DraftKings And FanDuel Week 16 Fantasy Football Picks, Sleepers, And Busts

DraftKings and FanDuel will continue to operate their daily fantasy football leagues during Week 16 of the NFL season, but they are under fire from a few different states regarding their legality. While players from New York and Illinois may soon be unable to take part in daily fantasy football leagues at DraftKings and FanDuel, Week 16 appears to be fair game for those who live in one of the unlucky states. Since Week 17 is often a time where teams rest starters or limit their playing time, Week 16 might be the last chance for fantasy football participants to choose from a full selection of players before the playoffs. Here are some of the top picks, sleepers, and busts that you should target in your daily fantasy football league for Week 16. Matthew Berry of ESPN and David Guidera of Bleacher Report inspired the picks.

Top Picks:

QB – Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars)

QB – Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)

RB – DeAngelo Williams (Pittsburgh Steelers)

RB – Tim Hightower (New Orleans Saints)

WR – Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers)

WR – DeSean Jackson (Washington Redskins)

TE – Julius Thomas (Jacksonville Jaguars)

"After this game against the New Orleans Saints, Blake Bortles will be a fantasy god."-@Akbar_Gbaja pic.twitter.com/3uoTpR7wIA

— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 25, 2015

As you can see from Berry’s recommendations, the more players that you have from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the better off your team is going to be. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has been a fantasy football monster the entire season, and he is facing the awful New Orleans Saints defense in Week 16. His tight end Julius Thomas finally appears to be healthy, and he will get a large chunk of targets in the red zone. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are coming off of an impressive offensive performance against the Broncos elite defense, and should not have any problems putting up points against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that appears to have packed things in for the year.

"It can’t get better than going back to Philly.” Healthy and back to big-play form, DeSean returning to the Linc: https://t.co/VZx9ln838q

— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) December 22, 2015

Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson is always looking for revenge against his former team, and the Philadelphia Eagles are coming into the game with an injured defensive secondary. Finally healthy, Jackson appears to be poised for a huge game and his quarterback Kirk Cousins is playing better than ever. Finally, Saints running back Tim Hightower is another strong pick in DraftKings and FanDuel leagues. While he is not anything close to a top talent, he is expected to get the majority of carries, which is half the battle when it comes to fantasy football.

Sleeper Picks:

QB – Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins)

RB – Joique Bell (Detroit Lions)

WR – Rueben Randle (New York Giants)

WR – Jermaine Kearse (Seattle Seahawks)

TE – Will Tye (New York Giants)

While Kirk Cousins has been gaining attention lately as a viable fantasy football starting quarterback, many experts are still skeptical about his abilities. He may have struggled on the road, but he has a great matchup this week against the Philadelphia Eagles and their depleted secondary. With seven other quarterbacks more expensive in FanDuel, you will not have to break the bank for what might be the highest scoring quarterback of the weekend. While Lions running back Joique Bell has been a massive disappointment this year, he did have his best game of the season last week. Even though he is still a risky pick, he has the potential to give you a great game at an extremely cheap price in DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy football leagues for Week 16.

And there you have it. Reuben Randle, who has scored in 3 of the last 4 games, is available in 59% of ESPN leagues. https://t.co/HinmHhN9hp

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 23, 2015

For whatever reason, Giants wide receiver Reuben Randle has struggled over the past few seasons, despite showing flashes of greatness. With Odell Beckham Jr. suspended for this week’s game, Randle is expected to receive the majority of targets. This also opens things up for tight end Will Tye, who has scored a few touchdowns over the last couple of games. Finally, Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse could have a huge game for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy football players this week who are looking for a cheap wide receiver with upside. Recently, the Seahawks have become more of a passing team, and their number one option Doug Baldwin is battling injuries.

Potential Busts:

QB – Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)

QB – Brock Osweiler (Denver Broncos)

RB – Jeremy Hill (Cincinnati Bengals)

RB – Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings)

RB – Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers)

WR – A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals)

WR – Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)

WR – Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons)

TE – Heath Miller (Pittsburgh Steelers)

After not practicing for 2 days, #Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (ankle/shoulder) practiced in full today and is listed as probable vs. #Giants

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 25, 2015

While there are many great players in the bust list, difficult matchups and injuries make these players risky picks for Week 16 for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy football leagues. We would especially recommend avoiding Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, as he has been only getting worse as the season goes on. While Julio Jones has been solid despite Ryan’s poor play, he is facing a Carolina Panthers defense that has held him in check recently. If you do decide to take a chance with any of the players on the bust list, we recommend budgeting accordingly, and not using too much of your salary on them.

As always, daily fantasy football at DraftKings and FanDuel still comes down to a bit of luck in the end, but you should be better equipped to pick a championship team for Week 16 with the above recommendations.

[Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images]