Week 16 DFS Picks: Core Players and Best Plays

Every week, I will go through the players I am targeting to play in DFS for all games, tournaments, and game stacks.

The idea is that this will paint a clearer picture of framing lineups.

Our core players are the ones we will have the most exposure to at their respective positions.

They can be played in cash games and tournaments.

I will analyze the player selections and game writeups, but please refer to the Week 16 Worksheet for a detailed breakdown of the players and games.

Quarterback

Jared Goff ($8,100/$6,300)

Goff heads back home, where he has once again played his best football.

In Detroit, Goff has completed 70.4% of his passes (5th) for 8.4 Y/A (5th) and a 6.7% touchdown rate (4th).

The status of T.J. Watt is still impactful, especially here.

With Watt off the field over that span, the Steelers have allowed a 70.9% completion rate (31st), a league-high 8.7 Y/A, and a 5.5% touchdown rate (20th).

On top of Watt’s status being up in the air, Nick Herbig left Monday night with a hamstring injury.

Herbig has 7 sacks and the most quarterback hits (13) on the team.

Watt leads the team with 8 sacks and is second in quarterback hits (12).

If both Watt and Herbig are out, it would be a significant loss for this pass rush.

With Herbig off the field this season, the Steelers have allowed a 7.1% touchdown rate (31st).

When Goff has operated without pressure, he has completed 78.8% of his passes (2nd), for 8.7 Y/A (4th), and an 8.7% touchdown rate (2nd).

Jacoby Brissett ($7,500/$5,300)

This volume train keeps on moving.

Before Brissett even ran a play on Sunday, the Cardinals were already down 10-0.

After a three-and-out on that drive and then another Houston score in the first quarter, the game was 17-0, and we were off to the races again.

Brissett threw the ball 40 times, completing 27 passes (67.5%) for 249 yards (6.2 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns and an interception.

He closed the week as the QB12 (20.6 points), keeping his streak rolling as a top-12 scorer in nine straight games.

Brissett is averaging 42.8 pass attempts per game over his run as the starting quarterback.

Paired with a defense that has fallen apart and an injury-riddled backfield, the Cardinals have thrown the ball 8.3% over expectations, the highest rate in the league.

Over their past eight games, Atlanta has allowed 7.8 yards per pass attempt (24th) and a 5.9% touchdown rate (24th).

They are allowing 15.9 passing points per game over that stretch (26th).

C.J. Stroud ($7,200/$5,500)

Stroud delivered in a strong matchup at home on Sunday against Arizona, finishing the week as the QB8 (23.4 points).

Stroud matched a season-high with 9.0 yards per pass attempt, completing 22 of 29 passes (75.9%) for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns.

All of Stroud’s spike weeks have been in favorable spots coming in, which he has again here.

Houston is at home with another solid team total, while the Raiders have dropped off as the season winds down.

Over the past five weeks, the Raiders have allowed a league-high 75.4% completion rate, 8.1 yards per pass attempt (27th), and a 7.7% touchdown rate (31st).

Tyler Shough ($6,800) *FanDuel

I prefer Jacoby Brissett to Shough at a cheaper cost on DraftKings, but if you need the salary savings on FanDuel, Shough is a chunk of savings over there.

Shough has at least 17 fantasy points in four of his past five games.

Since Week 10, Shough has completed a league-high 70% of his passes for 7.4 yards per pass attempt (13th).

Shough has at least six rushing attempts in four straight games with 22, 18, 55, and 32 rushing yards over that span.

Shough gets another favorable spot as a home favorite against a Jets defense that just fired their defensive coordinator this week.

The Jets are 29th in passing points allowed per attempt (0.531), allowing 7.2 yards per pass attempt (21st) and a 6.1% touchdown rate (28th).

They are 30th in pressure rate (30.2%).

Running Back