🔥 Wild Card Saturday Preview

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Saturday Playoff Football: Because if you haven’t broken dry January yet, today’s the day.

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• Players to watch in BOTH Saturday matchups 🔥 

• DFS lineup players to watch ✅ 

• The BEST DFS football links 🔗 

• Up-to-date NFL news and notes 📰 

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Think about what you would have said in August if you heard Joe Flacco would be leading the Browns in a road playoff game in Houston. That’s why the NFL is so popular. So what can we expect in this one? Fantasy Life’s game hub doesn’t show any crazy mismatches, but they do have some very strong rankings on the defensive side of the ball for Cleveland.

Read on to learn about the players I think are most important for shaping the way this game will play out.

QB: C.J. Stroud (HOU) - $6,800

Stroud has built his young reputation on passing from a clean pocket. He was 2nd in the NFL in yards per attempt and had 20 of his 23 TDs when kept clean. Unfortunately for him the Browns finished the regular season ranked 2nd in pressure rate.

Under pressure, Stroud’s numbers are far more pedestrian:

• 27th in TD rate

• 52% completion percentage

• 19th in yards per pass attempt

So the big question seems to be whether or not the Texans’ line can get the job done.

RB: Devin Singletary (HOU) - $5,700

The Texans seem to have forgotten about Dameon Pierce, so I think Singletary’s usage and volume seem secure in this game. Last week was a pseudo-playoff game for Houston and Singletary had 93% of the backfield touches.

From a matchup standpoint, the Browns have the number 1 defense in terms of yards allowed before contact, but they allow the MOST yards per carry after contact to RBs. It makes Singletary a tricky play, but he could be set up to break off a few bigger runs.

WR: Nico Collins (HOU) - $7,000

Robert Woods and Noah Brown had been nursing injuries, but both have returned to practice later in the week. Still, Collins remains the de-facto WR1 for the Texans, and he’s the guy I’ll zoom in on here.

There’s a bit of opposing forces at work with Nico in that he’s been strong against man coverage, but the Browns have also been strong in defending against their opponents’ top wideout. It will be fun to see what gives.

I’ll say this: When Nico has hit, he’s hit BIG.

QB: Joe Flacco (CLE) - $6,100

Did you know that Joe Flacco has the most road wins in the wild card round of any QB in history? Here he goes again to face a team he just beat by 2 TDs back in Week 16. Granted, C.J. Stroud missed that one, which dramatically changes the calculus, but still.

Flacco has been money lately and he’s already got experience in the playoffs and a Super Bowl ring. I’m not counting that out from a guy who’s been around the block a few times.

WR: Amari Cooper (CLE) - $6,800

He probably won’t replicate his 265-yard performance from Week 16, but it’s still a favorable situation for him.

Flacco has targeted him on 29% of his routes, and only 11.9% of those throws have been deemed inaccurate. Additionally, Houston has been kind of torched by outside WRs this season as they’re 31st in the league in yards per catch and 30th in yards per target to such players.

TE: David Njoku (CLE) - $5,600

The raw fantasy numbers for TEs against Houston look great, and that’s mainly a product of volume. Houston’s opponents target the position 26% of the time which is the highest rate in the league. That should point to a favorable matchup for Njoku.

The unexpected wrinkle is that the Texans are actually pretty strong on a per-target basis against these TEs. When Njoku faced them in Week 16 he had 9 targets, but only gained 44 yards. A touchdown saved him that day, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out this weekend.

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The story of this game is more about the frigid Kansas City weather than it is the star power from either team. So much so that even the season-long stats seem diminished. Fantasy Life’s game hub may be less relevant because of it.

With the Dolphins banged up and limping into the playoffs, it seems like they have an uphill climb against the more experienced Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is 9-2 at home in the playoffs, and both losses were in overtime. Then again, the Chiefs are not the same as they were last season.

QB: Patrick Mahomes (KC) - $7,100

With Miami missing so many core pieces on defense, it will be crucial for them to still try and generate some pressure on Mahomes. When they don’t pressure the opposing QB, they rank poorly:

• 25th in TD rate

• 22nd in yards per attempt

• 76.8% completion rate (worst)

Considering this has been Mahomes’s worst year against the blitz, how that shakes out may determine the outcome of the game.

TE: Travis Kelce (KC) - $6,100

Kelce hasn’t really looked himself physically and his last few games have returned far fewer results than we’re used to seeing from him. It wouldn’t surprise me if we find out that the knee injury is worse than initially reported.

However, the Dolphins have been susceptible to TEs this season, and may provide a matchup that Kelce needs to get going. Just beware that he really hasn’t been able to punch up to the production of top wide receivers like he has in the past.

RB: Isiah Pacheco (KC) - $6,400

If there’s a guy who’s possibly going to benefit from the cold it’s probably Pacheco. He’s already got a stranglehold on the backfield work for the Chiefs without Jerick McKinnon. In 3 games without him, Pacheco has 87%, 88%, and 100% of the backfield touches.

We expect the wind to really limit the passing game this week, so I like this play as a volume click.

WR: Tyreek Hill (MIA) - $8,700

Is it a great spot for Tyreek? Maybe not. But he’s going to be low-owned and he has the highest yards per route run over the last 2 years of any WR in this century.

I see a couple of things working against him. First, he’s definitely struggling with something from a physical standpoint. You can see it when he gets hit. Secondly, the Chiefs’ defense is very tough against opposing WR1s. They haven’t allowed more than 73 yards to one all season.

RBs: De’Von Achane - $6,800/Raheem Mostert - $6,700 (MIA)

Miami definitely has the edge in the running game, as KC ranked 28th in yards per carry allowed to RBs, and these two can be explosive when they get going.

Mostert is a bit banged up, but I still expect him to get some chances in the red zone. Achane, on the other hand, is always a threat to hit a home run. If you’re dabbling in playing the Saturday slate, getting a share of Achane is not a bad idea in my opinion.

👑 Patriots Name Bill Belichick’s Successor

💥 Washington Commanders Look West for New GM

🏆 3 Players Named Unanimous NFL All Pros

🚫 Important WR Ruled OUT for Buffalo 

👍 Welcome News for Ravens’ Star Tight End

🦁 Status on Lions’ LaPorta Ahead of Sunday

🦅 No Sign of Eagles’ WR at Friday’s Practice

❓ Starters Questionable on Both Sides of Ball for Packers

🚨 Finger No Longer Hurts for Philly QB

💡 Pass Rusher Watt Officially Out for Steelers

Enjoy the Saturday slate. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to run down the rest of the weekend!

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