Commanders at Lions Single-Game NFL DFS Picks for the Divisional Round

On Saturday night, the Detroit Lions take on the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs at 8 p.m. ET.

This game will likely be the most fantasy-friendly contest of the weekend as the clash boasts a 55.5-point total and will be played indoors.

The postseason is a fun time to play single-game NFL DFS on FanDuel.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and FanDuel Research has NFL DFS projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Commanders at Lions NFL DFS Picks

MVP Candidates

Well, this should be a fun single-game slate. With an over/under of 55.5 points, this game has a handful of viable MVP candidates. Our NFL DFS projections have four players forecasted to score at least 15.0 FanDuel points.

At the same time, I think there's one MVP candidate who stands out from the pack: Jayden Daniels ($15,000).

Daniels' rushing prop is 54.5 yards, and he ran it 13 times for 36 yards last week in the Wild Card Round. While the 36 yards was a meh output by his standards, the 13 attempts are really promising as that's his third-most in any game this season. Detroit's defense allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game to QBs (26.7) as well as the fifth-most passing yards per game (259.1), so the matchup is a good one.

Washington's offense is already aggressive, and they know they're going to need to put up points in this game. It's a perfect recipe for Daniels to have a huge night, and we project him for a slate-leading 21.8 FanDuel points.

Even with so many high-upside players in this game, Daniels will likely be very popular at MVP, which makes Jared Goff ($13,000) an interesting pivot.

Goff doesn't offer much -- anything, really -- as a runner, but he can sling it. Washington's defense ranks 25th overall this season, per numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, and the Lions have been great against bad defenses, averaging 39.7 points per game in four outings against bottom-10 defenses. If the touchdowns come through the air Saturday, Goff could lead the slate in scoring, and our model projects him for 20.3 FanDuel points, not far off Daniels' projection.

Among the non-QBs, Jahmyr Gibbs ($15,500) stands out. The expected return of David Montgomery ($5,000) dings Gibbs' upside, but Gibbs' rushing plus receiving yards prop is still set at 107.5 yards. He has big-play upside, which carries a lot of weight in single-game DFS, and he's +230 to score two-plus touchdowns despite the return of Montgomery. However, Gibbs is likely someone I'll be light on this week due to his salary; I'd rather prioritize Daniels.

I also think Terry McLaurin deserves a mention in this section. McLaurin's path to leading the slate in scoring likely involves not only him having a huge day but Detroit's TDs getting spread around to multiple people. Detroit permitted the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to WRs (30.0), and McLaurin has team-best +130 touchdown odds. His receiving yards prop is a stout 68.5 yards. He's my favorite contrarian MVP.

Flex Targets

Both backup running backs are really good plays.

Montgomery is salaried at just $5,000, so he's hard to pass up. He's got -170 touchdown odds and has a rushing plus receiving yards prop of 63.5. He was typically playing around 40% of the snaps prior to his injury, and if he punches in a TD, Montgomery will likely come good at this minimum salary.

Austin Ekeler ($9,500) has played 47% and 60% of the snaps the last two weeks. He played just three fewer snaps than Brian Robinson ($11,500) last week despite a neutral game script. If Washington gets behind this week, Ekeler could dominate the Commanders' backfield, and he's still one of the best pass-game backs in the NFL.

Amon-Ra St. Brown ($14,000) and Jameson Williams ($11,000) offer good ceilings in a game where Detroit's implied total is 32.5 points. ARSB has the slate's highest receiving yards prop (74.5) and is -140 to score a TD. We project him for 15.0 FanDuel points. He's a strong option against a blah Commanders defense and has an outside argument to be an MVP play.

As for Williams, his big-play prowess is very appealing on a single-game slate, and he's been more involved down the stretch, racking up at least seven targets in four of his last five games. His receiving yards prop is 56.5, and if he hits for a few chunk plays, Jamo could wind up in the perfect lineup.

Sam LaPorta ($10,500) is another Lions pass-game weapon who needs to be on our radar. After a slow start to the year, LaPorta has been good since the bye week. Over that seven-game span, he's played at least 90% of the snaps in every game while logging at least six targets in each contest. He's a quality play and might go a bit overlooked with so many good options available to us.

Dyami Brown ($8,000), Zach Ertz ($10,000) and Olamide Zaccheaus ($9,500) are the Commanders' secondary pass-game pieces behind McLaurin. Brown is the one I prefer. His receiving yards prop of 38.5 is tops among this group, and he's the lowest in salary of the trio.

Kickers Zane Gonzalez ($8,500) and John Bates ($9,000) should be busy. But if this game lives up to its lofty over/under, the kickers will have a hard time making the perfect lineup. If it's more of a lower-scoring game than expected, the kickers could wind up being solid salary-savers.

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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.