Late-season quarterback changes are having a significant impact on the appeal of certain stars in the NFL DFS player pool for Week 16 of the NFL season. The majority of teams who are starting a different quarterback in Week 16 than Week 1 are doing so due to injuries and looking for a spark in a lost season, such as the Cleveland Browns starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Tennessee Titans starting Mason Rudolph and the New York Giants without Daniel Jones. The Atlanta Falcons, however, are one game out of first place in the NFC South and they are switching to Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to make his debut this weekend. How should the changes at the most important position in sports affect how daily Fantasy football players forming Week 16 NFL DFS lineups?
Receivers in the NFL DFS player pool like Malik Nabers, Drake London, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley and Brian Thomas Jr. could also be affected by backup quarterbacks, so that's something to consider when forming an NFL DFS strategy. Before locking in any NFL DFS picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel for Sunday, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends, and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine. His methodology has led to enormous cashes on FanDuel and DraftKings. Last year, he won the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Week 16 NFL Sunday schedule and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Sunday
One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Sunday is Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,300 on DraftKings and $9,400 on FanDuel). Gibbs is the RB3 in Fantasy football this season and that's with playing in a split backfield all season with another top running back in David Montgomery. With Montgomery (knee) ruled out, Sunday will be solely Gibbs' backfield for the first time all season and that could lead to elite production for NFL DFS lineups.
Gibbs played 75% of snaps last week and it was the first time he played more than 70% of snaps in a game this season. That resulted in him being the RB2 in Fantasy football on the week after rushing for 31 yards and a touchdown on eight carries while having five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. With Montgomery out an entire game, Gibbs should have well more than 13 touches on Sunday against the Bears, who are allowing the fifth-most Fantasy football points to opposing running backs this season as they rank 26th in rushing yards allowed (133.3 yards per game). See who else to roster here.
Part of McClure's optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner ($7,100 on DraftKings and $8,400 on FanDuel). The eight-year veteran is averaging 95.3 total yards per game, his most since his second NFL season. Conner rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries for 6.9 yards per carry and added five receptions for 28 yards against the Patriots last week.
The Cardinals play the Panthers, who are allowing most Fantasy football points to opposing running backs this season. Carolina's defense ranks last in the NFL in nearly every rushing category, including yards per rush (5.0) and rushing yards (173) while facing the most attempts per game (34.6). The Panthers have allowed the opposing team's RB1 to rush for at least 120 yards in three straight games, making this a strong matchup for Conner, who has played more than 70% of snaps in back-to-back weeks. See who else to roster here.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Sunday
McClure is targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Sunday. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of McClure's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
So who is Mike McClure including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Sunday, and which under-the-radar player offers huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, NFL DFS rankings, NFL DFS advice and NFL DFS stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with more than $2 million in winnings, and find out.
