Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks on DraftKings & FanDuel (January 20)

Each week of the NFL season, NFL DFS gamers must survey the landscape to find potential building blocks, or the core plays that form the foundation of most lineups. The selections are fewer and the decisions carry more pressure, so let’s see what we can find as the best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday picks on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Stokastic provides a variety of tools for all DFS sports that can help you sort through the large NFL featured slate player pool. These were used when coming up with the recommendations in this article and include, and they are far from limited to such offerings as the NFL DFS Top Stacks tool, player projections, the Boom/Bust tool and the Lineup Generator.

All tools are updated for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates each week. Additionally, multiple tools are also at your disposal for the sub-slates as well as the primetime “island games” which have turned into one of the most popular DFS offerings on DraftKings and FanDuel. If you’re in the market for more DFS tools, Take a look at the Stokastic Discounts and Coupon Code page as well as the Subscription page to see what packages best suit your needs.

NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel

Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks and Building Blocks: Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson (Ravens-Texans) DraftKings ($7,900, 38.5% ownership), FanDuel ($8,700, 37.4% ownership)

This has been an amazing season for Lamar Jackson and while the stats have not been as gaudy as they were when he won the 2019 NFL MVP, he has already received both Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. He averaged 54.1 rushing yards per game, which where the lowest of his career outside of his rookie campaign when he was not a full-time starter. However, he still led the league with 5.5 yards per carry and scored five rushing touchdowns. Speaking of five touchdowns, that is how many Jackson tossed in Week 17 against Miami. Houston has the 23rd passing DVOA and Jackson should have all of his primary pass-catchers healthy for the first time in a couple months.

Brock Purdy (49ers-Packers) DraftKings ($6,500, 29.1% ownership), FanDuel ($7,800, 28.9% ownership)

After handing the MVP baton to Jackson in Week 16, Brock Purdy put together an economical game against the Commanders in Washington. He sat out Week 18 and of course San Francisco had a first round bye, so some DFS gamers may have pushed him into the “What have you done for me lately?” bucket. The 49ers averaged 28.9 points per game, which was the third most in the league, behind only the Cowboys (29.9) and Dolphins (29.2).

The combination of the amazing running game along with a top-tier defense allowed Purdy the luxury of not having to force things most weeks. Green Bay has a bottom-five defense overall and with the Niners being double-digit home favorites, it will likely take a multi-touchdown game for Purdy to be more than a neutral play. That makes things interesting in tournaments, since he is the second-most popular signal-caller on the Saturday slate.

Jordan Love (Packers-49ers) DraftKings ($6,200, 19.8% ownership), FanDuel ($7,400, 20.1% ownership)

Through the first nine weeks of the season, there were those in the DFS world calling Jordan Love the worst starting quarterback in the league. Then from Week 10 through last Sunday, he had multiple passing touchdowns in nine of 10 games, while also rushing for two more. He only topped 290 yards twice in this stretch, but that was also influenced by the Packers looking to run the ball and several key pass-catchers missing multiple games. That did allow some of the understudies to gain experience and overall ended up being a good thing as Green Bay has had nine different players lead the team in receiving yards this season.

This is a tough matchup, but there is a good chance that the Pack Attack will need to take to the air.

C.J. Stroud (Texans-Ravens) DraftKings ($6,700, 12.8% ownership), FanDuel ($7,200, 13.7% ownership)

Last week the pair of pick-sixes definitely took a lot of the burden off of C.J. Stroud. This week he is on the road and going against arguably the most well-rounded defense in the league. The team is likely to try and run the ball as much as possible, while attempting to burn the clock and keep things close. That may work for a bit, but with Houston having the second best run DVOA but the 23rd passing DVOA, it is only a matter of time before Baltimore looks to uncork Jackson and his plethora of playmakers. That could very well lead to mistakes if Stroud has to play catch-up against the team with the most sacks and takeaways in the league.

Lather, rinse, repeat and desperation could set in with the clock striking midnight on Cinderella.

We have all seen enough crazy things in the NFL and in DFS to know that anything can happen, but Stroud is not a play for the faint of heart. Yes, these teams did play in Week 1, but nothing should be taken from that game that was literally a lifetime ago in NFL terms.

Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks and Building Blocks: Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey (49ers-Packers): No injury designation and he is expected to be good-to-go against the Packers. There is not much else to say about the best running back in the game, who tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns (14 rushing, 7 receiving).
2. Devin Singletary (Texans-Ravens): Getting a lot of traction with his solid fantasy point per dollar ratio. He has the RB1 role and should see close to 20 opportunities. Efficiency is not really a thing with the Texans running game and the Ravens will make him battle for every yard.
3. Aaron Jones (Packers-49ers): AJ Dillon could miss another game, only getting in one limited practice on Thursday. The workload will be there for Jones, but so will the San Francisco defense. Multiple touchdowns are always in play with Jones and he is a proven talent in all facets of the offense.
4. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill (Ravens-Texans): Each are likely to be on around 25% of all rosters and they can be played together as their skillset doesn’t overlap, but both will be battling with Jackson for high-leverage opportunities. Keep in mind that Dalvin Cook is now with the team after being released by the New York Jets and in turn Melvin Gordon III was waived by Baltimore. He is basically at the minimum across the DFS sites and in the mega-massive-gigantic tournaments, fortune favors the bold.
5. Eli Mitchell (49ers-Packers): Hurt most of the season, he did score in Weeks 17 and 18. He should see a handful of touches, but any upside will need to be via a fortuitous touchdown or mop-up duty. There are many scenarios where this path is a viable one, particularly with San Francisco heavy favorites and the team likely to want to save McCaffrey for the next rung on the ladder if the team can put together an early lead.
6. Dameon Pierce (Texans-Ravens): Needs something to befall Singletary before he will get many chances. Last week he had three carries for no yards, even in the multi-score thrashing of Cleveland.

Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks and Building Blocks: Wide Receivers

Quick thoughts on the key contributors:

• Nico Collins: Did not disappoint last week, but that just means more of the spotlight will be on him Saturday night in Baltimore. Some of the Ravens in the back-seven are dinged up, but outside of cornerback Marlon Humphrey, everyone is expected to suit up.
• John Mechie III: Noah Brown was placed on the injured reserve Monday after suffering a shoulder injury in the Wild Card victory. This is our discount dandy du jour on both DraftKings ($3,400) and FanDuel ($5,000). The second-round rookie out of Alabama caught all three of his targets for 44 yards, with a nine-yard carry for good measure. If not for his salary savings, he would be below Reed on this list.
• Brandon Aiyuk: Seven games with at least 100 receiving yards and a personal best 1,342 yards along with seven touchdowns have him a touch above his counterpart. This is particularly true on DraftKings with an $800 savings.
• Deebo Samuel: Proverbial nose for the end zone, should get a carry or two and he has five rushing touchdowns, while playing with McCaffrey. If he gets eight-plus targets, he could break the slate. If he gets five or fewer touches, he could be invisible. Perfect boom/bust outcomes for tournaments.
• Zay Flowers: The rookie really came on at the end of the season with four games of 20-plus fantasy points in full-PPR scoring, in his last five games. He will be unnoticed by exactly zero gamers on Saturday.
• Jayden Reed: Three targets and zero production last week, that could keep some casuals off the scent of the new Green Bay WR1.
• Odell Beckham Jr.: Could pop off at any time for a touchdown and we all know he has a flair for the dramatic in the red zone.
• Robert Woods: Hard to expect too much from the veteran, but half a dozen targets are in play, as long as his health holds up. He has not cracked double-digit fantasy points since Week 2. If Woods (hip) is a no-go or we get word he is very limited, Xavier Hutchinson becomes another Houston punt option at just $3,000 on DraftKings, though he likely will need more than his two target allocation from last week to even move the needle at $4,800 on FanDuel.
• Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor: Viable options and either could end up with a touchdown, but they are well behind Flowers, Beckham and both tight ends.
• Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks and Bo Melton: This is the preferred order for this quartet. As we saw last weekend, Love has the luxury of going with whatever the defense gives him. Doubs had a career-high 151 yards and a score on six receptions, while Wicks had a touchdown as well. That production could easily end up with Reed, Watson or Melton this week, or Doubs and Wicks could be the lucky tickets once more.
• Jauan Jennings: Last player worthy of a mention, but he is the fifth or sixth option when it comes to red zone looks.

Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks and Building Blocks: Tight Ends

There are quite a few ways to go at tight end, with five viable options across the four teams and that is before knowing the status of Mark Andrews. The three-time Pro Bowler and 2021 All-Pro injured his ankle in Week 11 and he has been out since. However, he did practice in full on Thursday and Friday, so things could get crowded with him and second-year man Isaiah Likely sharing the role. UPDATE: Andrews was not activated for Saturday, still a chance he could be if the team continues to advance. Likely is a solid option on the main DFS sites now that he is working solo again. Charlie Kolar moves into extreme punt status on DraftKings for the single-game slate.

Luke Musgrave (kidney) played a little in Week 18 after missing six weeks and he was a full-go last weekend, catching all three of his targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. That impacted fellow rookie Tucker Kraft who also had three targets, bringing in two for 15 yards.

George Kittle is not battling any other San Francisco tight ends for touches, but he is one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the league. He’s also vying with three outstanding playmakers for high-value touches, which of course curbs the likelihood of him having a “ceiling” game.

Dalton Schultz also has a mostly solo role, but he is facing a tough Baltimore squad and his counterpart Brevin Jordan is coming off Wild Card Weekend where he scored a 76-yard touchdown, for his second consecutive game resulting in him reaching pay dirt.

Premium Members can check out all the specific tight end projections here.

Best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday Picks and Building Blocks: Defense/Special Teams

Things are looking different this weekend, with less extreme weather concerns — well at least for Saturday’s action.

1. Baltimore Ravens: Top rushing DVOA and fourth passing DVOA, going against a rookie making his second postseason start. Two weeks off should have most everyone healthy and this unit had a league leading 60 sacks and 31 takeaways. Stroud has been outstanding in limiting his interceptions and he has been sacked just three times in his last three games. The Ravens allowed four running backs to top 100 rushing yards in four of the last five games, but they are still the top pick on Saturday. Oh, and this talented squad led the league with just 16.5 points allowed per game.
2. San Francisco 49ers: This unit was fourth against the pass, but 15th against the run. The 49ers had 28 takeaways, were one point per game behind the Ravens with 16.5 allowed and while they were a dozen sacks behind Baltimore, 48 still was the seventh best total in the league. Love was only sacked twice in the last four games and he has gone five without an interception.
3. Houston Texans: Four sacks last Saturday in the romp over Cleveland, though they had just one in the Week 16 matchup during a 36-22 thrashing. Thirteen of the 19 sacks over the last five weeks came in two games against Tennessee, but the team did have seven other games with at least three quarterback takedowns. Jackson is usually good for a couple sacks a game as he tries to extend his time in the pocket, but he does limit turnovers.
4. Green Bay Packers: Outside of his dreadful primetime showing in Week 16 against Baltimore, where he was sacked twice and threw four interceptions, Purdy has been outstanding. The quick-hitting passing scheme of coach Kyle Shanahan, combined with the second-best running game in the league, well let’s just say it is a daunting task for any D/ST to post fantasy points.

As you get your best NFL DFS Divisional Round Saturday picks and lineups prepped on DraftKings and FanDuel, Stokastic can help. We have more free DFS content on the NFL DFS homepage, premium DFS software including NFL Sims and the Lineup Generator, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.

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