Daily Fantasy Domination: Divisional Round

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Divisional Round DFS fantasy football.

We are down to eight teams left. After a Wild Card Weekend loaded with blowouts, will we finally see some close games? Will we see more weather terrorism? How about returning injured stars? One thing is for certain. There is money to be won, so let’s go get it!

NFL Divisional Round: recommended DFS lineups

DK Lineup: QB Jared Goff ($6.3k), RB Isiah Pacheco ($6.4k), RB Christian McCaffrey ($8.8k), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8.2k), WR Josh Reynolds ($3.7k), WR Khalil Shakir ($3.8k), TE Cade Otton ($3.5k), FLEX Gus Edwards ($5.9k), DST San Francisco 49ers ($3.4k)

FD Lineup: QB Jared Goff ($7.6k), RB Justice Hill ($5.3k), RB Christian McCaffrey ($10.8k), WR Romeo Doubs ($6.1k), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown ($9.2k), WR Justin Watson ($5.0k), TE George Kittle ($6.4k), FLEX Cade Otton ($5.3k), DST Baltimore Ravens ($4.3k)

FB Lineup: QB Brock Purdy ($6.4k), RB Christian McCaffrey ($8.9k), RB Gus Edwards ($5.5k), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown ($7.8k), WR Deebo Samuel ($7.1k), WR Odell Beckham Jr. ($4.2k), TE George Kittle ($5.3k), FLEX Cade Otton ($3.5k), FLEX Jared Goff ($6.3k)

Quarterback

Player DraftKings FanDuel
Josh Allen $8,000 $9,400
Lamar Jackson $7,900 $8,700
Patrick Mahomes $6,800 $7,700
C.J. Stroud $6,700 $7,200
Brock Purdy $6,500 $7,800
Jared Goff $6,300 $7,600
Jordan Love $6,200 $7,400
Baker Mayfield $6,000 $7,300

Weekly strategyLamar Jackson has the safest matchup, but there isn’t an awful play on the slate. Brock PurdyJared Goff, and Baker Mayfield are all much cheaper and should outperform their salaries.

Pay to Play

Lamar Jackson, Ravens vs. HOU ($7,900 DK, $8,700 FDDuring the regular season, only one team allowed fewer passing TDs than Houston. This suggests that maybe we should skip Jackson this week. Fortunately for him, Houston allowed the most QB rushing TDs. These two teams faced off way back in Week 1. The Texans held Jackson in check, but Justice Hill and J.K. Dobbins ran in three short TDs. Jackson will get in on the fun this week with at least one on the ground and one through the air.

Stay Away

C.J. Stroud, Texans @ BAL ($6,700 DK, $7,200 FDThe only team to allow fewer passing TDs than the Texans was the Ravens. The big difference is that Houston allowed the eighth-most passing yards while Baltimore allowed the sixth fewest. There is some hope for Stroud in that Baltimore allowed 31% of their league-low 16 passing TDs over their last four games. Plus, he probably will play from behind. Unfortunately, Stroud only has two games this year (including the big game last week) where he has posted monster numbers while facing a top-10 defense. In those six tougher matchups (including Week 1 versus Baltimore), Stroud averaged 211-1 through the air.

value play

Jared Goff, Lions vs. TB ($6,300 DK, $7,600 FDTampa allowed only one passing score last week. Of course, that came against a QB with a dislocated finger playing without his top receiver. During the regular season, this defense allowed the fifth-most passing yards. This is amazingly awful when you consider that their regular season included six games against Desmond RidderDerek Carr, and Bryce Young. Not to mention games against Gardner Minshew, half a game from C.J. Beathard, and Will Levis in his third career start. Goff threw for a season-high 353 yards against this defense back in Week 6. He will exceed that number in this projected shootout as both teams are stifling against the run.

Running Back

Player DraftKings FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey $8,800 $10,800
Aaron Jones $6,700 $7,400
Jahmyr Gibbs $6,600 $7,300
Rachaad White $6,500 $6,700
Isiah Pacheco $6,400 $7,500
James Cook $6,300 $6,800
David Montgomery $6,100 $7,000
Gus Edwards $5,900 $6,900
Devin Singletary $5,700 $6,400
Elijah Mitchell $5,200 $5,000
Justice Hill $4,800 $5,300
Chase Edmonds $4,700 $4,900
Dameon Pierce $4,600 $4,500
Clyde Edwards-Helaire $4,500 $5,000
AJ Dillon $4,400 $5,100
Jordan Mason $4,400 $4,400
Emanuel Wilson $4,200 $4,600
Ty Johnson $4,200 $4,800
Latavius Murray $4,100 $4,400
Dalvin Cook $4,000 $4,500
Kyle Juszczyk $4,000 $4,100

Weekly strategy – Christian McCaffrey (calf) needs to be your RB1. Aaron Jones has a tough matchup, but he has been playing well. You can say the same about the Detroit backfield and Rachaad White. So, use those four sparingly. If you decide to fade McCaffrey, use a combination of Gus EdwardsJames Cook, and Isiah Pacheco. They also are your best choices for RB2.

Pay to Play

Christian McCaffrey, Niners vs. GB ($8,800 DK, $10,800 FD) No one needs to tell you to play McCaffrey. Despite sitting out Week 18, McCaffrey still finished with over 2,000 scrimmage yards and 21 TDs. This was 438 more scrimmage yards than the next closest RB, despite playing one fewer game. Dual-threat backs have gouged Green Bay all season. As long as CMC is not on a snap count, he should post 130 total yards and at least one TD.

Stay Away

Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions vs. TB ($6,600 DK, $7,300 FDDuring the regular season, Tampa Bay allowed a league-low five RB rushing scores and seven total RB scores. Gibbs has been on fire, scoring seven times over his last six games. Still, it is tough to chase a TD in this matchup, especially when he is splitting backfield touches with David Montgomery. Gibbs missed the earlier meeting versus Tampa, but the remaining RBs totaled just 34 yards on 19 carries. Even if Gibbs does score here, you are going to still need all the other bricks to fall right for him to return 2.5x value.

Value Play

Gus Edwards, Ravens vs. HOU ($5,900 DK, $6,900 FDThere is only one great matchup for an RB this week. That is McCaffrey versus Green Bay. All the other defenses are very solid against the run. Among the other seven teams, the worst of the best is Houston. Last week, the Texans gave up a pair of short-yardage scores to Kareem Hunt, and the week before that Jonathan Taylor ran wild against this defense. Back in Week 1, Baltimore scored three rushing TDs against them. Edwards has a nose for the end zone. He will score this week. Just don’t expect huge yardage, since he still splits carries with Justice Hill and Lamar Jackson.

Wide Receiver

Player DraftKings FanDuel
Amon-Ra St. Brown $8,200 $9,200
Deebo Samuel $7,700 $8,300
Mike Evans $7,200 $7,600
Nico Collins $7,100 $8,700
Stefon Diggs $7,000 $7,500
Brandon Aiyuk $6,900 $7,900
Rashee Rice $6,800 $7,800
Chris Godwin $6,300 $6,900
Zay Flowers $6,000 $7,000
Romeo Doubs $5,600 $6,100
Jayden Reed $5,200 $6,600
Gabe Davis $5,000 $6,000
Dontayvion Wicks $4,900 $5,700
Odell Beckham Jr. $4,600 $5,600
Christian Watson $4,200 $5,800
Rashod Bateman $4,000 $5,100
Khalil Shakir $3,800 $5,900
Josh Reynolds $3,700 $6,100
Nelson Agholor $3,700 $4,900
Jameson Williams $3,600 $5,300
Jauan Jennings $3,600 $4,700
Robert Woods $3,500 $5,300
Skyy Moore $3,500 $4,500
Trey Palmer $3,500 $5,200
John Metchie III $3,400 $5,000
Bo Melton $3,300 $4,600
David Moore $3,300 $4,700
Justin Watson $3,300 $5,000
Kadarius Toney $3,200 $4,600
Kalif Raymond $3,200 $4,600
Ronnie Bell $3,200 $4,500
Trent Sherfield $3,100 $4,600
Andy Isabella $3,000 $4,200
Deonte Harty $3,000 $4,500
Deven Thompkins $3,000 $4,400
Devin Duvernay $3,000 $4,100
Justyn Ross $3,000 $4,300
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,000 $4,700
Mecole Hardman Jr. $3,000 $4,800
Richie James Jr. $3,000 $4,400
Xavier Hutchinson $3,000 $4,800

Weekly strategy – Deebo SamuelAmon-Ra St. Brown, and Mike Evans are the best plays of the week. You need two of them in your lineup. Rashee Rice and Zay Flowers would be the pivots. Romeo Doubs had a huge Wild Card week. He has an outside chance to repeat that here. Consider him and the rest of the Packers’ WR room as WR3 options. Otherwise, use Odell Beckham Jr.Khalil Shakir, Josh ReynoldsJamison Williams, Trey PalmerJustin Watson, or Mecole Hardman.

Pay to Play

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. TB ($8,200 DK, $9,200 FD) Alpha WRs have pillaged the Buccaneers all year. Back in Week 6, St. Brown eviscerated them to the tune of 12-124-1. That was just one of the 10 games this season where St. Brown has topped 100 receiving yards. St. Brown will have high ownership numbers, but he is the surest WR on this slate.

Stay Away

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. KC ($7,000 DK, $7,500 FDBuffalo could see more weather terrorism this weekend. Compounding this with their facing an elite KC pass defense makes this passing offense a risky play. Diggs caught only four of 11 passes in their earlier meeting as he remains mired in a long slump. He has not topped 100 yards in any of his last 12 games and has scored only three times during that span. If you want exposure to this passing offense, use Khalil Shakir or Dalton Kincaid instead.

Value Play

Trey Palmer, Buccaneers @ DET ($3,500 DK, $5,200 FD) Detroit finished the regular season third worst in both WR receiving yards and receiving TDs. Meanwhile, Palmer has scored in two of his last three games while establishing himself as the field-stretcher of the Buccaneers offense. Last week, Detroit allowed seven passes of greater than 20 yards, including two TDs. They have now allowed six 20-plus-yard TDs in their last four games.

Tight End

Player DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $6,000 $7,100
Sam LaPorta $5,900 $6,600
George Kittle $5,200 $6,400
Mark Andrews $5,000 $6,000
Dalton Kincaid $4,800 $6,200
Isaiah Likely $4,700 $5,500
Dalton Schultz $4,400 $5,800
Luke Musgrave $3,600 $5,100
Cade Otton $3,500 $5,300
Tucker Kraft $3,100 $4,800
Dawson Knox $3,000 $5,100
Brevin Jordan $2,700 $4,700
Blake Bell $2,500 $4,200
Brock Wright $2,500 $4,500
Noah Gray $2,500 $4,600

Weekly strategy – Travis Kelce is a beast in the playoffs. His recent struggles have lowered his price and could lead to lesser ownership. Both Sam LaPorta (knee) and George Kittle (back) have awesome matchups. If neither suffers a setback during the practice week, use them as well. With many players using the above threesome, Dalton Kincaid will be a lesser-owned TE1 pivot. Cade Otton is less expensive than all the above options. His matchup also is juicy. His price makes him an easy FLEX choice, saving you money for the higher-priced WRs.

Pay to Play

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ BUF ($6,000 DK, $7,100 FD) Kelce has faded this season as teams force the Chiefs to beat them with other weapons. That said, “playoff Kelce” is something to behold. He has 16 career TDs in 19 career games. He even has a passing TD in one of those contests … not to mention that 14 of those TDs have come in his last 13 playoff games. He also has topped 70 receiving yards in each of his last 10 playoff games. Kelce has faced Buffalo twice in the postseason. In those two games, he has posted an average of 10.5-107-1.5. Buffalo has a myriad of injuries in the middle of their defense right now. Kelce is sitting on a beast-mode game.

Stay Away

Dalton Schultz, Texans @ BAL ($4,400 DK, $5,800 FD) Only two teams allowed fewer TE scores this season than Baltimore. Last week, Schultz scored a TD, but that was his only catch. It was his first TD since Week 11 and also marked the lowest number of targets that Schultz has seen since his return from a Week 12 injury. Expect Schultz to catch a few more passes this week, just don’t be shocked when he doesn’t score.

Value Play

Cade Otton, Buccaneers @ DET ($3,500 DK, $5,300 FD) Thanks to a cheap DK price, Otton is the best double-TE option on the board. Over their last five games, Detroit has allowed an average of 4.6-67 to the position. Last week, Otton posted career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. In another shootout, he should post another high-water performance.

Cowboys won’t be fined for celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000

The Cowboys reportedly won’t be fined for a celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000:

Here’s a double standard from the league office. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissesro reports that the Dallas Cowboys will not be fined for their celebratory antics in their Thanksgiving Day win over the Washington Commanders — with players having stashed turkey legs inside Salvation Army kettles near the end zones to enjoy after scoring a big touchdown.

That’s the good news. This celebration didn’t hurt or upset anyone; if anything, it led to an outpouring of fan engagement on social media. Using props in celebrations like this may be against the rules, but it’s not harmful, and it’s good that the players were not punished for it.

Now the bad news. It’s a double standard by the NFL to not penalize anyone with fines after the league office took $30,000 from Michael Thomas. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver paid tribute to Joe Horn’s iconic cell phone celebration in a 2018 win against the Los Angeles Rams, having hidden flip phones under each goalpost to poste with in the event of a score. His game-winning touchdown catch met the criteria, and it was a widely-lauded moment.

But the NFL didn’t think so. And it’s not right for commissioner Roger Goodell and his decision-makers in New York to punish some players and let others get off scot-free. Unless they’re giving the green light for props in celebrations by not issuing any fines to Cowboys players, the league office should be consistent with this policy. It’s great that no one in Dallas lost money because of it. It’s a shame that Thomas did, and that other players likely will in the future. Either have the policy and enforce it fairly, or don’t bother with it all.

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Ranking the best NFL Week 12 touchdown celebrations, including the Zay Flowers bouquet toss snubbed by Lamar Jackson

We liked Zay Flowers’ first celebration a lot more than Lamar Jackson.

After falling asleep on the Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers game Sunday night, I woke up to see what I missed only to find out exactly what I suspected. Nothing. Well, nothing besides the celebrations. That’s what I missed.

The game didn’t appear to be particularly interesting. The Ravens won as expected and even covered the three-point spread, but they weren’t the dominant force they can be at times. And the Chargers were still the Chargers. So, yeah, celebrations were the most interesting the thing to come out of the game.

More specifically Gerald Everett’s imitation of Ray Lewis and Zay Flowers’ attempts to not embarrass himself in front of Lamar Jackson got a good chuckle out of me. They got me thinking, there were some good celebrations this week, somebody should rank them. So screw it, I’ll be the somebody.

Packers create 33 total pressures vs. Jared Goff and Lions

The Packers’ pass-rush dominated against Jared Goff and the Lions.

Jordan Love was terrific, but the defining stat from the Green Bay Packers’ Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions probably should be the total number of pressures created by Packers pass-rush.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Packers finished with 33 pressures, and Jared Goff was under pressure on over half of his dropbacks. Overall, Goff was under pressure on 26 total dropbacks during the Packers’ 29-22 win.

The Lions came into the contest with the second-highest graded pass-blocking offensive line at PFF.

The Packers had eight players with multiple pressures, including a team-high eight from Kenny Clark and five from both Karl Brooks and Preston Smith. Rashan Gary had four total pressures, including three he turned into sacks. Of the 33 pressures, 12 ended up in sacks or hits on Goff.

Goff made a few plays under pressure but also fumbled three times, losing all three. He was also hit three times while throwing, including once on a fourth down play in the first half.

Clark (8), Brooks (5), Smith (5) and Enagbare (4) all set or tied season-highs for pressures.

Clark, Brooks and Devonte Wyatt all had pass-rush win rates of 20 percent or higher.

Goff’s first fumble resulted in a defensive touchdown for Jonathan Owens. His second came on a scramble attempt after a pressure from Smith. His third was on fourth down in the second half.

The Packers finished with a 76.6 pass-rush grade at PFF, a season-best.

The 33 pressures weren’t a season-high but marked the Packers’ most since producing 36 in a Week 1 win over Justin Fields and the Bears.

Studs and Duds: A tale of two Blands in Cowboys’ 45-10 Thanksgiving win

Dak Prescott and DaRon Bland led the way for a big Thanksgiving day win for the Cowboys over the Commanders in Week 12. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys finally gave their fans a special feeling on Thanksgiving, with a 45-10 smoking of the Washington Commanders. After going 14 seasons without a double-digit Turkey Day victory, and numerous blowout losses, the Cowboys made sure they left no doubt on this holiday.

It was another 20+ point home win for Dallas, their fifth of the season. When they play at home, the Cowboys have left no doubt they are better team by getting a lead and then slamming the door shut late. In their latest rousing victory, Mike McCarthy’s boys finished in style, scoring 25 fourth-quarter points, and feasting their way into the record book.

Thanksgiving wasn’t the only reason to enjoy this day, the Cowboys provided ample reasons to celebrate in their drubbing of the Commanders in Week 12. Here are the studs and duds in the satisfying Thanksgiving win.

About Last Night… Photo gallery of Dolly Parton, Dak Prescott, Cowboys Thanksgiving

Fans in turkey suits, aerial football players, touchdown celebrations and turkey legs… oh, and a totally snatched Dolly Parton headline the Week 12 Cowboys photo gallery. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys enjoyed a glorious Thanksgiving celebration, taking the Washington Commanders to the slaughterhouse by the score of 45-10. Dallas had a comfortable lead heading into halftime, when the incomparable Dolly Parton came out and wowed the world by donning a Cowboys cheerleader outfit for her performance. Twitter reacted accordingly.

Once the game resumed, it took Dallas until the fourth quarter to resume their scoring barrage, but when they did, it was another incredible display. From turkey legs, Salvation Army kettles, the combination of both, it was a great day for Cowboys Nation. Enjoy a full gallery of the action from the great photographers of Getty Images and USA Today Sports.

Week 12 NFL power rankings: Cowboys feast, Lions crumble

Week 12 NFL power rankings: Cowboys feast, Lions stumble on Thanksgiving

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) in a Super Bowl rematch on Monday night. NFL fans were then treated to a Thanksgiving triple-header on Thursday.

The Detroit Lions (8-3) lost at home to the Green Bay Packers (5-6) on Thursday afternoon and the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) throttled the Washington Commanders (4-8) a few hours later. The San Francisco 49ers (8-3) took care of the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) to cap off the night.

Check out our post-Thanksgiving power rankings for Week 12 below.

WATCH: 49ers chow turkey on Seahawks home field

Hey #49ers fans — wanna see your dudes eating turkey on the Seahawks home field? Happy Thanksgiving!

The 49ers dominated Thursday night in Seattle and wrapped up their Thanksgiving with a feast on the home field of their biggest division rival.

For 49ers fans who were around in 2014 when Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson buried the 49ers and ate turkey on the 50-yard-line at Levi’s Stadium, the moment surely provided some catharsis.

This time it was their team’s stars standing around after a thorough thumping of the team just behind them in the NFC West.

The Seahawks-49ers rivalry went dormant for awhile while San Francisco struggled through various rebuilds. It’s a thing again now though, and the image of the 49ers eating a Thanksgiving meal at Lumen Field will be the new image that represents the superior team in the division.

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What we’re thankful for during the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 season

What we’re grateful for during the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 season

Thanksgiving is a time for expressing gratitude for the blessings in our lives — things that bring us joy which shouldn’t be taken for granted. And the New Orleans Saints have given fans some things to be thankful for even in a frustrating 2023 season. Whether it’s young standout players or position groups that have carried the team to some much-needed wins, here are our staff picks for the things we’re grateful for about the Saints this year:

First half highlights: Seahawks trail 49ers 24-3

First half highlights: Seahawks trail 49ers 24-3

It’s halftime in Seattle, and the Seahawks look like they’re playing with bellies full of stuffing. Or perhaps your hungover friends unable to keep up with the one sober player during a Thanksgiving morning Turkey Bowl.

The San Francisco 49ers have completely outclassed the Seahawks through two quarters, as Seattle appears unable to keep up with the NFC West leaders. San Francisco leads the Seahawks in all major categories:

  • Total net yards: 225-56 (41 of which came on the final drive before halftime)
  • First downs: 16-3
  • Total plays: 42-18
  • Time of possession: 22:31 to 7:24

Things couldn’t have started any smoother for the 49ers, as they cruised to an opening drive touchdown, moving 71 yards on nine plays. It appeared as if the Seahawks might have been able to make things interesting early, as wide receiver Dee Eskridge returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards.

And that just about does it for first half highlights for Seattle. The Seahawks gained a total of one yard from this field position. Really, they were fortunate enough they were within range of a 51-yard field goal from Jason Myers to avoid a first half shut out.

Seattle will get the ball to start the third quarter. The Seahawks have dug themselves quite a hole, and will have serious work to do to find their way to make the 12’s in attendance thankful.

Be sure to follow @TheSeahawksWire on Twitter for live updates, highlights and analysis during the game!

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