The San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions this week in an NFC Championship Game that has the potential to go right down to the wire. With fantastic players on both offenses, we could see plenty of scoring in the Bay Area.
Using the projections from our free PFN NFL DFS optimizer, let’s examine the top NFL DFS picks for the Lions vs. 49ers matchup from Levi’s Stadium.
Who Are the Top NFL DFS Picks for Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers?
Brock Purdy, QB | DK $10,000, FD $15,000
It is hard not to love this matchup for Brock Purdy as he takes on a defense that has allowed over 20 fantasy points to both Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford in the past two weeks. The Lions were one of the worst teams in the league this year in terms of allowing fantasy points to opposing QBs, presenting an opportunity for Purdy to have a big week.
While he struggled last week, Purdy has been a solid fantasy option this season. He has gone over 20 fantasy points on eight occasions and been under 15 fantasy points on just five occasions. The 30+ point games are not there, but at a $10,000 salary, a return of 20+ points is good enough.
The ceiling element does cap his potential as a captain play on DraftKings. Meanwhile, on FanDuel, it seems silly to pay $15,000 for Purdy when you can get a higher ceiling and similar floor for $17,500 with Christian McCaffrey.
Christian McCaffrey, RB | DK $12,600, FD $17,500
The Lions’ run defense has been really good this year, but McCaffrey is a different animal. Just once all season has he scored fewer than 10 fantasy points and has only been below 15 points on four occasions. In contrast, he has topped 20 points five times and 30 points twice.
Christian McCaffrey is at the top of the game when it comes to fantasy football.
However, dynasty focuses on more than just the upcoming year. Where do things stand for the elite RB and is he someone you can still build around in a startup draft?
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Paying the FanDuel price is tough, but if you do, it has to be the MVP spot. On DraftKings, it is a tough ask to go up to $18,900 for the Captain spot, given he has only topped 20 fantasy points five times. You are looking at a risk-reward play if you do that, but you would need to be very comfortable with the lower-priced lineup fillers if you do.
David Montgomery, RB | DK $5,600, FD $10,000
David Montgomery’s price on DraftKings stood out because it feels like an overreaction to a tough week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before last week, Montgomery had scored double-digit fantasy points on the platform for 10 straight games and in 14 of his previous 15 matchups.
If Montgomery gets to 10 fantasy points, that represents a nice value on the cost at just $5,600. The concern is that since Week 10, Montgomery has not gone over 20 fantasy points, which indicates a limited ceiling.
His fellow RB Jahmyr Gibbs arguably has the better ceiling and is only $3,000 more on FanDuel, which makes him the better option.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR | DK $8,600, FD $12,000
With Brandon Aiyuk set to be the leader of the passing game this week, he has tremendous upside against the Lions. We saw Mike Evans have a monster week in the Divisional Round while leaving points on the table due to drops. Aiyuk has all that potential this week against a Lions’ defense that has been among the bottom five in points allowed to WRs all season.
Evans’ 31.7 fantasy-point performance last week while only scoring once highlights the potential ceiling for Aiyuk. He is a player I love in my lineup on FanDuel this week and is a captain consideration on DraftKings. If you could potentially get a 35-40 point play for just $12,900 in your captain spot, that would be tremendous value.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | DK $11,000, FD $14,500
It is weird to say at his salary, but Amon-Ra St. Brown feels like a “safe” choice. You can lock him in for a 20-30 point performance on DraftKings and a 15-25 point performance on FanDuel. That value is significantly better on DraftKings, but he is a solid lineup block on both sites.
St. Brown now has six straight performances with over 20 fantasy points. In that time, he saw a minimum of eight targets, pulled in at least six receptions per game, and had not been less than 77 receiving yards. Those numbers also make him an intriguing captain option on DraftKings if you think he will find the end zone again this week.
Jake Moody, K | DK $4,800, FD $9,000
When it comes to potential options at the kicker position, Jake Moody is the only one of the two that makes sense here. Of the two teams, the 49ers are more likely to take the points and rely on their defense. We know how Dan Campbell likes to roll the dice, and that hurts Michael Badgley’s ceiling.
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Moody’s price is more enticing on DraftKings as a lineup balancer but can work on FanDuel. The strategy side of FanDuel, with five slots and a $60,000 salary, means you may not need to dip down to a kicker at all if you can work your options right.
San Francisco 49ers DST | DK $4,200, FD $9,500
The 49ers defense very much feels like a DraftKings-only play at those costs. It is hard to see how they do enough to get to double-digit fantasy points to break even on FanDuel. Meanwhile, on DraftKings, just getting five or six points out of them would be good. Against Jared Goff, that is more than possible if they can bait him into some errors.