The NFL’s Wild Card Round is upon us. While there are fewer games on the playoff slate than a standard regular season slate, the following article should look slightly familiar since it’s essentially the love child of my weekly DFS picks and predictions and the cheat sheet.
The goal is to provide readers from all DFS circles with helpful information. Whether you’re entering one lineup at your favorite DFS outlet or entering the maximum number of lineups in classic contests and showdown contests, the following will take a broad view of team tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. The suggested players were curated with gamers entering a modest number of contests in mind, albeit with some deeper contrarian suggestions as well.
Here are of our NFL DFS Wild Card Round Picks & Predictions. Below we dive into our top NFL DFS Wild Card Round picks and lineup advice for Rams vs. Vikings.
NFL Wild Card Round DFS Picks & Predictions: Rams vs. Vikings
Spread/Total: MIN -1.5/47.5 Points
- Main slate / Classic contest picks: Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, LAR DST, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson
- Top shelf showdown captains: Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Justin Jefferson
- Contrarian / Secondary showdown captain: Aaron Jones
- Flex showdown only: Matthew Stafford, Joshua Karty, Demarcus Robinson, LAR DST, Tyler Higbee, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Will Reichard, Cam Akers, Jalen Nailor
The Rams and Vikings have top-heavy offenses. However, they’re at different ends of the spectrum for play-calling tendencies. From Week 10 through Week 17, Los Angeles had a 54% situation-neutral rush rate, and from Week 10 through Week 18, Minnesota had a 60% situation-neutral pass rate.
Minnesota’s offensive tendencies aligned with how teams chose to attack Los Angeles. The Rams faced a 60% situation-neutral pass rate in their final eight games. The same wasn’t true on the flip side. Minnesota’s opponents had a 58% situation-neutral pass rate against the Vikings from Week 10 through Week 18.
Puka Nacua doesn’t need Sean McVay to open up the passing attack to have a huge game. He’s an alpha No. 1 wideout, evidenced by his 7.2 receptions per game, 90.0 receiving yards per game, 0.38 targets per route run, 34.8% first-read percentage, three receiving touchdowns and 17.7 expected fantasy points per game. The second-year wideout also has a mouthwatering matchup. The Vikings allowed the most DraftKings and FanDuel points per game to wide receivers this season.
Kyren Williams‘s matchup isn’t as favorable. However, Minnesota’s run defense wasn’t impenetrable at the end of the year. In their final nine games, they ceded 103.7 rushing yards per game, 4.22 yards per carry and nine rushing touchdowns. McVay should load up Williams with touches after the bell-cow running back received a breather when the club rested starters in Week 18.
Justin Jefferson is Minnesota’s No. 1 passing-game weapon and one of the best wide receivers in the league. Jefferson had 6.1 receptions per game, 90.2 receiving yards per game and 10 receiving touchdowns in 17 games in the regular season. He also had 18.5 expected fantasy points per game.
Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson also reached double-digit expected fantasy points per game, with 12.6 and 10.0, respectively. Addison is a vertical weapon, but he was also crafty enough to garner 12 end zone targets in 15 games. Hockenson wasn’t a world-beater in his return from knee surgery. However, he has a drool-inducing matchup. The Rams allowed the third-most DraftKings and FanDuel points per game to tight ends.
Aaron Jones also has a tasty matchup. In Los Angeles’s last nine games in the regular season, they coughed up 125.4 rushing yards per game, 4.91 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. Jones is also a game-script-proof running back since he’s a valuable receiver, securing 3.0 receptions per game for 24.0 receiving yards per game. Jones also had seven touchdowns and 90.9 scrimmage yards per game.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
