This article is part of our Draftster NFL series.
We move on to Week 16 in the NFL season and the championship week for Draftster's Single Entry Championship. The Final has 30 qualifiers with a first place of $6,000. Also returning this week is the T.O. Blitz, a $20 buy-in with a $200 first-place prize. The following rankings are for Sunday only and do not include the Thursday night game between Tennessee and Jacksonville or the Saturday games featuring Philadelphia-Washington and San Diego-San Francisco.
Quarterback
1. Aaron Rodgers (GB) at TB - $8,900
2. Drew Brees (NO) vs. ATL - $9,100
3. Andrew Luck (IND) at DAL - $11,000
4. Peyton Manning (DEN) at CIN - $8,800
5. Tom Brady (NE) at NYJ - $ 8,300
6. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) vs. KC - $6,900
7. Matt Ryan (ATL) at NO - $8,800
8. Tony Romo (DAL) vs. IND - $6,800
9. Eli Manning (NYG) at STL - $4,800
10. Russell Wilson (SEA) at ARI - $5,800
11. Ryan Tannehill (MIA) vs. MIN - $6,500
12. Josh McCown (TB) vs. GB - $3,100
Aaron Rodgers (GB) at TB - $8,900
After his worst performance of the season, Rodgers gets a great matchup in an important game with playoff implications. Rodgers struggled in Week 15 in Buffalo, completing only 17-of-42 passes for 185 yards and two interceptions. Historical data will back up that this is a rare performance by Rodgers, so it isn't much to read into. He moves on to a matchup against Tampa Bay, a team allowing the ninth-most passing yards per game this season.
Eli Manning (NYG) at STL - $4,800
The best strategy to play on Draftster is to take advantage of under-priced players or players with unexpected price drops. This week those honors go to Eli Manning. Manning's price has now dipped below $5,000 for reasons unknown. In Week 15 he completed 23-of-34 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns, all going to rookie wide out Odell Beckham Jr. Manning's Week 16 matchup against the Rams isn't exactly a favorable one, but he won't need to do much to reach value.
Josh McCown (TB) vs. GB - $3,100
Possibly even better value than Eli Manning is Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown. McCown comes in $100 over the minimum price on Draftster and has a exploitable matchup against Green Bay this week. The Packers are ranked 20th in pass defense but are fifth in the NFL in interceptions, an area McCown has struggled so far this year. If McCown can avoid multiple turnovers, he has a good chance of hitting his 200-yard, one-touchdown value mark.
Running Back
1. Le'Veon Bell (PIT) vs. KC - $9,900
2. Arian Foster (HOU) vs. BAL - $7,700
3. Matt Forte (CHI) vs. DET - $7,900
4. Jamaal Charles (KC) at PIT - $7,900
5. Eddie Lacy (GB) at TB - $7,200
6. C.J. Anderson (DEN) at CIN - $6,900
7. Marshawn Lynch (SEA) at ARI - $6,000
8. Joique Bell (DET) at CHI - $5,600
9. Mark Ingram (NO) vs. ATL - $6,300
10. Justin Forsett (BAL) at HOU - $6,900
11. Jeremy Hill (CIN) vs. DEN - $5,800
12. Jonathan Stewart (CAR) vs. CLE - $4,900
*DeMarco Murray (DAL) vs. IND - $8,100 (Q - Hand)
C.J. Anderson (DEN) at CIN - $6,900
With Peyton Manning battling an illness in Week 15, C.J. Anderson got a large workload of 29 carries against the Chargers. He only spun out 85 yards rushing, but San Diego features the league's 12th-ranked rushing defense and was able to focus on Anderson more in its gameplan. The major take away here is the amount of work Anderson is getting. In his last four games he has seen rushing attempts of 27, 32, 21 and 29. In Week 16, he and the Broncos travel to Cincinnati, a team ranked 28th in rushing defense. Anderson could be in line for a monster game and marks one of my favorite plays of the week.
Joique Bell (DET) at CHI - $5,600
Regardless of the status of Reggie Bush, it appears Joique Bell has taken over as the lead back in Detroit. Bell finished with 15 carries for 62 yards and four receptions for 41 yards last week against Minnesota. It wasn't the best day for Bell, but the entire Detroit offense struggled in the 16-14 win. This week, Bell faces a Chicago team that is now led by Jimmy Clausen. The Lions should seize control of the game early with Bell closing it out on the ground in the second half.
*DeMarco Murray (DAL) vs. IND - $8,100 (Q - Hand)
Due to injury I am unable to rank DeMarco Murray this week, but he is another guy who, albeit small, had a price drop that is worth taking advantage of. Murray was priced at $9,500 last week and is just $8,100 this week. That is a large price cut for the league's leading rusher. It is unknown if Murray will suit up as he recovers from surgery on his broken hand. If reports come out that he will play at 100 percent health then he gets a middle-of-the-pack matchup against Indianapolis in a game that has a Vegas total of 55.5.
Wide Receivers
1. Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. KC - $8,300
2. Jordy Nelson (GB) at TB - $7,800
3. Calvin Johnson (DET) at CHI - $10,000
4. Odell Beckham (NYG) at STL - $7,500
5. Dez Bryant (DAL) vs. IND - $8,000
6. Demaryius Thomas (DEN) at CIN - $9,900
7. Alshon Jeffery (CHI) vs. DET - $8,000
8. A.J. Green (CIN) vs. DEN - $8,000
9. Golden Tate (DET) at CHI - $6,500
10. Randall Cobb (GB) at TB - $7,000
11. T.Y. Hilton (IND) at DAL - $7,100 (P - Hamstring)
12. Mike Evans (TB) vs. GB - $6,900
*Julio Jones (ATL) at NO - $9,300 (Q - Hip)
Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. KC - $8,300
Sticking to the theme of price drops, Antonio Brown comes in at a $1,500 discount from his Week 15 price. Last week against Atlanta Brown hauled in 10 passes for 123 yards, but failed to find the end zone for the second straight week. Brown now has six games with at least 100 yards on the season and has seen double-digit targets in all but two games this year. The Steelers do have a tough matchup against Kansas City this week, but Ben Roethlisberger's home passing numbers and Antonio Brown's target numbers are too hard to ignore. Brown may be the perfect contrarian play this week.
Odell Beckham (NYG) at STL - $7,500
There isn't much more that can be said about rookie Odell Beckham Jr. He set the Giants' rookie single-season receiving record last week against Washington, and that is taking into account that he missed the first four games of the season. He finished last week with 12 receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 972 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games this season. The Giants face the Rams this week and Beckham's price hasn't quite caught up with his production yet.
Mike Evans (TB) vs. GB - $6,900
There isn't much to love about Evans over his last four weeks, but that isn't taking away from the fantastic rookie season he has had up to this point. Evans has failed to haul in more than four passes in his last four weeks, but still has 948 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. The Buccaneers face the Packers this week in a matchup that they will be playing from behind in, meaning more opportunity through the air for Evans. A lot of his success will directly correlate with Josh McCown's ability to get him the ball.
Tight End
1. Rob Gronkowski (NE) at NYJ - $7,200
2. Martellus Bennett (CHI) vs. DET - $4,900
3. Jimmy Graham (NO) vs. ATL - $6,900
4. Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. CLE - $5,700
5. Coby Fleener (IND) at DAL - $4,300
6. Julius Thomas (DEN) at CIN - $4,000
7. Travis Kelce (KC) at PIT - $5,600
8. Mychal Rivera (OAK) vs. BUF - $3,300
Rob Gronkowski (NE) at NYJ - $7,200
In what has been a tough season of choosing tight ends, one thing has remained the same, Rob Gronkowski is the best. Gronkowski will always come at a higher price, but his consistency at a position of unreliability is a great comfort. He finished Week 15 against Miami with three receptions on eight targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He has more than 70 yards in seven consecutive weeks and an above-average matchup this week against the Jets.
Martellus Bennett (CHI) vs. DET - $4,900
I feel as I am slightly repeating myself from last week, but with the absence of Brandon Marshall, double-digit targets have opened up in the Chicago Bears offense. A offense that is now lead by Jimmy Clausen. Jay Cutler has struggled mightily, but his benching still comes as a bit of a surprise. It is hard to judge how the change at quarterback will effect Bennett's production, but it is hard to think it could impact it anymore than Cutler's struggles.
Mychal Rivera (OAK) vs. BUF - $3,300
Rivera has had a quiet season of little production, but one thing remains the same week after week and that is he is seeing double-digit targets. He has back-to-back weeks of seven receptions but has fallen victim to Derek Carr's inaccuracy. He saw 12 targets in Week 15 against a tough pass defense and will face another tough pass defense in Buffalo this week.
Kicker
1. Adam Vinatieri (IND) at DAL - $3,000
2. Randy Bullock (HOU) vs. BAL - $3,000
Typically I will elaborate on kicker with a little bit of analysis or I will give you my top four choices of the week. However, this week, I am only going to rank two. Adam Vinatieri and Randy Bullock are both minimum priced on Draftster this week, meaning you can get one of the top two kickers while saving about $900 of your budget. Do not over think this and take a deal while you can get it.
Defense
1. Seattle (vs. ARI) - $3,500
2. Buffalo (at OAK) - $4,200
Much like the kicker position, if you scroll near the bottom of defenses you will find one of the league's best in Seattle. Again, for reasons unknown they are about $500 cheaper than your average week, so snag up the top defense of the week for a cheap price while you can.
Salary Saver Plays:
QB: Josh McCown ($3,100), Jimmy Clausen ($3,000)
RB: Latavius Murray ($3,300)
WR: None
TE: Mychal Rivera ($3,300)
Last Week's Lineup:
QB: Derek Anderson (16.48)
RB: Mark Ingram (11.90)
RB: Matt Forte (11.90)
WR: Dez Bryant (38.40)
WR: Jordy Nelson (10.50)
TE: Coby Fleener (5.20)
FLEX: Chris Ivory (9.60)
K: Adam Vinatieri (5.00)
D: Baltimore (22.00)
TOTAL: 130.98
If you frequent this column, then you know I usually will never play a quarterback more than a $6,000 price point. Last week, Derek Anderson was the go-to guy and finished with a solid line, easily meeting his value and making him a great play on the week for his price.
Moving to running back, I went back to the well with Mark Ingram. For reasons unknown, the Saints have been unwilling to let Ingram run free like they were back in Weeks 8, 9, 10 and 11. He finished with 17 carries and never got any real traction going on the ground. I think it will be best to fade Ingram, though this week a matchup with Atlanta is very enticing. To matchup up with Ingram, I took his opponent in Matt Forte. Conventional wisdom pointed me to the thought that without Brandon Marshall, Forte would be leaned on more in the rushing and passing game. This was not the case.
Dez Bryant was by far my savior this weekend, hauling in three touchdown passes and scoring 38.40 fantasy points. Jordy Nelson, on the other hand, dropped what could of been a 94-yard touchdown pass and, well, that is just how it goes sometimes.
Fleener was once again my tight end at a price I am just unable to give up on, but really fell victim to the return of Dwayne Allen, which is now a situation I will avoid. I finished my team out with Chris Ivory at my Flex. He had a great matchup against the Titans and I wanted a guy with a higher ceiling who would be less owned. Well, he was probably less owned for a reason as he really didn't get much going, though he almost matched Jordy Nelson's total.
All in all, 130 was enough to cash this week in qualifiers and the $11 Blitz.
