The Week 18 NFL schedule kicks off with two games on Saturday involving all four AFC North teams with the divisional winner, playoff seeding and hopes for an AFC Wild Card spot still at stake. The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) can clinch the AFC North with a win over the Cleveland Browns (3-13) in a 4:30 p.m. ET start or by the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) in an 8 p.m. ET start. Even if the Ravens win the early game as expected, the Steelers need a win to secure the No. 5 seed, while the Bengals need a win to have a chance to reach the postseason.
With playoff implications for three of the four teams, daily Fantasy football players should feel confident about key options in the NFL DFS player pool playing the entire game, regardless of the first contest's outcome. This makes players like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Mark Andrews all potential slate-breaking options for NFL DFS picks. Before locking in any NFL DFS picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel for Saturday, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends, and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine. His methodology has led to enormous cashes on FanDuel and DraftKings. Last year, he won the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Browns vs. Ravens and Bengals vs. Steelers on Saturday and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Saturday
One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Saturday is Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase ($8,600 on DraftKings and $9,500 on FanDuel). The season began with some off-the-field drama with Chase and his desire for a new contract, but any displeasure he felt off the field he clearly left at home once the season started. Chase is likely going to win the NFL receiver triple crown as he holds a sizable lead in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,612) and touchdowns (16) in one of the most dominant wide receiver seasons of all time.
He's the clear WR1 in Fantasy football this season with the huge ceiling of five games with more than 100 yards and a high floor with at least 75 yards in seven straight contests, averaging 127.9 receiving yards per game over that span. Chase also has at least one touchdown in five of those contests and he had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati's first meeting against the Steelers this season. The Bengals have the No. 6 scoring offense at 28.3 points per game, including scoring at least 27 points in seven of their last eight games. See who else to roster here.
Part of McClure's optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Steelers running back Jaylen Warren ($5,800 on DraftKings and FanDuel). Warren had four receptions for 55 yards and just three carries for nine yards against the Bengals in Week 13 while playing 36% of snaps. But Warren has out-snapped Najee Harris in each of the last four games and five of the last six contests and is coming off a season-high in rushing yards (71) and total yards (112) last week as McClure expects another heavier Warren volume on Saturday. Warren has been the higher-scoring Pittsburgh running back in Fantasy football in back-to-back weeks.
The Steelers enter on a three-game losing streak, and although the skid has Pittsburgh looking at a likely road game in the Wild Card Round, it has helped Warren's opportunity. He is more of a pass-catcher than Harris and with the Bengals entering on a four-game winning streak and averaging 29.5 points per game over that stretch, Pittsburgh could be chasing points again, making Warren a potential asset for Saturday NFL DFS lineups. See who else to roster here.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Saturday
McClure is targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Saturday. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of McClure's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
So who is Mike McClure including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Saturday, and which under-the-radar player offers huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, NFL DFS rankings, NFL DFS advice and NFL DFS stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with more than $2 million in winnings, and find out.