Week 16 is here, and with it comes the flexing of NFL regular-season games. We got to enjoy one slate with more than a dozen games a week ago. But for Week 16, we’re back to 11 games as the NFL is offering up a two-game NFL slate on Saturday, going head-to-head with the college football playoff. 

We don’t have as many big favorites for Week 16 as we did for Week 15. And injuries also took the league by storm this past Sunday as polarizing players such as Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons saw their respective seasons come to an end. So that shapes how we view some matchups for some crucial fantasy football playoff matchups. Let’s take a look at the latest NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Coach for DraftKings and FanDuel to stuff your stockings with a little extra green!

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Coach for FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

What a difference a week makes! Last week’s 13-game slate delivered an abundance of D/ST’s to consider as huge favorites. This week delivers two, arguably three, that are considered to be heavy favorites. And we also have some matchups with higher implied totals. Only four of the 11 games on the main slate feature game totals under 43 points, so while there are less obvious plays for Week 16, we still have some well-defined cash game plays and GPP options for the NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Coach.

 

NFL DFS D/ST Top Tier Pick for Week 16

Buffalo Bills

DraftKings: $3,500 | FanDuel: $4,900

I can’t say the Bills are a great play, but they’re certainly in play for the NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Coach. The matchup is ripe for the picking, and it’ll be in the elements in Northeast Ohio. However, they have given up 30+ points to four of their last six opponents, and you can still run on this defense.

The matchup against the Cleveland Browns will catch everybody’s eye. I know we’re all cheering for Shedeur Sanders to amount to something, but he’s thrown six interceptions in five appearances, and in three-of-four starts, he’s completed under 60% of his pass attempts. He’s also been sacked 10 times in his last three games.

The Bills are sizable 10-point road favorites, and the Browns have an implied team total of 16.25 points for this AFC matchup. The Bills are a fine play, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one or two of the value recommendations this week put up more points than Buffalo in Week 16.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Mid-Tier Picks for Week 16

Kansas City Chiefs

DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,800

The Chiefs are a tough sell on FanDuel at this price. It feels a bit more manageable on DraftKings. But never fret. There’s a phenomenal value play on FanDuel this week that you can pivot to.

While the Chiefs' season will end without a playoff appearance, the defense still has potential. And I do have a little concern that they could take their foot off the gas and maybe just preserve the health of their star players ahead of next season. But this defense has played well the last two weeks. Against the Chargers and the Texans, they held both teams to under 300 yards of offense and just 36 total points between the two. Moreover, they recorded seven total sacks in those two games.

This week, they draw an easier matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have been playing better, but the offense is still run by Cam Ward, who is susceptible to rookie mistakes. He’s been sacked 49 times and only thrown 11 total touchdowns this season. I don’t love the upside here, but there’s a reasonable expectation that they might finish with 8-to-10 fantasy points.

Dallas Cowboys

DraftKings: $2,900 | FanDuel: $4,200

The Dallas Cowboys' defense isn’t very good. We know teams can run up the score, and they still provide great game environments for fantasy football. However, on the other side of this week’s matchup is the Los Angeles Chargers offense.

Justin Herbert has been struggling of late. Yes, he’s still a threat on the ground. But like Cam Ward, Herbert’s been sacked 49 times as well, and even when he’s getting rid of the ball, he’s still getting drilled because of the injuries to his offensive line.

He’s thrown an interception in four straight games while averaging 145.25 passing yards per game, and he’s completing just barely over 60% of his pass attempts in that span. The Chargers have leaned more on the ground game of late, and Dallas is allowing just over 101 rushing yards per game over their last three contests.  Quinnen Williams has been a tremendous addition to the defense. If the Chargers struggle, I like getting some exposure to the Cowboys D/ST at home for Week 16.

 

 

 

NFL Week 16 DFS D/ST Value Pick

Atlanta Falcons 

DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $3,600

The Falcons come with variance, but we can lean into that for the NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Coach. They boast a pretty strong pass rush, and the run defense has been better of late. A big reason why I like spending down to the Falcons this week is due to the fact that they have a little extra rest. Sure, this is another road game for them, but they played on Thursday Night Football in Week 15, got a big win, and were afforded a couple of extra days to rest up for this trip to face the Arizona Cardinals.

I will acknowledge this game has an implied total of 47.5 points, and that’s pretty high compared to some other games. But the Falcons have three performances of double-digit fantasy points in their last seven games, and those came against the likes of the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and New Orleans Saints. In five of their last seven games, they have also had at least five sacks. If we’re getting that kind of disruptive pass rush at a low price, then I’ll take some shots and correlate them with Bijan Robinson. But this is strictly a GPP play, so let’s try to find a cash game play for those still playing that kind of contest in Week 16.

New Orleans Saints

FanDuel: $3,500

Apparently, FanDuel missed the memo on how bad Brady Cook has been in his two starts because this is a soft price tag. We do need to be mindful of who the Jets actually start at quarterback this week. If they’re interested in getting a good draft pick, then maybe Cook is the way to go. If you go with Tyrod Taylor or Justin Fields, you’re probably putting yourself at risk of winning some games, which is quite the statement.

The Saints are the third-most expensive D/ST on the slate on DraftKings. If you can fit them in, then they’re a fine play. But this is such a tremendous value on FanDuel, especially if Cook gets the start after throwing five interceptions in his last two games.

The Saints D/ST also plays much better at home than on the road. They’re giving up just 20.4 points per game in the home dome as opposed to 26.1 points per game on the road, and they average nearly twice as many fantasy points per game at home (7.6) compared to when they’re away from the bayou (3.9).

Tennessee Titans

DraftKings: $2,500 | FanDuel: $3,000

The Titans probably emerge as a trendy paydown option this week, especially for cash games. Do I like the ceiling? Not particularly. But they do get a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs, who will not have Patrick Mahomes for this matchup. Plenty of analysts have said all week that the Chiefs' skill position players should be downgraded because of the quarterback situation. So why not upgrade the Titans' defense a little bit?

The Chiefs have nothing to play for at this point, considering they’ve officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Are the Titans anything special on defense? Of course not. They’ve allowed 66 points and 842 total yards of offense in their last two games. But for such a cheap price tag, you can maybe get five or six fantasy points at home against an offense with nothing to play for. It may actually benefit the Chiefs just to try and improve their draft stock at this point and reload for when Mahomes is able to return next season.

And if you find yourself needing a little more salary relief on DraftKings, then consider the New York Jets, who go on the road and play the Saints, but I’m inclined to believe the Titans offer the better floor for fantasy football. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Fade for Week 16

Jacksonville Jaguars

DraftKings: $2,900 | FanDuel: $4,400

I did give some consideration to putting the Jaguars in the article above, but I may have been trying to big-brain the matchup too much. This team has to go on the road to Denver, of all places, and play at elevation. And this Denver offense has been hitting its stride of late.

Now I know the Jaguars have been playing very well of late. They’ve held their last three opponents to under 300 yards of offense in each game, and in that span, they allowed a total of 42 points to be scored on them. But they’ve played the Jets, Colts, and Titans in that span. So I can’t say I’m too surprised they forced eight takeaways and a safety in those games.

I’m dialing back exposure on this D/ST for Week 16. I still think Jacksonville has a chance to win this game, but I don’t see the defense providing the production they have the last few weeks.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 16 D/ST Play of the Week

Houston Texans

DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,000

In recent weeks, I’ve mostly gone back and forth, alternating between the Seattle Seahawks and the Houston Texans as the NFL DFS D/ST Play of the Week. The trend continues this week, and I really did not want to go with this play again. But the Seahawks are off the main slate, and the Texans are in a great matchup. So while I don’t want to keep leaning on this team as the Play of the Week, I look at the rest of the slate and ask myself, “What else really is there?”

They host the Las Vegas Raiders, who have an implied team total of 12 points as of Wednesday morning, and that’s one of the lowest we’ve seen all season. If Geno Smith remains sidelined with his shoulder injury, then the Raiders will likely turn to Kenny Pickett once again, who averaged just 2.6 yards per pass attempt in a largely embarrassing performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.

The Texans' sack totals aren’t elite, but the Raiders do have one of the worst offensive lines in the league. The Texans have held six of their last eight opponents to under 20 points, and that seems like an easy trend they should continue in Week 16 as the Raiders limp to the end of the season.