Sunday Playoff Preview
Sunday Playoff Preview The Divisional Round continues Sunday with a pair of games. FullTime Fantasy‘s Sunday Playoff Preview breaks down the slate from a fantasy football and sports betting perspective. And just because the fantasy regular season has ended doesn’t mean the fun is over. FFWC Playoff Fantasy Football is a great way to extend the fantasy fun and win amazing prizes! Los Angeles Rams (11-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) Time: 3:00 Eastern Line: Eagles -6 Total: 44 Money Line: Rams +233, Eagles -273 Rams Offense The Rams pulled off the “home” upset last week in Arizona, but traveling into freezing Philadelphia is different. Stafford has been significantly better since getting Puka Nacua back into the lineups. However, a forecast of sub-freezing temperatures and a 70% chance of snow doesn’t bode well. Therefore, Stafford’s RDA* projections aren’t favorable. Matthew Stafford outdoors in the rain or snow: 1-8 54.6 completion % 14 TD 11 INT 76.0 rating (via @TBagleySports) pic.twitter.com/Cp17f3IkDt — SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 16, 2025 Only Kansas City allowed fewer fantasy points to running backs than Philadelphia. However, Kyren Williams remains a good play due to his position-leading snap-share. Additionally, Williams is a three-down back and a dependable short-yardage option with a nose for the stripe. Puka Nacua caught 9-of-13 targets for 117 scoreless yards against the Eagles in Week 12. He remains the focal point of LA’s offense but should expect more intense coverage from an improving Philly secondary. However, with the volume potential is this game as the Rams’ only reliable pass-catcher, Nacua tops our RDA* projections. Back in the day, Cooper Kupp was that dependable, volume-driven option in LA’s offense. However, his efficiency eroded to the point that Kupp barely factored into the Rams’ offense over the past month. With a tough matchup and adverse conditions, I wouldn’t bet on a rebound here. Demarcus Robinson will be the main WR3 and offers some DFS appeal. At tight end, Tyler Higbee is rounding into shape. Higbee was the TE13 in the final three regular-season weeks. Additionally, he reeled in all five of his targets for 58 yards in the Wild Card win. Conversely, this is a tough matchup for Higbee, as the Eagles allowed just 9.3 fantasy points per game to the position–second-fewest in the league. Eagles Offense Jalen Hurts essentially missed Philadelphia’s final three regular-season contests and looked rusty last week. That said, no Eagles fans are complaining about a 22-10 victory. That same formula worked in Week 12 when Hurts and the Eagles beat the Rams 37-20 despite modest numbers from Hurts. Also, weather could force the Eagles to a more ground-based approach. Especially considering they posted 314 rushing yards against this opponent in Week 12. Saquon Barkley was the main catalyst of that thrashing, running for 255 yards and two touchdowns. We’re projecting about half of that production in the rematch. However, Barkley still tops our Week 20 RDA* projections. Despite destroying the Rams on the ground, A.J. Brown still caught six balls for 109 yards and a TD in his previous outing with the Rams. Brown remains an elite option against a secondary that ceded 20 touchdowns to wideouts in 2024. DeVonta Smith missed Week 12 but has been heating up. Smith has topped 50 yards in four consecutive games, including a pair of outings with 100-plus and three combined TDs. In a game where weather could hamper downfield attempts, Smith’s underneath role could be key. Dallas Goedert is a sneaky pick to have a big game. The Rams allowed 15.2 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends–the third-highest mark in the NFL. Baltimore Ravens (13-5) at Buffalo Bills (14-4) Time: 6:30 Eastern Line: Ravens -1 Total: 51..5 Money Line: Bills -106, Ravens -114 Ravens Offense Sunday’s Main Event takes place in the late window, as the Bills and Ravens square off to earn a trip to next week’s AFC title game. Buffalo has not won in the Divisional round since 2020 and will be home underdogs to a Ravens squad that humbled them 35-10 back in Week 4. In that game, Lamar Jackson only threw for 156 yards and two scores. However, he ran for 54 and another score en route to a weekly QB6 finish. The forecast calls for 13 degrees with a 50/50 shot at snow but that won’t necessarily be a hindrance to Jackson and company. Vegas set a line of 278.5 total yards with a lean on three total scores. Fantasy’s overall RB1, Derrick Henry ran for 199 and scored two total touchdowns in Week 4 against this defense. The Bills have shored up that run D since September but still surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to the position. Henry is -200 to revisit the end zone in this game a yardage prop of 106.5 yards. While the rushing attack is locked in, things are more uncertain through the air. Mainly because of the health of Zay Flowers, who missed the Wild Card game with a knee injury. Flowers hasn’t practiced all week and is doubtful to play. Even if he does, he would be limited. Our RDA* projections are modest, mainly because of the baked-in risk. Rashod Bateman will see an increase in targets and remains the best bet to score. However, his volume is fairly modest, so Bateman is rather TD-dependent. Still, the Bills were below-average defending wideouts, and the 51.5-point total indicates a solid game script. All other Baltimore wideouts are relegated to low-cost DFS dart throws. Mark Andrews is our TE3 for the week, projected to score 11.9 PPR points. Additionally, the Ravens will also use Isaiah Likely liberally in place of the aforementioned ancillary wide receivers. Likely didn’t do much against Buffalo (1/26/0) previously, but has a Vegas yardage prop of 36.5. Bills Offense After a brutal start, Baltimore’s pass defense has greatly improved. Josh Allen can supplement that with plenty of rushing production, but the Ravens have allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards to quarterbacks. This seems like a
Saturday Playoff Preview
Saturday Playoff Preview The 6-game NFL Wild Card Weekend kicks off Saturday with a pair of AFC matchups. FullTime Fantasy‘s Saturday Playoff Preview breaks down the slate from a fantasy football and sports betting perspective. And just because the fantasy regular season has ended doesn’t mean the fun is over. FFWC Playoff Fantasy Football is a great way to extend the fantasy fun and win amazing prizes! Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at Houston Texans (10-7) Time: 4:00 Eastern Line: Chargers -3 Total: 42.5 Money Line: Los Angeles -156, Houston +136 Chargers Offense Jim Harbaugh coached the Chargers to an impressive one-year turnaround. Harbaugh inherited a team that went 5-12 and instilled a new culture, resulting in a postseason appearance in Year One. However, Harbaugh’s main influence was on the defense, which allowed the fewest points in the league. LA’s offense ranked 20th overall, including 19th in passing and 17th in rushing. The Chargers did rank 11th in scoring, but points will be at a premium against a Houston defense that ranked 14th in points allowed. Although Houston’s pass defense ranked 6th overall, the Texans allowed an AFC-worst 31 touchdown passes to quarterbacks. That makes Justin Herbert a solid start. Our RDA* projections have Herbert in the top half of Week 19 fantasy signal-callers. Additionally, Herbert ran for 306 yards and two scores this season, which is another area Houston struggled against. Houston surrendered the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs, which makes J.K. Dobbins a lesser option in this slate. Dobbins also won’t catch many passes. That makes him game-script-dependent. However, in a game where the Chargers are favored, Dobbins has a decent shot at seeing 15-plus touches and getting into the end zone. There isn’t a ton of upside behind Dobbins. Gus Edwards has been limited and Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins have split RB3 duties. Additionally, the recent signing of Ezekiel Elliott complicates the complementary roles. Avoid. Thumbs up for WR Ladd McConkey. The rookie wideout was fantasy’s WR10 in the last three weeks, reeling in 19-of-24 targets for 276 yards and a score. Houston allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to enemy receivers, making McConkey a top-10 play in our Week 19 RDA* projections. Quentin Johnston offers some boom potential against a secondary that has been decimated by injuries and is vulnerable to big plays. Josh Palmer is OUT, opening up more snaps for D.J. Chark. At tight end, the Chargers will use Wil Dissly and Stone Smartt. However, Dissly out-snapped Smartt 43-14 last week. Texans Offense While the Chargers took vast strides in 2024, the Houston Texans regressed. Facing a first-place schedule will do that, but DeMeco Ryan’s squad simply wasn’t as good on offense. After ranking seventh in passing in 2023, Houston dipped to 21st. There is no denying that C.J. Stroud‘s play dropped off. His metrics and efficiency declined across the board. Meanwhile, he struggled to make the same throws he made as a rookie and he plummeted to 34th in pressured completion rate (53.1%). The Chargers can be challenged through the air. However, Stroud has only thrown 2-plus TDs in a game three times since Week 7. RB Joe Mixon has also cooled off. Mixon hasn’t scored more than 10.6 PPR points in any of his last four games. Meanwhile, the Chargers allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to the position in 2024, including a league-low four rushing scores. Although the volume should be there, this is not a great week to pay up for Mixon’s salary in DFS. Houston’s offense has also been plagued by injuries. Nico Collins is the last man standing at wideout and will undoubtedly be the focal point in this game. Collins hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 13 but has scored three touchdowns. Our RDA* projections have Collins in for 5.4 grabs, 73 yards, and a 50/50 shot at another score. After Collins, Houston will trot out the uninspiring trio of Robert Woods, John Metchie, and Xavier Hutchinson. However, none of these players are anything more than DFS dart throws in a poor matchup. At tight end, Dalton Schultz is the best bet to see the second-most targets. However, the Chargers allowed a league-low two scores to opposing TEs this season, which severely caps his upside. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) at Baltimore Ravens (12-5) Time: 8:00 Eastern Line: Baltimore -10 Total: 43.5 Money Line: Pittsburgh +400, Baltimore -550 Steelers Offense The Steelers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five matchups with Baltimore. Additionally, the UNDER has hit in 8-of-11 in this AFC North rivalry. However, that paints an ugly picture for Pittsburgh’s offense- a unit that scored all of two touchdowns against Baltimore this season. QB Russell Wilson averaged 211 passing yards, one TD, and one INT in two games versus Baltimore. That’s precisely where our Week 19 RDA* projections have Wilson, making him an unappealing fantasy option. While the Ravens have struggled against the pass, Baltimore’s league-best offense and excellent run defense make the Ravens a poor matchup for running backs. Pittsburgh will use both of their backs, with Najee Harris leading the way. In those two prior matchups, Harris accumulated an innocuous 105 rushing yards with four receptions. Jaylen Warren was better in those games and offers more appeal as a double-digit underdog. Warren reeled in all nine of his targets against the Ravens, racking up 71 receiving yards and averaging over four yards per carry. Paying up for George Pickens is a hard pill to swallow after last week’s embarrassment. However, this is a good rebound spot for Pickens, who caught 8-of-12 targets for 89 yards back in Week 11 against the Ravens. Pickens has topped 75 yards in three of his five career matchups versus Baltimore, who also allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receiver this season. As double-digit dogs, Pickens will see a favorable game script. Calvin Austin and Van Jefferson are the next best bets but offer low floors. However, TE Pat Freiermuth gets a positive matchup. Baltimore surrendered 12.9
