We've finally made it to the first round of the NFL playoffs, and while our traditional main-slate DFS tournaments are over, we have 12 teams in action during the extended wild card round to choose from. Since there are so many studs (and potential sleepers) in the playoffs, we have plenty of viable daily fantasy football options, but we have to be careful not to be too chalky. Admittedly, we are paying up the chalkiest play of the weekend, but a few boom-or-bust WRs will give us enough variance for our FanDuel lineup.
Before we get into this week's lineups, here are the basic rules for FanDuel contests. Scoring is pretty standard, with the only notable settings being four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
FULL-SLATE DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings
Wild Card Full-Slate FanDuel Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice
Saturday main slate, $60,000 budget, no more than four players from one team
QB Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. Cardinals ($7,600)
Stafford-Kupp stacks are as chalky as it gets, but we're paying up for the high-upside play in this tournament. Stafford has been on a bit of a decline in terms of FD production, but with one more chance to prove he can get it done in the playoffs, we'll take the ride with him.
RB Darrel Williams, Chiefs vs. Steelers ($6,600)
Williams is a more explosive runner and receiver than Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder), and Pittsburgh has been among the worst teams against fantasy RBs. Tyreek Hill (heel) is banged up and Travis Kelce has been somewhat inconsistent this year, so the RB position in Kansas City has never had more opportunity to flash.
FANDUEL SINGLE-GAME LINEUPS:
LV-CIN | NE-BUF | PHI-TB | SF-DAL | PIT-KC | ARI-LAR
RB Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Raiders ($8,500)
The Raiders gave up the third-most FD points to RBs during the regular season, and Mixon has scored at least 23.1 FD points in six of his past 11 games. Put simply, he usually smashes in favorable matchups, so here is another place we're not afraid to spend big.
WR Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Cardinals ($10,000)
No one needs to be convinced Kupp is an attractive play in any game, so let's just keep it simple. His floor is somewhere around 20 FD points, especially in a matchup With Arizona, who has given up the fourth-most points to the position this year. The chalk is worth it, as it's tough to see a path to a top spot in tournaments without Kupp in your lineup.
DRAFTKINGS SINGLE-GAME LINEUPS:
LV-CIN | NE-BUF | PHI-TB | SF-DAL | PIT-KC | ARI-LAR
WR Van Jefferson, Rams vs. Cardinals ($5,700)
With pure pocket passers like Matthew Stafford, it's a smart idea to consider stacking him with two pass-catchers, so we're doing just that here. Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. are the two most viable plays, but we'll take the discount with Jefferson, who has just as much upside and should be less owned.
WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Cowboys ($6,100)
Aiyuk has scored in double-figures in six of his past eight games, and this matchup in Dallas has shootout potential. Dallas is a bottom-10 defense against WRs on FD, and honestly, Aiyuik's price feels awfully low, so we're taking advantage.
SUNDAY-ONLY DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings
TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ Buccaneers ($5,900)
Goedert may not have the same consistency as some of the elite tight ends in the league, but he does have similar upside. Since this is DFS, we aren't concerned with a "safe" floor; we'd rather have high ceilings. He's underwhelmed for much of the season thanks to the Eagles' run-first offense, but against an elite Tampa front-seven, more volume should be in order.
FLEX (WR) Breshad Perriman, Buccaneers vs. Eagles ($5,200)
Perriman is your classic big-play, touchdown-or-bust option for DFS, so we'll role with him considering Cyril Grayson (hamstring) looks like he won't play. Perriman will fill in as the speedy outside WR in the absence of Antonio Brown and Grayson.
DEF Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Eagles ($4,200)
Tampa Bay should harass a young QB in his first playoff start, and since we expect Jalen Hurts to have to be a high-volume passer here, sacks and turnovers are imminent.