We have officially arrived at the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs. After a crazy wild card weekend, my quarterback picks were decent, but not up to the standard I set for myself, especially with the big miss being starting Justin Herbert. Jalen Hurts being the lock didn’t help much, though he had a solid day with two passing touchdowns. This week’s divisional round games should bring more money and picks. So, are you ready to get to this week’s picks? Let’s get started.
Quarterback Must Starts for the Divisional Round
Here are a few of the players we are trusting and starting in the Divisional Round.
Jared Goff ($6,300 Draft Kings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Goff is coming off the bye against a Washington Defense that can give up a lot of yards in the passing game. I especially love him in DFS, especially if this game becomes a shootout. I think the Lions quarterback will have the ability to keep up with Daniels if need be, especially with the weapons the Lions have and the return of David Montgomery in this game. This is a great spot with his value in playoff DFS lineups.
Patrick Mahomes ($6,000 Draft Kings, $7,700 FanDuel)
Patrick Mahomes has officially arrived at the playoff season and yes he’s been on a down year statistics-wise for his standards this year. But he has been hitting his stride in every playoff game he has been in his career. And yes, even with the Texans coming off a hot defensive performance against the Chargers, I will still take Mahomes in a starting spot in DFS this weekend because of the poise he has shown throughout his career.
With the improvement of Xavier Worthy, he has become a trustworthy weapon for Mahomes and should be targeted for fantasy. Plus, Travis Kelce will turn it on for the playoffs and Mahomes will have his star outlet a lot in this game.
Quarterback Must Sits for the Divisional Round
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in the Divisional Round.
CJ Stroud ($5,000 Draft Kings, $7,200 FanDuel )
The only reason I’m sitting CJ Stroud in this game is because of the lack of weapons outside of Nico Collins. I think KC is going to take Collins away and the other guys like John Metchie and Robert Woods are going to have to step up and I just don’t think I can feasibly see it happen against this unit that the Chiefs have.
Jalen Hurts ($6,800 Draft Kings, $8,200 FanDuel )
The Eagles will be in another high-profile snow game this weekend and most Eagles fans remember what happened in the last snow game. That was the Shady “Snow Game” and I think Sirianni will make this game a Saquon game once again. Ironically enough, the opponent the Eagles are playing this weekend is the team the Saquon broke Shady’s snow game record for single-game Eagles rushing yards record on. I think Hurts is still going to be efficient and might get some Brotherly Shove touchdowns if presented but I think he’ll have maybe around 18 fantasy points this weekend.
Lock of the Divisional Round
Jayden Daniels ($7,000 Draft Kings, $8,500 FanDuel )
I called the Commanders upset last week on the Total Apex 4th and Goal show, which proved true. That upset came to fruition because of Daniels’ play this season. This is probably the riskiest pick for the week for me for the DFS slate because of how the Lions’ defense looked against the Vikings. But Daniels should have favorable matchups against a weaker Lions defense in the passing game, also his mobility will give him a strong advantage over Goff in terms of fantasy for this game.
Fade of the Divisional Round
Matthew Stafford ($5,200 Draft Kings, $7,300 FanDuel)
Stafford in the snow and rain over his career has been a subpar quarterback at best. Stafford’s numbers in the cold weather are 54.6 completion percentage, 14 Touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 76.0 rating. Those stats and the Rams being that warm-weather team playing in Southern California are not a good combination this week in the snow for Stafford’s DFS chances.
Conclusion
These picks should fare better this week for your DFS lineups especially if you play Mahomes, Goff, or Daniels. This year’s divisional round should be an entertaining set of games on both Saturday and Sunday. Stay tuned to Total Apex Fantasy as we have the main slate already along with the full DFS slate for each of the four divisional round games. Let’s have a blast this weekend and enjoy making money in Daily Fantasy together in the NFL slate.
