Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 16

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan) Last Updated 2025-12-18 22:56:23 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 16. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

This is the first slate with a large number of meaningless games alongside a few that carry major playoff implications. I’ve eliminated multiple teams from my player pool because there’s simply not much to like on their side of the ball. There are also a handful of games I believe we must get right to have success, and in this article, I’ve outlined exactly how I plan to play them.

We will have heavier chalk again with the smaller slate. This is where our NFL DFS projections are crucial for identifying the top values and expected chalk. There are three games with a high point total, and I have multiple ways to play two of them.

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NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, WRs, & TEs for Week 16

Game Stacks

Aaron Rodgers ($5,000, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers)

DK Metcalf ($5,400, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,500, RB, Detroit Lions)

The Lions have lived in man coverage this season, and throughout his career, Aaron Rodgers has been lethal against man. Among quarterbacks with at least 50 pass attempts versus man coverage, Rodgers is averaging 8.0 yards per attempt, which ranks inside the top 10 in the NFL (per SIS). His touchdown rate against man is comparable to that of Matthew Stafford, and as the season has progressed, Rodgers has only improved in these situations. The connection with DK Metcalf has been the primary catalyst for that success and is the main path to explosive production against man coverage.

I did consider a double stack with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, as he ran routes on 63.3% of dropbacks last weekend, but that’s a build I’d only use out of necessity due to the price points of other players on the slate.

On the other side, the Steelers rank bottom 10 in the NFL in runs allowed of 15+ yards, and Jahmyr Gibbs is the most explosive running back in football. Gibbs’ game log since Dan Campbell took over play calling is almost comical. He’s alternated between 0-touchdown games and 3-touchdown games every other week. He’s coming off a 0-touchdown performance, so naturally, 3 touchdowns are next.

Jokes aside, Gibbs’ role in the passing game makes him the true ceiling piece here. He’s the explosive play maker who can turn this game into a track meet, and while I’m fine getting to Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jameson Williams, Gibbs is an outstanding fit from a game-theory perspective.

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