We’re getting to the good stuff. Week 18 is one of my least favorite weeks to play DFS, but this is one of my favorites. We’ve finally reached the postseason, and we have six games to talk about for this opening round. There’s no better time to be an NFL fan because it’s tough to get a read on who will prevail. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers look like heavy favorites in each conference, but it rarely plays out that way.
NFL Wild Card DFS Cash Game Lineup Advice & Picks
The players below are the ones I’m looking at for cash game considerations for Wild Card Weekend.
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR): $6,500 at DET
This is the tastiest matchup of the weekend. We have Stafford returning to Detroit to play the team that drafted him. That’s scary with the way Stafford has been slinging the ball, scoring at least 17 DraftKings points in six consecutive outings. He’s also got at least 23 fantasy points in half of those and should reach that against Detroit. The Lions posted a 30th OPRK against opposing quarterbacks this season.
FanDuel
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI): $9,000 at TB
People are going to be scared to use Hurts after what we’ve seen the past month, but this is a great time for the Eagles quarterback to bounce back. Despite finishing with a terrible final month, Hurts ranks second among all quarterbacks with 22 FanDuel points per game. His rushing touchdowns have established a ridiculous floor as well, scoring at least 20 FD points in 14 of 16 games since the opener. Tampa is a terrific matchup too, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing signal-callers.
Running Backs
DraftKings
Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC): $6,400 vs. MIA
It’s shocking to see Pacheco so affordable. This has been one of the best backs in the NFL over the second half of the season, scoring at least 24 DraftKings points in three of his final four games. That makes the $6,400 price tag laughable because we anticipate KC riding this back to the finish line in a home game where they’re favored.
FanDuel
James Cook (RB – BUF): $7,100 vs. PIT
This Bills offense has completely changed in the second half of the season, with Cook becoming the focal point out of the backfield. The Bills back had at least 100 total yards in five of his final eight games, averaging 15 FanDuel points per game in that span. That’s one of the highest totals in the league, and you better believe the Bills will force-feed Cook as a 10-point favorite against a 22nd-ranked Steelers rush defense.
Wide Receivers
DraftKings
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL): $9,000 vs. GB
It will be nearly impossible to fade Lamb with the way he’s been playing. He led all wideouts with 25.2 DraftKings points per game but lapped the field in the second half. In fact, Lamb had at least 17 DK points in his final 12 games, averaging over 30 fantasy points per game in that span. When he played the Packers this past season, Lamb scorched them to the tune of 11 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
FanDuel
Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR): $7,500 at DET
It’s strange to see Kupp this cheap. This guy was the best wide receiver in the NFL in the past three years, and he showed flashes of that once Stafford got rolling at the end of this season. Over his final five fixtures, Cooper averaged 15 FanDuel points per game. That’s close to what we’ve seen in the past, but we expect that to be his floor in a playoff matchup with Detroit. The Lions are surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing receivers this year.
Tight Ends
DraftKings
Travis Kelce (TE – KC): $6,100 vs. MIA
We all know that Kelce hasn’t been the same player over the past month, but it still says something about how dominant he’s been. This guy has been the top tight end for five years now and still led the league with 15 DK points per game in a “down” 2023 season. What’s going to have him rostered by everybody is the fact that he’s barely cracking $6,000 and is the only true big-name tight end on the slate. We didn’t even mention how beat-up Miami’s defense is right now, posting a 25th OPRK against opposing tight ends.
FanDuel
David Njoku (TE – CLE): $7,000 at HOU
There wasn’t a better tight end in the NFL over the final four weeks. Once Joe Flacco took over, Njoku scored at least 13 FanDuel points in each of his final four fixtures. He also averaged nearly 20 FD points per game in that span, the highest total in the NFL. We love the matchup with the Texans, too, posting a 26th OPRK against opposing tight ends. When they played a few weeks ago, Njoku had 13.4 fantasy points in one of his many gems.
Defense/Special Teams
DraftKings
Buffalo Bills D/ST: $3,500 vs. PIT
The Bills defense has been underrated all season, ranked ninth in yardage surrendered and fourth in points allowed. That’s why they’re second on this slate with 9.4 DK points per game, but they have 29 combined fantasy points in their two most recent outings. This is the oddsmakers’ favorite D/ST of the week, entering this matchup as a 10.5-point favorite in a game with a 35-point total. That means the Steelers are only projected to score 13 points.
FanDuel
Houston Texans D/ST: $3,400 vs. CLE
The Texans are way too cheap on FanDuel, and it’ll have many DFS managers rostering them. They rank eighth on this slate in fantasy points scored and showcased a 20-point upside just two weeks ago. Their biggest asset is this matchup with Cleveland, posting a 27th OPRK against opposing D/STs. One of the cheapest D/STs rarely has a matchup like this on such a short slate, especially a home team.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
