Brandon Braasch | January 10th, 2020
The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is upon us. There are four games this weekend. I’ll be giving you my top plays for DraftKings four-game slate and my top plays for the Saturday and Sunday FanDuel slate. Let’s just jump right in. Here are my top players for this weekend’s playoff games.
Quarterback
Russell Wilson (6,600 DK and 8,100 FD)
A lot of people will be going with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson on this slate. However, Wilson is going to have to do more for his team to win and at a cheaper salary, he will get you close to if not more points than Mahomes and Jackson will. Wilson is going to have to be the Seattle Seahawks’ MVP to win this game. Their running game, even with Marshawn Lynch, is not nearly as strong. Wilson threw for 325 yards last week and I expect much of the same. He also added 45 yards rushing which will be key to his success in this game.
Other Options: Mahomes (7,500 DK and 9,000 FD), Jackson (8,400 DK and 9,400 FanDuel Saturday Only)
Running Back
Aaron Jones (7,400 DK and 8,400 FD)
Jones has been a huge part of what the Green Bay Packers do on offense. In his last two games, he has rushed for over 100 yards on 23+ carries. I expect the Packers offense to be focused around Jones. Especially since the Seahawks’ run defense has given up 22 rushing touchdowns in the regular season.
Carlos Hyde (5,000 DK and 6,500 FD)
Hyde is way too cheap to not pick him. The Kansas City Chiefs run defense is vulnerable. They gave up an average of 128.2 rushing yards in the regular season. Hyde has already run for 116 yards and one touchdown against the Chiefs earlier in the year. With the Texans struggling to protect Deshaun Watson last week, look for the Texans to lean on Hyde. He should be due for another 100 plus yards and a touchdown.
Raheem Mostert (5,800 DK and 6,800 FD)
Mostert has been a touchdown machine lately. He has scored at least one touchdown in his last six games. That is impressive because of how crowded the San Francisco 49ers running back position is. The 49ers live to run the football and I expect the same in this game. Mostert should get 10-18 carries and if his recent game is any indicator, he should see the red zone carries as well.
Wide Receiver
Tyler Lockett (6,600 DK and 6,700 FD)
D.K. Metcalf has stolen the show over the Seahawks the last couple of games. Lockett has still been getting targets even though he hasn’t gotten more than 100 receiving yards in his last three games. Lockett can be boom or bust at times. He started the season off with more boom games but lately, he has been busting more frequently. Look for Lockett to make some big plays in this game and get back into the boom category.
Tyreek Hill (7,600 DK and 7,900 FD)
Hill has actually struggled in his playoff career. He has never gone over 100 yards and has never caught a touchdown. He does have one rushing touchdown and with his speed, it’s going to be tough to slow him down in this matchup. Hill has electric speed and can change the game in one play. Look for Hill to have a huge game and finally have his first big playoff game.
Emmanuel Sanders (5,400 DK and 5,800 FD)
Sanders started off hot in his career with 49ers. He scored two touchdowns in his first two games. Since then he has only scored one touchdown. Sanders is a veteran and in playoff games, veteran players are leaned on more. He has been consistent in his recent playoff games. In his last five playoff games, he averages 71.4 yards per game. Look for Jimmy Garoppolo to lean on Sanders, especially on third downs.
Other Options: Adam Thielen (6,200 DK and 7,000 FD)
Tight End
Jimmy Graham (3,300 DK and 5,000 FD)
Graham is basically touchdown or bust at this point in his career. However, the Seahawks give up the second-most receiving yards to tight ends this season, only behind only the Arizona Cardinals. If the Green Bay Packers run the football like I expect them to, then Graham could be an excellent go to target in the play-action pass. He’s a good cheap option to save you money that can be spent elsewhere.
Other Options: Kyle Rudolph (3,400 DK and 5,500 FD)
Defense
Chiefs Defense (3,200 DK and 4,300 FD)
The Houston Texans offensive line has allowed 49 sacks to opposing defenses this year. That’s not including the seven sacks they gave up last week to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card game. The Chiefs were not able to sack Watson in their regular-season matchup but the Chiefs defense has been playing much better as of late. I expect them to get some pressure and sacks resulting in some forced turnovers.
Other Options: 49ers D/ST (3,000 DK and 4,600 FD)
These players are a good core to build FanDuel and DraftKings lineups around. There’s a good mix of discounted players and star players that I expect to be worth paying up for. Keep an eye on the weather since all four games are being played outdoors. As of now, the weather looks fine for every game with only a couple of them being affected by wind. Good luck with your lineups.
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