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Fantasy football start em, sit em lineups advice for the Commanders vs. Lions on Saturday, January 17 for the Divisional Round (2025). NFL matchups analysis and starts/sits.
With the second round of the NFL postseason set to begin, we have you covered for playoff leagues or DFS contests. Below you can read our matchups analysis article for the Commanders vs. Lions game to help make any fantasy lineup decisions for whatever contest, league, or tournament you are participating in.
The Commanders are riding high after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, and a matchup with the hungry and rested Lions awaits in Detroit. There should be no shortage of offense in this one, so fantasy and DFS scoring should be up!
Read our fantasy football breakdowns for this game -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the Divisional Round. Below, you'll see the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz, Jared Goff, Austin Ekeler, and more.
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Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions
Spread: Lions -9.5
Matchups We Love
Jayden Daniels did not play like a rookie in his first playoff game last week. He threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns and finished with 22.3 fantasy points. Now, he has a great fantasy matchup this weekend against a banged-up Lions secondary.
Detroit allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the final month of the regular season, and Daniels has scored above 22 fantasy points in six of the past seven games.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery is back for the Divisional Round, but that shouldn't change much for Jahmyr Gibbs' fantasy value this weekend. The Commanders allowed almost 4.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs in the regular season, and Bucky Irving totaled 77 rush yards against this run defense a week ago. Given that Gibbs has been unstoppable for most of the year, he will remain a strong play this week.
Gibbs GONE! The @Lions extend their lead late in the 4th!
📺: #DETvsSF on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/lrUk3xgW2L— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2024
RB David Montgomery
It's almost a miracle that Montgomery is playing in this game. While he will likely not see anywhere near a full workload on Saturday night, he does have the touchdown upside to be a potential DFS play against the Commanders. Washington allowed almost 4.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs in the regular season, and Montgomery scored a touchdown in 10 of 14 games this year.
Terry McLaurin was one of the regular season's most consistent fantasy wide receiver options. That continued in the Wild Card Round, as McLaurin totaled seven catches for 89 yards and one touchdown en route to a 21.9 PPR fantasy point day. As a result, he will remain a strong play this weekend against a Lions secondary that allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts in the regular season.
Matchups We Hate
TE Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz has been a solid tight end option for most of the year. Although he caught just two passes for 23 yards in last week's win, the veteran has scored above 12 PPR fantasy points in five of the past eight games. However, Ertz will be a lower-end tight end option during the Divisional Round. The Lions have allowed only three tight ends to score in double figures in PPR formats this season.
Other Matchups
QB Jared Goff
Jared Goff will be an appealing quarterback option against the Commanders. He has scored above 23 fantasy points in four of the past five games and has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in 12 of the last 15 contests. Although Washington has allowed just one quarterback (Baker Mayfield) to throw for multiple passing touchdowns in a game since Week 14, Goff is still a solid play this weekend.
It's going to be pretty difficult for many to trust Brian Robinson Jr. this weekend. He has totaled just 26 rush yards over the past two games and has finished with under 10 PPR fantasy points in four straight games. Even though the Lions allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in the final month of the season, Robinson's recent play makes him a riskier option this weekend.
Austin Ekeler gave the Commanders' offense a boost in the Wild Card Round behind his 11 touches. So, Ekeler can be a value DFS play this weekend against the Lions. Ekeler played 47% of the team's offensive snaps last week and finished with 8.3 PPR fantasy points. With Washington a big underdog in this game, though, the team could use him more in the receiving game.
Gain of 18 and a 1st down for the @Commanders!
📺: #WASvsTB on NBC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/25cOiWwAKh— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025
WRs Olamide Zaccheaus/Dyami Brown
Both Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown have had some strong games in recent weeks. Zaccheaus didn't do much in last week's win but did total over 20 PPR fantasy points in both Week 16 and Week 17. As for Brown, he had a career day last week, totaling five catches for 89 yards and one touchdown. So, both players can be potential dart throws in DFS plays this weekend against a Lions secondary that has struggled recently.
Amon-Ra St. Brown will remain a go-to target for Jared Goff. St. Brown caught a career-high 12 touchdown passes in the regular season, and he'll be a strong fantasy play in the Divisional Round against the Commanders. Although Washington has done a nice job against slot wideouts this season, they have allowed some big games to slot wideouts like Zay Flowers(132 receiving yards) and Chris Godwin (22.3 PPR fantasy points).
Amon-Ra St. Brown this season 🤯
131 TARGETS
107 CATCHES
0 DROPS!!! 😳 pic.twitter.com/aEEcJLfNGz— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 31, 2024
Jameson Williams has been a consistent fantasy option in recent weeks, making him an appealing fantasy play in the Divisional Round. Williams has caught at least five passes in six of the past seven games and has scored above 24 PPR fantasy points in two of the last three contests. He'll likely be matched up against Marshon Lattimore in this game, but that matchup shouldn't scare anyone based on how Lattimore looked last week.
TE Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta has really come on in fantasy over the past two months. He has scored in double figures in PPR formats in six straight games and has caught at least six passes in three of the past four weeks. As a result, LaPorta can be a top fantasy tight end option in the Divisional Round against a Commanders defense that has allowed over 10 PPR fantasy points to the position in six of the last 10 contests.
Notable Fantasy-Relevant Injuries
None
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