FanDuel Fantasy Football: Wild-Card Playoff Picks

FanDuel Fantasy Football: Wild-Card Playoff Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.

QUARTERBACK

Matt Moore, MIA at PIT ($6,900): All season I've preached to use the quarterback on the underdog side of what should be a high-scoring blowout. There's always a way for the dog to make it a game, and the quarterback likely will have something to do with that. Big underdogs also have a way of finding a lot of fantasy value late in the game or having their quarterback throw a lot to keep up with the opponent. Moore has been a decent DFS play in all three of his starts — 15.2, 16.22 and 24.44 fantasy points isn't bad considering his price.

RUNNING BACK

Alex Collins, SEA vs DET ($5,800): Collins got an even share of the work last week (eight touches) and even though teammate Thomas Rawls was active he only had eight rushing attempts. There's a $1,300 difference between the two, so it would seem logical to take the cheaper player. Seattle has the second-highest expected team total this week and has been dominant in the playoffs at home the last few seasons.

Paul Perkins, NYG at GB ($5,900):
Perkins comes into play as a value at running back. While the Packers have been better against the run than the pass, this play is about Perkins' increased role. While Rashad Jennings is used for pass protection, it's Perkins who got 21 carries last game against the Giants. Jennings got 18 carries against Washington, but it was the second week in a row Perkins out-touched him. If that trend continues this week and Perkins can get loose against the Packers' defense he could return two to three times his value.

WIDE RECEIVER

Jarvis Landry, MIA at PIT ($6,400): Landry comes into this game as the hottest Miami receiver with double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five game. There hasn't been much of a downgrade for him with quarterback Matt Moore, who has thrown two touchdowns to Landry in the last three games. Two of those games resulted in 18.3 and 18.1 fantasy points for Landry, putting him into three-times-the-value territory. Game flow is expected to be a Steelers blowout, which should give Landry plenty of targets similar to last week in New England when he had 12.

Sterling Shepard, NYG at GB ($5,100):
If you're really looking for a cheap player this weekend with upside, Shepard is your guy. At only $600 over the minimum it's hard to find another player who's had more double-digit fantasy performances this season than not (9-7). Obviously, the Packers will focus on stopping Odell Beckham Jr., leaving softer coverage and more room for Shepard to operate. Green Bay also ranks last against wide receivers, allowing the most fantasy points in the league to the position.

TIGHT END
Jimmy Graham, SEA vs DET ($6,600):
Graham is the most expensive tight end this week, but there aren't a ton of options. Eric Ebron ($5,700) is within $1K of him, but the Seahawks have given up the fourth fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season. Ladarius Green is coming off a concussion (Jesse James ($4,500) would be interesting against a Dolphins team that's given up the seventh most fantasy points to tight ends), so it's tough to trust him. Jared Cook has a pretty low floor with 5.2 fantasy points or fewer in four of his last six. Therefore, it appears paying up for Graham is the best option, especially since the Lions gave up the fifth-most fantasy points to the position this season.

KICKER

Nick Novak, HOU vs OAK ($4,500): Novak comes in as the bottom-priced kicker this week (well OK, tied with Andrew Franks and Robbie Gould), which is a bit of a surprise. Unlike the other two, he's at home and in a dome where weather won't play a factor. Just because this game has the lowest over/under doesn't mean it should be avoided from a kicker perspective. Plus, Novak has averaged more fantasy points (9.4) this season than any other kicker playing this slate of games.

DEFENSE

Houston vs Oakland ($4,800): This isn't a bargain by any means, but they're not the top-priced defense this week either. I think it's wise to take the team at home who's playing against a rookie making the first professional start of his career.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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