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Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Divisional Round Saturday-Sunday
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Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson FD 8700 DK 7900
Opponent HOU
Proj Points FD - 22.22 DK - 22.22
Lamar Jackson has been off for a couple of weeks now, so I suppose there’s some concern about too much rust. But there’s also a ton of rest in there as well, and at this point in the NFL season, that can really mean a lot. The Ravens are -9.5 home favorites here against the Texans with Lamar coming a bit cheaper than Josh Allen for this Divisional Round.
He was second among quarterbacks in rush attempts on the season, completed passes at a career-high 67% rate, and had a 24:7 TD: INT. Plus, he’s getting Mark Andrews back for this game as well, giving him yet another weapon. Jackson has a very high floor in this game.
Baker Mayfield FD 7300 DK 6000
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 18.11 DK - 18.11
Though the Bucs are underdogs here, there are reasons to like Baker Mayfield as a cash game play. The Lions have let it up to opposing quarterbacks this season, ranking 30th in yards per pass attempt and 27th in passing yards per game allowed. The dome conditions will play fast here no matter what and it stands to reason Tampa is playing from behind.
At worst, they are going to need to try to hold serve with a high-powered Lions offense. Mayfield threw for 337 yards against the Eagles in the Wild Card round and, over his last six games, has gone for 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey FD 10800 DK 8800
Opponent GB
Proj Points FD - 24.96 DK - 26.86
When it comes to running backs, we are looking for home favorites, in good offenses with guys who handle all three downs. Check, check, and check with Christian McCaffrey. He led the NFL in overall usage (carries + targets) with 355 total touches. That was 13 more than the next-closest running back (Rachaad White) despite playing one whole game less. It was a remarkable season from the workhouse back. With a couple of weeks off now, it stands to reason he will see a big workload once again.
The Packers were among the worst in the league in opponents rushing yards per game on the season. Plus, they ranked 23rd in opponents' yards per rush. This is a smash spot for CMC. He should be rostered in cash games even in the upper price tier.
James Cook FD 6800 DK 6300
Opponent KC
Proj Points FD - 17.31 DK - 18.9
The Bills have really leaned on James Cook in the second half of this season with the running back drastically upping his usage over the last eight weeks.
In that stretch, Cook is averaging more than 18 carries per game and 3.75 targets. It’s been elite touches for Cook and should remain the case here. He doesn’t draw a good matchup against a very good Chiefs defense, but this is a shorter slate of games, and a lot of good teams are going. I really like his price on both sites as a home favorite.
Rachaad White and Aaron Jones are both interesting plays here. They stand to see almost all of the Bucs and Packers running back usage this week, which is a great thing. But both are in bad matchups as underdogs, which is bad. Between the two, I’d lean Aaron Jones, though if AJ Dillon came fully back, that might change.
Wide Receiver
Amon-Ra St. Brown FD 9200 DK 8200
Opponent TB
Proj Points FD - 17.85 DK - 22.21
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are significantly worse against the pass than they are against the run and the Lions could have a field day through the air against this team. If that’s the case, then Amon-Ra St. Brown is clearly the play. He finished fifth in the NFL in targets per game this season.
Plus, he’s coming off a nine-target Wild Card game that saw him go for seven catches and 110 yards. St. Brown is incredibly efficient and the Lions have a fantastic game plan to get him involved early and often. I like the DraftKings price for the full PPR though do think it will be tough to roster CMC and ARSB in the same lineups.
Rashee Rice FD 7800 DK 6800
Opponent BUF
Proj Points FD - 15.35 DK - 18.69
Rashee Rice is the clear WR1 in Kansas City now, and when Patrick Mahomes is your quarterback, we are starting to talk about elite-level production. Rice has seen nine or more targets in six of the last seven games, averaging 108 yards a game through that stretch. And he’s only getting better, coming off 130 yards and a touchdown in the Wild Card round against the Dolphins. Unbelievably, the price still hasn’t caught all the way up with the production and we are still getting him at something of a value.
Josh Reynolds FD 6100 DK 3700
Opponent TB
Proj Points FD - 10 DK - 12.04
If looking for a cheap option on this slate, it’s hard to beat Josh Reynolds, who is coming off back-to-back seven target weeks in the last two. In that stretch, he’s totaled 10 catches and 132 yards. Again, with limited slates and all good teams going, it can be hard to find punt plays, but Reynolds might be as close as we get there.
Mike Evans is a great FanDuel play against a weaker Detroit Lions secondary.
Tight End
Cade Otton FD 5300 DK 3500
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 9.56 DK - 12.16
Do we want to use one game to inform our whole premise for cash game play this week? At tight end, we might just want to. That’s because Cade Otton blew it out of the box in the Wild Card round against the Eagles, totaling 11 targets for an 8/89 line.
It was a total smash for Otton who had four more targets than the next-closest Buc. Now, that was taking advantage of the Eagles’ linebackers, and this week won’t exactly be the same case. But again, the Lions do allow teams to throw on them and Otton is coming cheap on both sites.
Dalton Schultz FD 5800 DK 4400
Opponent BAL
Proj Points FD - 8.65 DK - 10.87
The Texans have a tough draw against the Ravens, who own the best defense in the NFL this season. But they’ll also be without Noah Brown, and Schultz could stand to see some more targets this week. He only got two looks last week against the Browns, but did turn those into one catch for a 37-yard touchdown. The Texans didn’t have to throw much in that game, but that should shift this game.
