Yahoo DFS Football: Wild-Card Sunday

Yahoo DFS Football: Wild-Card Sunday

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The wild-card round of the NFL playoffs continues Sunday at 1:05 p.m. EDT with a three-game slate. The Ravens and Titans kick off the day with a rematch of last season's AFC divisional-round tilt, followed by Bears-Saints and Browns-Steelers. Among the recommended options for this slate are a quarterback-receiver combo facing a vulnerable secondary, an elite running back who has dominated all season and a veteran tight end facing a defense that has struggled to stop the position by the goal line.

QUARTERBACK

Lamar Jackson, BAL at TEN ($36): Jackson was tremendous down the stretch to get the Ravens into the postseason, averaging 27.7 fantasy points in his last five games. He led all quarterbacks in rushing yards with 1,005 this season and scored seven times on the ground to go with a 26:9 TD:INT through the air. Jackson's dual-threat ability should be on full display against a Titans defense that allowed 27.4 PPG -- the most among playoff teams -- including 39.0 PPG in its last two games. 

RUNNING BACK

Alvin Kamara, NO vs. CHI ($37): Assuming he comes off the reserve/COVID-19 list, Kamara should be the focal point of the Saints offense. Most lineups will likely feature either Kamara or Tennessee's Derrick Henry ($40), and the slightly more affordable Kamara benefits from facing a less stout run defense. Chicago allowed 1,545 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to running backs this season while Baltimore surrendered only 1,421 yards and seven scores on the ground. Henry was the league's most effective rushing option with over 2,000 yards on the ground this season, while Kamara was the best receiving back, leading the position in catches (83), receiving yards (756) and receiving touchdowns (five). Kamara was no slouch on the ground either, coming one rushing touchdown shy of Henry's league-leading 17. 

James Conner, PIT vs. CLE ($17): Conner topped 100 rushing yards in three of his 13 games this season, including a Week 6 meeting with Cleveland in which he ran for 101 yards and a touchdown. He found less running room when these teams met again in Week 17, but Conner's rushing workload was limited and Pittsburgh was resting a number of key starters, which allowed the Browns to key on Conner. While the Steelers struggled to run the ball in the second half of the season, those struggles are reflected in Conner's meager valuation, which puts him below seven other running backs on this slate. Considering he also took on a larger receiving load down the stretch with five catches in each of the last two games, Conner's a nice value play to complement some of this slate's more expensive stars.

WIDE RECEIVER

Marquise Brown, BAL at TEN ($22): Tennessee's defense was especially vulnerable to wide receivers in the regular season, allowing the second-most catches (264), fourth-most yards (3,100) and third-most touchdowns (22) to the position. Brown is Baltimore's top wide receiver, and the speedster was especially dangerous in the second half of his sophomore campaign. The 2019 first-round pick scored six touchdowns in his last six games and gained 98 yards in his one game without a trip to the end zone over that span. Brown's a terrific option to stack with Jackson but also has plenty of value as a stand-alone option if you look elsewhere at quarterback.

Chase Claypool, PIT vs. CLE ($21): Claypool's $1 cheaper than the other two members of Pittsburgh's Big Three at the wide receiver position, but he could easily be the most productive member of the trio against a Cleveland cornerback corps that has been decimated by injuries and COVID-19. The standout rookie racked up 101 yards and a touchdown against the Browns in Week 17 with Mason Rudolph throwing him the ball, and Claypool should be even more effective with Ben Roethlisberger back under center. Claypool demonstrated a tremendous nose for the end zone in the regular season, scoring nine receiving touchdowns to go with a pair on the ground.

Corey Davis, TEN vs. BAL ($19): A.J. Brown is the big-play threat in Tennessee's passing game, but Baltimore will likely do all it can to take away him and Henry, which should leave Davis in single coverage throughout. Davis took advantage of that game plan in a Week 11 meeting between these teams, racking up 113 receiving yards. That was one of five 100-yard receiving performances this season for the fifth overall selection in the 2017 draft, who's capable of a repeat effort here after finding the end zone in last year's Titans playoff victory over the Ravens.

TIGHT END

Jimmy Graham, CHI at NO ($13): Graham's red-zone prowess makes him a strong value option at tight end against his former team. He led the Bears with eight receiving touchdowns in the regular season, marking the sixth time in his illustrious career that Graham has scored at least that many. Meanwhile, New Orleans allowed nine touchdowns to tight ends this season, tying for seventh-most in the league. The Browns (10) and Bears (12) both allowed more, but the starting tight ends facing those teams are both significantly pricier than Graham.

DEFENSE

New Orleans Saints, NO vs. CHI ($18): Even without standout defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck), this unit should find success at home against a Bears offense that scored just 23.3 points per game in the regular season -- fewest among the six teams in action Sunday. Chicago's 16 interceptions thrown were at least five more than any of the other five teams, while New Orleans' defense tied for the league lead with 18 interceptions this year, so the Saints are likely to take the ball away in addition to limiting the Bears' scoring after holding opponents to just 21.1 points per game this season.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $29), Drew Brees (NO, $25)

RB: Derrick Henry (TEN, $40), Kareem Hunt (CLE, $19), David Montgomery (CHI, $25)

WR: Michael Thomas (NO, $26), Jarvis Landry (CLE, $18), Dez Bryant (BAL, $14)

TE: Eric Ebron (PIT, $17), Jared Cook (NO, $18)

DST: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. CLE, $19), Cleveland Browns (at PIT, $12)

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. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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