We are now onto the Divisional Round of the 2022-23 NFL playoffs, giving fantasy football managers another opportunity to win big. In our Divisional Round start/sit, we look at the top fantasy options to target this week. With just eight teams left, can fantasy managers trust the likes of Miles Sanders, Jerick McKinnon, Michael Gallup, and others?
The data quoted below do not include Week 18 unless stated. Due to many teams resting their starters, the numbers for that week are not always a true reflection of the situation. Therefore, to avoid subjective interpretation, we have removed that week’s data from our matchup analysis.
Divisional Round Fantasy Football Start ’ems
The matchup data below is based on half-PPR fantasy scoring. As this is also the scoring for Underdog Fantasy, these recommendations are especially useful for making decisions for their Divisional Round tournaments. However, the recommendations below can also be used across other platforms and scoring systems.
Daniel Jones, QB | NYG at PHI
In Wild Card Weekend, Daniel Jones was spectacular. He threw the ball 35 times for 301 yards, at an average of 8.6 yards per attempt, and two touchdowns. Jones also carried the ball 17 times for 78 yards. That saw him finish with an impressive 27.84 fantasy points as he took it to the Minnesota Vikings’ defense.
MORE: Fantasy QB Rankings Divisional Round
The matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense this week presents an opportunity. In two of the four games between Weeks 15 and 17, the Eagles allowed an average of 19.37 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Since Week 15, that is the highest number of fantasy points allowed to the position by any team remaining in the Divisional Round.
Jerick McKinnon, RB | KC vs. JAX
It’s now hard to ignore Jerick McKinnon as a fantasy asset. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games and has found the end zone in all six of those games for a total of nine touchdowns in that stretch.
McKinnon has been somewhat of a touchdown-or-bust option, which makes him tough to trust. Nevertheless, he’s become one of the most valued weapons for Patrick Mahomes.
We just saw the Jacksonville Jaguars allow two rushing touchdowns to Austin Ekeler. While that’s not McKinnon’s main skill, it still shows how the Jaguars can be vulnerable to shifty backs in various ways. The matchup with Jacksonville is not perfect, but it’s become hard to bet against McKinnon in recent weeks.
Michael Gallup, WR | DAL at SF
Michael Gallup’s role in the Dallas Cowboys offense has been inconsistent this season, but he’s an enticing option this week. Gallup had five receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown on six targets in the Wild Card round. The passing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers revolved around a trio of Gallup, Dalton Schultz, and CeeDee Lamb. That should continue into the Divisional Round.
The one area that the San Francisco 49ers’ defense was vulnerable against the Seattle Seahawks was the passing game. The 49ers’ defensive line will have its moments, but the Cowboys should be able to move the ball.
In Wild Card Weekend, we saw DK Metcalf score two touchdowns, with Tyler Lockett also reeling in six receptions. Gallup could see a matchup with Deommodore Lenoir, the 49ers’ second cornerback, in which he could have success.
Evan Engram, TE | JAX at KC
Much like with McKinnon, Evan Engram is becoming hard to ignore from a fantasy perspective. While Engram struggled in the last two weeks of the regular season, he got back to form in Wild Card Weekend. Engram finished the game against the Chargers with 93 receiving yards and a touchdown from seven receptions on 11 targets.
MORE: 2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Toward the end of the regular season, the Chiefs were vulnerable against tight ends. They allowed an average of 17.17 fantasy points to the position between Weeks 15 and 17, with a minimum output of 16.5 fantasy points in that stretch. In a game that could be high-scoring, there’s a lot of potential for Engram this week.
Divisional Round Fantasy Football Sit ’ems
Miles Sanders, RB | PHI vs. NYG
The Eagles return to the field this week, and as the RB16 on a per-game basis this season, Miles Sanders will be a tempting option this week. However, while he averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game in half-PPR scoring this season, Sanders has struggled in recent weeks. Between Weeks 15 and 18, he scored a total of 16.4 fantasy points at an average of 4.1 per game.
The narrative around Sanders is intriguing. Back in Week 14 against the New York Giants, he carried the ball 17 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. However, when the teams squared off in Week 18, Sanders could only manage 33 yards on 11 attempts.
That contrast is matched by the Giants’ performances on a larger scale. Between Weeks 11 and 14, New York allowed at least 19 fantasy points per game to the RB position, at an average of 30.93 fantasy points per game.
Yet, from Week 15 through Wild Card Weekend (excluding Week 18, when the Giants rested a number of starters), New York did not allow more than 15 fantasy points per game to the RB position. In that time, they’ve allowed an average of just 12.4 fantasy points per game.
Chiefs WRs | KC vs. JAX
Heading into Wild Card Weekend, Jacksonville’s defense had good numbers against the WR position. However, it was tough to tell if those numbers were a product of their performance or a soft schedule.
Well, after another strong week against the Chargers offense, it may be more of the former. Sure, LA was without Mike Williams, but the trio of Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, and DeAndre Carter is still fairly formidable.
Over their last four games, the Jaguars have held opposing WRs under 16 fantasy points in each game. The Chiefs’ offense is a completely different beast, but it’s also hard to fully trust any of them completely. With Mecole Hardman returning, that further confuses the picture and makes it tough to know who to start.