I’m back with the Week 16 DraftKings recommendations for Tight Ends and Kickers. The Millionaire Grand Final is this week so it will be great to see who comes out on top. And now is a great time to check out DraftKings if you haven’t. Are you out of your full season fantasy football playoffs? Well, the season continues at DraftKings! So you can get a free game with any deposit you make.  What are you waiting for?

News and Notes

• Teams on bye for Week 16: None.
• Thursday game: None
• Aaron Rodgers might play? Maybe? Pretty please? He doesn’t have the greatest matchup facing Pittsburgh if he does play
• Larry Fitzgerald is expected to play against Seattle. He shouldn’t be starting for your fantasy squad as the matchup is lethal.
• Since this is a post about TEs and kickers, I should report that Garrett Hartley has been cut by the Saints and replaced by Shayne Graham. Graham is a non-starter this week as the Saints remain on the road.
• Tony Romo doesn’t play defense.

DraftKings Tight End Recommendations

If you’ve never played on DraftKings before, you can get a deposit bonus by signing up. And there are different options to pick from at DraftKings for any skill level.

Did you know that you can qualify for a million dollar top prize starting with just a $2 investment? It’s all right here at the DraftKings Millionaire Grand Final. Wait. Did I already mention that?

Finally, a gentle reminder on the scoring for Tight Ends – this is a PPR site so remember that when selecting players.

10 Receiving Yards = +1PT (+0.1PT per yard is awarded)
Reception = +1PT
Receiving TD = +6PTs
100+ Yard Receiving Game = +3PTs
Fumble Lost = -1PT
2 Point Conversion (Pass, Run, or Catch) = +2PTs

The full DraftKings scoring system is here.

Tight Ends can also be used in the flex position at DraftKings.

Let’s take a look at a couple of options at each price point. I’ll mention Football Outsiders a lot – the passes per game and yards per game stats I use are from Football Outsiders. Here is the link to Football Outsiders’ 2012 stats. FO has updated their stats for 2013 and you can find them here.

The Graham Tier

Jimmy Graham ($7,400) faces the Carolina Panthers on the road. The Saints aren’t nearly the same team on the road and Carolina is relatively solid against TEs. Coupled with Drew Brees’ injured hand, Graham is a non-starter for me this week.  There are better options on a dollar per point this week…

The Jeffersons

Vernon Davis | 49ers | $6,200 – If you want the Rolls Royce of TEs this week, Davis is your man. He has big home/road splits scoring almost seven more points at home (19.4 PPG) than on the road (12.5 PPG).  He gets the Falcons at home this week and the Falcons gave up ten targets to TEs last week. Davis should be good for 15 points with an upside above 20 this week.

There really isn’t anyone else above $5,000 that I’d pay for this week. Dennis Pitta ($6,000) has a great matchup, but it’s unclear Pitta’s week to week role and the Pats shut down Charles Clay last week.

Jason Witten ($5,400) also has a great matchup, but why not save $500 and pick up….

All in the Family

Delanie Walker | Titans | $4,900 – Walker produced last week (second highest scoring TE heading into Monday night) facing the worst defense against TEs. What does he get as a reward? He faces the second worst defense against TEs. Walker should be primed for another double digit performance, but may have priced himself out of the market. Walker is a consideration for those who can afford him.

Garrett Graham | Texans | $4,300 – Graham missed last week’s matchup with the Jags, but gets another great matchup against the Denver Broncos this week. The Broncos are in the bottom five against TEs. Graham has two 20+ point games in his last four. If Graham misses, the game, the Texans could turn back to Ryan Griffin ($3,400) who picked up 12 points last week in relief of Graham. However, if Owen Daniels returns, he’s not an option as he’s not in the player pool this week.

Good Times

Charles Clay | Dolphins | $3,900 – Clay was nearly shut out last week in a solid matchup. He’s back on my list this week as he gets the Bills who are tough on TEs, but give up TDs too TEs a bit more than the average squad.

Zach Miller | Seahawks | $3,600 – Miller guest stars this week in the comedy Which TE is playing the Arizona Cardinals.  As I noted last week, Miller has significant home/road splits as he scores 11.4 points per game at home and only 4.5 points per game on the road. Miller is at home this week. It’s a tasty matchup as Miller had 5 receptions for 40 yards and a TD in Week 7’s matchup with the Cards. He’s the player most likely to be on my squads this week.

From Way Downtown

Fred Davis | Washington |$3,400 – Well, hello there Mr. Davis.  Week 15 was the Washington audition for useful parts we haven’t used this year. With Kirk Cousins at the helm, Davis was targeted three times (and fellow TE Logan Paulsen ($3,300) was targeted seven times). Davis has the upside here and is the play over the plodding Paulsen if you want to go way off the board.

DraftKings Kicker Recommendations

Your weekly update on this guy is that he’s still not on a roster. Sadly.

A reminder of the DraftKings scoring is below.

There are distance-based bonuses for kickers and no penalties for misses so you can take on risk without penalty.

Extra Point = +1PT
Field Goal 0-39 Yards = +3 PTs
Field Goal 40-49 Yards = +4PTs
Field Goal 50+ Yards = +5PTs

We have the same spread as last week as the most expensive kickers are at $4,000 and the bottom sits at $3,000. A few hundred dollars may not sound like a lot, but every bit counts when assembling your roster. Again, I can’t suggest paying too much for a kicker so we’ll look at the options further down the line.

Josh Scobee | Jaguars | $3,100 – Weather shouldn’t be an issue in Jacksonville and the Jags face the Titans who are friendly to kickers. Scobee has nine or more points in each of the last four weeks with double digit point totals in the last three.

Josh Brown ($3,000) is another cheap option (if you want to avoid all weather considerations) although the Giants did score zero points last week which isn’t good for field goal kickers. Brown gets to go indoors against a Lions defense that should give up more than zero points. If you have the money, take Phil Dawson ($3,900) against the worst defense with respect to kickers in the Atlanta Falcons. He’s scored double digit points every week since Week 10.