DFS First Look at Salaries & Plays for Week 16 (Fantasy Football)
Every week the First Look article gives you a taste of the slate and some of the more intriguing salaries that DraftKings releases. The goal is to identify early-week cash game considerations, as well as potential tournament plays before we piece together the stacking options. On Tuesdays, I share some of these insights on the Fantasy Footballers DFS & Betting Podcast if you want further commentary on some of the salary standouts.
Check back later in the week when Matthew Betz and I share our official DraftKings and FanDuel picks for cash and GPPs exclusively in the DFS Pass.
Here are the games for this week’s main slate* including implied team totals (TIP) for each matchup.
Overview
For newcomers, the main slate for DFS includes the Sunday early (1:00 EST) and afternoon games (4:05 EST). At first glance, here are a couple of things to note:
- Off the Main Slate: LAR, SEA, PHI, WAS, GB, CHI, BAL, NE, SF, IND
- Week 16 gives us an 11-game main slate.
I’ve also added a glossary of metrics at the bottom if you want a quick refresher or definition of some of the statistics used below.
Quarterbacks
High-Priced Studs: It seems like a tough task to get up to Josh Allen ($7200) this week on the road in Cleveland.
Points per $ Cash Guys: Jacoby Brissett ($5300) faces a Falcons team ranked 30th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs over the last five weeks
gonna tell my grandkids this top-12 stretch kept the economy afloat pic.twitter.com/vi2NLNYR6A
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) December 15, 2025
GPP Intrigue: Justin Herbert ($6000) faces a Dallas team spewing fantasy points to opposing QBs all year long, Bryce Young ($5100) is cheap and over the last six weeks, the Buccaneers are dead last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs.
Cheapies: Gardner Minshew ($4500) just so you can tell your friends.
Running Backs
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