Whether you’ve played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are giving it a try for the first time, this weekly column will take a look at the DFS landscape, revealing whom I like building lineups around, stars to fade, undervalued plays and bargain bin options to help you construct a better team.
Lineup building blocks
Christian McCaffrey ($42) vs. Detroit Lions
McCaffrey turned 29 opportunities into 128 yards from scrimmage and two scores last week despite San Francisco playing through an uncharacteristic negative game script. He now gets a tough Detroit run defense that’s allowed the fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points to running backs over the last five weeks. Still, it’s difficult to fade CMC in DFS in a week with so few alternatives.
McCaffrey has scored 23 touchdowns over 17 games this season, and the 49ers are touchdown favorites with easily the highest implied team total (29 points) this week. CMC’s high salary is worth paying up for during the Championship Round.
Lamar Jackson ($39) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City’s defense has been incredibly stingy when healthy this season, but Jackson can overcome any matchup right now (and the Chiefs lost two defensive starters during last week’s game). He got 9.3 YPA at home during the regular season and ran for 100+ yards and two touchdowns the last time these teams met. Jackson is also the lone remaining dual-threat quarterback in the playoffs.
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($34) @ San Francisco 49ers
The Lions will likely attempt to establish the run, but San Francisco’s opponents managed the fewest carries in the league this season (and had the third-most pass attempts). Jared Goff is better indoors, but St. Brown averaged a healthy 86.1 receiving yards and scored seven of his 10 touchdowns on the road this season. The 49ers can struggle against the slot, where Sun God runs more than 50% of his routes. St. Brown is a strong DFS option in a matchup with the Lions touchdown underdogs and in favorable weather.
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