Wild Card Weekend WR Plays

I will once again attempt to save money at other skill positions to spend as much money at WR as possible.  I anticipate Antonio Brown will be the highest owned player in DFS this week, but his production makes it very hard to bet against him.

There are a few top tier WR's to choose from and you do not want to be on the wrong side of this decision.

1.  Antonio Brown ($9600)

Pittsburgh -2.5
Cincinnati 46
Brown will cost you $1200 more than DeAndre Hopkins ($8400) and $2100 more than A.J. Green ($7500).  Pay the ransom.  Brown is averaging over 10 receptions per game over his last four going over 180 yards in two.  Brown needs a lofty 28.8 points to hit 3x value 38.4 to hit 4x.  Due to his price, Brown will make a better cash game play this week though his recent monster performances hint towards using him in GPP contests as well.  The Bengals defense is tough.  You have to go back to Week 11  to find a WR topping 100 yards against this defense where J.J. Nelson went for 4/142/1.  It will not be easy for Brown to pay dividends for us, but this is the playoffs, all of the match ups are tougher for all players.  If DeAngelo Williams sits this game out due to injury, it leaves the Steelers with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman as their lead backs. The Steelers will have to throw the ball more, opening the door for the entire Steelers passing game.



2.  Jeremy Maclin ($6400)
Kansas City -3
Houston 40
After choosing from the top tier of Brown/Hopkins/Green, you have to find some value at the WR position.  Jeremy Maclin found the end zone six times in his last six games.  Due to the low volume of the Chiefs passing attack, Maclin has only averaged 5.25 receptions per game over his last four.  His big game potential is quite limited, eliminating him from our GPP cards, but his mid-range consistency makes him a very strong play for our cash line ups.  Maclin needs 19.2 points to hit 3x value which is not out of the range of possibilities.  Maclin has more than double the amount of targets (124) compared to the next WR on the roster (Wilson 57).  The Texans have only allowed two rushers over 100 yards this season.  If the Chiefs want to move the football, they will have to find ways to get the ball in their best playmakers' hands.  Look for Maclin on some quick screens and underneath grabs to up his PPR total.  If Maclin can pop one of those for a quick strike, his 3x value will be well within our reach.

3.  Martavis Bryant ($5600)
Pittsburgh -2.5
Cincinnati 46
From the looks of it, Bryant may face off against Bengals DB Dre Kirkpatrick.  Kirkpatrick is the PFF's 111th ranked DB in the NFL.  Kirkpatrick has had communication issues with his safeties leading to several long TD's over the course of the season.  If you know anything about Martavis Bryant, you know he likes to go deep!  The Bengals will do anything they can to try and slow down Antonio Brown.  While I don't know if they will be successful, this could open up coverage for Bryant and Markus Wheaton to have a big day.  Wheaton typically lines up in the slot where Leon Hall lines up in the Bengals nickel formation.  Hall is PFF's #26 ranked DB lending more to a better day for Bryant.  Bryant has had some big days this season going over 100 yards three different times while adding six touchdowns in the 11 games he has played.  Bryant has had some boom/bust material this season, making him a better GPP play though I feel pretty comfortable using him in my cash lineups as well.

4.  DeSean Jackson ($4500)

Green Bay 45
Washington -1
The Redskins come in as one of the hottest teams in the NFL with one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL.  As Cousins continues his path to becoming a very wealthy man, he is bringing some of his pass catchers with him. His speed and open field running ability allow DeSean Jackson has to take any play the distance.  Jackson has only played in nine games this season (Week 1 he played 13 offensive snaps before pulling his hamstring) totaling over 500 yards and 4 touchdowns.  With a full 16 games of the current day Kirk Cousins, it is not impossible to think Jackson could have had a 1200 yard 8-10 TD season.  The Redskins are projected for the highest team total (23) of Wild Card weekend, Kirk Cousins and the passing game will be the ones to produce the points.  Another boom/bust type of player, but with the field thinned out here in the playoffs, ride the hot hand of Cousins and the Redskins passing game.  Something tells me I'm not finished talking about the Redskins just yet.

Wild Card Weekend QB Plays


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