Draft Kings Strategy NFL Playoffs: Best Picks For Divisional Round

With postseason bargains much harder to find, moving forward I will point out my favorite high-priced option at each position, and a strong bargain-priced alternative. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is DraftKings’ scoring system.

Quarterbacks

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs ($7,500): Mahomes’ season has been a bit underwhelming based on what he conditioned us to expect last year, but he has every bit the scoring upside of Lamar Jackson this week, and he costs $900 less. Mahomes obviously doesn’t have Jackson’s rushing talent, but he does have the ability to throw for 400+ yards, and he crucially has the matchup to do it. Houston is by far the worst remaining pass defense in the postseason, ending the regular season ranked 26th against the pass per Football Outsiders. Mahomes has all of his weapons ready and rested, and the Texans offense has the horses to turn it into a shootout. Jackson is an obvious, and excellent choice, but those savings can help if you roll with Mahomes and maintain QB1 upside.

Ryan Tannehill, Titans ($5,400): Tannehill is the cheapest starter available, so if you are not going to choose Jackson or Mahomes, then you might as well just take the best bargain. Tannehill was far from great last week, throwing for only 72 yards and one touchdown vs. the Patriots, who had the No. 1 ranked defense in football. Baltimore ranks 2nd in the NFL in Weighted defense, so the road is not getting much easier. In fact, by that metric the Ravens ranked two spots better than New England. With all that said, he has a major playmaker in A.J. Brown, and he has rushing upside which can salvage a poor passing outing.

Running Backs

Aaron Jones, Packers ($7,400): Derrick Henry is obviously the hottest RB in football right now, but for this week my top guy is Aaron Jones. He is a touchdown machine, posting six multi-TD games this year and five 100-yard games despite sharing a sizable chunk of his workload with Jamaal Williams. His explosiveness allows him to score so often; when he actually sees high volume he’s among the very best RBs in football. He should see volume this week, as the Seahawks finished the year with the 26th-ranked run defense, as opposed to a Top 15 pass defense. The way to pierce Seattle is on the ground, and Green Bay is not afraid to feed Jones in the right situations. He’s in line for a monster effort.

Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks ($4,800): It’s very weird to be recommending Marshawn Lynch in the second round of the playoffs, but here we are. Lynch is very clearly Seattle’s short yardage back, and it appears he’s about to see his workload increase a bit moving forward. So far he has scored in both games he’s played in since returning, albeit while totaling just 41 yards on 18 carries. The yardage should rise if he sees more work, but yardage is not why you’re using Lynch. He’s got multi-TD upside, and for $4,800 that belongs somewhere in your lineup so you can draft studs elsewhere.

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs ($7,600): Hill hasn’t been as consistent as we’d hoped this season, but he remains one of the most volcanic playmakers in all of football, and his big games this year were still monstrous. The Chiefs have one of the NFL’s best offenses, and with the uncertainty at RB, Hill and TE Travis Kelce are the two steadiest options. This week gives Hill a chance to pick on what was a porous pass defense in 2019, and it’s an opportunity DFS players would be wise to cash in on.

Deebo Samuel, 49ers ($5,200): Samuel is priced low because he has to compete with TE George Kittle and fellow WR Emmanuel Sanders, as well as a potent run game. Still, Samuel has been a big playmaker for San Francisco down the stretch of the year, and Kittle might be erased by Minnesota’s top-ranked defense against opposing TEs. Samuel scored touchdowns in four of his last six games, and rushed for at least 20 yards in four of the last five. That’s not much, but it does show the commitment the 49ers have made to getting him the football. He has very high upside at a FLEX price tag.

Tight Ends

Travis Kelce, Chiefs ($6,400): Kelce’s season was lighter on touchdowns than you’d hope for, but he racked up 1,000+ yards for the fourth straight season and averaged 5.3 receptions and 76.8 yards per game. He’s as safe as it gets at a position that’s riddled with high variance. He is the No. 2 option in a high-octane pass offense that is taking on one of the six worst pass defenses in football. Leave room for Kelce, as the rest of the TE options are dicey, and George Kittle costs more in a far worse matchup.

Jacob Hollister, Seahawks ($4,000): Green Bay is the worst remaining defense in the postseason against opposing TEs, and we know Russell Wilson likes going to his TE. Green Bay has a tough pass defense, the weakness of which is clearly at TE, so despite Hollister failing to have much impact since taking over, he could be in line for a bunch of targets in this one. He might turn in a dud, but I’d be shocked if he goosed.