Jahmyr Gibbs, Trey McBride Among Week 16 DFS Studs for DraftKings & FanDuel Contests

Target the highest-upside Week 16 DFS plays as Jahmyr Gibbs, Trey McBride, and other elite options headline our top studs for DraftKings and FanDuel contests.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) against the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Week 16 DFS contests are all about identifying elite ceiling plays without sacrificing floor.

The top end of the player pool is loaded with talent, giving DFS gamers many outs in their team building. Given their high price, it will be challenging to roster more than two of these players with enough supporting cast to compete for an overall win in GPP contests. By digging into matchup data, usage trends, and pricing inefficiencies, we’ve identified the top DFS studs who can anchor winning DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins (DK: $8,800/FD: $9,800)

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) runs for a gain during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

A change at quarterback for the Dolphins could lower Achane's scoring ceiling against the porous Bengals’ defense. He’s gained over 100 combined yards in six consecutive contests while having a three-game streak with over 100 rushing yards at home (22/174/2, 21/120, and 22/134/1). Achane averages 24.61 fantasy points at home while scoring seven of his 11 touchdowns.

Cincinnati ranks last in running back defense (437.70 fantasy points). They allow 5.5 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per catch, with backs scoring 19 touchdowns. Nine offenses scored 30.00 fantasy points from their running backs, highlighted by the Jets’ success (25/198/2 with seven catches for 58 yards).

Based on his matchup, Achane looks poised to be a difference-maker in Week 16. Quinn Ewers has a lot to prove in his first NFL start, but the Dolphins’ offense runs through their star running back. My bullish projections have the Dolphins’ star running back gaining 171 combined yards with one touchdown and six catches. 

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts (DK: $8,000/FD: $9,100)

Over the past four games, the Colts gave Taylor 91 touches (22.25 per game), but he averaged only 12.55 fantasy points in PPR formats. He gained only 3.7 yards per carry, with one touchdown. Indy faced four good defenses over this span (@KC, HOU, @JAC, and @SEA) while playing with a banged-up Daniel Jones at quarterback and a high school walk-on in Week 15. 

Taylor played at a high level over his first six games at home (125/822/9 – 6.6 yards per carry with 30 catches for 260 yards and two more scores). He averaged 32.43 fantasy points in DraftKings scoring over this span.

The 49ers rank 18th in running back defense (320.60 fantasy points) in PPR formats. They’ve allowed 11 touchdowns with minimal space when catching the ball (6.1 yards per catch), but backs have the third-most catches (78). San Francisco will give up bigger plays in the run game (4.4 yards per carry).

• Travis Etienne (19/124/1 with one catch for one yard)
• Kyren Williams (131 combined yards with two touchdowns and eight catches)
• Tony Pollard (14/104/1 with one catch for eight yards)

Taylor has beast upside, but his success starts with better quarterback play. Philip Rivers should be better this week. His success begins with the Colts establishing the run, which allows open play-action completions downfield. Indy’s offense will be overlooked in Week 16, but it has the talent to drive the ball on many plays, rewarding Taylor with winning scoring chances.

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions (DK: $8,500/FD: $9,500)

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) warms up ahead of the Green Bay Packers game at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The every-other-week saga of Gibbs continued in Week 15. His best value over his last eight games came after an outcome below his scoring average (36.80, 38.20, 55.40, and 37.00 fantasy points), followed by these outcomes (5.80, 19.60, 11.60, and 9.80). A challenging matchup against the Rams’ defense yielded only 58 combined yards on 17 touches, with four catches.

Gibbs has been a better player this season at home (100/676/9 – 6.8 yards per carry with 32 catches for 241 yards and one touchdown), resulting in him averaging 27.10 fantasy points in DraftKings scoring. 

The Steelers grade above the league average in running back defense (12th – 289.00 fantasy points). They can be beaten in the run game (331/1,460 – 4.4 yards per carry), but Pittsburgh has allowed only five rushing touchdowns (one receiving).

• Breece Hall (19/107 with two catches for 38 yards)
• Kenneth Walker (13/105/1 with one catch for 13 yards)
• Chase Brown (11/108 with two catches for minus eight yards)
• James Cook (32/144 with three catches for 33 yards)

Gibbs' rhythm of late success was a great game at home. The Lions’ offense should get a boost from T.J. Watt, who is expected to sit out another game with his chest issue. I have Detroit’s electric back on a path to post a 3X floor in fantasy points (28.10) at DraftKings.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $8,600/FD: $9,500)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Chase draws the WR1 seed in Week 16 again. He performed well in catches (10), receiving yards (132), and targets (16) vs. the Ravens, but he failed to catch the needed touchdowns to produce an impact output for his favorable matchup. Scoring (five TDs) has been an issue for him this year, but his targets (155 – 11.9 per game) have been better than in 2024 (10.3 per game).

The Dolphins have played well defending wide receivers (375.90 fantasy points – 7th), highlighted by them gaining only 11.5 yards per catch. Miami does allow a high catch rate (66.0%) to wideouts. Six teams have scored at least 30.00 fantasy points from their wide receivers.

• Los Angeles Chargers (16/155/1)
• New Orleans (15/160/2)

Chase needs volume of targets to reach his expected ceiling, which will be helped if Tee Higgins doesn’t suit up. Joe Burrow must play better and deliver passing touchdowns in this matchup. I have the Bengals’ lead wideout on a path to catch nine passes for 102 yards and one touchdown, but Puka Nacua (12/225/2) has already set a high bar in wide receiver scoring in Week 16.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (DK: $7,600/FD: $8,200)

At this point in the season, McBride is a massive edge at tight end, highlighted by him outscoring all wide receivers over the past nine games. Only Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs have been better players than McBride over this span at the running back position. His success has been driven by the rise of Jacoby Brissett (25.32 FPPG) over the past nine contests, and Arizona throwing the ball 42.9 times per game over this span.

The Falcons have the second-best tight end defense (108.80 fantasy points). They’ve allowed only two touchdowns, with a high catch rate (68.1%), helped by a favorable tight end schedule.

• Tyler Warren (8/99)

McBride has a floor of five catches in each game this year, while scoring over 20.00 fantasy points in six of his last nine starts. He is the top projected tight end in Week 16 (eight catches for 86 yards and one touchdown). His rising salary requires over 30.00 fantasy points to fill his salary bucket.