Wildcard Weekend rankings and DFS picks
For those still playing, who to consider as the 2024 NFL playoffs kickoff.
🤕 Pain/rest index
🚫 Nope: Christian Watson (knee)
🫤 Looking iffy: Jamison Crowder (hamstring)
🙏 Cautiously optimistic: Aaron Jones (quadriceps)
✅ Good to go: A.J. Brown (knee), Sam Darnold (quadriceps), Romeo Doubs (illness), Jalen Hurts (concussion, finger), Jordan Love (elbow)
Note: The above are estimates based on the latest news and injury reports. Always double-check your own rosters before Sunday kickoff!
Wild Card player rankings
My latest PPR fantasy football player rankings for the NFL playoffs are below. I will only be doing PPR scoring formats for each round.
💸 DraftKings dumpster fire
Here are a couple of tournament lineups one could theoretically enter this weekend, though use them at your own risk!
Expert takes
QB - Jayden Daniels, WAS ($7,500) — “Commanders-Bucs looks to be the best (DFS) game of the opening round. The 50.5-point total is the highest of all six games, and the three-point spread means both teams should be looking to attack throughout. … On top of that, Tampa ranks 28th in points allowed to QBs on the season, by far the worst on any of this weekend’s slates.” — Billy Ward, Fantasy Labs
RB - Bucky Irving, TB ($7,000) — “The sensational rookie profiles as the slate's biggest no-brainer play. Except for a Week 14 outing in which he was limited by a back injury, Irving has been unleashed by the Bucs down the stretch of the regular season. He's garnered 17 or more touches in every healthy start since Week 12 and converted those opportunities into an average of 22.41 DK points per outing across those six games.” — Joe Nicely, Rotoballer
WR - Rashod Bateman, BAL ($5,000) — “Bateman had five receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown last week against the Browns and the fourth-year receiver is coming off a career-high 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Bateman has four touchdowns over his last four games after entering the season with just four touchdowns over his previous three seasons.” — CBSSports Staff
TE - Isaiah Likely, BAL ($3,200) — “Most weeks it's tricky to squeeze Likely into your lineup, but with star WR Zay Flowers out of the picture, the Ravens are incentivized to find a hybrid role for the uber-athletic Likely. This is a punt play that has plausible upside.” — Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Sports