Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Wild Card Weekend of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
QUARTERBACKS
DREW BREES- $6600 DRAFTKINGS, $8500 FANDUEL
Brees should be the safest quarterback of the slate. Safe for cash games while still providing the upside needed for tournaments. He has averaged 22 DraftKings points on the season and is coming off four straight strong performances. The fact the Saints are at home playing in the dome gives him and this offense a boost as well. Vegas has this game as the highest total of the weekend which bodes well for the entire offense. Pair Brees with Thomas in cash games and thank me later.
RUSSELL WILSON- $6800 DRAFTKINGS, $7900 FANDUEL
Wilson will have to do everything in order for the Seahawks to win on the road in Philadelphia. They will need him to lead the offense through the air and the ground. His dual-threat capabilities put him as one of the top quarterbacks of the slate for me. It’s a road matchup and a flight across the country but it’s a soft matchup against the 21st ranked defense against quarterbacks. Russell is averaging 21 points per game and I’m expecting more in a high scoring shootout in Philadelphia.
RUNNING BACKS
ALVIN KAMARA- $7400 DRAFTKINGS, $8200 FANDUEL
I think the running back position makes or breaks you this weekend. I love the run that Derrick Henry has been on this season but I’m going to fade him in a matchup versus the New England Patriots. Alvin Kamara has been picking up steam towards the end of the season and I like the spot for him. The Vikings rank 14th against opposing running backs and I have the Saints winning this one easy with Kamara carrying heavy workload on the ground and as a receiver as well. He is a slightly better value on DraftKings but I will have him on FanDuel as well.
JAMES WHITE- $5700 DRAFTKINGS, $6200 FANDUEL
At the time I’m writing this there are some questions marks at the running back position with certain players questionable. So make sure you check the reports prior to game time. You will need value out of one of your running back positions and I think White is the way to go. Especially on sites like DraftKings which are a full point per reception. Playing New England running backs is always a scary situation but the floor White gets in receiving yards helps make the decision easier.
WIDE RECEIVERS
MICHAEL THOMAS- $9300 DRAFTKINGS, $8900 FANDUEL
Michael Thomas finished the season with more receiving yards, receptions, and touchdowns than some entire teams receiving cores. He has been super consistent and will be the number 1 option every time Brees drops back to pass. He will be high owned for good reason but also will be a lock in my lineup. I have him outscoring any positional player with the best overall matchup on the board going against the Vikings secondary which ranks 29th against opposing wide receivers. Lock Thomas in and get cute with other players in your lineup.
ADAM THIELEN- $6200 DRAFTKINGS, $6200 FANDUEL
Adam Thielen is an elite wide receiver priced like a mid-tier player. Thielen, for the most part, has been resting since week 9 but should play a major role if the Vikings can keep this close. The way to attack the Saints is through the air where they rank 25th against opposing wide receivers. The Vikings should be playing from behind in this game and will have to score to keep up. I will be stacking this game up from the Saints side and I think Thielen is the best player to run it back with. If you don’t like Thielen feel free playing Lockett, Metcalf, or John Brown as other options.
TIGHT ENDS
JACOB HOLLISTER- $4300 DRAFTKINGS, $5700 FANDUEL
I want to attack Philadelphia through the air and will be rostering Wilson with the Seattle receiving core. Hollister has been a steady force in the offense during the second half of the season and I’m calling for a touchdown this weekend. With Hollister as the third option for Seattle he should be in for at least a 5 reception and 50 yard receiving game which locks him in as a solid value play at tight end. Once he finds his way into the end zone he crushes value and becomes the difference maker in your lineup.
DALLAS GOEDERT- $5200 DRAFTKINGS, $6700 FANDUEL
With Ertz still questionable Goedert is the premier target at tight end. He will be very highly owned and the top tight end play if Ertz is out. Seattle is one of the worst defenses in the league covering the tight end and currently ranks 30th. Whether Ertz is in or out Goedert is a strong play. The only reason you fade him is if you want to play the ownership game and hope he goes over-owned and underperforms like he did last week.
DEFENSES
SAINTS- $3000 DRAFTKINGS, $4700 FANDUEL
The Saints are a safe defense playing at home with upside. They bring pressure and are facing an injury-plagued offense in the Vikings. They force turnovers and have 51 sacks on the season so we should see a solid game at of them here.
BILLS- $3100 DRAFTKINGS, $4000 FANDUEL
I like the Bills to win this game outright and upset the Texans on the road. If you make sports investments I like taking the bills with the points and like them for value at defense on FanDuel specifically. We need savings where we can find them and with all the variance with defenses, I’ll gladly take the discount. They have averaged 8 points per game on the season and the Texans have trouble protecting the quarterback. We should see 3-5 sacks and a turnover in this one and I believe the Bills will try to control the clock and slow this game down.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.