Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have the first week of the playoffs and are here to cover you for every playoff game this season! First up, we have the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) traveling to Houston to take on the Texans (10-7), where the Chargers are three-point favorites in this one. I do not see anyone currently at risk of missing this contest, but keep an eye on the injury report for any late additions.
We have been pretty successful so far with these showdown slates, and hopefully, that trend will continue from last year into this year. Most of us started our fantasy journeys with football, so it's always nice when it comes around. I'll do my best to provide you with as much in-depth analysis as possible regarding positional matchups.
I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Chargers vs. Texans NFL DFS showdown slate on January 11. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on X @DFSKoby and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with me and other NFL DFS analysts whenever you'd like!
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MVP/Captain Plays
Ladd McConkey - WR, L.A. Chargers - $14.7K (DK), $13K (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 112 targets, 82 receptions, 1,149 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
I'm going to have a lot of Ladd McConkey this week, as he gets an elite matchup in the slot as he goes up against Eric Murray, who is giving up .44 FP per route run this season. McConkey has had seven straight double-digit fantasy weeks and has seen 80+ receiving yards in six of those. I expect the Chargers to throw early and often, giving McConkey plenty of opportunity to rack up the fantasy points.
Ladd McConkey is easily the Chargers' most dangerous perimeter weapon and he does so with incredible footwork and route running.
They'll look to find him matchups in the slot but capable of playing on the perimeter in their heavy packages as well.
Tough matchup for #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/jDGmKfj2AP
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 8, 2025
Nico Collins - WR, Houston Texans - $16.2K (DK), $15K (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 99 targets, 68 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
Nico Collins is set up for a big game. The Chargers run defense has been stout this season and I don't see Joe Mixon getting much done on the ground.
That being said, if the Texans get down early, they could be slinging the ball quite a bit. With Tank Dell down, Collins is going to be the primary target and could see upward of 10+ targets in this one. Collins has averaged .66 FP per route run this season, which is the second-highest behind only Puka Nacua on the entire weekend of games!
Other Captains/MVPs: Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud
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DFS Flex Plays
Justin Herbert - QB, L.A. Chargers - $10K (DK), $14.5K (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 3,870 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 306 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns
There are questions surrounding the running game in L.A. with J.K. Dobbins questionable at the moment. I think Justin Herbert is going to be throwing the ball a lot in this one, as he has thrown 30+ attempts in seven of his last eight games.
Herbert has scored 23+ in three straight games, and with the season on the line, I expect Herbert to keep it going against a beatable Houston secondary.
Dalton Schultz - TE, Houston Texans - $4.8K (DK), $8.5K (FD)
The Texans have looked like a disaster recently, and the WR corps has been torn to shreds. With that being said, outside of last week, Dalton Schultz has played 70%+ of the team's snaps each week.
He saw 25 targets across the four weeks before last week and has shown he can be a big part of the offense and will be needed if they get down early. C.J. Stroud should look to throw his way quite a bit in this one.
Other Flex Options: C.J. Stroud, J.K. Dobbins (if he plays), Gus Edwards (if Dobbins doesn't play)
DFS Value Plays
Will Dissly - TE, L.A. Chargers - $4.4K (DK), $8K (FD)
Since Dissly returned from injury, he has taken his lead spot back as TE1 in this offense. Just last week, he was targeted six times and finished with a touchdown. Across the last four weeks, the Texans are giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing TEs. Dissly should continue to see a lot of targets, as he has been one of Herbert's favorite targets this season.
DJ Chark - WR, L.A. Chargers - $5.4K (DK), $9.5K (FD)
Joshua Palmer is out once again, which should lead to Chark seeing a decent amount of run in the offense. Last week, he played in 50% of the snaps and ended up with a touchdown on three targets. He is only $5.5K on FD, which is dirt cheap. If he finishes with a touchdown again, he could be in the optimal lineup.
Other Value Plays: John Metchie III, Diontae Johnson
Enjoy your week, and good luck, everyone!
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