Welcome to the NFL DFS Divisional Round Playoff RB coach article! The field has been narrowed, but we still have a full weekend with four games ahead of us, and there are multiple NFL DFS RBs who can help you win some cash! 

With only eight teams playing this weekend, the pickings are a bit slimmer, but there are still a few NFL DFS RBs that I’d prefer to avoid during the Divisional Round Playoffs.

I loved what Woody Marks did against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers run defense, but there are better options than starting him in DFS when he has an even tougher opponent ahead of him in the New England Patriots. The Pats gave up the fifth fewest PPR fantasy points per game to NFL DFS RBs on the season and held Los Angeles Chargers NFL DFS RBs to 2.5 YPC and two catches for 20 yards last weekend.

Speaking of the Patriots. They have two very good NFL DFS RBs in Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but I’m not comfortable using either in DFS this week. Not only are Henderson and Stevenson splitting carries, but they’ve got a very tough matchup against the Houston Texans who gave up just 3.73 YPC to NFL DFS RBs during the regular season and held Steelers NFL DFS RBs to just 63 yards on the ground last week.

Similar to the Patriots’ RB situation, the Chicago Bears have been using D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai interchangeably of late. I can’t trust either of them, and they have a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, who’ve given up the fewest rushing TDs (along with the Broncos) to NFL DFS RBs this weekend 

There are, however, several NFL DFS RBs that I am considering starting this weekend. I’ve listed them here in my preferred order.

 

 

NFL DFS Divisional Round RB Coach

Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

DraftKings: $6,600 | FanDuel: $7,800 

Williams is one of my favorite NFL DFS RBs of the weekend. Frankly, if he were playing at home and not having to deal with potential snow showers and Chicago’s frigid temperatures that are expected to be in the teens, he’d be my favorite NFL DFS RB of the weekend. Blake Corum is always in the back of my mind when I use Williams in DFS, but he played just 36.8% of the Rams’ offensive snaps last weekend. Williams played 63.2% of the Rams’ offensive snaps last weekend, and he gained 4.4 YPC and scored a receiving touchdown. NFL DFS RBs have had good success against the Bears this season, averaging 4.84 YPC against them.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

DraftKings: $8,800 | FanDuel: $9,700 

McCaffrey has a challenging matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who gave up the fourth fewest PPR fantasy points to NFL DFS RBs this season. Despite his matchup, McCaffrey seems to find a way to produce every week. The Eagles limited McCaffrey’s rushing yards last week, but he made up for it by catching six passes for 66 yards and scoring two receiving TDs. The Seahawks kept him in check in Week 18 (11.7 DraftKings fantasy points/8.7 FanDuel fantasy points), but in Week 1 McCaffrey got the best of them (23.2 DK/18.7 FD). His hefty DFS salary and the Seahawks’ tough defense might cause you to look elsewhere but the 49ers offense will revolve around McCaffrey this week, just as it has all season long.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $6,600 

I’ve been avoiding Seahawks NFL DFS RBs this season, but I’m committing to Charbonnet this weekend. Seahawks NFL DFS RBs have a very good matchup against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. Kenneth Walker and Charbonnet ran all over the 49ers in Week 18, and the Philadelphia Eagles' NFL DFS RBs rushed for 125 yards and had four catches and 31 receiving yards against them last weekend.  Walker III is a fine NFL DFS RB; however, his snaps played percentage has decreased as the regular season progressed, and he doesn’t seem to have the same nose for the end zone as Charbonnet. Overall, Walker III has just five rushing TDs, and over the last four weeks of the season, his average snaps played percentage was 43.7. In his prior six games, Walker III was averaging 53.1% snaps played. Charbonnet has 12 rushing TDs this season (5th most of any NFL DFS RBs), and he played at least 55% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps in their last four games of the regular season. He’s moderately priced in DFS and could give you a nice bang for your buck this week!

 

 

 

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

DraftKings: $6,200 | FanDuel: $6,900 

Harvey is poised to have a big game on a national stage this weekend. On the surface, Harvey hasn’t been overly impressive since he took over as the Broncos’ lead NFL DFS RB. He averaged 3.4 YPC in his seven games as the Broncos’ RB1, but he did score six total TDs, and Harvey averaged just over three catches per game during that time frame. Harvey’s stats are somewhat negatively skewed since his last three games of the regular season were against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Kansas City Chiefs, all of whom have very tough run defenses. This weekend, Harvey takes on the Buffalo Bills, who haven’t been able to stop the run all season, and that continued into the playoffs. Last week, the Bills gave up a combined 121 rushing yards on 15 carries (8.07 YPC) to the Jaguars’ NFL DFS RBs and allowed Travis Etienne to catch five passes for 49 yards and a TD. 

James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $8,400 

Despite his tough matchup against the Denver Broncos, I’m willing to take a chance on using Cook in DFS this weekend. The Broncos have given up the fewest PPR fantasy points to NFL DFS RBs this season, but tough run defenses don’t scare Cook. He scored two TDs each against the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns. The Houston Texans are also known for their excellent run defense, but Cook ran for 116 yards (6.8 YPC) and also scored a touchdown against them in Week 12. The Broncos were tough on NFL DFS RBs in 2024 as well, but when Cook last faced them in the playoffs last season, he rushed for 120 yards (5.2 YPC) and scored a touchdown against them. It won’t be easy, but Cook scored 14 touchdowns this season, and that came after scoring 18 last season. He has a knack for finding the end zone, and you can never count a guy like that out.