In another whirlwind week of DFS, the Week 16 slate offers plenty of chalk plays. Like most weeks, DFS users like using value plays to balance their fantasy football roster with studs. This week, several values performed like stars. In my cash lineup, three plays costing less than $5,000 paid off their value in this slate.
Justin Jackson
In what is Week 16’s biggest shock, the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite the defeat, two Chargers proved to be unbelievable values for me. The first was running back Justin Jackson.
Coming into today’s slate, I questioned what Jackson’s role would be with Austin Ekeler out on the COVID-19 list. I wondered if Joshua Kelley would lead the group and steal potential red-zone touches. Despite the concerns, Jackson felt like a great value for my fantasy football lineup. Jackson proved to be an unbelievable find with two rushing touchdowns, while also catching eight passes for 98 yards.
Before today’s slate, Jackson’s last rushing touchdown was in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite a befuddling performance by the Chargers, he struck gold for his DFS and fantasy football managers on Sunday.
Josh Palmer
From one Charger, to another. While COVID-19 has effected every NFL team throughout the 2021 season, the Chargers’ offense missed several key players. Receivers Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton missed Week 16’s game. While fantasy football players may have thought veteran Keenan Allen would have benefitted with more targets, Josh Palmer proved to be a cheap find at just $3,300.
While Allen struggled with just four catches for 35 yards, Palmer racked up five receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. After initially hearing the news about Williams and Guyton missing the game, my thought was to insert Allen into my lineup. Until 30 minutes until lock, Allen was in my lineup. Then, I switched to Palmer. I wanted the cheap value in a potential shootout with Justin Herbert throwing him darts. I did not expect Palmer to outscore Allen while being $4,400 cheaper.
Antonio Brown
After a 9-0 shutout in Week 15 against the Saints; a game that saw the Bucs lose several offensive weapons, Brown’s return was crucial. Despite not playing since Week 6, AB looked like his old self with 10 catches for 101 yards as Tampa clinched its first division in 14 years.
While Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Leonard Fournette all missed this game with injuries, Brown gave Tom Brady the WR1 he needed to open up the Carolina Panthers’ defense. With Tampa getting ready for another playoff appearance, TB12 will need AB to be a consistent force every Sunday.
While most weeks prove challenging to find cheap value plays, Week 16 offered many cheap options. The combination of these values let me use Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, Rams star Cooper Kupp, Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski without needing all $50,000. With these values, I eclipsed 156 points and won all my head-to-head and cash lineups. The key in fantasy football DFS is to find values with the chance of scoring touchdowns or making big plays. Luckily, my three values all performed well.
