👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

NFL Wild Card Week DraftKings DFS Lineup Sleepers: Eddie Lacy, Brian Hoyer, Markus Wheaton

Playoffs!? Yes Coach Mora, playoffs. We've made it to the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, and even with an eight team slate you better believe we've got DFS games to play.

Let's peek at the Vegas lines for these four games. The highest projected point total is the 46 spot for the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati matchup. The Green Bay-Washington matchup has seen it's line settle at 45. Kansas City-Houston and Seattle-Washington are both hovering around 40, with Kansas City and Seattle being the favorites who should get the biggest piece of those low totals.

None of these games are sending up signals for fireworks, but rest assured there is still plenty of value calling far down on the player lists in DraftKings player pool. Let's get to it.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

Cheap Wild Card DraftKings Quarterbacks

Brian Hoyer (QB, HOU): $5,400 - vs. KC

Hoyer is going to have to be the man for Houston against a formidable Kansas City defense that is coming into the playoffs having built some serious momentum. Kansas City's yearly totals are still pretty skewed by their early struggles, but there is also no answer for DeAndre Hopkins in the end. Hoyer will hope to have Cecil Shorts back on Sunday (Shorts has said that he hopes to be ready for the Wild Card weekend), as Nate Washington is banged up (though not ruled out himself either), and if neither can really go then it'll fall on Jaelen Strong to step up and be the team's #2 receiver out there.

Houston's running game is nothing special, and it may very well be shut down early and leave the game on Hoyer's arm. While Kansas City's pace of play is the second slowest in the league behind only Dallas, that still isn't enough to dissuade me as Houston ranks as the third quickest team and could very well fall into that spot where they need to put up points in the second half unless J.J. Watt runs a few back. At near minimum price, taking him might get you an affordable stack with Hopkins if that tickles your fancy.

AJ McCarron (QB, CIN): $5,200 - vs. PIT

This is as cheap as I'm comfortable going, as Teddy Bridgewater against Seattle (and honestly Teddy in general) gets a *hard pass* shake of the head from me. AJ McCarron may very well make a mess of things, but he's put some drives together and seems to grasp that he has two very talented and sizable receivers out there that he can trust in A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert. His other complementary pieces ain't half bad either. Pittsburgh should look to push things with their aerial assault, and the strong possibility exists that McCarron will need to go out there and keep pace. This pretty much hinges on how well the Bengals defense can perform against Big Ben, but for tournaments this is a solid play, and again leaves you with a good opportunity to stack with Green and not blow your wallet.

 

Cheap Wild Card DraftKings Running Backs

Eddie Lacy (RB, GB): $4,500 - @WAS

I know, no one is going to feel good about this play. Aaron Rodgers and his arm are the best bets on the team, and then you've got John Kuhn always lurking in the shadows to take that one yard plunge into the endzone. All the same, this Washington defense isn't going to keep the Packers to single digits this weekend, they've been giving up plenty of yards by their own right (including 435 to Kellen Moore this past Sunday). This means that Lacy still makes for a decent play and pray option at this price point.

Fitzgerald Toussaint (RB, PIT): $3,900 - @CIN

Mike Tomlin was talking about how well Toussaint has stepped up for Pittsburgh, and while his on-field performance didn't look like anything special (and have led people to think that Jordan Todman is the play here, which I respect but we're talking Toussaint here), I like Toussaint the most for being a hair cheaper than Todman and also the favorite for the heavy work. Will Johnson could come in I suppose, but we're under $4,000 here and out of the entire backfield, I'd want Toussaint above the others and hope he gets a cheap plunge or two like DeAngelo Williams did in Week 16 off of the two pass interference calls.

Alfred Morris (RB, WAS): $3,700 - vs. GB

With Matt Jones still not at 100%, this leaves Alfred Morris as the favorite for leading the Washington backfield in a matchup with a Packer defense that has ranked 6th in passing DVOA and 19th in rushing DVOA according to FootballOutsiders. In the past four weeks we've seen both backs for Dallas put up 10+ points on them, as well as David Johnson and Adrian Peterson eclipsing the mark. At this price, I'm going after that ceiling of 18-100-2 with a good shot at a 16-60-1 line.

 

Cheap Wild Card DraftKings Wide Receivers

DeSean Jackson (WR, WAS): $4,500 - vs. GB

I'm not sure why DeSean Jackson is this cheap, but it plays very well into the boom or bust tournament sort of option that he is. If he catches that long touchdown, you've made your nut. If he busts, at least you didn't have to drop over six grand on him or anything. Besides, we want that ceiling on our teams anyway. Two weeks ago against Buffalo he dropped that 6-153-1 line. That is what we're after, and for $4,500 that is almost an automatic play for me.

Markus Wheaton (WR, PIT): $4,000 - @CIN

Martavis Bryant appears to be losing ground to Markus Wheaton as of late, as Bryant's toughness and dedication have been called into question by Ben Roethlisberger as Bryant sat out last weekend's second half against Cleveland with a stiff neck. Combine this with Wheaton's own uptick in play recently and the subsequent increase in targets from Roethlisberger, as well as the running game taking a serious ding with DeAngelo Williams' injury, and the recipe looks decent for Wheaton to put your $4,000 to work this weekend.

Nate Washington/Cecil Shorts/Jaelen Strong (WR, HOU): $3,600/$3,300/$3,000 - vs. KC

Look, one of these guys is going to be Houston's #2 receiver against the Chiefs. Nate Washington had a good set up last week with Cecil Shorts ruled out, but injured his hip and left the game, leaving Jaelen Strong to be in on 60 of 76 snaps, catching six balls for 56 yards. If all three of these guys can go, you're taking them in the order listed (and ignoring Strong totally if both Washington and Shorts are active). Washington benefits greatly from Shorts' being absent, so you're going to want to keep an eye on the Texans' practice reports as the week progresses. Regardless, as noted in Hoyer's blurb, I don't trust the Houston running attack to carry them to victory here, and while it may all go through DeAndre Hopkins, getting that secondary option is not a bad idea.

 

Cheap Wild Card DraftKings Tight Ends

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN): $3,500 - vs. SEA

The Vikings have Adrian Peterson and then some other guys who have shown flashes. Seattle destroyed the Vikings the last time out (though Minnesota was without quite a few key guys on defense) and took Peterson out of the game by jumping out to a healthy lead. Peterson finished the game with eight carries for 18 yards. Yeesh. The entire Viking offense failed, with Rudolph himself only catching three balls for 13 yards. The hope here is that a more complete Minnesota squad can put up an actual effort against Seattle at home. This would give Rudolph a chance to operate against Seattle's only real weakness, as they are 26th in DVOA against opposing tight ends (it's the only position where they aren't in the top ten). Reach for the stars.

Heath Miller (TE, PIT): $3,300 - @CIN

The Steelers aforementioned struggling running game that should be missing DeAngelo Williams is going to need its passing game in full swing to win. In the last two games against the Bengals, Heath Miller has caught 20 of 23 targets for 171 yards. The Steelers will need to rely on a voluminous passing attack in lieu of a true RB1 to carry the load, and Miller should be heavily involved. The Bengals have also given up decent lines to players like Blake Bell (8 targets-4-43) and Maxx Williams (10 targets-6-63), so with Heath's low cost he seems like a shoo in for consideration.

Cooper Helfet (TE, SEA): $2,500 - @MIN

Let's throw a minimum price guy in who has a good chance at giving you at least 10 points, and Seattle's latest tight end fits the bill. Cooper Helfet and Chase Coffman were Seattle's tight ends in Week 17 with Luke Willson dealing with a concussion (he is getting in limited practices thus far this week). Keep an eye on Willson's status, but Helfet has played 52 snaps in each of Seattle's past two games, catching four passes in each game for 43 and 42 yards, respectively. Chase Coffman is $2,800, probably due to his catching a touchdown in Week 17, but Helfet is the minimum price guy to chase if you need to. Knowledge is power.

 

Cheap Wild Card DraftKings Defenses

The favored teams in the lowest scoring games are your two most expensive options (Seahawks and Chiefs), and no team even comes close to the $2,000 floor we've always had in past weeks. Ah well, there's still relative value to be examined.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: $3,700 - @CIN

As we discussed before, AJ McCarron is a risky play and the Steelers defense may very well get a few opportunities to prey on an inexperienced kid in a playoff game who needs to engineer a comeback as the more experienced Roethlisberger-led Steeler offense puts points on the board. That's more than enough for me to take a chance on them for this price. The Steelers have preached a defensive philosophy that relies on sacks and turnovers, even if it means being vulnerable on the back end. Sounds like a great tournament style attitude to have.

Green Bay Packers, D/ST: $2,800 @WAS

The cheapest defense on the board is one that could actually pay off. Washington's roster is heading into uncharted waters here for the most part, and while Green Bay is not playing like they're used to, they've still got a heavy experience edge here and we've seen Washington just implode plenty of times before. They should be fired up, but I think if Green Bay can come out and control the game at first, show Washington that an initial wave of emotional charge won't be enough to carry them to the next round, it might just be enough to jar Washington into making some mistakes.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tony Pollard

Can Tony Pollard Keep the RB1 Spot for Titans?
David Montgomery

Has Contract Updated by Texans
Chris Godwin Jr.

Can Chris Godwin Jr. be the Buccaneers' WR1?
LeQuint Allen Jr.

Can LeQuint Allen Jr. Emerge as the Primary Receiving Back in Jacksonville?
Isaiah Davis

Appears Buried on the Jets Running Back Depth Chart
Merrill Kelly

Expected to Open Season on the Injured List
Christian Kirk

Dynasty Value is Fading Heading into 2026
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Packers Interested in Acquiring Anthony Richardson Sr.?
Kevin Gausman

Named Toronto's Opening Day Starter
Oronde Gadsden

Has High-End Dynasty Upside After Promising Rookie Year
Kyle Stowers

Back in Grapefruit League Lineup
Jerome Ford

Commanders Agree With Jerome Ford on One-Year Deal
Nick Bosa

49ers Restructure Nick Bosa's Contract
Kevin Porter Jr.

Questionable Against Hawks
Devin Carter

Out Saturday Against Clippers
Russell Westbrook

Set to Return Against Clippers
Derrick White

Expected to Play Saturday Against Wizards
Michael Porter Jr.

Likely to Miss Second Straight Game
Nicolas Claxton

to Rest Saturday Against Philadelphia
Ace Bailey

Leaves Friday's Game Early with Concussion
Radko Gudas

Handed a Five-Game Suspension
Auston Matthews

to Miss Rest of Season
Tory Horton

Faces Stiff Target Competition Again
Kaleb Johnson

a Cut Candidate in Dynasty Leagues?
DK Metcalf

Has More Competition for Targets in Pittsburgh
Emil Heineman

Scores Twice Against the Kings
Trey McBride

to Repeat Incredible Season with Quarterback Returning?
Joel Hofer

Shuts Down the Oilers
Mark Andrews

Set Up for a Productive 2026 Season?
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Could Miss Saturday's Game Vs. Hawks
Keegan Murray

to Be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Aaron Gordon

Expected Back Saturday Vs. Lakers
Jamal Murray

Expected to Suit Up Saturday
Collin Sexton

to Miss Third Straight Game
Jalen Smith

is Ruled Out for Friday's Game
Robert Williams III

is Unavailable for Friday's Contest
Cameron Ward

Cleared to Throw the Football
Draymond Green

is Downgraded to Out on Friday
De'Anthony Melton

to Play on Friday
Ayo Dosunmu

is Cleared for Friday's Game
Anthony Edwards

is Available on Friday
Roger McCreary

Lions Agree With Roger McCreary on One-Year Deal
Andre Cisco

Jets Agree With Andre Cisco on One-Year Deal
Geno Stone

Bills, Safety Geno Stone Agree to One-Year Deal
A.J. Brown

Futures of A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert With Eagles are "Interconnected"
Norman Powell

is Tagged as Questionable for Saturday
Victor Wembanyama

Questionable Saturday Vs. Hornets
Andrew Wiggins

to Miss Fifth Straight Game
Sebastian Joseph-Day

Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Francisco Lindor

Takes Full Batting Practice on Friday
Brandon Woodruff

Still TBD for Opening Day
Trevor Rogers

to Start on Opening Day for Orioles
Kevin Vallejos

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Josh Emmett

In Dire Need Of Victory
Gillian Robertson

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 114
Amanda Lemos

Set For Co-Main Event
Oumar Sy

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Ion Cutelaba

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nathan MacKinnon

Racks Up Four Points in Victory Over Kraken
Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafreniere Stays Hot in Winnipeg
Semyon Varlamov

Won't Return This Season
Alexander Romanov

Could Return for Playoffs
Declan Carlile

Hurt on Thursday Night
Wyatt Kaiser

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Thursday
Erik Gudbranson

Could Be an Option Saturday
Auston Matthews

Exits Game With Injury
Jimmy Snuggerud

Scores Twice Versus Carolina
Michael Misa

Delivers Multi-Point Performance on Thursday
Blake Snell

Around Six Weeks From Being Fully Built Up
Bobby Brink

a Game-Time Decision for Meeting with Flyers
Evander Kane

Available Against Predators
Mark Stone

a Game-Time Call Thursday
Carter Verhaeghe

Anton Lundell Won't Play Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Returns to Action Thursday
Andrew Copp

to Sit Out Two Weeks
Dylan Larkin

Ruled Out for Two Weeks
Zack Wheeler

to Face Hitters in Live Batting Practice on Saturday
Gerrit Cole

Could Pitch in a Spring Game Next Week
Matthew Boyd

Named the Cubs' Opening Day Starter
Francisco Lindor

Remains on Schedule for Opening Day
Bryce Miller

Shuts Down Bullpen Due to More Oblique Discomfort
Zac Gallen

Named Arizona's Opening Day Starter
Kyle Teel

Could Miss 4-6 Weeks With Hamstring Strain
Hideki Matsuyama

Brings Strong Course History to TPC Sawgrass
Josh Hader

to Start the Year on the Injured List
Adam Scott

in Strong Form Ahead of The Players
Kyle Teel

Exits Tuesday's Game With Hamstring Injury
Rickie Fowler

on Quite the Run Heading to TPC Sawgrass
Sepp Straka

Needs to Forget What Happened Sunday at Bay Hill
Jordan Spieth

an Enigma Heading to The Players Championship
Justin Rose

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces in Florida
Maverick McNealy

Bounces Back at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Brooks Koepka

Continues His Florida Swing With Some Momentum
Nicolai Hojgaard

in Strong Form Ahead of The Players
Robert MacIntyre

a Volatile Option at The Players
Matt Fitzpatrick

Looks to Return to Top Form at The Players
Sam Burns

a High-Risk, High-Reward Option at The Players
Keegan Bradley

Hard to Trust at The Players
Xander Schauffele

Rounding into Form Heading to Players Championship
Rory McIlroy

Set to Return at Players Championship to Defend Title
Jake Knapp

Set to Return at Players Championship
Viktor Hovland

Continues Strong Start to 2026 Season
Rasmus Hojgaard

Looking for Bounce-Back at Players Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Will Need to Find Putter to Compete at Players Championship
Akshay Bhatia

Continues Improving Heading to Players Championship
Merrill Kelly

Set to Make Spring Training Debut on Friday
Francisco Lindor

"100 Percent Optimistic" he Can be Ready for Opening Day
Justin Thomas

Continues Competitive Return at The Players Championship
Corbin Carroll

Set to Play in Cactus League Game on Wednesday
Kyle Stowers

to Make Grapefruit League Debut on Saturday
Hunter Greene

to be Sidelined Through July
Max Holloway

Drops Decision At UFC 326
Charles Oliveira

Becomes The New BMF Champion
Caio Borralho

Bounces Back
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Rob Font

Gets Dominated
Raul Rosas Jr.

Extends His Win Streak
Michael Johnson

Suffers Second-Round Knockout Loss
Drew Dober

Knocks Out Michael Johnson
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Consecutive Phoenix Cup Series Win
Christopher Bell

Falls Short of Victory Despite Dominating at Phoenix
Kyle Larson

Earns Hard-Fought Finish of Third at Phoenix
Denny Hamlin

Quietly Gains Another Top-Five Finish at Phoenix
Joey Logano

Crashes out at Phoenix Despite Strong Run