NFL Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 16 – Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Although there are three games Saturday that will somewhat limit our options in DFS, there are still several wide receivers and tight ends who could lead to profitable afternoons Sunday. Let’s dive into the matchups and discuss some of the better ones to target. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our NFL Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

WIDE RECEIVER CASH TARGETS

Michael Thomas, NO at TEN
FanDuel = $9,000
DraftKings = $9,300

Thomas has become the wide receiver equivalent of Christian McCaffrey. He is basically automatic, posting at least 100 receiving yards in seven of his last eight games. He’s recorded a touchdown in four of his last five contests and caught all 12 of his targets for 128 yards last week against the Colts. He’s received 32.2 percent of the Saints’ total targets and is set up for another big afternoon considering the Titans have allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game in the league.

A.J. Brown, TEN vs. NO
FanDuel = $7,200
DraftKings = $7,000

Brown and quarterback Ryan Tannehill have seemingly developed a good relationship. He couldn’t get much going with Marcus Mariota at the helm, but Brown has now posted at least 114 yards and a touchdown in three of his last four games. He even received a season-high 13 targets last week against the Texans. With the Titans potentially needing to throw a lot to keep up with the Saints’ high-powered offense, Brown could be in for another busy afternoon.

WIDE RECEIVER GPP TARGETS

Courtland Sutton, DEN vs. DET
FanDuel = $7,100
DraftKings = $6,200

Sutton should probably be up in the cash portion of the article, but I think Brown is the safer option given he has a more reliable quarterback throwing him passes. Yes, I called Tannehill reliable. Anyway, Sutton has big-play upside and caught two touchdown passes in Drew Locks’ first start against the Chargers in Week 13. He received 10 targets last week, so if he can receive a similar workload here, he could destroy a Lions defense that has allowed the second-most passing yards per game in the league.

Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. NYG
FanDuel = $6,500
DraftKings = $6,200

Can you imagine if McLaurin had a stable quarterback situation? Even with the Redskins having used three different players at quarterback, McLaurin has caught 51 passes for 833 yards and seven touchdowns across 13 games. He had one of his best performances of the season last week, catching all five of his targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. While he’s not a safe option with Dwayne Haskins under center, this is a favorable matchup against a porous Giants’ secondary.

Greg Ward, PHI vs. DAL
FanDuel = $5,700
DraftKings = $4,200

The Eagles are running out of healthy wide receivers. They’ve lost their two best options for the season in Alshon Jeffery (foot) and DeSean Jackson (abdomen) while Nelson Agholor hasn’t played since Week 13. Things don’t look all that promising for him this week, either, setting up Ward with the potential to be the Eagles’ top wide receiver option. He’s received 18 targets over the last two games with Agholor out and had his best performance last week, catching seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Based on volume alone, he’s someone to consider at such a cheap price.

TIGHT END CASH TARGETS

Zach Ertz, PHI vs. DAL
FanDuel = $6,900
DraftKings = $6,400

While Ward has the chance to become the top wide receiver for the Eagles, Ertz is without question their top pass catching option, overall. He never has a shortage of targets, but he’s really been busy of late with at least 10 of them in five of his last six games. He also has four touchdowns across his last four games, setting him up as arguably the safest tight end option on the slate. It helps that he will face a Cowboys team that has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

Mark Andrews, BAL at CLE
FanDuel = $6,500
DraftKings = $5,900

Andrews doesn’t receive nearly the amount of targets that Ertz does. With that being said, he still has eight touchdowns across 14 games thanks to the electric Lamar Jackson. If you’re including him in your entry, it’s with the hope that he will once again find his way into the end zone. The chances of that happening are favorable considering the Browns are tied for the fourth-most touchdowns allowed to opposing tight ends this season.

TIGHT END GPP TARGETS

Jacob Hollister, SEA vs. ARI
FanDuel = $5,700
DraftKings = $4,200

The first thing that you should do every week is see which tight end is playing the Cardinals. They have been absolutely torched by the position, allowing a whopping 15 touchdowns. To put how bad that is into perspective, the next worse team is the Raiders, who have allowed nine scores to tight ends. The Seahawks don’t throw a ton, but this is still a great spot to take a chance on Hollister.

Noah Fant, DEN vs. DET
FanDuel = $5,900
DraftKings = $3,700

If you want some exposure against the Lions’ awful secondary, but can’t squeeze Sutton into your lineup, Fant is a cheaper alternative to consider, especially at his price on DraftKings. After catching four passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in Week 14, he followed it up with two catches for 56 yards last week against the Chiefs. With that being said, I’d much rather roll with Hollister given their similar price tags. It’s also important to note that Fant has been limited at practice early in the week due to a shoulder injury, but there have been reports that indicate he could miss this contest.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.