RADIO
Six games, three days, and a plethora of slates…welcome to Wild Card Weekend 2024. This week’s article is going to focus on the six-game slate, but you can take the ideas expressed here and apply them to the smaller slates. As you reduce the number of games on a slate, your pool of players relative to the number of games should grow. On a six-game slate, you can stick to a fairly standard pool and roster build, but on two and three-game slates, you’re going to have to break some rules.
That can mean running an offensive player against your defense, playing with two tight ends, or stacking a quarterback with a running back that doesn’t catch a lot of passes. Another fun strategy is to go with an onslaught of three or four offensive players with your quarterback. Every point matters this weekend, and guys like Trey Palmer and Josh Reynolds are going to be viable on the smaller slates. This is what makes this weekend so much fun; it’ll push your creativity and skill in the best ways possible.
I’m super excited for Wild Card Weekend, and my goal is to create a hierarchy of plays so you know who to prioritize when building your lineups! Remember that this article is written early in the week, so please make sure to check in with our Discord for any updates as practice reports come in throughout the week and a clearer picture starts to come into view. Also, check out our other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big!
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys - $7,600)
DraftKings has tightened up their prices for Wild Card Weekend, meaning we can’t load our teams with superstars and call it a day. In the same breath, I’m also going to tell you to find value where you can, and that could mean using a superstar player who is priced lower than you’d expect. Dak Prescott is that exact type of player. He was priced at $8,000 in Week 18, had a great game, and is now $400 less. The last time Dak was this cheap was Week 14, so I’d say he qualifies as a bit of a value.
Prescott isn’t as dynamic as Josh Allen, but he will be in a far better game environment. Dallas plays in a weather-controlled stadium, while the Bills will be playing in the elements in Buffalo. That may improve their chances of winning, but it doesn’t make for a friendly fantasy environment.
The Cowboys have been great at home, and Prescott is a big part of that. He scores 9.7 more DraftKings points in games at home; a robust 26.8 fantasy points per game. The Cowboys have the highest individual team total (ITT) on the slate at 28.75 points, meaning it’s expected that they’ll score at least four touchdowns. With the way this offense is playing, those scores will likely be through the air. It’s easy to click down to Joe Flacco given how well he’s playing, but if you can afford it, then it’s worth spending up for Prescott.
This is Dak Prescott’s legacy year.
Joe Flacco had 2012
Cam Newton had 2015
Matt Ryan had 2016
Matt Stafford had 20212023 must belong to Dak Prescott, and I can’t wait to watch how it ends 🔥🔥
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 12, 2024
2. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams - $6500)
3. Joe Flacco (Cleveland Browns - $6100)
Others in consideration: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $5800)
Matthew Stafford’s homecoming is an appealing story, but that’s going to drive ownership to the Rams, and rightfully so. Who in their right mind is going to be using Baker Mayfield on a loaded slate? That’s exactly why he’s such a strong GPP play. The Eagles are completely broken, losing five of their last six games. Their pass defense hasn’t been good all year, but they made Tyrod Taylor look like a Pro Bowler last weekend (and not the Tyler Huntley type of Pro Bowler).
What Baker has going for him more than anything is his high-level weaponry. Mike Evans can break any slate he’s on, Chris Godwin is a target machine, Cade Otton is a cheap red zone threat, and Rachaad White is a pass-catching back with a high floor on his weekly fantasy points. Heck, even Trey Palmer has some appeal with 17 targets over the last three weeks, and is priced at just $3,400. On a slate where saving money will be paramount, a Tampa stack can help you access higher-priced studs.
2. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams - $6500)
3. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs - $7100)
Others in consideration: Jared Goff, C.J. Stroud, Joe Flacco
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Running Backs
1. Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers - $5400)
The running back position is a wasteland this weekend, but that will play in our favor as we need to save money for high-priced, stud wide receivers. My favorite option for the position is shockingly Najee Harris. Since Matt Canada was fired, he has seen the far better end of the running back split with Jaylen Warren. His workload has intensified even more with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. His receiving work is inconsistent, with games of three and five target games surrounded by three games of zero targets.
What can’t be argued with are his carries and red zone work. He’s had 19 or more carries in three straight games, leading to four total touchdowns in those games. He scored 13 DraftKings points in one of those games, and then 27.3 points in each of his last two games. With Mike Tomlin indicating that Rudolph would stay as his starter, it would indicate that he’s happy with how the offense is running. That should mean another heavy workload for Harris in a grind-it-out, murky weather game against the Bills in Buffalo.
Eddie Faulkner says they sought out Najee Harris for this type of year and inclement weather. They've called more plays to get him downhill and used his size to create mismatches in the run game.
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) January 11, 2024
2. Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs - $6400)
3. Devin Singletary (Houston Texans - $5700)
Others in consideration: Jerome Ford, Kyren Williams
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Running Backs
1. Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys - $6100)
Tony Pollard is more a metaphor for my thoughts on GPP running backs rather than a guy I love individually. This should be a pass-heavy week and the best way to combat a highly-owned passing unit in a tournament is to use the running back instead of one of the pass catchers or as a one-off and fade that team’s passing game.
The Cowboys passing game has been incredible, and Tony Pollard has been a huge disappointment. Nobody is going to use Pollard, and at his price, he’s on the cheaper end of running back options this weekend. To his credit, Pollard has scored 16 or more DraftKings points in each of his last home games, and at $6,100, that’s a more than reasonable return on your investment.
If you were to use him as a one-off with another value running back, you could afford a higher-end stack as your primary play. He and another cheaper running back like Harris or Devin Singletary would be a good running back pair to use with a Kansas City-Miami stack.
2. De'Von Achane (Miami Dolphins - $6800)
3. Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions - $6500)
Others in consideration: Najee Harris, Isiah Pacheco, Devin Singletary, Rachaad White, Kyren Williams
DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Wide Receivers
1. CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys - $9,000)
REPEAT FROM LAST WEEK: CeeDee Lamb has developed into the most reliable wide receiver in the NFL over the last 11 weeks. He has no fewer than nine targets in any game since Week 7, and he’s had double-digit targets in nine of his last 11 games. He has scored 16 or more DraftKings points in 12 straight games, including six games of 28 or more DraftKings points. He’s the clear and easy top wide receiver option in cash games this weekend, and even though it’s going to be hard to find value to fit both him and Dak Prescott in your lineup, he’s as safe of an option as it gets at the position.
2. Khalil Shakir (Buffalo Bills - $3400)
3. Dontayvion Wicks (Green Bay Packers - $4800)
Others in consideration: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Jayden Reed, Rashee Rice
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Wide Receivers
1. Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions - $8000)
All the talk in this game is about Matthew Stafford’s homecoming, but are people forgetting that Jared Goff took the Rams to the Super Bowl and then they traded him? Don’t you think he’s going to be motivated? Isn’t he a completely different quarterback at home?
With Sam LaPorta being out (or significantly limited), he’s going to look even more to his best playmaker, Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Sun God doesn’t care where he plays, he just goes out and balls like a boss. He’s averaging 22 DraftKings points per game in both home and away games, but over his last four games, he’s averaging 27.8 DraftKings points per game.
The guy is hitting his peak at the exact right time, and he’s matched up against a Rams secondary that’s been generous to opposing wide receivers all year. At an $8,000 price point, I could see St. Brown’s ownership being lower than it should be given that Lamb’s price is only $1,000 more and Tyreek Hill’s is only $700 more. With the way he’s playing, and all the other narratives at play, it’s not crazy to see him as the highest-scoring wide receiver on the slate.
#Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown said “I definitely do” when asked if he has any extra motivation to win this game for QB Jared Goff. pic.twitter.com/VX639pEEJl
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) January 11, 2024
2. Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns - $6800)
3. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $6900)
Others in consideration: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, DeVonta Smith, Rashee Rice, Tyreek Hill, Nico Collins, Khalil Shakir, Trey Palmer, Jayden Reed, Julio Jones (if A.J. Brown is out)
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - Tight Ends
1. David Njoku (Cleveland Browns - $5600)
No player on the Browns has benefited more from the arrival of Joe Flacco than David Njoku. He’s gone from a talented player with potential to one of the best weapons in the NFL. He’s seen eight or more targets in seven of his last eight games, and over his last four games, he’s scored no fewer than 16.4 DraftKings points in any game. He may be hard to get to at his price point in cash, but in a tournament, he should carry little to no ownership as players will be flocking to cheaper tight end options. You can use him as part of a Browns stack, as a one-off, or as your flex.
2. Tyler Higbee (Los Angeles Rams - $3400)
3. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs - $6100)
Others in consideration: Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Dalton Schultz, Cade Otton, Durham Smythe
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - D/ST
1. Use whatever defense fits your build
If you need money, then there’s nothing wrong with using a team like the Steelers and hoping for a couple of turnovers from Josh Allen in the cold and snow (or rain) of Buffalo. If you can afford to spend up, then a team like Kansas City in a cold weather game against the Dolphins makes sense. Cleveland and Dallas have the best defenses in the league and they work if you can swing them. If you’re looking to get tricky, then Tampa Bay at a ridiculous $3200 against a broken Eagles team could pay off. There are no defenses that I’d consider off-limits on this slate.
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