No need to worry if your season-long fantasy football team is out of the playoffs because DFS is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year, Clark. Christmas Eve offers the perfect opportunity to get into daily fantasy football, as DraftKings is offering a number of big contests for the 12-game Saturday slate. Moreover, with three games boasting an over/under of at least 50 points (Atlanta at Carolina, Indianapolis at Oakland, Tampa Bay at New Orleans), scoring will be plentiful, sleepers can be found all over the place, and the amount of different ways to fill out your lineup will be ample. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my optimal Week 16 lineup (Saturday games only), or you can click here for more analysis, strategy and picks. (Getty)
QB: Matt Barkley, Chicago Bears
Opponent: vs. Washington Redskins
Price: $5,000
Hear me out. A quick look through the weekly stat leaders reveals an unsuspecting name or two at quarterback almost every week, and that volatility makes it a viable strategy to go low at the position. Barkley is as low as it gets at the minimum $5,000, but he has quietly topped 20 DraftKings points in two of four starts, he threw for 362 yards in Alshon Jeffery's first game back last week, and the Redskins have given up the fifth-most DraftKings points to the position over the last four weeks despite facing an nonthreatening slate of QB's in Dak Prescott, Carson Palmer, Carson Wentz and Cam Newton. (Getty)
RB: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
Opponent: vs. Miami Dolphins
Price: $9,000
With Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott playing on Sunday and Monday respectively, and with David Johnson playing at Seattle against the Seahawks, Shady becomes the best high-priced RB option on Saturday's slate. Even with Mike Gillislee stealing some red-zone touches, McCoy has been a monster lately, averaging 21.25 touches, 103.25 rushing yards and 47.25 receiving yards with five touchdowns over his last four games. He was bottled up when these teams met in Week 7, but I have no problem building my lineup around him with the way he's playing. (Getty)
RB: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders
Opponent: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Price: $6,200
Last week marked the first time in eight games Murray failed to reach 10 DraftKings points, but it could have just as easily been a big game as he lost a fumble in the red-zone and was later stuffed at the goal line a couple of times. He still ripped off 6.2 yards per carry and still has as sizeable role (20.25 touches per game over the last four), so there remains good upside, especially at home in a projected high-scoring game against a Colts defense that ranks 29th against the run, per Football Outsiders. (Getty)
WR: Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Opponent: vs. New York Jets
Price: $6,900
If I can't get Tom Brady at home against a Jets defense that has been torched through the air for much of the season, I may as well get his favorite receiver. In the last five games without Rob Gronkowski (he missed four and left early with just two targets in the other), Edelman has hit double-digit targets in all of them, averaging a whopping 13.4 targets, 7.4 receptions and 81.8 yards. He only has one touchdown during that stretch, so his ceiling is a bit limited, but in a PPR format like DraftKings, the heavy volume is enough for him to provide great value at $6,900. (Getty)
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Price: $5,200
Coming in for relief of Brock Osweiler last week, quarterback Tom Savage threw the ball 36 times. Fourteen of those attempts, or a massive 38.9 percent of his target share, went to Hopkins, who caught eight of them for 87 yards. It's fair to expect Savage will continue peppering his far-and-away best receiver with targets, and when you combine that potentially huge volume with Nuk's talent, you have tantalizing fantasy upside, especially for only $5,200. (Getty)
WR: Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears
Opponent: vs. Washington Redskins
Price: $4,700
When looking to stack a receiver with Barkley, the first thought is, of course, Alshon Jeffery. However, Meredith seemed to benefit from the No. 1 WR's return last week, pulling in nine of 13 targets for 104 yards. He has now tallied at least eight targets in three of Barkley's four starts, and he should be extremely busy in this one with Jeffery likely to see a lot of Josh Norman on the other side. (Getty)
TE: Cameron Brate
Opponent: at New Orleans Saints
Price: $3,900
Last three games: Mike Evans, 22 targets, 11 receptions, 139 yards, zero touchdowns. Cameron Brate, 22 targets, 15 receptions, 206 yards, two touchdowns. The big tight end has established himself as Jameis Winston's clear No. 2 weapon in the passing game, making him a solid value option as just the ninth-most expensive player at an extremely thin position. The favorable matchup--New Orleans is 28th in yards per pass attempt allowed--only sweetens the deal. (Getty)
FLEX: Ted Ginn Jr., Carolina Panthers
Opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Price: $4,500
Ginn is one of the ultimate boom-or-bust options, so if you're playing a cash game, I would probably stay away from him. But if you're looking for a high ceiling at a low price, the speedy outside threat is an intriguing option. He has scored four times in the last five games, he's good for at least one or two deep targets per contest, and this game has shootout potential written all over it with an over/under of 52 points. There's plenty of risk here, but Ginn has the ability to provide value at this price with one play. (Getty)
DEF: New England Patriots
Opponent: vs. New York Jets
Price: $3,600
The Pats have recorded a takeaway in four straight, averaging 11.25 DraftKings points per game during that span. Bryce Petty, meanwhile, has committed seven turnovers (six interceptions, one lost fumble) has been sacked 11 times on just 86 drop-backs this season. Throw in a minuscule projected point total of 13.5 for New York, and it's the perfect recipe for the Patriots defense to have a huge day. (Getty)
NFL DraftKings Week 16: Optimal Lineup Picks & Advice