plays for DraftKings Pick 6 contests.
Joe Burrow, Bengals, over 249.5 passing yards (0.8x): Watch the Bengals go from a home shutout to scoring 35 points on the road so quickly. So Bengals. - Karabell
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars, under 220.5 passing yards: Denver's ability to play man coverage and pressure the quarterback limits Lawrence on Sunday. - Bowen
De'Von Achane, Dolphins, over 0.5 rush/rec TD (0.8x): Bengals defense remains awful. Dysfunctional Dolphins -- except Achane -- will let him eat all he wants. - Karabell
Achane, more than 115.5 rush + receiving yards: Achane plays the Bengals this week. (Do we really need more analysis than that?) Surprisingly, the Bengals haven't given up 115 total yards to a RB since Week 8 when Kyle Monangai had 198 from scrimmage. The Dolphins are so thin and devoid of talent right now, Achane may touch the ball 30 times and legitimately flirt with 175-200 total yards. - Dopp
TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots, over 56.5 rushing yards: He's cleared this line in six of his last seven games, and Henderson is one of the most explosive backs in the league with four rushes of 50-plus yards. - Moody
Quinshon Judkins, over 58.5 rushing yards: Numerous stacked fronts and game script have helped to tank Judkins' production. Still, the rookie is seeing plenty of volume, averaging 17 carries per contest. While the Browns are 10-point home dogs versus the Bills, the matchup remains favorable enough for Judkins to clear the above mark. Buffalo has surrendered the fourth-most runs of 20 or more yards. Judkins should rip off at least one long run with Cleveland feeding him early in an attempt to play keep away from Josh Allen. - Dopp
Mike Evans, Buccaneers, more than 0.5 TDs (1.3x): Evans came back after missing seven weeks with a broken collarbone and immediately operated as the alpha for Baker Mayfield. He caught six balls on 12 targets for 132 yards, but didn't find the end zone. In Week 16, he does. - Fulghum
Jameson Williams, Lions, over 68.5 receiving yards: Williams has 95 or more yards receiving in three straight games. He'll create explosive plays versus Pittsburgh. - Bowen
DK Metcalf, Steelers, over 58.5 receiving yards: He has totaled 203 receiving yards the past two weeks and should be a big factor in this likely high-scoring game. The Detroit Lions have seen a league-high seven wide receivers exceed 60 receiving yards the past five weeks alone. - Cockcroft
Harold Fannin Jr., Browns, more than 0.5 TDs (1.9x): Fannin may be a rookie tight end, but he's already the best receiver on the Browns' roster. Cleveland should be in trail mode for most of the game against Buffalo, meaning Fannin could be peppered with 10-plus targets for a third straight game. - Fulghum