Squirrel Patrol’s Divisional Round Four-Game Classic Slate Strategy

Jan 17, 2026

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs kicks off this weekend with four games across Saturday and Sunday. Saturday sees the Bills meet the Broncos (-1.5) in Denver in the first game, kicking off at 4:30 PM ET, followed by the 49ers in Seattle to face the Seahawks (-7) in the night game at 8:00 PM ET. Sunday starts at 3:00 PM ET with the Texans traveling to New England to face the Patriots (-3), followed by the Rams (-4.5) and Bears meeting in freezing conditions in Chicago at 6:30 PM ET. These smaller slates are a personal favorite of mine because they combine Showdown strategy with a classic multi-game format, making for a long, entertaining weekend of NFL action. I also won my only solo Milly Maker on one of these slates in Week 2 of 2023, which helps to build my personal attachment to this format.

The strategy for these slates is just as important as the picks, so I’ll highlight some of the main points here:

While the number of teams in this format is limited, the number of positions isn’t. With a full nine roster spots to choose from, differentiation isn’t hard. One low-owned player is usually enough—I rarely dig deeper than a third wideout or a primary backup running back.
I typically stack my quarterback with more teammates than I would on a full main slate. With just two games, there’s a decent chance one turns into a dud, so I want as much exposure as possible to the higher-scoring matchup.
While I want to over-stack my lineups, be cautious on FanDuel, where we are limited to four players from the same team. If you set a rule to pair your QB with at least two WR/TE pass-catchers, you can’t also roster both that team’s RB and D/ST (since that would total five players from that team).
On a four-game slate, it’s perfectly fine to roster offensive players against the opposing defense. A special teams score can swing everything and give the ball right back to your offense.
With the ample time between each game, including an overnight break, you should be considering whether to late-swap in your lineups. If your lineup missed on a player who has a huge score early in the Bills – Broncos game, consider a switch to more off-the-board players in the late game. Conversely, if your contrarian player hit for a big score early in the first game, you have some leeway to play things chalkier in the late game.

Let’s break down the positions, spotlight some of the best DFS options, and map out a path to the top of the leaderboards.