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FanDuel NFL: Week 16 lineup

By Joe D'Aloisio

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won 23-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won 23-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Week 16 of the NFL regular season is upon us. Injuries are piling up and players are getting shutdown. Who should be in your FanDuel lineup?

Last week’s lineup performed at a high level because it featured two top fantasy backs. Taking the risk and having Dalvin Cook with a new offensive coordinator turned out to be a smart play. The second-year back had 19 carries for a season high 136 yards and two scores.

This was the first time he eclipsed the 100-yard mark and the first time he found the end zone in 2018. He finished the game with 28.8 fantasy points, third amongst backs in Week 15. Meanwhile, Joe Mixon led the Bengals to a 30-16 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Mixon rushed for 129 yards on 29 carries and scored twice. He rushed for over 100 yards in back to back games for the first time this season. Mixon finished fifth amongst the position in Week 15.

At the wide receiver position Davante Adams led Week 15’s lineup. Adams caught eight passes for 119 yards, but was held out of the end zone for the first time since Week 11. He became the third Packers wideout to have 100+ catches in a single season. Adams caught a two-point conversion in the loss, to help his fantasy total reach 17.9 points.

Julian Edelman added 12.5 fantasy points, while JuJu Smith-Schuster only caught four passes for 40 yards, to finish with six fantasy points.

The rest of the lineup; Kyle Rudolph (3.8), Ito Smith (4.9) and Green Bay Packers Defense (3), each scored less than five fantasy points.

For the second, and final time this season, we will be watching NFL games on Saturday. My Week 16 lineup will only include players that are playing on Sunday, minus the Sunday night football game. All fantasy points discussed are based on FanDuel’s scoring system.

Week 15’s top performers at each position:

Quarterback: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons- 25.04

Running back: Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans- 29.74 & Todd Gurley, Los Angles Rams- 29.4 (Sunday Night)

Wide receiver:  DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans- 34 (Saturday Night); Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers- 33 (Thursday Night) & Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks- 21.8

Tight end: Garrett Celek, San Francisco 49ers- 13.1

FLEX: Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings- 28.8 & Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs- 27.3 (Thursday Night)

Defense: Atlanta Falcons – 20

Quarterback: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans- $8,000

The Houston Texans improved to 10-4 after defeating the New York Jets 29-22 last week and Watson played a big role in the victory. Watson finished the evening completing 22 of 28 passes, for 294 yards and two scores.

Both of his touchdown passes were to star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, including a 14-yard score which ended up being the game-winning touchdown. He finished the game with 22.36 fantasy points, his highest total since Week 12 against the Titans.

Over the last four games, Watson has completed at least 70% of his passes while attempting at least 24 passes a game. During that stretch he has thrown for 995 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 161 yards and one score.

This week, Watson has a favorable matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are ranked 31st against the pass and have allowed 4,172 yards. The only team that has allowed more are the Kansas City Chiefs.

On average, quarterbacks are scoring 19.1 fantasy points per game. Philadelphia has given up at least 339 yards in back to back games, including 455 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. Watson should have a good game against the Eagles, and will have a great game if Hopkins is active.