An Oakland stack will be risky this week, but Latavius Murray is the safest Raider of the bunch

Don’t look now, but my DFS stacks are on a bit of a late-season roll. Last week was another strong week with all three stacks putting up decent numbers at least. Before we delve into my Week 16 picks, let’s reminisce on the good days of Week 15.

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WEEK 15 RECAP 

Premium Stack 

Russell Wilson – 26.56 points
Doug Baldwin – 18.5 points
Seahawks D/ST – 9 points

The Seahawks’ defense wasn’t as great as I anticipated against Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns, but Wilson and Baldwin continued their hot streaks with two touchdown connections.

Value Stack 

Blake Bortles – 25.28 points
Allen Robinson – 13.2 points
Denard Robinson – 11.4 points

This stack did relatively well, but I don’t think it reached its full upside against a very favorable matchup. The Jaguars couldn’t get Denard Robinson going in the running game and didn’t do a great job of getting Allen Robinson involved enough. The Jaguars have talent, but now they need to string together consistent performances.

Risky Stack 

Adrian Peterson – 6.3 points
Stefon Diggs – 19 points
Minnesota D/ST – 10 points

Unfortunately, an ankle injury limited Peterson during this game, but the person I missed out on was Teddy Bridgewater. In hindsight, I probably should have included him in this stack, but still didn’t expect 32.94 points from him.

Can I string together a third-consecutive week of strong stacks? This week’s slate of games won’t make it very easy. Again, all prices come from FanDuel.

WEEK 16 PICKS 

Premium Stack 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens (1 p.m. ET kickoff)

Players of note
Ben Roethlisberger ($8,900), Antonio Brown ($9,300), Martavis Bryant ($7,200)

Rationale
Anything can happen in rivalry games, but the Steelers control their own destiny toward the postseason and cannot afford to slip up against the lowly Ravens. Baltimore will fight hard under coach John Harbaugh, but they won’t be able to stop Pittsburgh’s high-flying offense.

Brown was mercurial in the first meeting of the season with only five catches for 42 yards, but much of that was because Roethlisberger didn’t play in the game due to injury. The Ravens have given up 28 passing touchdowns this season, which is tied for the fifth-most in the NFL.

Bryant could be a solid second wideout this week if Baltimore focuses its attention on shutting down Brown. Bryant has put up double-digit outputs in five of his last six games and could see more targets if the Ravens key on Brown.

Value Stack 

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. ET kickoff)

Players of note
Alex Smith ($6,800), Jeremy Maclin ($6,900), Charcandrick West ($6,700)

Rationale
Picking on the Browns worked out last week, so why not try it again? Smith doesn’t stick out as a flashy fantasy quarterback, but he has taken advantage of porous secondaries before. Cleveland ranks 22nd in the NFL with an average of 253 passing yards allowed per game, and the Browns have surrendered 29 touchdown passes this season.

Maclin has caught at least six passes in each of his last four games, and that should continue against Cleveland. Maclin could find the end zone at least once on Sunday.

The player with perhaps the most value could be West. Cleveland ranks 31st in the NFL with an average of 134.9 rushing yards allowed per game, which bodes well for the Chiefs’ backfield. It will be important to monitor Spencer Ware’s health and usage this week, as he could eat into some of West’s carries. As of right now, it appears Ware will play against the Browns.

Risky Stack 

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET kickoff)

Players of note
Latavius Murray ($6,100), Derek Carr ($7,400), Amari Cooper ($7,300)

Rationale
There’s something heartwarming about “The Black Hole” on Christmas Eve. The Chargers likely earned their last win of the season (and potentially ever in San Diego) last weekend when they thumped the Miami Dolphins. Oakland will be playing its final home game in front of a rabid, primetime crowd. If you play in contests that include Thursday night games, the Raiders may be a good option to look at.

Murray is the real gem in this stack. The Chargers have allowed an average of 120.6 rushing yards per game and 14 touchdowns to opposing tailbacks. Murray ran 15 times for 85 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting in San Diego and should feast on the Chargers’ defense yet again.

San Diego possesses the 11th-best secondary in the NFL in terms of passing yards allowed, but Cooper had his way with the Chargers in the first meeting. The rookie wideout caught five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Carr also had a phenomenal outing against the Chargers last time the two played. He tossed 289 yards and three touchdowns during one of his best performances of the season.

Allow the Raiders to give you something to occupy yourself during Christmas Eve night. Of course, have a Merry Christmas and may Santa Claus bring you plenty of profitable DFS stacks for the rest of the season.

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Matt Barbato is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Matt, you can view his archive or follow him @realmattbarbato.