RADIO
We have six games this weekend and while you can play the full 6-game slate, both sites have also chopped them up into smaller slates. I will be breaking down three Sunday games here in this article. Monday's game is only on the full weekend slate and will also feature some big showdown contests as well.
DVOA Matchups for All Wild Card Games
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Game by Game Breakdowns - Wild Card Sunday
1:00 PM - Philadelphia Eagles (+8.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (45.5 total)
Previous Meetings: 10/4 - Bucs won 28-22
The Bucs are the defending champs and the second seed in the NFC after a solid season, however, they do come into this game a bit banged up and are not in the same incredible form they were when they entered the postseason last year. Antonio Brown is gone and Chris Godwin was lost for the season, leaving Tom Brady with Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski as his two remaining weapons from what was an elite group of pass catchers when the season started.
The Tampa offense was the top passing offense in the league this year and they finished in the top-5 in rushing offense, too, due to the emergence of Leonard Fournette and solid play from their offensive line. The Eagles' defense was mediocre at best for much of this season and even with Brady being down a few receivers, this is a matchup we are going to want to target.
Let's back up for a minute and talk about Lenny Fournette. As long as he's good to go, he's going in my lineups. He's been their best back all season and has gotten it done on the ground and as a pass-catcher. He smashed against this Eagles team in their earlier matchup and I'm sure that Coach Arians is thrilled to be getting him back just in time for the stretch run as he's been arguably one of the most important pieces of this offense.
I'm good with Brady if you want to spend up here and stacking him with two of Fournette, Evans, and Gronk. Evans will draw a tougher matchup on the outside against Darius Slay or Stephen Nelson, but he's such a big, physical guy that he's still a mismatch for them and Brady loves going to him in the red zone. With Cyril Grayson looking like he will be out, the other receivers to consider as GPP flyers would be Tyler Johnson and Breshad Perriman. Whichever guy lines up in the slot would be my preference, but I am not sure we will know how Tampa plans to use them in three-receiver sets.
For the Eagles, it really starts (and possibly ends) with Jalen Hurts. The young QB had a fantastic fantasy season but has left a lot of folks around the league wondering if he has what it takes as a passer. He will need to have the best game of his young career for the Eagles to have a chance here. He ran for two scores against Tampa in the first meeting and we know what kind of damage he can do with his legs.
I'd play Hurts naked in cash and consider stacking him with Dallas Goedert in GPPs. Goedert has been his favorite target all season and TE is the one position that has given Tampa fits this season. He's affordable on either site and I like him a lot at his price point when there a lot of other high-priced players at the position this weekend.
I'm not all that interested in the Eagles running backs, that situation is a mess and it's a poor matchup against this Tampa front seven. If you wanted to take a shot on DeVonta Smith with the logic that the Eagles will play from behind and likely have to pass a lot, I'm okay with that. The one receiver who is a pure dart throw is Quez Watkins, but his matchup in the slot is the best one for any Philly wideout and he's made some big plays for them this season down the field.
CORE PLAYS: Leonard Fournette, Dallas Goedert
OTHER PLAYS: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Jalen Hurts, Mike Evans
4:30 PM - San Francisco 49ers (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys (51 total)
Previous Meetings: NONE
So this game could be the game to figure out in order to unlock the entire slate. The Bucs and Chiefs players will be popular and we pretty much know for the most part that their studs should eat in those games. However, this game could absolutely go either way and there is a lot less certainty as to who gets the fantasy points in this one. This game has the highest total and a lot of talented offensive players.
The Cowboys are home favorites here, so we'd usually look at their running game. Although they have an elite offensive line, they do have a tough matchup on the ground here against a solid 49ers' front. When you add in the timeshare element with Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard, it makes it an even less appealing spot. I probably won't have much exposure to either.
The passing game for Dallas is the way to go and Dak Prescott has to be firmly in play as one of the best options at QB. Whether you pair him with Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb (or both) is really the question. Cooper appears to have a slightly better matchup and a more steady recent game log, but we know that Lamb is a big-time playmaker and a guy who can do a lot of damage after the catch. Cedrick Wilson is even in play for larger GPPs as he will slide into Gallup's role. Dalton Schultz has had a great year, but is not all that compelling here for me with other elite tight ends on the slate.
For the Niners, Jimmy Garoppolo is still the starting QB and is a potential GPP play, but I really want to hone in on Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel in the run game. Mitchell is the clear lead back when healthy and we know the Niners will want to pound the football and use the run game to open up the play-action passing game. Deebo is going to get his touches in the run game, too, in addition to being used as a pass-catcher. I think you should have one of them in your lineups on Sunday and maybe even both if you think San Francisco pulls off the upset.
George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk have to warrant some consideration here. I lean Aiyuk if I have to pick one as he's cheap and as I mentioned before, TE is loaded on this slate. Kittle had some huge outings this year but simply hasn't been used as a workhorse in the same way that guys like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce are. If you really want a dart throw, it's probably Jauan Jennings who operates as the third receiver for the Niners.
CORE PLAYS: Amari Cooper, Elijah Mitchell
OTHER PLAYS: Dak Prescott, Deebo Samuel, CeeDee Lamb
8:15 PM - Pittsburgh Steelers (+12.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (46 total)
Previous Meetings: 12/26 - Chiefs won 36-10
My beloved Steelers snuck into the playoffs, I'm not really sure how that even happened. They are the consensus "worst team to make it" and get the pleasure of drawing the defending AFC champs here in the opening round where they are nearly two-touchdown underdogs.
KC smashed the Steelers only a few weeks ago and present major problems for them in this game as they have a high-powered offense and an improving, opportunistic defense. Let's start with the Chiefs and the news that came out today that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out for this game. That makes Darrel Williams a really appealing option in all formats as the lead back for KC in a matchup with the Steelers' poor run defense.
Patrick Mahomes is certainly in play here, too, as he is on most slates and he should have his two main targets Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce ready to go, though Hill has been nursing a heel injury that forced him to miss most of the last week's game. I'm probably not paying up for Mahomes, but if the Steelers put up enough of a fight, we could see him be forced to throw enough to be the top-scoring QB. I'm just not sure that Pittsburgh has it in them to do that.
Kelce is probably my favorite receiving option, but I would definitely have exposure to Hill if you are making multiple builds. The other Cheifs receivers are dice rolls with Byron Pringle and Mecole Hardman both having played well at different times this season, but there's really no rhyme or reason as to which of them all of a sudden has a good game.
The Steelers' offense has been stagnant for much of the year and the one guy I will fade off the bat is Najee Harris. Harris had a great rookie campaign but the Pittsburgh offensive line hasn't given him much to work with and KC is likely going to stack the box and force Big Ben to try to beat them through the air - a formula that worked well for them in that first meeting.
So we have to consider the Pittsburgh pass-catchers here, for sure. I think a lot of folks will flock to Johnson and his huge target floor, and rightfully so. But I really like Chase Claypool as a GPP option here. He's the guy they need to make plays in one-on-one coverage and the guy that Ben is willing to take shots on down the field. He also has been involved in the running game on reverses and sweeps and is just far too cheap for his talent level, regardless of what you think of his Tik-Tok dances.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is practicing and could play, but it's hard to see him come back and have much of a role here after missing most of the season. Pat Freirmuth is always a GPP option, but TE is loaded on this slate and I'm not sure I get to him.
CORE PLAYS: Darrel Williams, Travis Kelce
OTHER PLAYS: Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson
Premium DFS Expert Lineups - Wild Card Sunday
FanDuel Lineup
DraftKings Lineup
Please note that these are sample lineups we provide as a tool for you to use. They are designed to give you building-block options as you go about choosing your own lineups, but in no way can we guarantee success. Be sure to examine the latest injury updates, Las Vegas projected game totals, and late scratches before finalizing your lineups to ensure the players you are choosing are active on game day.
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