49ers vs. Eagles: Daily Fantasy Sleepers, Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings
The daily fantasy football strategies involving the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers seem fairly straightforward.
A Philadelphia lineup stack will be headlined by Jalen Hurts and will likely include A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in some capacity. They have been Hurts' best wide receivers all season long.
Christian McCaffrey is the first name from the San Francisco roster that should be selected in FanDuel and DraftKings contests for Sunday's conference championship game slate.
McCaffrey will probably be joined by Deebo Samuel and George Kittle in a lineup stack that supports Brock Purdy.
While the stars should dominate the spotlight on Sunday, there are a few players deeper on both rosters that have the potential to make difference-making plays and be important pieces in DFS lineups.
Sleeper Picks
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Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco
Jauan Jennings is the best sleeper option you can find inside the San Francisco offense.
A lot of DFS players will target McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle to round out a lineup stack. Brandon Aiyuk could be a popular selection as well.
Jennings has big-play potential that could give more variety to the 49ers offense against the second-best team in total opponent yards in the regular season.
Jennings earned two catches in each of the first two playoff rounds. He had 41 receiving yards in the wild-card round and 26 yards in the divisional round.
The No. 3 wide receiver earned just two targets last week, which was a decline from the five balls thrown in his direction against the Seattle Seahawks.
Samuel's increased comfortability upon his return from injury is part of the reason why Jennings will not see an abundance of targets on Sunday.
At $4,900 on FanDuel and $3,300 on DraftKings, Jennings is worth the low-salary risk in case Purdy tries to use him more to switch things up on offense to confuse the Eagles secondary.
Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia
Take the case that we just made for Jennings and apply it to Quez Watkins.
The Eagles No. 3 wide receiver is listed at $4,800 on FanDuel and $3,100 on DraftKings. He is the sleeper option inside a star-laden offense.
Watkins did not have a target in the divisional round, a win that was dominated by the Eagles' success on the ground.
In fact, Watkins has just three catches over his last four games, and those stats should keep him off the radar of some DFS players.
Watkins can be used as a deep threat. He has five games with 30 or more receiving yards and three trips to the end zone this season.
He may come with more of a risk than other sleeper picks, but the reward could be immense if Hurts targets him for a few potential long gains.
49ers Lineup Picks
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A 49ers lineup stack fills out with ease.
McCaffrey could be the top-rostered running back on Sunday's two-game slate, Samuel should be added at wide receiver and Kittle could post some terrific numbers at tight end.
The three players can be slotted in alongside Purdy to create a strong lineup that puts you in the prize-winning positions.
In the divisional round, McCaffrey had 16 total touches. He caught six passes on eight targets in addition to his 10 carries. Samuel had four carries and four receptions. Kittle brought in all five of his targets for 95 yards.
The trio had even more success in the wild-card round against a weaker Seahawks defense. McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle combined for 338 total yards in the playoff opener.
The concern surrounding the 49ers is that the Eagles could slow down the McCaffrey-led rushing attack. Philadelphia gave up the third-fewest rushing yards in the regular season.
Any slow down to McCaffrey's production would put more pressure on Purdy to succeed with Samuel, Kittle and others. A pass-heavy game plan would favor Aiyuk and Jennings more as well.
The 49ers should try to win the way they have all season, and that is with a run-heavy unit complemented by big plays in the passing game. That strategy suits the three best playmakers on the roster.
Eagles Lineup Picks
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Jalen Hurts has been one of the most popular fantasy selections in any format this season.
It will come as no surprise to anyone if the Eagles quarterback carries one of the highest roster percentages on Sunday.
The supporting cast around Hurts in any DFS lineup feels easy to figure out. Miles Sanders. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are the best options to surround Hurts.
Sanders tore apart the New York Giants defense for 90 yards on 17 carries last week. He might not have as large of an impact on the ground against a San Francisco unit that conceded the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL this season.
Brown only had three catches on six targets last week. He could be singled out immediately in the passing game as Hurts tries to work him into a rhythm.
Brown was acquired in an offseason trade from the Tennessee Titans to perform in these types of games. Hurts may go to him early and often in an attempt to torture the 49ers secondary.
Smith and Goedert combined for 11 receptions, 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns last week. They will be major parts of the passing game, but could see their production drop a bit if Brown is the primary target.
Kenneth Gainwell, who ran for 112 yards last week, could be used as an alternative to Sanders and the other starting running backs in DFS contests, but his production will not be as high as it was against the Giants.
Watkins may be utilized as a deep threat. He is likely the best sleeper option from the Eagles roster because of the probable impetus to get the ball to Brown right away.
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