FanDuel Fantasy Football: Wild Card Picks

FanDuel Fantasy Football: Wild Card Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.

QUARTERBACK

Andrew Luck, IND at HOU ($8,000): Both quarterbacks in this game will be popular plays given that this game has the highest over/under total of the weekend. Luck has been very consistent this season scoring more than 20 fantasy points in 12 of his 16 games played. Houston struggles more against the pass than the run, and Luck had two great games against them this season (35.66 and 24.56 fantasy points). Mitch Trubisky ($7,700) is a good GPP option this weekend. He hasn't been good as of late, but has performances of 36, 33.42, and 43.46 fantasy points points at home this season.

RUNNING BACK

Tarik Cohen, CHI vs. PHI ($7,000): First, picking Ezekiel Elliott for one of the running back spots in cash games is a good idea especially with his increased usage in the passing game. Cohen is a good GPP option especially when looking for players to stack with Trubisky. Cohen has eight games with less than 11 fantasy points this season but also has six games of more than 15 fantasy points as well. The Bears have done a good job getting Cohen the ball in the open field this season, where he's always a threat to take it for a long touchdown. All he needs to do to make value is have that happen once against the Eagles.

Chris Carson, SEA at DAL ($7,500): Carson comes into this tough matchup on a roll, scoring double-digit fantasy points in seven straight games while averaging more than 20 fantasy points in his last three. Carson is virtually a lock for around 20 carries and, like past running backs in Seattle, benefits from having a running quarterback in Russell Wilson. This isn't the easiest matchup, but the Eagles, Chargers, Ravens, Colts, Bears, Seahawks and Texans all face teams that are top-10 against the run (the Cowboys face the 13th best defense against the run).

WIDE RECEIVER

Allen Robinson II, CHI vs. PHI ($6,500): Just the same as using Ezekiel Elliott at running back, paying up for DeAndre Hopkins ($8,800) at wide receiver makes a lot of sense this weekend. Philadelphia has the worst pass defense playing this weekend (30th in the league) and they've allowed opposing wide receivers the third-most fantasy points. Therefore, this is a good setup for Robinson, who after being banged up over the last few weeks, returned to a full practice Thursday. Robinson has at least seven targets in each of his last four games and he should be right there again this weekend.

Tyler Lockett, SEA at DAL ($7,000): Quick, how many touchdowns did Lockett score this season? Lockett was one of only eight wide receivers to grab double-digit touchdowns with 10 (last season he had two!). Lockett is seen as the de facto No.1 wide receiver with Doug Baldwin dealing with a knee injury and should be targeted as such Saturday night. While the matchup on paper doesn't look good for Lockett, it's the same case for most teams this weekend with six teams among the top 11 as far as giving up the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

TIGHT END

Eric Ebron, IND at HOU ($6,600): Speaking of scoring touchdowns, Ebron led all tight ends with 13 receiving touchdowns, more than the 11 total he had in his previous four seasons in Detroit. This is the best matchup for any tight end playing this weekend, with Houston giving up the second most fantasy points to the position. Ebron had a touchdown in each game against Houston this season, and finished the two contests with 12.5 and 14.5 fantasy points.

FLEX

Blake Jarwin, DAL vs. SEA ($5,800): Jarwin had a breakout game last week with 33.4 fantasy points and now has at least seven targets in three of his last four games. It's almost always a contrarian play to use a tight end in the flex spot, so this strategy is best used for tournaments. Jarwin has shown good chemistry with Dak Prescott, and it's likely the Seahawks crowd the line of scrimmage in an attempt to slow down Elliott, leaving play-action a good choice near the goal line.

DEFENSE

Chicago Bears D/ST vs. PHI ($5,500): It makes a lot of sense to pay up for the Bears defense Sunday despite the price. Nick Foles is banged up and has both a fumble and an interception in each of his last two games, and has eight turnovers in five games on the season. Chicago is averaging 12.3 fantasy points per game at home this season, and Philadelphia has the lowest expected point total of any team playing this weekend.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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