The NFL playoffs resume with two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday, with the winners advancing to the Conference Championships. The nightcap on Saturday will feature the Seattle Seahawks hosting the San Francisco 49ers at 8 p.m. ET. Seattle is listed as a seven-point home favorite, while the total sits at 44.5 points.
The Seahawks earned the bye and the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their play during the regular season. They locked things up in Week 18 with a dominant showing vs. the 49ers. They limited their potent offense to just three points and 173 yards, both of which were their lowest outputs of the year. That game was played in San Francisco, so it’s easy to see why they’re the largest favorites during the divisional round.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are coming off an upset win over the Eagles last week. They weren’t quite as large an underdog as they are vs. Seattle, but they’ve proven they can go on the road and win in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost star tight end George Kittle to a devastating Achilles injury in that contest, adding another player to their laundry list of injured studs.
Let’s dive into all the DFS options for Seahawks vs. 49ers.
NFL DFS Stud Picks
This game features two of the very best players in football at their respective positions. That starts with Christian McCaffrey at running back. McCaffrey turned in another dominant fantasy season in 2025-26, leading all running backs in terms of fantasy points per game. He carried a massive workload, amassing a whopping 413 touches during the regular season, and he added another 21 in their Wild Card win over the Eagles.
McCaffrey hasn’t had the same success as a runner this year that he’s had in previous seasons with the 49ers. He averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, down from 5.4 during his Offensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023.
However, he more than made up for it with his work in the passing game. He led all running backs in target share this season, and his 102 receptions ranked sixth in the entire NFL.
McCaffrey did plenty of damage through the air in the 49ers’ first playoff matchup. He turned his eight targets into six catches, 66 yards, and two scores, including the game-winner. McCaffrey ultimately finished with 29.4 DraftKings points, making him the top-scoring running back for the week.
McCaffrey’s matchup vs. the Eagles certainly wasn’t easy, but the Seahawks will represent a different level of challenge. They were first in rush defense EPA by a pretty wide margin, and they allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points per game to the position. The silver lining is that they were a bit more vulnerable to running backs who catch passes, which plays into McCaffrey’s clear strength.
Ultimately, McCaffrey ranks second on the slate in median, ceiling, and projected Plus/Minus. It’s hard to go wrong with him in any spot, but he’s showing up as an undervalued Captain option in Sim Labs.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the other clear stud in this matchup. He was among the best receivers in fantasy all season, trailing only Puka Nacua in terms of PPR points per game. He provided a rock-solid floor, scoring more than 20 DraftKings points in a ridiculous 13 of 17 outings.
The scary part is that JSN was able to do it while playing for one of the lowest passing volume offenses in football. The Seahawks finished the year 30th in Pass Rate Over Expectation, but Smith-Nijgba made up for it by taking a massive slice of the receiving pie. He had a 36% target share and 49% air yards share, both of which are absolutely elite.
Smith-Njigba also stands out from a matchup standpoint. The 49ers’ defense has been hit hard by injuries this season, and they stand out as one of the weakest units left in the playoffs. He had “just” six catches for 84 yards against them in the regular-season finale, but he torched them for nine catches and 124 yards in their first matchup.
JSN is priced slightly below McCaffrey on DraftKings, but he has the superior projections in our NFL Models. The combination of matchup and Vegas data makes him the clear top option of the two.
That said, the big x-factor is just how healthy Smith-Njigba’s quarterback is. Sam Darnold reportedly suffered an oblique injury on Thursday, and he hasn’t thrown a ball since. Drew Lock has spent the past two days prepping at quarterback, and the team won’t make an official decision on Darnold’s status until closer to game time. It’s hard to imagine Darnold missing this contest, but it sounds like he’s going to be at far less than 100%.
That makes Darnold a risky proposition for DFS purposes. He was already far from an elite fantasy quarterback, ranking 27th at the position in fantasy points per game, and he had single-digit DraftKings points in his final two regular-season starts. Add in the fact that he still needs to prove himself in the playoffs, and there’s a bunch of risk with targeting him at a stud price tag.
Brock Purdy is the other QB, and he’s definitely the superior fantasy producer of the two in a vacuum. He was fifth at the position in fantasy points per game during the regular season. Since returning from an injury in Week 11, Purdy has posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of eight games.
Purdy’s performance last week vs. the Eagles was a bit of a mixed bag. He threw two interceptions, but he also did a lot of really good things for fantasy purposes. He racked up 262 passing yards and two scores, and he also added nine rushing attempts. Purdy has been using his legs more in recent weeks, giving him another potential weapon for racking up fantasy points.
Unfortunately, Purdy’s worst game of the season – by far – came against the Seahawks in Week 18. They completely suffocated the 49ers’ passing attack, limiting Purdy to just 127 passing yards, zero scores, and a pick.
Can Purdy do better in the rematch? He probably can’t do worse, but our projections are on the pessimistic side. He has lower projections than Darnold across the board, and he has the worst projected Plus/Minus in the stud tier.
NFL DFS Midrange Picks
With Kittle now sidelined, the 49ers’ passing attack is down their top three options from last year. Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t suited up all season, while Deebo Samuel now plies his trade in Washington.
It leaves Jauan Jennings as the team’s clear-cut top option (outside of McCaffrey). He didn’t post a huge statistical game vs. the Eagles last week, but he led the team’s receivers with a 91% route participation. He also threw a touchdown on a trick play, which helped make up for his disappointing day as a receiver (three targets, one catch, 45 yards).
Jennings had just a 10% target share in that contest, but he should be busier vs. the Seahawks. He had a 19% target share for the year, and that figure could increase without Kittle.
The bigger question is who will be catching passes besides Jennings and McCaffrey? Ricky Pearsall missed last week’s game, and he’s officially questionable vs. the Seahawks. He is tentatively expected to play, but how much he’ll be on the field remains to be seen. There’s also the potential that he re-aggravates his knee injury and is forced to exit early.
Still, Pearsall is an extremely talented receiver, which is why the 49ers drafted him in the first round in 2024. He also had a 19% target share for the year, and he was at 25% or higher the last two times he was in the lineup. Pearsall missed the Week 18 showdown vs. Seattle, so the 49ers are hoping his return could help make a difference.
Ultimately, Pearsall stands out as a high-risk, high-reward type of option. He doesn’t grade out particularly well in our NFL Models, but he has some upside. He’s also projected for minimal ownership, making him an interesting contrarian pivot.
Pearsall’s expected return should have a big negative impact on Demarcus Robinson. He was surprisingly the 49ers’ top option in the passing attack last week, racking up six catches, 111 yards, and a touchdown vs. the Eagles. Robinson will likely serve as the team’s No. 3 receiver in this matchup, which should keep him on the field for the majority of the pass plays. That said, his salary has jumped up quite a bit after last week’s performance, making him an obvious fade candidate. Before last week’s showing, he had more than 6.9 DraftKings points in just one game all season.
The big question for the Seahawks is how the touches will be split among their running backs. They’ve employed a true committee at the position all season, with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet splitting the workload pretty evenly. Walker had the slight edge in rushing attempts, while Charbonnet had more snaps and saw more work as a receiver.
Both players grade out eerily similar in our projections, and both players found success in their last matchup vs. the 49ers. Walker finished with 17.3 DraftKings points, falling just three yards shy of the 100-yard bonus, while Charbonnet had 18.7 DraftKings points thanks to scoring a touchdown.
Using both players together could be an interesting wrinkle. They actually have a slightly positive correlation, and with the 49ers’ defense in shambles, it’s possible that there’s enough work to go around for both of them.
Rashid Shaheed is the No. 2 receiver for the Seahawks, but he’s still struggling to find his place in the offense. His biggest impact in Seattle has been as a returner, where he’s already scored twice.
Shaheed has been on the field at a decent clip for Seattle, but he’s amassed just a 10% target share in his nine games with the team. If anything, his role is moving in the opposite direction, with Shaheed posting a 4% mark or lower in his final three regular-season games. He still has the potential to turn any touch into a long touchdown, but it’s hard to get too excited about him in his current role.
NFL DFS Value & Punt Picks
- Defenses & Kickers – These options are always in play in the single-game format. The Seahawks Defense has the best projected Plus/Minus of the group in our NFL Models, while Jason Myers has the top optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs.
- A.J. Barner ($4,600 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel) – Barner has been a solid part of the Seahawks’ passing attack all season, racking up 52 catches, 519 yards, and six touchdowns. He scored a touchdown in two of the team’s final three regular-season outings, and he finished with at least 13.1 DraftKings points in both contests. He likely needs a score to return value vs. the 49ers, but that’s definitely a possibility.
- Jake Tonges ($4,400 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel) – Tonges was priced up aggressively on FanDuel following the injury to Kittle, but he’s available at a massive discount on DraftKings. His $4,400 salary comes with a 95% Bargain Rating, and he was a top-10 fantasy scorer at TE from Weeks 2 through 6 with Kittle sidelined. He’s one of the best values of the day.
- Kendrick Bourne ($4,000 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel) – Bourne already appeared to be falling out of favor in San Francisco, and the return of Pearsall could keep him basically off the field.
- Cooper Kupp ($3,600 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel) – Kupp is another solid value for the Seahawks, and he was significantly more involved than Shaheed down the stretch. From Week 10 on, Kupp posted an 84% route participation and 16% target share.
- Brian Robinson ($2,800 DraftKings, $4,000 FanDuel) – McCaffrey carries one of the largest workloads in football, which doesn’t leave much for his backup. Robinson would likely need an injury to McCaffrey to have any sort of value.
- Kyle Juszczyk ($2,400 DraftKings, $2,600 FanDuel) – Juszczyk saw a nice uptick in production last week following the injury to Kittle. He saw four targets, which he turned into four catches for 49 yards. He could be an interesting punt play.
- Eric Saubert ($600 DraftKings, $1,000 FanDuel) – Saubert is the No. 2 TE for the Seahawks, and he has just four catches all season. However, two of them came in Week 18 vs. the 49ers, and he had three targets in that contest overall.
Pictured: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Photo Credit: Imagn
