The Chargers and Ravens, two AFC teams with high-flying offenses but polar-opposite defenses, face off in Los Angeles this weekend for the latest edition of Sunday Night Football. Today we will share our optimal FanDuel single-game tournament lineups for this conference clash, and hopefully help you close out the weekend with some daily fantasy cash.
Both these squads know a lot about the injury bug, but it's L.A. that has suffered the worst luck over the past couple months. The Bolts were without stud running back Austin Ekeler for three weeks earlier in the season. Two of their top receivers, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer, are on IR. Tight ends Gerald Everett and Donald Parham have both been banged up for weeks. And now, perhaps the dagger of all daggers, Joey Bosa just hit the IR with a foot sprain.
The Ravens have navigated injuries as well, most notably losing top running back J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending injury earlier in the year and suffering some hits to their defense and pass-catchers. But Baltimore has weathered the storm nicely, sitting at 8-3 with an eye on a first-round bye in a year that has landed many AFC powerhouses in injury-ravaged peril.
Will the Ravens stomp the Chargers and put Bolts head coach Brandon Staley out of his hot-seat misery? Or, will Los Angeles hold court and save its season with a massive victory over one of the better defensive squads in the NFL? This one will almost certainly be tough to bet, but we think it's an easy one for which to craft a FanDuel lineup.
Just like our approach with finding the best bets each NFL week, we scour FanDuel for the best DFS values ahead of every Sunday night game and assemble what we deem to be an optimal lineup. Our approach each week is simple: research, compare values, and make roster-building moves that will separate us from the rest of the DFS pack.
Before we break down our picks and strategy, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel contests: four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
MORE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Betting preview | Top props | DraftKings lineup
Ravens-Chargers FanDuel Picks Week 12: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
$60,000 budget, must include at least one player from each team
MVP (1.5x points) Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens ($17,500)
Jackson might not be posting the stats you'd expect from an MVP, but he's definitely playing like one. The fantasy community would probably appreciate a little more production in the running game from the Ravens quarterback, but beggars can't be choosers in this matchup. The Chargers defense is routinely shredded every week, something Brandon Staley is tired of talking about every week. Considering he'll likely be fired soon, that won't be a talking point for much longer, no matter how true it might be. Jackson will be without Mark Andrews (ankle) for some time, forcing Baltimore to adjust how their offense operates. And you'd be hard pressed to find a better matchup to work on the passing game than this one. Action Jackson lives up to the name on Sunday night in his hunt for another MVP award.
FLEX Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers ($15,000)
For a team that is no stranger to offense, we really aren't fond of many Chargers players in this game. But the rules dictate we must choose at least one, so here we are — backing one of the most consistent receivers in the league. Allen continues to produce at a high level and is clearly cemented in as Justin Herbert's favorite receiver. The targets are there, the production is there and it doesn't matter the opponent. Lock Allen in the lineup without hesitation.
FLEX Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens ($11,000)
Who steps up without Andrews in the lineup? Flowers isn't a bad choice, considering he leads the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards. But the rookie has notably scored just one touchdown, something that we'll expect to change as early as Sunday night in L.A. Odell Beckham Jr. will be a popular pick in his return to SoFi Stadium, but Flowers should be blooming in this offense relatively soon. The upside is there, so don't miss the opportunity to get on board.
FLEX Quentin Johnston, WR, Chargers ($8,500)
Johnston has been clowned for the last week after dropping the game-winning touchdown against the Packers. The hits have been coming from everywhere with the draft community taking a victory lap, the fantasy community unleashing on him and the rest of the NFL world poking fun at the Chargers for missing out on the other solid rookies. If Johnston wants to make a point, he'll find a way to have a positive impact on this result. The rookie has plenty of growing up to do in the NFL, but the Chargers are determined to get him the rock. Now it's just a question of whether he holds on.
FLEX Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens ($6,500)
We don't need to keep rehashing how bad the secondary is for the Bolts. But we should rehash what happened on Thursday night when the Ravens knocked off the rival Bengals in their last game. Bateman did only haul in one catch, but that one did go for a touchdown. The receiver has found himself open in the end zone quite a few times this year and with some more three and four receiver sets on the way from Baltimore, the opportunities to feast will be there for Bateman once again.
Best Chargers-Ravens SuperDraft DFS Picks
As we have every week, we're also listing our favorite single-game DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
MORE: Win BIG with SuperDraft! Join now and get a free deposit match of $20!
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- Champion (+50% points): Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens (1.5x)
- Super FLEX: Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers (1.75x)
- Super FLEX: Gus Edwards, RB, Ravens (2.05x)
- Super FLEX: Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens (2.45x)
- Super FLEX: Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens (2.7x)
We employed a fairly similar approach with our SuperDraft DFS lineup, keeping four of the skill players we drafted to our DK squad. We couldn't resist drafting Bateman with a 2.7-times boost, even though we know him and Likely are boom-or-bust options. With no salary cap, we must find sleepers to separate ourselves from the pack, so we always try to aim for at least two sleepers or potential breakouts.
