Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 16 (Saturday Slate)

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan) Last Updated 2025-12-19 12:53:14 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 Saturday slate on DraftKings for Week 16. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan’s deep dive into each game is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

The traditional rules of DFS largely go out the window on a 2-game slate. Stacking multiple tight ends or running backs becomes viable, and even playing 3 wide receivers from the same team is firmly in play. The goal is to get unique while identifying a chalk piece that fails — and understanding why it fails. With players pushing at least 65% ownership, a low-scoring outcome from just one of those pieces can completely reshape the slate. In my opinion, that’s what creates the most interesting and profitable 2-game slates.

To see who those chalk pieces are, check out our NFL DFS projections, which are updating constantly to reflect the news. On this week’s NFL injury report, there are some significant players with questionable tags that could flip the slate – some of whom I think will result in some great unique options if they end up getting ruled out.

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NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Week 16 Saturday Slate Breakdown

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders

Eagles Offense

The Eagles are underachieving at a high level as an offense, but on a 2-game slate, there are still a ton of great plays from this team. In close games, the core of the offense is playing over 75% of the snaps, while in games like this past weekend against the Raiders, they tend to spread out the playing time. This distinction is important when thinking about the slate. If this game does turn into a significant blowout, Tank Bigsby ($4,700, RB) – who played 41% of the snaps – can still get there, even alongside players like Saquon Barkley ($7,200, RB).

Looking at the passing-game matchup, the Commanders have been difficult to project from a coverage standpoint. They have 6 games where they’ve played man coverage at over a 30% rate and 4 games where the man rate was under 15%. I expect them to lean more heavily on zone coverage in this matchup because of Jalen Hurts’ ($6,900, QB) mobility, as they’ll want eyes on him as a scrambler. Lately, Hurts has figured out how to get A.J. Brown ($6,700, WR) the ball against zone coverage. Since Week 10, Brown’s yards per route run ranks 3rd in the NFL, ahead of Rashee Rice, CeeDee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St. Brown and right next to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That wasn’t always the case earlier in the season, as DeVonta Smith ($5,700, WR) was typically the more efficient wide receiver against zone coverage, but he and Hurts haven’t been on the same page recently.

Dallas Goedert ($4,100, TE) profiles as the third option here, but the rate at which his touchdowns come has been unusually high, and this Commanders defense has allowed the 3rd-most touchdowns to tight ends. Beyond that, the dart throws for large-field tournaments include Jahan Dotson ($3,000, WR), Darius Cooper ($3,000, WR), and Grant Calcaterra ($2,500, TE). Any of the three could randomly catch a touchdown from Hurts to complete a stack and allow you to jam in the studs elsewhere.

In the run game, Hurts will always be a factor stealing rushing touchdowns, and Barkley has been inefficient this season, averaging under 4 yards per carry while getting stuffed at a high rate. The good news is that the Commanders have become a poor run defense lately and are one of just four teams that has allowed over 5 yards per carry. That gives Barkley a chance to generate explosive plays. Another interesting angle is that teams have been attacking Bobby Wagner in coverage with running backs, and I can see Barkley catching a touchdown in this spot.

If this game turns into a blowout, Bigsby becomes a strong play on this slate, as he’s likely to see 10+ rushing attempts and serves as a strong pivot off Kyle Monangai ($4,900, RB).

Commanders Offense

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