After arguably the most exciting weekend of football in NFL history, with all four Divisional Round games decided on the final play, the AFC and NFC Championships are set for Sunday. On the penultimate weekend of the postseason, there are tons of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests to choose from at DraftKings and FanDuel, where you can win a share of huge prize pools.
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.
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Conference Championship 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: $7,400, FD: $8,800)
Mahomes just out-dueled Josh Allen in a Divisional Round game for the ages, and he’ll be starting a fourth straight AFC Championship at home. This game has been assigned a 54.5-point total compared to 46 points for the NFC Championship, so it makes sense to target passing offenses at Arrowhead.
Mahomes is sporting a 25:3 TD:INT ratio and averaging 315.2 passing YPG with a 115.2 passer rating over nine career home playoff games. He completed 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) in Cincinnati on Jan. 2 and is in much better position to replicate that success than Joe Burrow, who struggled on the road this year and could not find the end zone last Sunday at Tennessee.
Value Play: Matthew Stafford (DK: $6,300, FD: $7,500)
The 49ers ranked second in DVOA rush defense and 16th against the pass this season. Cam Akers only managed 48 rushing yards on 24 carries last week at Tampa Bay, forcing Stafford to go 28-for-38 for 366 yards and two TDs in a 30-27 win.
Stafford should see another high-volume day at home, where he owns a 21:6 TD:INT ratio and averages 293.6 passing YPG this season. He struggled with ball security and took seven sacks in two meetings with San Francisco this season, but totaled 73 pass attempts and now averages 41 attempts per game over six career matchups with the 49ers.
Fade: Joe Burrow (DK: $6,600, FD: $7,500)
Jimmy Garoppolo ($5,400; $6,200) is also a QB to shy away from on a two-game slate, but Burrow is more of a subtle fade. As mentioned, he averaged nearly 100 fewer passing YPG (232.9) on the road this season and he’s taken 15 sacks while averaging 231 passing YPG over his last three starts on the road, including a 19-16 win at Tennessee in the Divisional Round. KC held opposing QBs to a 91.9 passer rating and allowed a modest 6.5 yards per attempt at home this season.
Running Back
Best Play: Joe Mixon (DK: $6,800, FD: $8,200)
The Bengals (+7) could fall behind early at KC, which would actually boost Mixon’s outlook in PPR formats. The every-down back has caught 23 of 26 targets over his last four appearances, including seven catches for 40 yards in a win over the Chiefs in Week 17.
Mixon ran a route on 53.6% of passing plays this season and averaged the fifth-most red zone touches (3.13) among RBs. The Chiefs allowed the fourth-most receptions (109) to RBs this season and have forced a ton of underneath targets at Arrowhead, where they allow just 6.5 yards per attempt.
Value Play: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (DK: $5,300, FD: $5,700)
In GPP formats, Jerick McKinnon ($5,100; $6,200) is arguably the better option out of the Chiefs backfield due to his big-play ability. But Edwards-Helaire has taken over as the primary back for KC, especially on early-down situations. And if the Chiefs (-7) control the tempo of this game, he could rack up stats in the second half.
CEH made his long-awaited return from a shoulder injury last week and tallied 69 scrimmage yards on eight touches, while fill-in RB Darrel Williams was a healthy scratch. The Bengals have allowed 149.3 rushing YPG at a 5.5 YPC clip over their last three games and will be vulnerable between the tackles as they drop back more defenders to protect against the pass.
Fade: Elijah Mitchell (DK: $5,900, FD: $7,000)
Mitchell is a touchdown-dependent RB with almost no role in the passing game, and some of his carries have been siphoned by elite playmaker Deebo Samuel, who has 20 totes in these playoffs. The Rams are allowing just 82.3 rushing YPG over their last three games and held Mitchell to 85 yards on 21 totes (4.0 YPC) at SoFi Stadium in Week 18. Trent Williams (ankle) is nicked up and the Niners’ passing attack has been anemic, so the Rams should be able to stack the box.
Wide Receiver
Best Play: Cooper Kupp (DK: $8,800, FD: $9,700)
If you save salary with Stafford at QB, you might be able to pay for his top target. Kupp has been unstoppable all season and has tagged the Niners secondary for 14 catches and 240 yards over two meetings this season. He’s averaging 13.7 yards per catch with nine TDs over eight home games this season and is averaging 97.8 receiving YPG with three TDs over his first four playoff appearances.
Value Play: Byron Pringle (DK: $4,300, FD: $5,700)
The Bengals have a few value WRs to consider in Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd since the Chiefs secondary might sell out to stop Ja’Marr Chase after the rookie’s record-setting performance against them in Week 17.
Yet we prefer to stack more pieces alongside Mahomes and Andy Reid as they look to march to a third straight Super Bowl. Pringle has taken over as the clear-cut third option in the Chiefs’ passing attack with 22 targets over his last three outings and he’s caught five balls in all of those games with three TDs over his last two appearances. The Bengals coughed up the most FanDuel PPG to opposing WRs this season and they’ll be stretched thin trying to contain Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
GPP Play: Tyreek Hill (DK: $7,000, FD: $8,100)
Hill is a fine consolation as your WR1 if you can’t afford Cooper Kupp. The Bengals held him to 40 yards in Week 17, as he came off the COVID List just in time to suit up for that contest. Now clearly healthy, Hill posted an 11-150-TD line against Buffalo’s top-ranked pass defense, and he should make plays against a Bengals team that gave up 13.2 receptions per game to WRs and allowed 64.7% of TDs from the opposition to come through the air on the road this season.
Fade: Deebo Samuel (DK: $7,200, FD: $8,400)
While his actual impact on the game was immense, Samuel didn’t meet value in Saturday DFS contests with 83 scoreless yards from scrimmage at Green Bay. Now he faces the Rams for the third time this year and will see plenty of Jalen Ramsey, the top-rated CB in the NFL once again. Samuel topped 95 receiving yards and scored a rushing TD in both meetings with the Rams this season, but we expect that star-studded defense to adjust and contain San Francisco’s biggest weapon.
Tight End
Best Play: Travis Kelce (DK: $6,500, FD: $7,700)
With a TD in four straight appearances since coming off the COVID List, Kelce is quite clearly the top option at a thin TE position. His price tag at FanDuel makes it very difficult to squeeze him into lineups, but you can find cheaper WRs in the AFC Championship to make room for the playoff vet.
The Bengals allowed the fourth-most receptions (96) and fifth-most receiving yards (1,083) to TEs this season after getting burned by the position last year as well.
Value Play: C.J. Uzomah (DK: $3,400, FD: $5,600)
Sticking with our commitment to stacking the AFC Championship, we prefer the Bengals’ TE as a cheap option even though Niners’ TE George Kittle ($5,000;$5,800) is only slightly more expensive at FanDuel.
Uzomah has caught 13 of 14 targets for 135 yards and a TD in these playoffs and the Bengals are likely to keep posting a high pass-play rate as they try to keep pace with Mahomes. The Chiefs’ aggressive defense will force Burrow to get the ball out of his hands quickly and use his TE as a safety valve.
Fade: Tyler Higbee (DK: $3,700, FD: $5,500)
As long as San Francisco LB Fred Warner (ankle) is active, top TEs will have a hard time finding any openings in the San Francisco defense. Higbee is averaging 4.2 catches per game with just two TDs over his last seven appearances, including the playoffs and if you want a true punt play, consider Rams backup TE Kendall Blanton ($2,700; $4,400), who caught a TD last week and could siphon a few more targets away from Higbee this Sunday.
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