Each week of the NFL season, NFL DFS gamers must survey the landscape to find potential building blocks, or the core plays that form the foundation of most lineups. The popular options rise to the top more often than not, but there also are overlooked plays at every position, usually only a couple of names down the rankings list. In this post, we’ll be making our best NFL DFS Week 16 picks on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Stokastic provides a variety of tools for all DFS sports that can help you sort through the large NFL feature slate player pool. These were used when coming up with the recommendations in this article and include, and they are far from limited to such offerings as the NFL DFS Top Stacks tool, player projections, the Boom/Bust tool and the Lineup Generator.
All tools are updated for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates each week. Additionally, multiple tools are also at your disposal for the sub-slates as well as the primetime “island games” which have turned into one of the most popular DFS offerings on DraftKings and FanDuel. If you’re in the market for more DFS tools, Take a look at the Stokastic Discounts and Coupon Code page as well as the Subscription page to see what packages best suit your needs.
Every team is through the bye weeks, but we did have three Saturday games, along with the standard trio of Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night Football, leaving us with a 10-game featured slate. In the interest of time, particularly since so much went into the Saturday article, this article is a little more succinct this week, but you can trust that the same amount of effort went into the analysis.
NFL DFS Week 16 Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel
Best NFL DFS Week 16 Picks and Building Blocks: Quarterbacks
Justin Fields (Bears-Cardinals): DraftKings ($7,100, 15.4% ownership), FanDuel ($8,300, 18.6% ownership)
This week Justin Fields will be wildly popular in both tournaments and cash games (H2Hs, 50/50s, 3-mans, etc.). Though he has just one rushing touchdown in his four games since returning from a hand injury, Fields has averaged 12.3 carries and 62.8 rushing yards per game. Arizona has the 30th-ranked rushing and 31st-ranked passing DVOAs.
The only rushing quarterbacks who have gone against the Cardinals have been Daniel Jones in Week 2 and Lamar Jackson in Week 8. Even better, more often than not the Redbirds have allowed multiple passing touchdowns to opposing signal-callers. This is a dream matchup for the Bears, and a win will allow them to avoid postseason elimination for one more week.
Those looking to stack can pair Fields with DJ Moore or Cole Kmet, but that’s not a requirement in tournaments.
Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers-Jaguars): DraftKings ($6,000, 8.1% ownership), FanDuel ($7,300, 8.1% ownership)
Talk about wonky scenarios — thinking back to the beginning of the season, did anyone think we would be talking about Baker Mayfield positively with just three games left on the schedule? Across the last eight games, Mayfield has tossed multiple touchdowns on six occasions while regularly hitting the 250 passing yard mark. He will never add much with his legs, but he has made excellent use of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.Â
Jacksonville has benefited in the DVOA rankings from stellar play during the first half of the season, but the last few weeks have been dicey. Joe Flacco (311/3/1), Jake Browning (354/1/0) and C.J. Stroud (304/2/0) carved them up. Lamar Jackson threw for just 171 yards and a score last week, but Baltimore needed to attempt just 24 passes. Jackson also added 97 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Mayfield is at least on par with Flacco and Browning, plus he has shown he can be effective when his coaches give him a chance. Spectacular? That isn’t in the cards for Mayfield, but from a fantasy point-per-dollar perspective, he is far from a crazy choice.
Bucks Deluxe Plays
Tua Tagovailoa and Dak Prescott are squaring off in Miami on Sunday afternoon. Tyreek Hill has indicated he plans on playing, which would be a boost for Tagovailoa. This trio holds three of the top eight best MVP odds, per MVP race, per OddsShopper, which is just wild.
The Cowboys saw a five-game winning streak end last weekend. The Buffalo Bills crushed them, 31-10, with a whopping 266 rushing yards and three scores. There are definite holes in the Dallas defense, which also allowed both Sam Howell and Geno Smith to reach the 300-passing-yard milestone. Tagovailoa could be incredibly efficient with a healthy Hill and a strong running game with Raheem Mostert and rookie De’Von Achane.
On the other side, Prescott is coming off a disappointing game in which he failed to toss a touchdown for just the second time this season. The first time he did some came back in Week 1 when Dallas curb-stomped the Giants. Prescott also threw an interception last week, but it was just his seventh on the season and the second in the last seven games. It has been a while since the Dolphins have had to deal with a competent quarterback — their last five games have come against Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, Will Levis, Sam Howell, Tim Boyle and Aidan O’Connell.
Best NFL DFS Week 16 Picks and Building Blocks: Running Backs
While the superstars are lacking, there are several running backs with appealing matchups and salaries for the nine-game main slate.
Rachaad White continues to get one of the better workloads in the game, and his matchup against the Jaguars is not overly daunting. In his last seven games, White has scored in six, with four coming on the ground and three through the air. He also tallied 98-plus combined yards in six of those appearances, and his salary won’t break the bank. The luck is going to run out at some point — or will it?
Jonathan Taylor is ba-ack. Just in time, too, as Zack Moss has been ruled out with an arm injury. Taylor was on the injured list with a broken thumb, so he should be ready for a full workload. Atlanta is in shambles and even though this is a road game, there are very few demerits against Taylor.
Ty Chandler should get another crack at the lead role with Alexander Mattison banged up and questionable. Last week the rookie ripped off 132 yards on 23 totes, adding another 25 yards on three receptions. Detroit has not faced a strong rushing attack in seemingly forever, so it will be interesting to see how they handle Chandler. The Lions do have the fourth-best rushing DVOA, while the Vikings have the 28th-ranked rushing offense, so it won’t be a cakewalk — but the favorable $5,600 salary on DraftKings is relatively forgiving.
Chuba Hubbard has 22 or more carries in each of the last three games, and while he has just four total targets, that is one heck of a workload. Green Bay has allowed opposing running backs to roll up 100 combined yards and a touchdown in each of the last three weeks. Hubbard is the best fantasy point-per-dollar option on FanDuel as of Saturday afternoon.
Devin Singletary had 31 opportunities last week. While his passing game involvement has been all over the place, he is intriguing on FanDuel due to the half-PPR scoring format. He rates out better than Chandler for a savings of $700 on the blue site.
Best NFL DFS Week 16 Picks and Building Blocks: Wide Receivers
There are some interesting tidbits to cover as it comes to the more popular wideouts this week:
- Is CeeDee Lamb too expensive?
- How injured is Tyreek Hill, and can he cut on his ankle? If he is out, can Jaylen Waddle carry the load?
- Amon-Ra St. Brown sits at around 20% on both sites. Is he going overlooked?
- Can Justin Jefferson be trusted, or will he be blanketed again, leaving Jordan Addison as a perfect pivot?
- Michael Pittman is in a great spot — how often will the Colts look his way after his concussion?
- Does the return of Geno Smith do much to help DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
- Which Chris Godwin will appear? Can Baker Mayfield continue to support two WR1s?
- DJ Moore had three-straight 20-plus fantasy point performances in full-PPR before the dud against Cleveland. Is he a strong tournament play, particularly in lineups without Fields?
- Will Taylor Heinicke actually throw the ball to Drake London?
- Did Malik Heath become the cash game punt on DraftKings ($3,200) with Christian Watson and Jayden Reed ruled out and Dontayvion Wicks questionable?
Premium Members can check out all the other wide receiver options here.
Best NFL DFS Week 16 Picks and Building Blocks: Tight Ends
Trey McBride (Cardinals-Bears): DraftKings ($5,700, 20.4%), FanDuel ($7,000, 15.8%)
Marquise Brown (heel) is out for Sunday. Greg Dortch (shoulder) is questionable, and backup tight end Geoff Swaim hit the injured reserve with a calf injury. That means we are going to see a consolidated group of pass catchers for the Cardinals. In the full-PPR scoring format, Trey McBride has tallied 22-plus fantasy points in four of his last seven games. He is producing more than about half the WR1s in this timeframe, and even with his rising salary, there is still some room for profit potential on DraftKings.
McBride will likely be a mainstay in tournaments on FanDuel, with teams crafting Kyler Murray stacks taht have become cheaper and more consolidated with the various injuries. Michael Wilson and Rondale Moore are discounted receiving options that can be considered for cash games.
David Njoku (Browns-Texans): DraftKings ($5,300, 12.4%), FanDuel ($6,600, 9.1%)
David Njoku has become a mainstay in this section. He has continued to thrive with multiple quarterbacks throwing him the ball over the last few weeks. In his last two games, both of which featured Joe Flacco under center, Njoku has seen 22 targets, which he turned into 16 receptions, 195 yards and a trio of tuddies. Sam LaPorta and T.J. Hockenson are the two top projected options as they square off in climate-controlled US Bank Stadium.
Gamers are not likely to go to Flacco, which means Njoku will be underrepresented in tournaments as an un-stacked tight end.
Best NFL DFS Week 16 Picks and Building Blocks: Defense/Special Teams
Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns: DraftKings ($3,600, 4.1%), FanDuel ($4,000, 7.7%)
Houston has been outstanding, with 14 sacks, four interceptions and a fumble recovery over the last three games. Last week, Joe Flacco threw a trio of interceptions and was sacked four times by the Bears. That level of production is in play with the Texans, who do not seem to be picking up a lot of popularity, as of Saturday afternoon.
New York Jets vs. Washington Commanders: DraftKings ($3,100, 12.5%), FanDuel ($5,000, 11.6%)
The Jets look great on DraftKings, but they are spendy on FanDuel. Although this unit does not have a single takeaway in the last three games, they do have 11 sacks and are going against a porous Washington offensive line.
The Commanders know how to put the fun in dysfunction — even with Daniel Snyder out of the picture. New leader Josh Harris has presided over countless missteps all season, despite also having the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils among his many billionaire toys.
Jacoby Brissett has relieved starter Sam Howell in each of the last two games, which is surprising, considering those matchups were sandwiched by a bye week in which things could have been patched up. Head coach Ron Rivera is on the hot seat, and his likely replacement is standing right next to him in offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Washington has allowed 59 sacks this season, which is the third most in the league, behind both New York squads.
Expect another quick hook for Howell, but that doesn’t matter for the Jets D/ST.
As you get your best NFL DFS Week 16 picks and lineups prepped on DraftKings and FanDuel, Stokastic can help. We have more free DFS content on the NFL DFS homepage, premium DFS software including NFL Sims and the Lineup Generator, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.
You can also talk NFL DFS picks and strategy with the team and the rest of our sharp community on the Stokastic Discord!
