COVID and assorted injuries have created a plethora of good values for Week 16 for your daily fantasy football FanDuel lineups for Week 16.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals $7,100
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We all know what Joe Burrow is capable of. He and the Bengals are also facing a Baltimore Ravens secondary that is completely decimated. This Ravens group was absolutely shredded by Aaron Rodgers last week. There’s no reason to think Burrow won’t do the same. This week, Burrow costs the same as Jared Goff and costs less than Cam Newton. He is an amazing value.
Josh Johnson, QB, Baltimore Ravens $6,100
In the same game, and for even less money, you could have Josh Johnson being your quarterback. Earlier this season, when given the chance against the Indianapolis Colts, Johnson threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. If he does anything close to that against the Bengals, his value will be amazing. Of course, keep tabs on whether or not Lamar Jackson may start, but right now, with Tyler Huntley sidelined and with Jackson out of practice, the expectation is for Johnson to get the nod. And if that happens, Johnson is a solid value.
Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers $5,400
With Leonard Fournette out, Ronald Jones II is in. Last week, on eight rushes, Jones had 63 yards for a very healthy average. I expect the Bucs to come back from last week’s goose egg and to come back strong, which means the game script should eventually favor the running game and that’s where Jones steps in. He costs less this week than Mike Davis. Jones is the much better value.
Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers $5,400
For the same price as Jones, you can get Justin Jackson at running back and the value is also very solid. Austin Ekeler is out, leaving the carries there for Jackson, Joshua Kelley, and Larry Roundtree. Jackson did the most with his carries last week when Ekeler went down. Is he a guarantee? No, none of these value picks are guarantees, but against the Texans’ rush defense, I’ll take my chances that Jackson’s the man who has the highest chance to perform well statistically and there is a pretty decent ceiling for how well he will do.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Buffalo Bills $5,600
After missing a game with a knee injury, Sanders is back, but the reason for fantasy optimism is the fact that both Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis will be out. The Patriots are tough against the pass, but with the defensive focus likely going to be heavy on Stefon Diggs, that means opportunity for passes to go to Sanders.
Josh Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers $4,900
With both Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton being out, it looks like Palmer will be the main man behind Keenan Allen among Chargers receivers. The last time Palmer had opportunity due to injury, he had seven targets and five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Texans will likely focus a lot of defensive energy on Allen and trying to stop the run, leaving opportunities for Palmer.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles, $5,900
Tight ends are usually a good source for value, and Goedert is certainly a good one. The guy is a big-time target for Jalen Hurts, with 240 yards receiving and two touchdowns over his last two games.
Denver Broncos, DEF $3,800
With the plethora of value picks above, you can likely afford one of the more expensive defenses like the Eagles against the Giants or the Bucs against the Panthers. However, if you want a value play on defense, the Broncos are intriguing as a matchup against the Raiders. The Raiders offense has not scored more than two touchdowns in any of their last three games. I expect the Broncos to ground and pound in this game, for the Raiders struggling to stop that running game, for the Raiders to fall behind, and then the Broncos defense to have the potential to create turnovers. Derek Carr has certainly shredded the Broncos before, but with the Broncos’ D playing well for the most part of late, I see this game playing out differently.