DK Reignmakers Divisional Round Elite Tier Strategy

Jan 19, 2023

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Welcome to the Divisional weekend edition of the 4for4 DraftKings Reignmaker strategy series! Each week Andrew Fleischer and I will both have an article detailing different strategies to help you take home the money in DraftKings’ newest DFS offering played with NFTs.

Results Review

Josh Allen was in the winning lineup for the Sunday slate Elite tier contests, but he finished as the QB5 on the week with 28.08 DK points. He looked like the best play of the week at any position on paper, but he was outscored by Trevor Lawrence, Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones, and Brock Purdy. Daniel Jones was our value pick at quarterback, and he outperformed expectations. Christian McCaffery was in the Saturday slate Elite tier contest's winning lineup and finished as the RB2 overall with 24.6 DK points. He was behind only Saquon Barkley, who scored twice on the ground and finished with 27 points. CeeDee Lamb was solid but unspectacular on a night where Dak Prescott threw four touchdowns. Lamb hauled in four of six targets for 68 yards and a touchdown but was outshined by teammate Dalton Schultz who scored twice. George Kittle did not continue his hot streak into the playoffs. He did catch his only two targets for 37 yards, but that wasn’t good enough to appear in a tournament-winning lineup. Stefon Diggs was in the Sunday slate-winning lineup, and his seven-catch, 114-yard performance was good enough for 21.4 points with the 100-yard receiving bonus. His teammate Gabe Davis edged him out in fantasy production because he got the touchdown along with nearly identical reception and yardage numbers. On Monday night, Chris Godwin was one of the few bright spots for Tampa Bay. He caught ten balls for 85 yards on a night when Tom Brady threw the ball 66 times.

Onward to the Divisional round!

Optimal Options

If money is no object, here are the best plays at each starting spot based on the Divisional Weekend rankings over at 4for4.

Jalen Hurts, QB PHI (Elite FP: $555, Rare FP: $40)

The last time we saw Jalen Hurts was in Week 18, and he struggled a bit despite getting the win against the Giants. He didn’t have a single touchdown through the air or on the ground and accounted for only 242 total yards. Coming off the bye and playing the same Giants team, Hurts should be more prepared and be the elite fantasy option we have come to know and love. He is the third-ranked quarterback on the week at 4for4, projecting him for 27.3 DK points. Philadelphia is a seven-and-a-half-point home favorite against the New York Giants. New York gives up the 13th fewest schedule-adjusted points in the league to enemy quarterbacks, but he is generally matchup-proof due to his rushing floor/ceiling combination. The Eagles have a 28-point implied team total, the second-highest of the week.

Christian McCaffery, RB SF (Elite FP: $550, Rare FP: $55)

I just can’t get away from Christian McCaffery as the best play at running back again this week. No player at the position, with the possible exception of Saquon Barkley, has a higher ceiling each week, which is what we need to win these tournaments. His receiving ability makes him one of the few players who have a shot at hitting both bonuses for 100 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing. McCaffery is the top-ranked running back at 4for4 and is projected to score 20.3 DK points. San Francisco is an early three-and-a-half-point home favorite against the Dallas Cowboys, who give up the 11th-fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing running backs. The Niners have a 24.75-point implied team total, the fourth-highest of the week.

Ja’Marr Chase, WR CIN (Elite FP: $550, Rare FP: $42)

We missed the Week 17 matchup between the Bengals and the Bills due to Damar Hamlin's medical emergency. This week, we get another shot at this battle of the AFC elite in the playoffs. Chase was targeted early and often in his wildcard matchup, and I’d expect similar against a more formidable team in the divisional round. He is ranked as the WR1 overall at 4for4 and is projected to score 19.8 DK points. The Cincinnati Bengals are an early five-point road dog against the Buffalo Bills, who give up the 11th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. The Bengals have a 22-point implied team total, the 6th-highest of the week.

Travis Kelce, TE KC (Elite FP: $270, Rare FP: $52)

Kittle didn’t work out for us last week (which probably means he crushes this week), so we are going back to Travis Kelce, who is ranked as the TE1 overall at 4for4 and projects to score 18.2 DK points. Kansas City is an early eight-point home favorite against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who give up the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Kansas City has a 30.25-point implied team total, the highest of the week.

Stefon Diggs, WR BUF (Elite FP: $497, Rare FP: $49)

Diggs is one of the holy grails of DK reignmakers because he isn’t designated as a Superstar, so he can be stacked in lineups with Josh Allen. I didn’t select Allen as the best QB play this week, but he is obviously always in the conversation, and you can’t go wrong with this stack. Diggs is the second-ranked wide receiver at 4for4 and projects to score 19.4 DK points. Buffalo is a five-point home favorite against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals give up the 17th-most schedule-adjusted points in the league to enemy wide receivers, and the Bills have a 27-point implied team total, the third-highest of the week.

Value Plays

Trevor Lawrence, QB JAX (Elite FP: $209, Rare FP: $28)

It was a tale of two halves for Trevor Lawrence in their wildcard matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. After four first-half interceptions and a 0-27 deficit approaching halftime, Lawrence rebounded with four passing touchdowns in the second half and led his team to a 31-30 victory in his first-ever playoff appearance. Lawrence is ranked as the sixth-best quarterback this week by 4for4 and projects to score 20.2 DK points. The Jaguars are an eight-point road dog against Kansas City, who give up the fifth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Jaguars have a 22.25-point implied team total, the fifth-highest of the week.

Deebo Samuel WR SF (Elite FP: $300, Rare FP: $29)

Samuel is back and looks fantastic! His skill set matches perfectly with Brock Purdy, and he is even running the ball again. He is ranked as the WR6 this week at 4for4 and is projected to score 14.4 DK points. San Francisco is a three-and-a-half-point home favorite against the Dallas Cowboys, who give up the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. The Niners have a 24.75-point implied team total, the fourth-highest of the week.

That’s going to do it for this week’s edition. If there’s something you would like covered in a weekly strategy article for DraftKings Reignmakers contests, please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter!