4 NFL FanDuel Value Plays to Target in Week 16
One of the crucial aspects of daily fantasy football is unearthing cheap production.
Our projections can help you do just that by allowing you to sort players by their point-per-dollar value. A lot of times, the top value plays come as a result of injury situations, meaning it's imperative to see inactives on Sunday morning before setting your lineups.
When looking for a salary-saving option, check out one of these main-slate players this week.
DeAndre Washington, RB, Raiders ($5,600)
With Josh Jacobs out this week, DeAndre Washington should be thrust into a bigger role and is one of the top running back value plays of Week 16.
When Jacobs was sidelined in Week 14, Washington saw 21 opportunities (14 carries and 7 targets) while playing 63.5% of the snaps. Washington is actually second on the team in target share (14.8%) in the three games without Hunter Renfrow, so he should be busy this weekend at the Los Angeles Chargers regardless of game script.
The ceiling here isn't all that great with the Oakland Raiders carrying a meager 19.5-point implied total. But the usage should be there, and the cheap salary makes it much easier to jam in Christian McCaffrey if you're going that route. Washington could also be a game-stack option as a way to run it back if you stack the Bolts.
Steven Sims, WR, Washington ($5,700)
It's not a great slate for cheap wideouts. One of the exceptions is Steven Sims.
For much of this season, Washington's offense has featured one fantasy-relevant wideout -- Terry McLaurin. That's changed a bit of late as Sims paces the team in target share over the last two weeks, being targeted on 34% of Dwayne Haskins' throws and accounting for 38% of the air yards, per AirYards.com, compared to a 22% target share and 33% air yards share for McLaurin.
Sims is shaping up as a nice GPP play this week with Washington at home versus a New York Giants defense that has allowed the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to wideouts. The masses might flock to McLaurin -- who has balled out in his rookie year and certainly could go off in this one -- but Sims' recent usage means he's more than capable of a big game, too.
I wouldn't touch Sims in cash since Haskins has shown he can implode in any matchup (156 passing yards and a pick at home versus the Detroit Lions in Week 12). Sims is firmly in play in GPPs, though.
Drew Lock, QB, Broncos ($7,300)
Drew Lock gets the pleasure of hosting the Lions, a defense that has allowed the sixth-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks as well as the third-most to wideouts. In short, their pass D is garbage, which was on full display last week as Breshad Perriman looked like Jerry Rice as he and Jameis Winston torched this Detroit secondary.
Yes, using a quarterback from a game with a 37.5-point total is scary, but Lock is going to find his way into some of my GPP lineups.
Outside of the matchup, maybe the best thing Lock has going for him is that he's easy to stack as you can pair him with Courtland Sutton, who has seen a 23.7% target share since the Denver Broncos made the change at quarterback.
Mike Gesicki, TE, Dolphins ($5,300)
If you were looking for a value plays piece that talked about guys in good offenses, I'm sorry to disappoint you.
The Miami Dolphins-Cincinnati Bengals game is kind of a fun one from a fantasy perspective. While the 46.5-point total isn't too high, there's some shootout potential here due to how bad these defenses have been for most of 2019, though Cincy's D has been better lately.
Mike Gesicki is a cheap way to get exposure to this game, and on a slate when DeVante Parker will likely be popular, Gesicki could fly under the radar. He's seeing decent volume, though, especially for a cheap tight end. In the last four games in which Parker finished (so excluding Week 14), Gesicki has logged a 17% target share and 23% air yards share, both of which are second on the team.
Whether you're stacking this game or need a cheap one-off play at tight end, Gesicki is worth considering.
