We’ve finally made it to the first round of the NFL knockouts, and while our traditional mainline DFS tournaments are over, we have 12 teams participating in the extended wilds option. Since there are so many nails (and potential) in the knockout stages, we have plenty of viable daily fantasy football picks, but we have to be careful not to get too excited. Admittedly we’re appreciating the best game of the weekend, but a couple of WR booms or busts should give us enough variance for our FanDuel lineup.
Before we get into this week’s lineup, here are the ground rules for FanDuel competitions. Grading is pretty standard, with the only notable settings being TDs pass four points and Half point PPR.
FULL DFS LINE: DraftKings
Wild Card Full-Slate FanDuel Picks: NFL DFS Squad Tips
Saturday main vehicle, $60,000 budget, no more than four players from a team
QB Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. Cardinals ($7,600)
Stafford-Kupp’s stacks are still chalky, but we’re paying the price for high-advantage play in this league. Stafford has had a bit of a slump in terms of FD production, but with one more chance to prove he can get it done in the knockout stages, we’re going with him.
RB Darrel Williams, Chiefs vs. Steelers ($6,600)
Williams is a more explosive runner and receiver than Clyde Edwards-Helaire (as), and Pittsburgh is one of the worst teams compared to the fictional RB. Tyreek Hill (heel) has been hit and Travis Kelce has been inconsistent this year, so the RB position in Kansas City has never had another chance to shine.
FANDUEL ONLY GAME LINE:
LV-CIN | NE-BUF | PHILIPPINES | SF-DAL | PIT-KC
RB Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Raiders ($8,500)
The Raiders have ceded the third most FD points to RB in the regular season, and Mixon has scored at least 23.1 FD points in six of his past 11 games. Simply put, he usually beats in favorable matches, so this is another place where we don’t mind spending big.
WR Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Cardinals ($10,000)
No one needs to believe that Kupp is a hit in any game, so let’s just keep it simple. His floor points are somewhere around 20 FD points, especially in the game against Arizona, who gave up the fourth most spot for this year’s spot. Striving is worth it, as it’s hard to see the path to the top of the leagues without Kupp on your roster.
DRAFT-Specific GAME LINES:
LV-CIN | NE-BUF | PHILIPPINES | SF-DAL | PIT-KC
WR Van Jefferson, Rams vs. Cardinals ($5,700)
For pure pocket passers like Matthew Stafford, it’s a smart idea to consider stacking him with two pass catchers, so we’re doing it here. Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr are the two most likely plays, but we’ll discount with Jefferson, who also has more advantages and should be less possessive.
WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Cowboys ($6,100)
Aiyuk has scored twice in six of his past eight games, and this one in Dallas has the potential for a penalty shootout. Dallas is the defending team in the bottom 10 against WR on FD and to be honest, Aiyuik’s price seems horribly low, so we’re taking advantage.
TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ Buccaneers ($5,900)
Goedert may not have had the consistency of some of the best players in the league, but he is equally capable. Since this is DFS, we don’t care about the “secure” tier; We want high ceilings. He’s been underwhelmed for much of the season thanks to the Eagles’ first foul, but against an elite Tampa seven-team, more volume is needed.
FLEX (WR) Breshad Perriman, Buccaneers vs. Eagles ($5,200)
Perriman is your classic big-play, touch-down or bust option for DFS, so we’ll be teaming him up considering Cyril Grayson (hamstring) looks like he won’t be playing. Perriman will fill in as a pace player outside of WR in the absence of Antonio Brown and Grayson.
DEF Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Eagles ($4,200)
Tampa Bay should be harassing a young QB in his first playoff game, and since we assume Jalen Hurts will have to be a heavy passer here, the sack and the return leg are imminent.
