DFS Fantasy Football Sunday Slate
Welcome to Football DFS Wild Card Weekend of the NFL season! It’s time for our DFS Starts and Sits. Due to the limited number of games and players on the slate now that we are in the playoffs, I am going to give you two starts and sits of the weekend, beyond the obvious plays.
I use the DraftKings salary cap as my basis for picks, which operates on a 50k salary but I know we have many FanDuel players as well. For reference, Fanduel operates on a 60k salary, so prices will appear higher on that platform.
Start ‘EM IN Football DFS Wild Card Week!
TE: Jonnu Smith @ NE ($4,200)
The Titans square off against one of the best defenses in the league in the New England Patriots. But they looked vulnerable against Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Fins in Week 17. Consider Jonnu Smith as a bargain tight end to target Wild Card Weekend.
Firstly, the Pats rank 18th against opposing tight ends, which suggests they may not match up well with Smith here. Secondly, with the machine Derrick Henry pounding the rock and racking up the yardage, and rookie A.J. Brown turning heads, the Pats D will have their focus on stopping those stars.
This may leave Smith in some favorable matchups with the ability to have a nice return on investment for his price tag. Weeks 14-16 he scored 11.9 or more points in each contest. He's especially dangerous in the red zone, where the Pats will likely barricade the line of scrimmage to stop Henry. I like the savings and upside of Smith this week.
WR: N'Keal Harry vs. TEN ($4,100)
In last week's loss to the Dolphins, something interesting came up in the box score. Harry had 7 targets in the game, and although he didn't have a huge game, it shows Brady trusts him enough to look his way that often.
Julian Edelman will obviously be a focal point in the offense, but Sanu has fallen flat since his arrival, and Dorsett's role has dwindled. Josh McDaniels may have given us a sign regarding Harry's postseason role, and I don't take that lightly.
At this price range, I say shoot your shot on Harry and save some capital to pay up for the sure things. These are the risks you have to take to win big: Find the breakout player BEFORE his breakout week. It could be that for Harry.
Sit ‘EM Football DFS Wild Card Week!
RB: Miles Sanders vs. SEA ($6,200)
Now I expect this game to be high-scoring. Both defenses can be opportunistic but can give up big plays and lots of points. Sanders is the highest-priced Eagles running back. He has produced during his stead as the starting running back, but with Jordan Howard having returned -- albeit playing sparingly and unsure of how many touches he will get -- paired with the solid play of Boston Scott makes this backfield murky.
If I am paying up for the third-highest priced running back on the slate, I want a little more assurance he will be a bell-cow back and not cede goal-line work or passing down work. I will either spend less and make a dart throw on a cheaper option or pay up for a true RB stud.
WR: Stefon Diggs @ NO ($6,600)
Diggs is one of those fantasy players who can explode for a 30-point performance at any point in time. He's also someone who can completely disappear for a single-digit fantasy game. It can be frustrating as a DFS player to try and predict the blowup spot.
I hope you enjoyed reading this Football DFS Wild Card weekend starts and sits tips!
