NFL Week 16 DFS lineup advice feat. J.J. McCarthy, Audric Estime, Mike Evans and More

So your season-long team failed to make the playoffs. Big deal. Now you can focus on making some real cash in Daily Fantasy Sports. There are several different slates to choose from, thanks to the expanded Saturday schedule. This article will focus on the DraftKings Sunday main slate.

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I’ll give you my favorite players to build your lineups around. Have some fun this weekend, and if you hit the big one, remember where you got the advice.

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NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans - Source: Imagn

Quarterback

Jacoby Brissett ($5300) - The numbers don’t lie. Brissett drops back more than any quarterback in the league. Eight of his nine starts have resulted in 250+ yards. The one that didnt was 249 yards. He’s an every-week top-12 finisher and plays for a team that simply can’t run the ball. He won’t break the slate by any means, but if you’re looking for 15-20 points at a price that isn’t going to break the bank. Atlanta has allowed five touchdown passes over their last two weeks. Sign me up for another two scores and 250 yards for Brissett on Sunday. It might be too pricey to stack Brissett with Trey McBride ($7600), but you can squeeze Michael Wilson ($6900) or Marvin Harrison Jr. ($5600).

J.J. McCarthy ($4900) - A few weeks ago, this might have seemed insane. If you’ve watched the Vikings games of late, you know that McCarthy has back-to-back 20+ point weeks. It’s not on a crazy number of dropbacks either. McCarthy has been incredibly efficient with his limited opportunities. It’s also helped that he’s playing a very easy part of his schedule. This week, Minnesota faces a Giants team that is barely showing up at this point. New York, on the season, allows the second-most points to QBs. An interesting note is how quarterbacks have gotten the G-Men on the ground. Four times this year, a quarterback has run for at least 40 yards versus New York. McCarthy can get out of the pocket and use his legs for fantasy points. He has three rushing touchdowns, including one last week. I’m a fan of McCarthy stacked with Justin Jefferson ($6000), who is incredibly cheap and due for a big week.

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Running Back

De’Von Achane ($8800) - I get that he’s priced as the most expensive back on the slate, but with good reason. He’s going to likely touch the ball 20+ times with Quinn Ewers under center for Miami. Achane has six consecutive games with over 100 total scrimmage yards. Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, Achane will do whatever he wants against the Bengals. No team allows more fantasy points to running backs than Cincinnati. If you look at the teams that have allowed the most rushing yards on the season, guess who tops the list? Yup, the Bengals. Achane is going nuclear.

Audric Estime ($5000) - If you want to save a few dollars and get a back who should see starter-level carries, add the young journeyman from Notre Dame. Estime ran for 50 yards and a score and had three catches in Devin Neal’s absence. The key between Estime and Evan Hull in terms of the backfield split is who plays on passing downs and the hurry-up offense, which, to his point, has been Estime. I’m not going overboard, but the price is right, and if he scores, he’s going to return great value for you. If you want to be very contrarian and cheap, you could build a lineup with Evan Hull, who actually handled 37% of the Saints’ carries after the Devin Neal injury.

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Wide Receiver

Mike Evans ($6300) - Welcome back, Big Mike! Fresh off a collarbone injury, Evans posted 132 yards on 12 total targets. That’s what you call being the foundation of the passing game. If the Bucs want to get their season back on track, they’ll continue to feed Evans. Panthers corner Jaycee Horn is a high-quality player, and his presence will scare off ownership from Evans in tournaments. That’s why I’m buying. Evans is nearly matchup-proof with his size and prowess around the goal line. Anytime someone can draw a 36% target share after missing for over a month is elite.

Chris Olave ($6500) - It’s been a low-key great year for Olave with subpar quarterback play. Making the most of his targets, Olave is WR8 in PPR on the season. For DFS, I love him against a Jets secondary that just got lit up for five touchdowns by Trevor Lawrence. Credit rookie Tyler Shough for getting the ball to his best player. Since the Saints’ Week 12 BYE, Olave is 7th among all wideouts in average targets per game (8.9). Olave is the only game in town with injuries across the offense. It wouldn’t surprise me if Olave saw 15 targets on Sunday.

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Tight End

Harold Fannin Jr. ($4500) - I get that the Bills are very good against the tight end, but this price and Fannin’s usage make me itching to take a shot. Since Week 12, Fannin is second among all tight ends in targets per route run. Targets are truly the name of the game for Fannin. He’s seen 25 balls come his way in his last two games. Cleveland doesn’t have many playmakers. In a game they’ll likely be trailing, I know Sheduer Sanders is going to focus on his rookie tight end. With touchdowns in two of his last three, I’m not scared off, as Fannin is the only player in this Cleveland passing game who can threaten a defense.

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Defense

If you’re looking to spend up, the Texans ($4000) are the most expensive and for good reason. One of the best defenses in the league will face the dumpster fire that is the Las Vegas Raiders. There’s an opportunity for 15+ fantasy points against a non-competitive Raiders unit. If you want to save more money, look at the Falcons ($2700), who will face the Cardinals' offense that has allowed Jacoby Brissett to be sacked 31 times in nine starts.

Edited by Brian Drake