It’s the NFL Championship Weekend, which means it’s also our last multi-game Fan Duel slate. Plenty of stars play this weekend. Patrick Mahomes, Derrick Henry, Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill all make for enticing options. Unfortunately, you can’t jam a bunch of them into your daily fantasy football lineup without having to find some value plays elsewhere. Therefore, we need to find some Fan Duel value plays for this weekend, and we are here to help. Here are the Championship Weekend value plays for Fan Duel. If this article piques your interest, go ahead and sign up at Fan Duel. That link tells them we sent you and helps us out a bunch. Now, on to the value plays!
Quarterback Fan Duel Value Play: Jimmy Garoppolo versus Green Bay ($7,600)
Hard to find a true deep dive at quarterback when we all hope only four quarterbacks play this weekend. So, let’s go with the literal cheapest guy on the slate. Ryan Tannehill will be $100 more, and you can make a case that he needs to throw to keep up with the Chiefs. I believe the Titans focus on running the dang ball and slowing the game down to a trickle to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field. You know, the game plan they’ve followed all playoffs. That leads me to Jimmy G. He threw for only 131 yards last week, but the Vikings proved themselves physically incapable of stopping the run, so Shanahan went with that. The 49ers hung 37 on the Packers the first time they met, and Kyle Shanahan routinely embarrasses Mike Pettine defenses.
Running Back Fan Duel Value Play: Jamaal Williams at San Francisco ($4,800)
It’s hard to find value at running back. The guys most likely to crack double-digit carries all carry at least a $5,000 price tag. The 49ers guys have a discount, solely because we have no idea who will get the ball. I’m not leaning into that mess, nor am I hoping for a miraculous Darwin Thompson or LeSean McCoy revival. Instead, let’s go with Jamaal Williams. Williams had 11 carries, 7 receptions, and 80 total yards the last time these two teams met. That was also the last Packers loss, and the last time the Packers trailed by more than a touchdown. This indicates that Jamaal Williams is the dude when the Packers need to catch up. Given what happened last time, and Shanahan’s history brutalizing Pettine defenses, history may not repeat itself, but it sure will rhyme. That means lots of targets for Jamaal Williams this time around.
Wide Receiver Fan Duel Value Play: Geronimo Allison versus San Francisco ($4,600)
MVS and Geronimo Allison have the same price point this weekend, but I’m going with MVS over Allison for three reasons. First, the 49ers have two healthy, quality safeties as well as Richard Sherman. It’s highly unlikely that MVS uncorks one over the top that lets this longshot pay off. Second, Lazard destroyed MVS’s snap count. Finally, MVS plays 64% of his snaps from the slot. That bypasses both Richard Sherman and the safeties and puts him in K’Waun Williams territory over the middle. The 49ers astounding linebacker rotation likely eliminate Jimmy Graham from the equation, giving Allison a chance to pick up lots of catches underneath.
Wide Receiver Fan Duel Value Play: Corey Davis at Kansas City ($5,000)
The Titans hope to let Derrick Henry bulldoze his way through the Chiefs defense, and drain the clock. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes carries a high probability of just marching down the field for a 90-yard touchdown drive on three passes that takes up 0:45 of game time. That is to say, the Titans have a plan. But, to quote Mike Tyson, “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Corey Davis ranked second on the team in air yards over the last four weeks of the season, and the Titans will need to execute in their passing game to keep up. The Chiefs will challenge someone other than A.J. Brown to do that, and Corey Davis trails just Brown in recent air yards, I’m tapping him to come up with a big play in this one.
Tight End Fan Duel Value Play: Blake Bell versus Tennessee ($4,000)
You literally cannot play a cheaper tight end than Blake Bell this weekend. After you get out of the big boys at the position, finding value proves… difficult. If you want an idea of what we’re working with here… MyCole Pruitt is the fifth-priciest tight end. Let’s bypass the Pruitts and the Marcedes Lewises and take a long look at Blake Bell. The Belldozer had a fifteen-yard touchdown last week but that is not what drew me to Bell. Two things drew me to Bell. First, Travis Kelce’s knee issue. Kelce’s practiced on a limited basis this week but will play this weekend. If this game becomes a blowout, Kelce ends up on the bench to make sure he’s 100% healthy for the Super Bowl. Secondly, Blake Bell gets more snaps than you think. He’s not a 10-15 snap value play like a Ross Dwelley or an Anthony Firkser. Blake Bell plays. He’s surpassed 38% of Chiefs’ snaps in each of the last four games, getting in on 47% of plays last week. Bell plays and is the literal cheapest option at tight end. On top of all of this, the Titans allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends and the seventh-highest fantasy points per target. Couldn’t do worse, right?
D/ST Fan Duel Value Play: None
There’s no good value play here. Four teams play, and Fan Duel has just a $600 price difference between the #1 defense (49ers, $4,600) and the #4 defense (Packers, $4,000). My best advice for this is to think about who you think will win, and why. Do you think KC snuffs out the Titans? Go with KC. Did the 49ers DL put the fear of God in you last week? Go with San Francisco. If you think the Titans or Packers are turning in upsets, go with them. There’s no good value play here, given the difference between the top and bottom plays, on a dollar per point basis, are negligible. Go with who you think wins in the most convincing fashion this weekend.
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