We had six Wild Card games last weekend and the NFL playoffs roll on with four great matchups in the Divisional Round this Saturday and Sunday. So there are still plenty of options to pick from in Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests at DraftKings and FanDuel, where you can win a share of huge prize pools.
Note that FanDuel is not running featured contests for both Saturday and Sunday, while DraftKings is offering its Millionaire contest with a Saturday start to include all four games. There are still contests offered at FanDuel that include all four games.
Whether you’re located in a state that won’t allow you to wager on NFL odds or just prefer DFS to traditional sports betting, there are many contests to choose from each and every week of the season. Here, we’ll provide you with lineup advice for a variety of contests including cash games (i.e. 50/50, H2H, and Double-Up) and GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) tournaments.
NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND DAILY FANTASY | BEST CONTESTS AT DRAFTKINGS & FANDUEL
- DraftKings Millionaire: $20 entry, $3M guaranteed – $1,000,000 to 1st!
- DraftKings Play-Action: $3 entry, $700k guaranteed – $50,000 to 1st!
- FanDuel Saturday Million: $5 entry, $1M guaranteed – $200,000 to 1st!
- FanDuel Sunday Million: $5 entry, $1.5M guaranteed – $200,000 to 1st!
Divisional Round NFL DFS Lineup Picks | Predictions For DraftKings & FanDuel
Whether you play at DraftKings or FanDuel, we want to make the process of choosing your lineup as simple as possible. Below, we have suggestions for several different DFS contest types along with prices for each player from both sites.
Quarterback
Best Play: Patrick Mahomes (DK: $7,300, FD: $8,500) – Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
Buffalo’s pass defense has thrived against poor competition this season, but has become much more vulnerable since Tre’Davious White (ACL) went down on Thanksgiving. Over their last three games, 75% of TDs scored against the Bills have come through the air, and the Chiefs are scoring 77% of their TDs through the air in that span.
Mahomes just became the third QB in NFL history with multiple five-touchdown games in the playoffs and he’s rocking a 114 passer rating with a 23:2 TD:INT ratio over eight postseason games at Arrowhead. That includes an excellent performance (29-for-36 passing, 325 yards, 3 TDs) against Buffalo in the AFC Championship last season.
Value Play: Matthew Stafford (DK: $6,200, FD: $7,400) – Sunday, 3 p.m.
The Rams used a run-heavy approach against the Cardinals and Stafford was extremely efficient while completing 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards and two TDs. He’s sure to see more volume this Sunday against a Bucs team that faced the highest pass-play rate (66.8%) while holding opponents to just 92.7 rushing YPG this season.
Stafford shredded Tampa’s injury-diminished defense for 343 yards and four TDs in Week 4 at SoFi Stadium, and the Bucs just gave up 244 passing yards to an Eagles team that doesn’t usually air the ball out. The Rams posted a 59% pass-play rate and averaged the second-most yards per attempt (8.1) on the road this season.
GPP Play: Aaron Rodgers (DK: $7,100, FD: $8,400) – Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
Rodgers might have low ownership this weekend because he’s facing a 49ers defense that dominated his squad twice during the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs. Yet those games were in the Bay Area and now Rodgers is at Lambeau Field, where his Packers are 8-0 this season and he’s averaging 312.6 passing YPG with a 14:1 TD:INT ratio over his last five playoff appearances.
The Niners rank second in DVOA rush defense and are 16th in DVOA pass defense this season. They allowed 60.9% of TDs from the opposition through the air on the road this year and that ratio is the second-highest in the league (83.3%) over their last three games. Rodgers and Davante Adams ($8,500; $8,700) will test the 49ers young secondary and could prove to be a tournament-winning stack if they win that battle.
Fade: Tom Brady (DK: $7,800, FD: $7,800) – Sunday, 3 p.m.
As good as Tom Brady has been in the playoffs throughout his career, the Rams defense has been equally impressive in spurts. Brady notably struggled with 262 passing yards, zero TDs, and a pick in a 13-3 win over Sean McVay’s squad in the Super Bowl three years ago, and he’s slowed down with a 67.3% completion rate and 9:2 TD:INT ratio while taking 10 sacks over his last five starts.
Aaron Donald and company can generate consistent pressure on Brady up the middle, which has been his kryptonite in recent years. The Rams lost both starting safeties to injury prior to their playoff opener but didn’t miss a beat with former Pro Bowler Eric Weddle stepping in. This defense made Kyler Murray look terrible last Monday night and should slow down the Bucs’ diminished passing attack by shadowing Mike Evans with Jalen Ramsey.
Running Back
Best Play: Derrick Henry (DK: $7,500, FD: $9,000) – Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
King Henry will return to action for the first time since he fractured his foot on Halloween, and there isn’t much competition this weekend in terms of other top options. Joe Mixon lines up against Tennessee’s league-leading rush defense and Aaron Jones has a tough matchup against the 49ers with A.J. Dillon vying for goal-line touches.
Henry might see a slightly lower workload than we’ve seen in recent postseasons, but he’s clearly going to step in ahead of D’Onta Foreman for a team that’s only averaging 142.3 passing yards over their last four playoff games. Henry has had three huge games and three quiet games in his playoff career, but we’d bank on a bigger game against a Bengals defense that’s allowing the third-most rushing YPG (154.3) at the second-highest YPC clip (5.9) over their last three games.
Value Play: Leonard Fournette (DK: $5,700, FD: $7,000) – Sunday 3 p.m.
Clearly, the Bucs were confident that they could beat the Eagles last Sunday and that influenced their decision to give Fournette an extra week to rest his hamstring. “Playoff Lenny” has already returned to practice and he will look to extend his streak of six straight playoff games with a TD.
The Rams allowed a healthy 120.3 rushing YPG over their last three games and gave up the third-most completions per game (24.8) on the road. Tom Brady loves to feature his RBs against aggressive defenses and Fournette drew the third-most targets (84) while running the fourth-most routes (323) among RBs this season.
GPP Play: Jerick McKinnon (DK: $4,800, FD: $6,000) – Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
With Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) practicing in full, the public should steer away from McKinnon despite his solid performance over the Chiefs’ last two games. Yet the former 49ers draft pick brings a completely different dynamic to a passing attack and he could see the bulk of snaps if KC happens to fall behind early against a prolific Bills team.
McKinnon played on 78% of offensive snaps against the Steelers last week and only drew one target, but he’s an explosive athlete with the potential to break a big play when the Bills defense overreacts to Travis Kelce and/or Tyreek Hill.
Fade: Joe Mixon (DK: $6,600, FD: $7,800) – Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
If Henry and the Titans start rolling, the Bengals could abandon the run in a hurry this Saturday. They weren’t very successful on the ground last week against a Raiders team that finished the season dead last in red zone defense and allowed 112.6 rushing YPG this season. The Titans have allowed just 52.8 rushing YPG at a 3.7 YPC clip over their last five games and they’ve been excellent defensively in the red zone.
Wide Receiver
Best Play: Davante Adams (DK: $8,500, FD: $8,700) – Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
Adams and Cooper Kupp are the obvious top plays this weekend with huge price tags. For our money, Adams is a better tournament play on the full slate at home against a Niners secondary he torched for a 12-132-TD line in Week 3. San Francisco’s secondary has improved since then thanks to the ascendancy of second-year CB Ambry Thomas. Yet the Michigan product won’t be able to handle Adams without help.
Green Bay’s top receiver averaged 101.8 receiving YPG while drawing 10.9 targets per game at home this season. He’s working with a Hall of Fame QB in Rodgers, while Kupp’s partner Matthew Stafford is far less proven. Tampa Bay’s defensive scheme can be shaded towards Kupp more easily, whereas the 49ers play a solid base that stops the run and forces elite QBs to try and make elite throws.
Value Play: Odell Beckham Jr. (DK: $5,300, FD: $6,500) – Sunday, 3 p.m.
Brandon Aiyuk ($5,200; $5,900) is our value play for the Saturday slate because the Packers should adjust their defense to double and even triple Davante Adams at times. Cooper Kupp should get the same treatment from the Bucs and that will put a lot of pressure on Beckham Jr.
OBJ came out hot with a TD on the Rams’ opening drive on Monday night and he’s certainly enjoyed playing in Tampa with 16 catches for 195 yards on 32 targets over two road games when he was coming up with the Giants. His playing time has increased over the Rams’ last four games with 145 snaps and 24 targets while Van Jefferson has logged 111 snaps and drawn 15 targets with only one red zone look in that span.
GPP Play: Tyreek Hill (DK: $6,600, FD: $8,200) – Sunday 6:30 p.m.
After paying off in a cakewalk over the Steelers last Sunday, Hill is even more of a bargain this weekend at DraftKings. The Bills happen to allow the fewest DK PPG to opposing WRs, but again, they’re down top CB Tre’Davious White (ACL). And they couldn’t stop Hill from catching 9 of 11 targets for 172 yards in the AFC Championship last January. Hill averaged 100.5 Air Yards per game this season and averages 13.2 yards per reception over 10 home playoff games.
Fade: Deebo Samuel (DK: $7,600, FD: $8,600) – Saturday 8:15 p.m.
There have been eyes on Samuel everywhere he goes over his past several games, yet he’s still produced. It has to come to an end sometime and the Packers are capable of holding him in check at all costs if Jaire Alexander (shoulder) is a full go for the first time since getting hurt against the 49ers in Week 3.
Green Bay allowed just 16.8 PPG and 210.9 passing YPG at just 9.3 yards per completion at home this season. Samuel has only drawn 15 targets with San Francisco posting the highest rush-play rate 55.5% in the NFL over their last three games. Granted, he’s logged 25 carries with two rushing TDs in that span, but the Packers only allowed two rushing TDs over eight home games all year.
Tight End
Best Play: Rob Gronkowski (DK: $5,800, FD: $7,100) – Sunday 3 p.m.
With Chris Godwin (MCL) out and Mike Evans (hamstring) still diminished, Gronk is essentially the top option on the most pass-heavy team in the playoffs. He’s averaged nine targets per game over Tampa’s last six close games (excluding a blowout in Carolina) and is obviously the receiver Brady trusts most in critical situations.
The Rams gave up the 10th-most receptions (90) to opposing TEs this season and have an elite group of corners that will funnel more targets towards the interior. Gronk averaged 71.3 receiving YPG with four of his six TDs coming at home this season.
Value Play: Dawson Knox (DK: $4,900, FD: $6,500) – Sunday 6:30 p.m.
Knox is worth deploying in the FLEX spot at DraftKings when using Gronk at TE on this slate. The third-year man out of Mississippi has drawn at least two red zone targets in six of his last nine games and caught five balls for 89 yards and two TDs last Saturday night against the Patriots. He’s played on 93.7% of offensive snaps since Week 11 and could be a major factor in a game with the highest total (54 points at DraftKings) on the slate by far.
GPP Play: Travis Kelce (DK: $6,500, FD: $8,200) – Sunday 6:30 p.m.
Kelce is too expensive to be considered a GPP play at FanDuel, but he’s on par with the top receivers on the slate with similar upside at DraftKings. He’s been a machine with 6.8 receptions per game and 10 receiving TDs over 13 playoff games. He’s run the most routes (533) and has the most YAC (606) among TEs this season. Kelce is worth rolling out in Showtime lineups or stacking with Mahomes at DK despite the tough matchup.
Fade: George Kittle (DK: $5,300, FD: $6,400) – Saturday 8:15 p.m.
Fading Kittle is more about fading Jimmy Garoppolo in a tough spot. It’s going to be about 10 degrees with 10 MPH winds in Green Bay on Saturday night and Jimmy G has choked a few times with a 2:4 TD:INT ratio over four postseason starts. Green Bay could have Za’Darius Smith (back) in the lineup alongside All-Pro LB De’Vondre Campbell to try and take away Kittle.
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