4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target for Conference Championship Round

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in daily fantasy football on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

Here are four studs to target on this week's main slate.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL DFS Studs to Target for Conference Championship Round

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: ($8,800)

There’s a good reason that Lamar Jackson is on his way to his second MVP, and we saw that in a big way in his 2023-24 playoff debut.

Jackson was the Divisional Round stud of the week at quarterback, and he didn’t let us down. Not only did he lead the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans, but he had arguably his best game of the season. Jackson went 16-of-22 with 152 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns while running for 100 rushing yards on 11 carries with 2 scores on the ground. That insane output was good for an impressive 36.1 FanDuel points.

It’s hard to imagine he will be able to repeat that in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he should be able to piece together another strong outing in the comforts of his own home.

The Chiefs have been a tough team to crack for much of the season for quarterbacks. They allowed only 15.0 FanDuel points per game to the position in the regular season. However, we’re just one week removed from Kansas City letting up 30.6 FanDuel points to Josh Allen.

The Ravens’ quarterback is the top projected quarterback of Conference Championship weekend, as numberFire’s model expects Jackson to finish with 21.5 FanDuel points.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: ($11,000)

Not a single running back has been able to match the output of Christian McCaffrey this season, so why change it up now?

The San Francisco 49ers offense runs through their running back -- as we saw in the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers. Not only did McCaffrey score the game-winning touchdown with just a minute to go, but he proved why he’s the best offensive weapon in the playoffs throughout the entire game.

San Francisco’s star runner finished with 28.3 FanDuel points after receiving 24 touches (17 rushes and 7 receptions). He turned those chances into 98 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving while adding the game-winning score.

It’s hard to favor anyone else but McCaffrey at the position when his hit rate is so high. After 17 games this season, McCaffrey’s average is up to 22.9 FanDuel points. So, with few runners to pick from this weekend, the 49ers’ back should have no problem making things happen again on Sunday against the Detroit Lions -- even in a difficult matchup.

The Lions were the toughest team for running backs to face in the regular season, allowing just 13.9 FanDuel points per game to opposing backfields. Even so, Rachaad White had 17.1 FanDuel points against the Lions just a week ago. That should be the sign that you need to not fret about getting McCaffrey in your lineups.

numberFire’s model has McCaffrey as the top projected scorer out of any position this weekend with 21.7 FanDuel points -- 8.7 more than the next-best running back.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

FanDuel Salary: ($9,000)

The Detroit Lions are one game away from the Super Bowl, and if they want to get there, they’ll need to depend on Amon-Ra St. Brown once again.

St. Brown has been incredible for the Lions. He's averaged 17.0 FanDuel points with a 30.8% target market share and 34.2% air yards market share. Anytime they’ve needed St. Brown to step up, he has -- which makes this weekend’s performance all the more important.

The Lions’ wideout finished with 17.7 FanDuel points in the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He actually should have had more points, as he finished the game with 18.6 expected FanDuel points. There’s no reason to believe that he should have anything but a great performance this week.

Jared Goff is looking to St. Brown at an even higher rate than he did in the regular season, as he’s got a 33.8% target market share and 41.9% air yards market share this postseason.

The 49ers aren’t as difficult of a defense to face for wide receivers. While numberFire’s schedule-adjusted metrics have the 49ers as the fifth-best passing defense in football, they’re allowing 27.7 FanDuel points per game to WRs.

St. Brown is projected to finish with 16.0 FanDuel points, per numberFire, the highest of any receiver on the two-game weekend slate.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: ($6,600)

With Deebo Samuel’s status currently sitting at 50-50 for Sunday, it’s time to fire up George Kittle as the must-start tight end stud.

Kittle is going to take on a bigger role in the offense whether Samuel plays or not, as Samuel is not going to be 100% either way. When the wide receiver missed Week 7 and Week 8, Kittle stepped up by averaging 15.0 FanDuel points thanks to a 30.5% target market share and 36.2% air yards market share.

Brock Purdy looked for Kittle when they faced off with the Green Bay Packers, hitting Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter to finally get the 49ers on the board. Overall, Kittle finished with 4 receptions on 7 targets along with 81 receiving yards and a touchdown. That was good enough for 16.1 FanDuel points. If he’s going to get any of the same usage as he’s seen with no Samuel on the field, he’s the easy go-to this weekend at tight end.

The Lions have had a poor passing defense all year. Detroit ranked 30th in numberFire’s scheduled-adjusted metrics when it came to stopping the pass. In the regular season, the Lions allowed 10.1 FanDuel points per week to TEs, the 10th-most in football. That’s all the good news we need for Kittle.

numberFire’s model has Kittle projected to finish with 10.6 FanDuel points.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.