FanDuel Consensus Rankings Week 16

Will Grant's FanDuel Consensus Rankings Week 16 Will Grant Published 12/23/2016

Welcome to Fanduel Value-Play Rankings!

Each week we ask 10 staff members to rank their top players at each Fanduel position. These rankings are based on what our DFS staff believe are the best players at each position with respect to total points they will receive compared to the dollars that they cost. These rankings can be used to help you round out your cash game and GPP lineups, or just provide a guideline for what the Footballguys.com staff believe are the best value-plays to target

If Staffers submitted Comments, they are included below the tables as well. 

Each Staffer was asked to rank 8 QBs, 12 RBs, 12 WRs, 8 TEs, 5 PKs, and 5 Defenses. For the purposes of calculating an average rank, if a player was not ranked by a particular staffer, they received a weight that was 1 point higher than the players they ranked. For example. if only 2 staffers ranked a particular quarterback, the other 8 staffers were weighted as giving that quarterback a '9' for average calculation purposes. 

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: QUARTERBACKS

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
Drew Brees TB@NO 8500 2 1 1 2 6 1 1 1 1 1.8
Andrew Luck IND@OAK 8300 1 2 2 1 4 4 9 3 3 3.2
Matt Ryan ATL@CAR 8100 6 5 6 4 1 6 6 2 2 4.7
Aaron Rodgers MIN@GB 8600 4 3 3 9 9 9 3 8 5 5.9
Russell Wilson ARI@SEA 7700 9 8 4 7 2 7 5 9 9 6.7
Cam Newton ATL@CAR 7900 9 6 8 9 9 3 7 9 4 6.9
Blake Bortles TEN@JAX 6200 9 9 5 5 9 2 9 9 8 7.3
Jameis Winston TB@NO 8000 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9 6 7.3
Kirk Cousins WAS@CHI 7800 9 9 9 6 3 9 9 9 7 7.4
Ben Roethlisberger BAL@PIT 7900 8 9 9 9 9 8 2 4 9 7.6
Tom Brady NYJ@NE 9000 3 9 9 8 7 9 9 5 9 7.7
Marcus Mariota TEN@JAX 7800 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 9 8.4
Robert Griffin III III SD@CLE 6100 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 9 8.4
Philip Rivers SD@CLE 8200 9 9 9 9 9 9 4 9 9 8.5
Matt Barkley WAS@CHI 6300 9 9 9 9 9 5 9 9 9 8.6
Colin Kaepernick SF@LA 7600 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 6 9 8.7
Tyrod Taylor MIA@BUF 7500 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 9 9 8.9
Joe Flacco BAL@PIT 7300 9 9 9 9 8 9 9 9 9 8.9

Drew Brees is back on top of the value charts this week when he faces Tampa Bay at home on a short week for the Bucs. Tampa is coming off a tough Sunday night loss to Dallas and they travel again this week to New Orleans, which always puts a strain on a team. Brees torched a tough Arizona defense on the road last week with 389 yards passing and 4 TDs with no INTs. He faced the Bucs just two weeks ago and had a rough game with just 257 yards passing, 0 Tds and 3 Ints. It was his second game in a row without reaching the end zone and with 3 picks. Tampa’s defense give up over 250 yards per game and has surrendered 22 passing TDs for the season. They struggled a bit against Dak Prescott last week, giving up 279 passing yards, but didn’t surrender any passing TDs. Prescott did score a rushing TD and had 20 yards total, but Brees isn’t known for his legs so expect him to air it out against the Bucs this week. After what he did to Arizona on the road, and a revenge game against Tampa this week is just what Brees needs to finish the season strong.

Andrew Luck also ranks well this week at QB with his matchup against the weak Oakland secondary. The Raiders have been improving against the pass, but they are still surrendering 259 yards a game (25th overall in the NFL) and have given up 23 passing TDs (19th overall) for the season. Luck has been having some solid performances with 8 passing TDs against just 2 Ints over his last three games and 804 yards passing over the same stretch. Vegas projects this to be a 53 point shoot-out with both teams playing hard trying to secure their playoff spots. The Colts are a 3.5 point road favorite, giving them an implied total of almost 25 points. Luck should have plenty of opportunities to perform in this game and his 8300 price is pretty reasonable compared to some of the other QBs this week.

If you’re looking to go cheap this week at QB, Russell Wilson’s salary of 7700 should help. Wilson is at home, facing an Arizona defense that gave up (as mentioned above) 389 passing yards and 4 TDs to Drew Brees. Wilson bounced back from his 5 INTs against the Packers two weeks ago with a solid 229 yards passing and 3 TDs against just 1 Int when he faced the Rams at home last week. The Rams are still a top 10 passing defense, ranked just 4 spots below the Cardinals. Back in week 7, when both teams still had something to play for, Wilson had just 225 yards passing with no TDs or Ints, but this week is a bit different. At home, playing for a 1st round bye against a team that is playing for pride is a very different motivation and you can look for Wilson to have a decent game at a pretty reasonable salary.  

Mamula

Drew Brees: With a game total of 52.5 points, Vegas expects a shootout.

Matt Ryan: Matt Ryan has been very consistent and gets a plus matchup

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: RUNNING BACKS

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
David Johnson ARI@SEA 8700 5 4 4 11 3 1 1 5 2 3.9
LeVeon Bell BAL@PIT 9500 4 2 5 3 6 6 3 1 5 4.0
Jordan Howard WAS@CHI 7200 1 10 2 4 1 5 5 6 1 4.1
LeSean McCoy MIA@BUF 9100 6 6 9 10 11 3 2 4 4 5.6
Spencer Ware DEN@KC 6500 8 1 13 2 2 4 11 12 6 6.6
Ezekiel Elliott DET@DAL 8900 13 5 1 1 10 7 13 2 3 6.8
DeMarco Murray TEN@JAX 8400 2 13 3 6 13 13 13 7 10 8.2
Rob Kelley WAS@CHI 5800 13 9 13 7 4 2 13 11 7 8.3
Todd Gurley SF@LA 7900 3 3 13 12 8 13 13 3 9 8.8
Ty Montgomery MIN@GB 6300 13 8 6 8 13 13 4 10 12 9.6
Bilal Powell NYJ@NE 6500 10 11 10 5 5 13 13 13 8 10.1
Jeremy Hill CIN@HOU 6800 7 7 13 13 9 8 12 9 11 10.2
Frank Gore IND@OAK 6000 13 13 8 13 7 13 8 13 13 11.4
Latavius Murray IND@OAK 7300 9 13 13 13 13 9 6 13 13 11.5
Carlos Hyde SF@LA 7100 13 12 7 9 13 12 13 13 13 11.5
LeGarrette Blount NYJ@NE 7200 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 8 13 12.0
Devonta Freeman ATL@CAR 7800 13 13 13 13 13 13 7 13 13 12.4
Jonathan Stewart ATL@CAR 6400 11 13 13 13 13 13 9 13 13 12.4
Lamar Miller CIN@HOU 6900 13 13 13 13 13 10 13 13 13 12.6
Kenneth Dixon BAL@PIT 5300 13 13 13 13 13 13 10 13 13 12.7
Jay Ajayi MIA@BUF 6700 13 13 13 13 13 11 13 13 13 12.8
Mark Ingram TB@NO 6300 13 13 11 13 13 13 13 13 13 12.8
Thomas Rawls ARI@SEA 6200 13 13 12 13 13 13 13 13 13 12.9
Kenneth Farrow SD@CLE 6100 13 13 13 13 12 13 13 13 13 12.9

David Johnson and LeVeon Bell are (as John Mamula puts it) basically matchup proof. Johnson has rattled off 14 consecutive games with 100 yards from scrimmage and although he ‘struggled’ with just 103 last week, he still had 2 rushing TDs against the Saints. Bell also had a ‘let down’ game after his 298 yards from scrimmage, 3 TD blowout of the Bills two weeks ago. Bell finished the game against the Bengals with 'just’ 131 yards from scrimmage and no TDs. Bell has the tougher match this week against the Ravens who are giving up just 82 yards on the ground per game, while Johnson faces the Cardinals who are giving up almost 100 yards per game on the ground. Neither defense is ideal against lesser RBs, but Johnson and Bell are still the best in the league. If you’re going to fade either of them, this might be the week to consider it but there really is no reason to doubt that both of these guys won’t do very well again this week.

Jordan Howard is a sneaky play if you’re looking to save money at RB this week. Howard is about the only bright spot in a very disappointing season for the Chicago Bears. Howard has 340 yards from scrimmage and 4 TDs over his last three games, and last week against a tough division rival (Green Bay), he had 113 yards and a TD in games that reached close to -20 with the wind. Howard faces a Washington defense that was embarrassed on Monday Night Football, giving up 148 yards rushing to the Panthers last week. When Mike Tolbert can put up 3 catches for 28 yards and a TD, you know that Howard’s looking at this game with great expectations. Washington has basically quit and although this game should be significantly warmer than last week (could be in the 50s), they are still on the road for the second week in a row with a short week of practice due to Monday night. Howard is a great value-priced back this week.

If you’re looking for an even cheaper option at RB, consider Spencer Ware at home against the Broncos for just 6500. Denver ranks 28th in the league, giving up almost 128 yards per game on the ground. Last week against the committee of backs from New England, the gave up 183 all purpose yards and a score. Ware remains the focal point of the Kansas City rushing attack, and he had 95 total yards last week against a tough Tennessee defense. He’s been held out of the end zone for two weeks in a row now, but with 38-40 snaps per game, he’s got to break that streak soon. The Chiefs are still in hunt for the division title, with a good shot to have a home playoff game even if they can’t catch Oakland. A loss by Denver will eliminate their paper-thin playoff hopes. Ware has a great opportunity to reach value given his cash-game friendly salary.

Hindery

Jordan Howard: This is a potential let down spot for Washington, who travels to Chicago on a short week after an upset Monday night loss badly hurt their playoff chances. Howard has seen at least 18 touches + targets in five straight and averaging over 5 yards per carry and 10 yards per reception.

Thomas Rawls: Arizona's season is over and their normally stout defense has given up 7 touchdowns to opposing backs over the past four weeks. As a big home favorite, Rawls has multi-touchdown upside.

Mamula

LeVeon Bell: Bell is matchup proof

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: WIDE RECEIVERS

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
Michael Crabtree IND@OAK 6200 2 3 1 6 1 1 4 1 1 2.6
Antonio Brown BAL@PIT 8300 6 1 3 3 7 6 5 2 4 4.1
Jordy Nelson MIN@GB 7800 1 4 5 2 6 10 2 12 3 4.7
T.Y. Hilton IND@OAK 7600 3 11 2 1 5 11 1 13 2 6.2
Mike Evans TB@NO 8900 5 5 10 8 12 13 11 10 8 8.3
Demaryius Thomas DEN@KC 6500 10 2 6 4 2 13 13 13 7 8.3
Brandin Cooks TB@NO 7100 13 10 9 13 13 12 3 3 5 8.8
Julian Edelman NYJ@NE 6700 13 13 4 7 8 9 13 9 10 9.1
Golden Tate DET@DAL 6000 13 13 8 13 3 2 13 11 12 10.1
Emmanuel Sanders DEN@KC 6400 8 7 13 5 10 13 13 13 13 10.3
Dontrelle Inman SD@CLE 5600 12 8 13 13 11 5 6 13 13 10.7
Odell Beckham Jr NYG@PHI 8800 11 13 13 13 13 4 13 7 9 10.9
Rishard Matthews TEN@JAX 5700 9 13 13 13 9 7 13 13 11 11.4
Michael Thomas TB@NO 6900 13 13 7 12 13 13 13 5 13 11.5
Larry Fitzgerald ARI@SEA 6700 13 12 12 13 13 13 13 13 6 11.8
Ted Ginn Jr Jr. ATL@CAR 4800 13 13 13 13 13 3 13 13 13 12.0
Malcolm Mitchell NYJ@NE 6100 4 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12.1
Robby Anderson NYJ@NE 5500 13 13 13 13 4 13 13 13 13 12.1
Taylor Gabriel ATL@CAR 5900 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 6 13 12.3
Tyrell Williams SD@CLE 6800 13 13 13 10 13 13 13 13 13 12.3
Jarvis Landry MIA@BUF 6500 13 13 13 13 13 13 7 13 13 12.4
Sterling Shepard NYJ@PHI 5400 7 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12.4
Tyreek Hill DEN@KC 6400 13 13 13 13 13 13 8 13 13 12.5
Amari Cooper IND@OAK 7200 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 8 13 12.5
Tyler Lockett ARI@SEA 4700 13 13 13 13 13 8 13 13 13 12.5
Willie Snead TB@NO 6000 13 13 13 9 13 13 13 13 13 12.6
Deonte Thompson WAS@CHI 4500 13 13 13 13 13 13 9 13 13 12.6
Davante Adams MIN@GB 6600 13 13 13 11 13 13 13 13 13 12.7
Allen Robinson TEN@JAX 5600 13 13 13 13 13 13 10 13 13 12.7
Julio Jones ATL@CAR 8500 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12.8
Kenny Britt SF@LA 6200 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 13 13 12.9

Antonio Brown is a solid value-play this week against the (insert opponent name here). He’s a staple in any cash game lineup.

But Michael Crabtree beat out Brown this week for the top spot in the value charts, largely because he’s still way underpriced at just 6200. Crabtree was almost a must start last week at just 6000, and even though he had 6 catches for 60 yards and a TD, he’s still almost too cheap to fade. The Raiders need another win to stay in front of the Chiefs and to improve their chances of a bye week in the playoffs. Indianapolis comes to town, bringing their 27th ranked passing defense, giving up over 261 yards passing a game. Crabtree continues to perform at a solid level, despite a couple nagging injuries, and he should have another good week against the visiting Colts. At just 6200, he has an excellent chance to reach cash game value.

On the other side of the field, T.Y. Hilton is a staple in the Indianapolis passing game that will be on the road against the 25th ranked passing defense. Hilton was held to just 3 receptions for 45 yards last week against the Vikings, but he had back to back 9 catch games with 261 yards receiving and a TD against the Jets and the Texans. As mentioned above with Andrew Luck, this game projects to be a 53 point shoot-out by Vegas, and Hilton will be a big part of the 25 points that the Colts are expected to score. At 7600, you can safely put him in your lineup and know he’s got a great chance to reach or exceed value.

The punt play at WR this week is probably Dontrelle Inman against the winless Browns. Inman had just 5 receptions for 68 yards against the Raiders last week, but he had three consecutive weeks with a score the 3 games before that. This week the Chargers travel to Cleveland, who looked OK against Buffalo last week if you ignore the fact that they gave up 280 yards rushing. Buffalo doesn’t pass much anyway and when you average 7 yards per carry on the ground, there really isn’t a need to put the ball in the air. San Diego is hurting at RB, and Kenneth Farrow’s 2.6 YPC doesn’t scare anyone. The Chargers are going to have to throw to win in this game, and Inman is a great call at just 5600.

Hindery

Michael Thomas: Thomas has a 5 inch height advantage over both of Tampa's starting cornerbacks. He should continue to be the go-to guy for Brees in the red zone.

Mamula

Michael Crabtree: Remains underpriced on FD at 6200 and gets plus matchup

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: TIGHT ENDS

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
Cameron Brate TB@NO 5600 2 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1.6
Travis Kelce DEN@KC 6500 1 2 2 2 9 9 4 3 2 3.5
Delanie Walker TEN@JAX 6400 3 3 5 3 9 4 6 4 4 4.4
Greg Olsen ATL@CAR 6800 4 6 8 1 3 2 9 9 7 5.3
Kyle Rudolph MIN@GB 6000 9 5 9 4 5 6 2 5 3 5.6
Tyler Eifert CIN@HOU 6700 5 4 3 8 8 9 9 6 5 6.2
Zach Ertz NYG@PHI 5800 8 9 4 9 9 3 9 2 9 7.1
Jimmy Graham ARI@SEA 6200 9 7 7 6 4 9 9 8 6 7.4
Jason Witten DET@DAL 4900 6 8 6 9 6 8 9 9 8 7.8
Martellus Bennett NYJ@NE 5600 9 9 9 9 2 7 8 9 9 7.8
Antonio Gates SD@CLE 5400 9 9 9 7 7 9 3 9 9 8.0
Jordan Reed WAS@CHI 7000 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 9 8.5
Jared Cook MIN@GB 5000 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 9 9 8.6
Ryan Griffin CIN@HOU 4500 9 9 9 9 9 5 9 9 9 8.6
Hunter Henry SD@CLE 5400 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 9 9 8.8

With opposing defenses focusing on Mike Evans, Cameron Brate is having a decent season. Last week he posted 5 catches for 73 yards and a score against the Cowboys in a losing effort, and he faces the Saints this week on the road after posting 4 catches for 47 yards against them just two weeks ago. Tampa was on a roll before stumbling last week against Dallas, but the Bucs still have a decent chance to make the playoffs. They need this win against their division rivals though, and Brate is going to have an excellent chance to reach value at just 5600

I personally don’t like the matchup this week, but Travis Kelce is the best receiving option that the Chiefs have, even with Jeremy Maclin back in the lineup. Kelce struggled last week against the Titans, posting just 3 catches for 41 yards, but he had four consecutive 100 yard receiving games before that. This week he faces a tough Denver passing defense that ranks #1 in the league, surrendering 20 less yards per game than the #2 ranked Texans. Kelce posted 8 receptions for 101 yards on the road against Denver back in week 12, so at home he has a reasonable chance to hit that mark again.

If you want to pay up for a TE this week, consider Greg Olsen at home against the Falcons. Olsen had six catches for 85 yards against Washington on Monday Night, but this week against the Falcons should be a much better matchup for him. Back in week four, Olsen posted six catches for 76 yards but he also had a score against the Falcons and that was on the road. The Falcons need this win to stay in the playoff hunt, and the Panthers are looking to play the role of spoiler. Olsen is their best receiving option, and he's due for another trip to the end zone this week. At 6800, he is still a decent cash game play.

Mamula

Cameron Brate: Underpriced based on his recent production and matchup vs Saints.

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: KICKERS

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
Wil Lutz TB@NO 4800 6 6 6 6 1 6 1 2 2 3.7
Matt Bryant ATL@CAR 5200 3 3 5 1 6 6 6 1 4 3.8
Stephen Gostkowski NYJ@NE 4800 6 6 1 6 3 4 6 6 1 4.1
Josh Lambo SD@CLE 4500 5 1 3 6 2 6 6 6 3 4.4
Sebastian Janikowski IND@OAK 5000 1 6 2 4 6 6 5 6 5 4.6
Roberto Aguayo TB@NO 4500 6 5 4 3 6 2 6 5 6 4.7
Graham Gano ATL@CAR 4700 2 6 6 6 6 6 2 6 6 5.2
Nick Novak CIN@HOU 4800 6 6 6 2 6 6 6 3 6 5.3
Ryan Succop TEN@JAX 4500 6 6 6 5 6 1 6 6 6 5.4
Steve Hauschka ATI@SEA 4800 6 4 6 6 4 6 4 6 6 5.4
Mason Crosby MIN@GB 4800 6 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 5.7
Dustin Hopkins WAS@CHI 4700 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 5.7
Adam Vinatieri IND@OAK 5100 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 6 5.8
Greg Zuerlein SF@LA 4600 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 5.9
Dan Bailey DET@DAL 4900 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 5.9

The Saints are at home, in a dome, and a three point favorite in a game that Vegas projects them to score almost 28 points in. If you’re going to take a kicker, Wil Lutz ticks all the boxes. He’s also reasonably priced at just 4800. Matt Bryant is a bit expensive at 5200, but he’s still one of the most consistent kickers in the game and the Falcons are another team that’s projected to score 27 points this week. The Patriots though, are looking at 30+ points in a home game where they are expected to blow out the visiting Jets. Stephen Gostkowski is just 4800 and he makes a great option at PK in a week that’s filled with good plays that cost under 5000.

Mamula

Matt Bryant: The most consistent kicker this season.

FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 16: DEFENSES

Player Matchup Price Haseley Brimacombe Hindery Knotts Grant Alexander Howe Mamula Feery Avg
New England NYJ@NE 5000 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 1.4
Kansas City DEN@KC 4700 6 6 2 3 1 2 1 6 2 3.4
Seattle ARI@SEA 5000 2 1 3 6 5 4 5 2 5 3.9
Tennessee TEN@JAX 4900 3 5 5 4 6 3 6 6 4 4.5
San Diego SD@CLE 4900 4 3 4 6 4 5 6 6 6 4.6
Green Bay MIN@GB 4600 5 4 6 2 6 6 6 3 6 4.8
Pittsburgh BAL@PIT 4500 6 6 6 6 2 6 6 4 6 5.4
NY Giants NYG@PHI 4200 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 5.7
Los Angeles SF@LA 4900 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 5.7
Cincinnati CIN@HOU 4800 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 6 6 5.8
Buffalo MIA@BUF 4600 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 5.9
Dallas DET@DAL 4700 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 5.9

On Defense, you probably want the Patriots in your lineup as much as possible this week. Vegas projects the Jets to score under 14 points, and the turnover and sack-prone team has to travel to New England with no incentive to play hard against a team that is about to unload on them. If this gets ugly early like it should, the Jets could be done by halftime.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on defense, consider the Chiefs at just 4700. They are at home this week, facing a Denver team that has struggled on offense and are a whisper away from being eliminated from the playoffs. Denver isn’t much better than the Jets when it comes to projected team totals, and the 17 points that Vegas predicts makes the Chiefs a great option at defense at that price.

Mamula

New England: Patriots are favored by a whopping 17 points!

Good luck this weekend!

Photos provided by Imagn Images
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