FanDuel Single-Game DFS Football Helper: Conference Championship Round (Lions at 49ers)

The Conference Championship Round will conclude with the Detroit Lions making their way to Levi's Stadium to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. According to the NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, the 49ers are 7.5-point home favorites, and the game is expected to be a high-scoring affair with an over/under of 51.5.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and numberFire has projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

NFL DFS Single-Game Picks

MVP Candidates

Christian McCaffrey ($17,500) -- Anytime Christian McCaffrey is on a single-game slate, he'll always be worthy of using in the MVP spot. Besides leading the league in adjusted opportunities per game (28.2), McCaffrey averages the most FanDuel points per game (22.71) -- by a decent margin -- among all players on the 49ers and the Lions. While the Lions boast one of the league's best run defenses, they are permitting the ninth-most receiving yards (624) and yards per route run (1.15) to running backs, per NextGenStats.

Brock Purdy ($15,000) -- The player averaging the second-most FanDuel points per game (18.94) in Sunday's NFC title bout is Brock Purdy. Even though Purdy doesn't provide much production with his legs, he's had six games this season where he has recorded 250-plus passing yards and multiple passing touchdowns. Despite scoring fewer than 18 FanDuel points in each of his last three contests, Purdy should have success against a Lions defense that is giving up the fifth-most expected points added per drop back (0.01) and the fifth-most passing FanDuel points per drop back (0.47) to quarterbacks.

Amon-Ra St. Brown ($14,500) -- After registering the fifth-highest target share (30.4%) in the NFL during the regular season, Amon-Ra St. Brown has increased his target share to 33.8% in Detroit's two playoff games. The third-year wideout has been magnificent this season, tallying 95-plus receiving yards and/or one touchdown in 17 of the 18 games he's played in. With offensive coordinator Ben Johnson moving St. Brown around often, it's unlikely that he'll see much of Charvarius Ward in coverage on Sunday.

Jared Goff ($14,000) -- It has been 32 years since the Lions were last in a Conference Championship game, and all eyes will be on Jared Goff to deliver on the road during Sunday's showdown. In a home in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Goff threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, which resulted in 20.08 FanDuel points. The veteran signal-caller is no stranger to facing the 49ers, and the Lions are going to need a special outing from their franchise quarterback if they want to be playing in their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Jahmyr Gibbs ($13,000) -- The matchup isn't an overly enticing one for Jahmyr Gibbs, but the rookie rusher showed off his game-breaking ability on his 31-yard rushing touchdown last week. Gibbs leads the running backs on the Lions in scrimmage yards per game (91.0), rushing success rate (64.7%), and FanDuel points per game (17.1) in the team's two playoff games so far. Even with the 49ers having an elite linebacker duo, they are allowing the sixth-highest target rate (22.3%) and the eighth-most yards per route run (1.16) to running backs.

Flex Breakdown

Brandon Aiyuk ($12,000) -- There are a couple of players who are falling under the flex category who are fantastic contrarian MVP candidates, including Brandon Aiyuk. The No. 1 target for the 49ers could be in store for an even larger role on Sunday with Deebo Samuel dealing with a shoulder injury. Aside from leading the team in target share (23.5%), Aiyuk also paces San Francisco's skill players in air yards share (38.7%), average depth of target (13.9), and yards per route run (3.03). The Lions also happen to be allowing the second-most receptions (261), the second-most yards per route run (1.90), and the third-most receiving touchdowns (25) to wide receivers.

George Kittle ($11,000) -- Tight ends typically aren't popular MVP candidates on single-game slates, but I don't mind taking a flier on George Kittle in the multiplier spot this week. The All-Pro tight end led the 49ers in receiving yards (81) and air yards (74.8) in last week's win while notching the second-most yards per route run (2.19). Kittle has produced 15-plus FanDuel points in seven games this season, and Detroit's defense surrenders the 11th-most FanDuel points per target (1.42) to tight ends.

Josh Reynolds ($9,500) -- Josh Reynolds is dealing with a rib injury ahead of Sunday's matchup, but it doesn't appear to be anything that will keep him sidelined. The big-play receiver hauled in his sixth touchdown in last week's victory to give him 9.7 FanDuel points. While Reynolds isn't a player who is going to have many ceiling performances, he has the second-highest route participation (88%) and the second-highest average depth of target (9.3) in Detroit's first two playoff contests.

Jauan Jennings ($8,500) -- One player who can directly benefit from Samuel being inactive or limited in Sunday's game is Jauan Jennings. With Samuel exiting early in last week's contest, Jennings finished with the second-most receiving yards (61) and the most yards per route run (2.26) on the 49ers. The Lions own the 30th schedule-adjusted pass defense in the NFL, per numberFire's metrics, so there is plenty of room for multiple pass catchers from the 49ers to hit.

Jameson Williams ($8,000) -- We're going to need to find value somewhere in this game to fit in all of the studs, making Jameson Williams a player worth mentioning. In Detroit's first two postseason games, Williams is tallying the second-most air yards per game (47.1) and the highest average depth of target (15.7) on the team. With the speedy wideout seeing a slightly expanded role in the offense, all we need is for him to connect on one deep pass from Goff for him to be a worthwhile value option.

If you want to look deeper into any of Sunday's Conference Championship games, consider taking advantage of FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL Playoffs No-Sweat Same Game Parlay. Check the promotions page for more information.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.