Yahoo DFS Football: Week 16 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 16 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The NFL's Week 16 schedule differs from the preceding weeks, with three games Saturday after 1:00 PM Eastern time, then 12 games scheduled for the Sunday slate beginning at 1:00 PM Eastern and one Monday night game as usual. The three Saturday games are Texans-Buccaneers, Bills-Patriots and Rams-49ers, while the Packers and Vikings will face off Monday. This will almost certainly be the last week of the season with a full complement of options available, as some playoff-bound teams will likely opt to rest prominent starters in Week 17, so take advantage of the full selection while you still have it. Some of the options primed to produce in this one include a star wide receiver who broke a touchdown drought last week, a workhorse running back facing a defense that can't stop the run and a reinvigorated defense ready to pummel a third-string quarterback

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL

QB: Drew Lock, DEN vs. DET ($30): Lock struggled in snowy Kansas City last week, but he gets a tremendous bounce-back opportunity in what will be his fourth NFL start, as the visiting Lions come in having lost seven in a row. Opposing quarterbacks have a 16:3 TD:INT against the injury-riddled Lions secondary over that seven-game stretch, and two of them threw for at least 444 yards. Lock has shown himself to be competent with a 300-yard, three-touchdown game in Houston already under his belt, and it's possible the rookie will be able to conjure up a similar performance here.

RB: Nick Chubb, CLE vs. BAL ($26): Chubb is the league's leading rusher with 1,408 yards on the ground, and he rumbled for 165 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore back in Week 4. What we've seen from these two teams since suggests a repeat performance is unlikely, but Chubb has already proven himself capable of delivering against this defense once, so his ceiling is tremendous as the Sunday slate's eighth-priciest healthy running back.

WR: Amari Cooper, DAL at PHI ($27): Cooper has pulled three disappearing acts in his last five games, but he's still tied for eighth in receiving yards (1,073) and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (eight) league-wide. The Cowboys acquired him to win games like this one, as a victory here would wrap up the NFC East crown for Dallas while an Eagles win would put Philadelphia in the driver's seat, as both teams come in 7-7 with the Cowboys having won their first meeting. That Week 7 clash was one of four games this season in which Cooper topped 100 yards, and he has a good chance of doing so again considering the Eagles have allowed the seventh-most yards (2,440) and third-most touchdowns (20) to wide receivers.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Jameis Winston (TB, $37), Patrick Mahomes (KC, $34)

RB: Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $30), Miles Sanders (PHI, $17), Kenyan Drake (ARI, $20)

WR: A.J. Brown (TEN, $26), Robert Woods (LAR, $19), DeVante Parker (MIA, $23)

TE: Darren Waller (OAK, $18), Greg Olsen (CAR, $16)

DST: New Orleans Saints (at TEN, $17), Cincinnati Bengals (at MIA, $13)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Philip Rivers, LAC vs. OAK ($28): Rivers has been turnover-prone of late, but he's topped 300 passing yards in three of his past four games and will take on an Oakland defense that's allowing 262.4 passing yards (sixth most) and 27.6 points (fifth most) per game. The advantage of the sunny Los Angeles weather is magnified now that some locations are dealing with snow and heavy winds, and the Chargers should have no problem moving the ball against a Raiders team that comes in having lost four in a row by a combined score of 136-49.

RUNNING BACK

Marlon Mack, IND vs. CAR ($25): Mack submitted a clunker against the stout Saints front Monday, but he gets an ideal bounce-back opportunity against Carolina's league-worst run defense. The Panthers' 1,726 rushing yards allowed to running backs are six fewer than Miami's league-worst total, and Carolina has allowed a whopping 23 rushing scores to the position while no other team has given up more than 14. Things have only gotten worse for the Panthers of late, as each of their past three opponents have had their top two running backs combine for at least 146 yards and two touchdowns, with a pair of individual two-touchdown performance mixed in over that span. Mack is Indianapolis' go-to option on the ground, averaging 18 carries per game.

DeAndre Washington, OAK at LAC ($16): Washington filled in admirably for Josh Jacobs (shoulder) in Week 14, turning 14 carries and six receptions into 96 scrimmage yards and a touchdown against the Titans. Jacobs made his return last week but has already been ruled out for this one, paving the way for Washington to take on a leading role against a Chargers run defense that has allowed 15 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns to the running back position -- tied for fourth most in the league.

WIDE RECEIVER

Julio Jones, ATL vs. JAX ($30): Jones entered last week's game against San Francisco mired in a nine-game touchdown drought, but he broke out of it in emphatic fashion, catching 13 balls for 134 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner late. His dry spell was preceded by a stretch of nine touchdowns in seven games, so there's a good chance Jones is able to stay hot through the remainder of the season. The Falcons have the third-fewest rushing yards in the league, so they're likely to rely on Jones and the aerial attack against a Jaguars team that's been outscored 190-77 in its last six games.

Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. NYG ($22): The Giants are tied with the Eagles for third-most touchdowns allowed to wide receivers with 20, and their 2,578 yards allowed to the position are fourth most. These stats came before the team parted ways with No. 1 cornerback Janoris Jenkins, so New York's secondary should be even more exploitable now. McLaurin has a touchdown in each of the past two weeks and 187 yards over that span. The rookie has established himself as Washington's No. 1 wide receiver and should thrive in this favorable matchup.

Breshad Perriman, TB vs. HOU ($20): If you're playing the Saturday slate, Perriman's a must-have option at the wide receiver position. He took full advantage of an increased role in last week's win over the Lions after Mike Evans injured his hamstring in the previous game, finishing with 113 yards and three touchdowns. With the Buccaneers losing two more wide receivers -- Chris Godwin and Scott Miller -- to hamstring injuries, Perriman should be the primary target for quarterback Jameis Winston, who has thrown for over 450 yards in each of the past two games.

TIGHT END

Jacob Hollister, SEA vs. ARI ($19): The Cardinals have been absolutely terrible at defending tight ends. Arizona has allowed a league-high 998 yards to the position, and the only other team over 875 yards is Hollister's own Seattle squad at 941. Things have been even worse for Arizona in the touchdown department, as tight ends have gotten into the end zone 15 times against the Cardinals while no other team has even reached double digits. Will Dissly led the Seahawks with 57 receiving yards and scored a touchdown when these teams met back in Week 4, but he's on injured reserve now, paving the way for Hollister to deliver a similar, if not better, performance.

DEFENSE

Denver Broncos, DEN vs. DET ($13): Unlike some teams that are just playing out the string, the Broncos are looking to build some momentum late in the season after turning to their rookie second-rounder at quarterback. Denver's defense has looked much more inspired in the three games started by Lock, averaging 9.3 fantasy points. Another strong performance should be forthcoming against a Lions team that's been forced to turn to third-stringer David Blough under center. The Vikings scored 13 fantasy points against Blough in Week 14, while the Buccaneers managed 15 in Week 15.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Russell Wilson (SEA, $37), Jimmy Garoppolo (SF, $30)

RB: Joe Mixon (CIN, $28), Saquon Barkley (NYG, $29), Mark Ingram (BAL, $25)

WR: Tyler Boyd (CIN, $24), Courtland Sutton (DEN, $24), DeAndre Hopkins (HOU, $39)

TE: George Kittle (SF, $26), Tyler Higbee (LAR, $19)

DST: New York Jets (vs. PIT, $16), Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI, $18)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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