NFL Fantasy Football DFS: Best FanDuel and DraftKings lineup advice for December 23rd | NFL Week 16
Week 15 in fantasy football just ended on Tuesday; but here we are, ready to go for the first game of Week 16 with Thursday Night Football.
Last week saw a huge spike in COVID-19 cases, putting more than 70 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This week is no different, with several more players being added on Wednesday, and a few will impact Thursday's matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans.
Fantasy Football Week 16 FanDuel/DraftKings DFS advice for Thursday Night Football
Luckily, DraftKings and FanDuel DFS tournaments allow you to play fantasy football without worrying about injuries or COVID-19 status. You can pick a fresh roster daily from an entire pool of players for the whole week or for specific games.
With players such as AJ Brown and Elijah Mitchell likely out for Thursday night due to COVID-19, here is some advice for building your own fantasy football DFS lineup for Thursday.
MVP/Captain - WR Deebo Samuel - $14,500 (FanDuel)/$17,400 (DraftKings)
How unique of a weapon is Deebo Samuel?
Most Rush TD by a WR with 1,000 Rec Yards in a single season:
Deebo Samuel 7 (2021)
Lance Alworth 2 (1964)
Tyreek Hill 2 (2020)
Jerry Rice 2 (1994)
42 tied 1 https://t.co/eL78fgzWdJ
Deebo Samuel is the best fantasy football player for Thursday night and a much better option for MVP than either quarterback. He continues to be a master of the run game and passing attack and has not had a single game with fewer than 10 fantasy football points through 15 weeks. Samuel is the second-best receiver in fantasy, behind only Cooper Kupp. Against the Titans, he is a bonafide WR2 with the potential for 20+ points.
Also read: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy outlook: Chris Godwin injury impact
RB D'Onta Foreman - $11,500 (FanDuel)/$7,600 (DraftKings)
On the first Sunday of the fantasy playoffs, here were the leading rushers:
馃張Craig Reynolds 112
馃張Jeff Wilson 110
馃張D鈥橭nta Foreman 108
馃張Duke Johnson 107
D'Onta Foreman is no longer on the injury report for the Titans and should be the starter for Thursday. He still leads the backfield with Dontrell Hilliard and Jeremy McNichols playing supporting roles. He has 14+ fantasy football points in his last two games, with 108 rushing yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The San Francisco 49ers might not allow him to have 100+ yards, but he will see plenty of touches since the passing game is possibly going to be missing AJ Brown.
WR Julio Jones - $10,000 (FanDuel)/$6,800 (DraftKings)
Julio Jones was a full participant in practice for the #Titans, despite leaving Sunday鈥檚 game with a hamstring injury.
Speaking of AJ Brown, Julio Jones is also set to take advantage of his possible absence in Week 16. Jones was not expected to be available for Thursday's game, but he has healed surprisingly well from his hamstring injury.
Jones has yet to score a touchdown this season and is quite injury prone. His fantasy football score will be padded with extra targets and hopefully his first touchdown.
TE George Kittle - $13,000 (FanDuel)/$11,200 (DraftKings)
George Kittle has 63 catches this season. 74% of those resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. #49ers https://t.co/Rg1RIektEY
While Deebo Samuel is spending time in the backfield, George Kittle has bounced back in a huge way to once again be a top-three tight end in fantasy football. He had his best game of 2021 in Week 13 with 181 yards and two scores. Then he had 151 yards and a touchdown the following week with 93 yards lat week after catching all six of his targets. Kittle should be viewed as a must-have TE1 against the Titans.
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine - $7,500 (FanDuel)/$5,400 (DraftKings)
.@Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the team鈥檚 final offensive play in Pittsburgh, when he was stopped a yard short. https://t.co/gGkCXYzvj6
Even if AJ Brown (COVID-19) is available, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine should see plenty of targets.
Julio Jones can't be trusted to finish a game without an injury anymore, and Brown might not be 100 percent himself.
Westbrook-Ikhine had seven targets last week but managed just 32 yards. The upside is the Titans will be focusing more on Jones and possibly Brown, which could allow NWI to have a sneaky good fantasy football outing.
RB JaMycal Hasty - $1,200 (DraftKings)
RB Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee) is not at #49ers practice. Likely an indication he will not be available on Sunday. Another game of Jeff Wilson, Deebo Samuel and JaMycal Hasty.
As for the final member of the DraftKings roster, JaMycal Hasty is a cheap option. He's coming off a game with negative fantasy football points thanks to a fumble; but with Elijah Mitchell out, he will get a chance at redemption.
Jeff Wilson is expected to start, but the 49ers have been rotating several running backs this season since no one can remain consistent. Hasty is at risk of scoring minimal points, but he could also have a good day if Wilson has a bad one.
Total Budgets: $56,500 of $60,000 FanDuel / $49,600 of $50,000 DraftKings
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 16 TV Schedule