FanDuel has opened up a million-dollar contest for the pair of conference championship games on Sunday, and we're jumping into the fray for the last multi-game edition of the season. Check out our lineup recommendations between the Ravens-Chiefs and Lions-49ers matchups next.
Quarterback: Brock Purdy ($7,700)
The defensive matchups are challenging to choose from at this stage, so we settled on Purdy due to a combination of game location and opponent. The Lions allowed the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL and ranked 27th in opponent passing TDs.
Purdy tossed 31 touchdowns this year, the third-best tally in the league, and spent a good portion of the second half of the season as the MVP favorite. While we acknowledge the possible absence of Deebo Samuel detracts from Purdy's upside, he'll still have CMac, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk to lean on against a vulnerable defense.
Running Backs: Isiah Pacheco ($7,800) & Gus Edwards ($5,800)
Pacheco is the leading rusher among those remaining in the postseason and tied with Aaron Jones for the league lead with 39 carries through two playoff games.
The team's willingness to defer to Pacheco as a key weapon in their offense has only grown as he's gotten more touches this season, and we expect them to try and batter the Ravens with his no-nonsense running style.
On the other sideline, Gus Edwards is waiting for his crack at the Chiefs' defense. He's gone consecutive games without a rushing score for only the second time since October 15.
The fifth-year back from Rutgers managed 4.0 yards per carry against Houston a week ago. We like him to get back into the endzone this weekend against KC.
Wide Receivers: Brandon Aiyuk ($7,800), Zay Flowers ($6,400) & Josh Reynolds ($5,600)
Aiyuk had a quiet night against Green Bay's talented secondary, snagging three of six targets for 32 yards. He'll carry the burden of Detroit's top coverage should Samuel be unavailable Sunday night, and it'll be an excellent opportunity for the league's seventh-leading receiver on a big stage. We covered Detroit's struggles to prevent passing game success and would welcome a long score from Aiyuk to boost our lineup's result.
Flowers ended the regular season with four touchdowns in the final five games and hauled in four of five targets during Saturday's win over Houston. Baltimore leaned into their comfort zone and ran the ball 42 times for 229 yards last week, led by Jackson's 100-yard, two-score performance. If Baltimore needs to throw more to keep up with KC's offense, Flowers is a dynamic threat and Jackson's unquestioned top target in the absence of Mark Andrews.
Reynolds is a longshot who could put this lineup over the top. He scored touchdowns on 12.5% of his catches this season, the 11th-best rate among players with 40 or more receptions. We'll roll the dice on Reynolds as a touchdown magnet again in the NFC title game.
Tight End: Isaiah Likely ($5,400)
Likely has caught touchdowns in three straight games and five of six dating back to December 10. He and Flowers have led the Baltimore pass-catchers through the late-season stretch.
Jackson may need to rely on them instead of his legs to get the Ravens back to another Super Bowl. This price on Likely is a steal!
Flex: Amon-Ra St. Brown ($9,000)
With one exception against Chicago in early December, St. Brown scored a touchdown or posted 90+ receiving yards in every game this season. The First-Team All-Pro receiver is averaging 11 targets, eight catches, 105 yards, and 0.8 touchdowns per game in his last five starts.
Not even San Francisco will be able to lock him down fully this weekend. St. Brown is worth the hefty price tag on Sunday!
Defense: Baltimore Ravens ($4,200)
Baltimore's defense made a statement with a dominant performance against the Texans after a two-week layoff for their starters. Kansas City's offense looked strong against Buffalo in their first road playoff game during the Patrick Mahomes era, but the Ravens are a different test entirely.
We'll ride with Baltimore's defense at home against the Chiefs.
