NFL DFS predictions post here every week, including projected outcomes and players to watch for every matchup. For more player selections, check out our free NFL Lineup Builder (now in beta).
Thursday, Dec. 23rd (TNF)
49ERS (8-6) AT TITANS (9-5) — 8:20pm ET NFLN
Favorite: San Francisco (-3.5) O/U: 44
The 49ers have won five of their last six games and are looking borderline unstoppable both offensively and defensively. That’s no small feat considering the amount of injuries they’re dealing with in their backfield and in the secondary. Now they travel to the music city to take on the 9-5 Titans who blew a ten point lead to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Niners are clearly the hotter team but they’ll be facing a highly motivated Titans squad looking to keep pace in the AFC. Word is, they may also be getting A.J. Brown back in time for the game. Neither team can afford to lose this game with foes breathing down their necks. Expect both Kyle Shanahan and Mike Vrabel to pull out all the stops to get a win on prime time.
DFS Player to Watch: Jimmy Garoppolo | QB | $5,500 DraftKings | $6,900 FanDuel
Jimmy Garoppolo has quietly been an effective and efficient quarterback as of late. Garoppolo has had a +90 QB rating for 8 weeks. The next closest QB? Aaron Rodgers with 5 such games. Garoppolo has also thrown for eleven touchdowns in those games against only three interceptions. He faces a well-built Tennessee secondary but should have time to throw. Expect at least a 3x salary performance.
Saturday, Dec. 25th (Afternoon Game)
BROWNS (7-7) AT PACKERS (11-3) — 4:30pm ET FOX
Favorite: Green Bay (-7) O/U: 44.5
The Covid stricken Browns suffered a heartbreaker to the Raiders on Monday night but are still in the wildcard hunt. They now travel to face the scalding hot Packers on Lambeau’s frozen tundra on Christmas day. This game was always a mismatch but Browns injuries make it a complete imbalance. The Packers are 11-3 against the spreadA DFS Hub field that equals the consensus point spread for the game at hand. It's Vegas's prediction of how much the favorite will win by, and how much the underdog will lose by. A Spread of -7, for example, means the favorite is expected to win by 7 points. For more, see:
... More this season and simply too talented, too well coached and too comparatively healthy to botch this one.
DFS Player to Watch: A.J. Dillon | RB | $5,800 DraftKings | $6,200 FanDuel
A.J. Dillon has been getting just as many offensive opportunities as Aaron jones. And while his 22 rushing yards last week against Baltimore was his lowest output since October 24th, this game presents a bounce-back opportunity. Dillon has had a 60% rushing share the last four weeks and Cleveland allows almost 5 yards per attempt to RBs. Game script should play into his favor.
Saturday, Dec. 25th (Late Game)
COLTS (8-6) AT CARDINALS (10-4) — 8:15pm ET NFLN
Favorite: Arizona (-1) O/U: 49
The Cardinals are perilously trending in the wrong direction. It’s not just that they’ve lost two games straight, it’s how they’ve lost those two games and who they lost them to. The 30-12 embarassment to the 2-11-1 Lions was might have been a harbinger of things to come. Kyler Murray is once again regressing in December when the games matter the most. The Colts are trending in a far more positive direction. They look like true contenders in behind their opportunistic defense and the elite power running of bell cow back Jonathan Taylor. The Cardinals could have clinched a playoff against the Lions. In order to do so on Christmas they’ll have to take out one of the best teams in the AFC.
DFS Player to Watch: Jonathan Taylor | RB | $8,800 DraftKings | $10,500 FanDuel
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown against the vaunted Patriots defense last Saturday. He now gets a Cardinals squad that’s graded 8th worst in run defense by PFF. Taylor has been outstanding no matter what team he has faced, with 27.2 median FPsFantasy points More per game over the last four weeks. He’s got a TD in 11 straight games. Despite missing three lineman, Taylor has a legit shot to 3x his salary again on Saturday.
About the Author: Steven A. Cravens has been a professional sports better and analyst for over a decade. As a former Fox Sports NFL researcher and data logger, he specialized in player profiling and performance statistics.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all fantasy stats are based on point per reception (PPRPoint per reception This is a DFS scoring system that awards offensive players (e.g., WR, RB and TE) one point for each reception. This is the standard scoring method of DraftKings. More) scoring.
