Fantasy Football Week 16 DFS Optimal Lineup

Good morning, afternoon, or evening loyal LAFB Network readers. The NFL season is coming to a close in a few weeks. If you’re in the championship game, hurrah. If not, maybe that’s why you’re here. Daily fantasy gives us the opportunity to redraft our teams each week making it an easy coping mechanism for less than good teams.

This week’s article is, of course, going off of the DraftKings App using the Sat-Mon game option. Its 14 games instead of the 16 so be mindful of that just in case you were all in on Jameis Winston or the Patriots D.

Fantasy Football Week 16 DFS Optimal Lineup

Quarterback

(DEN) Drew Lock vs Detroit Lions – $5,600

Anyone else ready for the backup bowl? I sure am. Both Lock and David Blough started their season’s on the bench and look at them now; starters in the National Football League. Funny enough, they also started the same week; Week 13. I like Lock this week though because of his opponent.

The Lions have been torched this season when it comes to passing defense. Currently, they rank 4^th worst against opposing QBs, offering up an average of 23.1 points a game. The Lions have also allowed 17 TDs through the air compared to the 6 picks they have on the season. This may be the battle of the backups but this backup has the defense on his side (And Lock looks to be the future of the Broncos).

Alternative QBs: Gardner Minshew II @ Atlanta Falcons – $5,500, Jimmy Garoppolo vs Los Angeles Rams – $5,500

Running Back

(MIN) Mike Boone vs Green Bay Packers – $4,900

My next couple of picks are going to be coming off the Waiver Wire. Dalvin Cook has a shot at not suiting up this Monday night for the Vikings, Packers divisional rivalry. In his absence, Mike Boone should take the lead back role. Boone is super affordable because of the question mark on Cook’s status and I’m picking him because I think Cook won’t play. The Viking rush offense is something you want to be a part of so plug in the band-aide and move along.

Alternative RB: Damien Williams @ Chicago Bears – $4,800

(OAK) DeAndre Washington @ Los Angeles Chargers – $4,000

The next pickup off the DFS Waiver Wire is Mr. Washington. No, it is not the man on the $1 Bill, but it is the man coming in to replace Josh Jacobs for the Oakland offense. The last time Washington was the leader of the backfield, Week 14, he dominated.

21.6 total fantasy points: 14 attempts for 53 yards and a TD, plus 6 receptions for 43 yards. Washington is a loud bang for your DraftKings buck. Plug and play.

Alternative RB: Royce Freeman vs Detroit Lions – $4,000

Wide Receiver

(NO) Michael Thomas @ Tennessee Titans – $9,300

Here’s where the fun begins. My next few picks are bangers and I wanted to capitalize on the RB Waiver Wire pickups with top tier WRs. Thomas is my first selection. Currently, Michael Thomas is averaging 24 fantasy points whenever he suits up and last week he did not disappoint. He finished with 30.8 points, making it 2 straight weeks in a row where Thomas has scored 30+ points. Tag in the top WR in the game for this week’s action.

Alternative WR: Tyreek Hill @ Chicago Bears – $7,900

(ATL) Julio Jones vs Jacksonville Jaguars – $8,000

Julio Jones is my next banger for this week’s DFS Optimal Lineup and there’s no question why. Last week he contributed to more than 50% of Matt Ryan’s passes. Jones finished the game with 20 targets, 13 receptions, 134 receiving yards, and 2 TDs. Finally, he found the endzone after 9 weeks of being absent from it. Obviously Jones won’t get the same insane target share this upcoming week, but you never know. It seems to work out when the Falcons feed Julio the ball so why stop now?

Alternative WR: Tyler Lockett vs Arizona Cardinals – $7,600

(DEN) Courtland Sutton vs Detroit Lions – $6,200

My third banger for my lineup is Courtland Sutton. I definitely want to get the combo action from Lock and Sutton, and who better than on the Lions defense. The Lions currently rank 30^th in the NFL when it comes to opposing WRs in fantasy football. That’s a happy day for Courtland Sutton because other than he, Noah Fant and Phillip Lindsay, the Broncos don’t have much going for their offense.

They have the rookie QB, who is also my DFS QB, but it is clear that when other playmakers have the ball in their hands, they are the ones who John Elway can trust to lead the Broncos to victory. Sutton has been up and down lately but that shouldn’t keep you from plugging in the 1,000 receiving yard WR into your lineup.

Alternative WR: Terry McLaurin vs New York Giants – $6,200

Tight End

(MIA) Mike Gesicki vs Cincinnati Bengals – $3,600

Mike Gesicki, though not one of my lineup bangers, is definitely a TE that I want to get my hands on. Since Week 8, Gesicki has not logged a football game without at least 5 targets. That’s 7 weeks straight of Ryan Fitzpatrick feeding Mike Gesicki the ball because of the Dolphins being down and trying to play catch-up. It also helps to know that the Bengals currently allow an average of at least 10.6 fantasy points to the TE. 10 points might not be enough to win your fantasy championship but it is certainly enough for the value of Mike Gesicki.

Alternative TEs: Kaden Smith @ Washington Redskins – $3,200, Tyler Eifert @ Miami Dolphins – $3,200

FLEX

(CLE) Jarvis Landry vs Baltimore Ravens – $6,000

That’s right. Jarvis Landry is my last banger for this week’s DFS lineup. How can you pass up the Browns’ number 1 receiver and not put him in your FLEX? Because he’s going against the Ravens? Yes, I suppose so, but if we’re assuming that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are going to win, I want the guy Baker Mayfield is going to try and heave it to for the big plays. Odell Beckham Jr. has had his chance in Cleveland to play up to his draft status but has yet to show promise. With his absence, Landry has stepped up for the Browns in a huge way.

Alternative FLEX: Devonta Freeman vs Jacksonville Jaguars – $6,000, Mark Andrews @ Cleveland Browns – $5,900, Anthony Miller vs Kansas City Chiefs – $5,900

D/ST

Carolina Panthers @ Indianapolis Colts – $2,400

If you have followed me this far then you know 2.4K is our leftover sum. Naturally, the Panthers don’t look like that bad of an option considering a couple of things. First, the Colts have gone from Jacoby Brissett successfully leading the offense to a team that has lost four games in a row. Second, the Colts don’t exactly have the most capable weapons for Brissett to thrive so turnovers could be in the script. With Brissett getting worse by the week, the Panthers D looks mighty tasty.

Alternative D/ST: Oakland Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers – $2,300

This week I obviously played a little riskier than previous DFS articles. Pairing Thomas and Jones was a big leap but then adding Sutton and Landry were some huge moves but can’t be done without the low prices of Mike Boone and DeAndre Washington.

If playing this loose gets you feeling a little queasy with your money on the line, other position combinations could also be successful to play around with. If you take out Mike Boone and Michael Thomas, that frees up $14,200. With that 14K, you could pair Chris Carson and Emmanuel Sanders, Ezekiel Elliott and Keenan Allen, or even Leonard Fournette and D.J. Moore.

Playing the injury card has benefitted me greatly in this DFS lineup but if your preference is to go with more stable players, by all means tweak the guide. I wanted to load up my WRs because of the injuries surrounding the league. My lineup would definitely be a high risk/reward play this week but why not? There’s only a couple more weeks of football, might as well have fun with them.