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Week 18 of the NFL season is in the books, and what a week it was. It started with the Jaguars shocking the world by destroying the Colts. Then Big Ben had one more big drive in him as the Steelers beat the Ravens in overtime. The afternoon was just as crazy with the Niners completing the comeback and taking out the Rams to get into the playoffs. Lastly, the SNF game was insane between the Chargers and Raiders, where the Raiders won on a last-second field goal. The craziness led to the complete playoff field and a fabulous 6-game wild card weekend ahead of us.
For Wild-Card Weekend, there is a full 6-game slate (Sat-Mon) which this article will focus on, but be aware there is a 2-game Saturday, 3-game Sunday, and 1-game Monday slate with terrific contests for all three days. For cash, we will stick with the usual game plan of looking for a solid floor and going from there, especially when it comes to value plays. Value this week is quite spread out. The popular moves will be paying up for Cooper Kupp and Travis Kelce. Two great pay-up spots. Some may also pay up for quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, but there is QB value to be had. Most importantly, RB has a ton of value as there are no costly options like Jonathan Taylor on the slate. So fade Kupp at your own risk and enjoy the RB and maybe even QB discount on your way to cash game goodness.
This article will look at some of the value plays for each week of the NFL. However, when you look at value plays for GPP, you are somewhat swinging for the fences. Here, I will be focusing on cash games and the necessity for slightly more safety as you are just looking to finish in the top half or so of the competition. Therefore, we are looking for cheaper players who should see a decent workload, passing attempts, targets, or carries. So, let's look at the cash value plays for Wild Card Weekend of the 2021 NFL season.
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Quarterback DFS Value Plays - Wild Card Weekend Cash Games
Jalen Hurts, PHI at TB | DK: $6,200, FD: $7,700
Hurts missed last week's game as the Eagles were cautious with his ankle injury, but he is back at practice and ready to go this weekend. Hurts has been a cash game gem most of the year, mainly due to his rushing upside. An upside he showcased versus the Bucs in Week 6. In Week 6, Hurts only threw for 115 yards and a touchdown but also ran for 44 yards and two more touchdowns on his way to 26 fantasy points. Hurts has scored 16 or more fantasy points in 12 of 15 games this season and nine games of 20+ fantasy points. He brings an outstanding floor into this weekend's game, even against a solid Bucs' defense.
Hurts will take on a Bucs' defense that ranks 7th over the last four weeks versus opposing quarterbacks but on the season still ranks 26th. The Bucs have been better against the pass in recent weeks but are allowing more rushing upside to quarterbacks. Weather will be another aspect to keep in mind this week. It is supposed to be wet and windy on Sunday. With passing games potentially being hampered, look for Hurts to utilize his legs even more. The Eagles are 8.5 point underdogs, and in games where the Eagles were significant underdogs, Hurts has averaged over 25 fantasy points per game. Do not sleep on Hurts just because he is facing a "really good" Bucs defense.
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF at DAL | DK: $5,300, FD: $6,800
Jimmy G is your play if you look to punt the position. Garoppolo is coming off a 17 fantasy point performance last week and has now scored 17 or more fantasy points in four of his previous five games. He has thrown at least one touchdown in nine straight games and at least two touchdowns in five of his last nine games. He heads into Dallas this Sunday as three-point underdogs with a 24 point implied team total, which means he should have to do his fair share to give the Niners a chance to win the game.
Dallas has been much better in recent weeks versus the passing game, ranking 9th over the last four games (we can probably throw out last week with Gardner Minshew), but still rank 18th on the season versus opposing quarterbacks. They are allowing over 250 passing yards per game and nearly 1.5 touchdown passes per game on the season. Most dismiss Garoppolo as a viable DFS target every week, especially in cash. That needs to stop now in a game that should see a whole lot of offense and with a quarterback who has been very consistent in terms of fantasy points scored.
Running Back DFS Value Plays - Wild Card Weekend Cash Games
Leonard Fournette, TB vs. PHI | DK: $5,900, FD: $7,300
Playoff Lenny is back and is too cheap, making for a near-cash game lock. Fournette was injured in Week 15, where he still scored nearly 14 PPR points and is set to make his return this Sunday. He is also returning while backup Ronald Jones is still not practicing. Fournette was on quite the fantasy tear before the injury, scoring 22+ PPR points in three straight games. Fournette also faced the Eagles back in Week 6 and dominated on his way to 30.7 PPR points. We could see a similar weekend from Fourntte as this Eagles' defense has only gotten worse.
Over the last four games, the Eagles rank dead last versus opposing running backs. That's quite impressive, considering most of the damage last game versus the Cowboys was through the air. Over the previous four games, the Eagles allow an average of 90 rushing yards, 40 receiving yards on seven receptions, 1.5 touchdowns, and 29 PPR points. The Eagles are getting destroyed by opposing running backs, especially running backs that operate well in the passing game. Look for Playoff Lenny to return for a HUGE fantasy weekend.
Devin Singletary, BUF vs. NE | DK: $5,700, FD: $6,900
The Bills finally made Singletary their lead back, and he has run away with the job. Over the last four games, Singletary 19+ carries in three of the previous four games while scoring 16+ PPR points in four straight games. Singletary has at least one rushing touchdown in all four games and has scored two touchdowns in each of the last two games. Now he gets a rematch versus the Patriots in a game Singletary should be involved in quite a bit.
The weather will be close to ZERO degrees which hurts the overall passing game. Look for plenty of handoffs and dump-offs to Singletary. A couple of weeks ago when he faced the Patriots, he only ran for 39 yards on 12 carries, but caught five of his six targets on his way to nearly 19 PPR points. The Bills are four-point favorites with a 24 point implied team total and will look to use Singletary a ton versus the Patriots defense that ranks 28th versus opposing running backs over the last four weeks. Do not be scared to roster Singletary this week.
Keep an Eye On: If Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Darrel Williams miss Sunday's game, the other Chiefs' running back will also make for a solid cash game value.
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Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays - Wild Card Weekend Cash Games
Cedrick Wilson, DAL vs. SF | DK: $4,400, FD: $6,000
Last week, I was screaming from the rooftops to roster Wilson as a ridiculous value. I would say that paid off as he caught five of his six targets for 119 yards and two touchdowns. That is back-to-back weeks with six targets as he has taken over for the injured Michael Gallup. Wilson has three touchdowns over his last two games and has scored 18.74 and 31.9 PPR points. Wilson should be in store for another strong weekend as he will face a susceptible Niners defense.
Wilson will face a Niners defense that ranks 23rd on the season and 16th over the last four games versus opposing receivers. Over the previous four games, the Niners allow nearly 35 PPR points to opposing receivers. The Cowboys are three-point favorites with an implied team total of 27. The Cowboys running game is non-existent these days, so expect Wilson, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Daulton Schultz to all eat against the Niners.
Zay Jones, LV at CIN | DK: $4,200, FD: $5,300
Jones has been quite the weapon for Derek Carr and the Raiders in recent weeks. Jones has been targeted seven or more times in five straight games, hauling in five or more receptions in each of those games. Jones has yet to find the end zone in any of those five games but has still scored double-digit PPR points in three of the five games. This week Jones takes on a stingy Bengals defense as 5.5 point underdogs. Look for the Raiders to throw a lot to try and keep up with the Bengals, and that means another week of a large target share and cash game floor from Jones.
Ray-Ray McCloud III, PIT at KC | DK: $3,700, FD: $4,900
Diontae Johnson returned last week, which took away the LOCK from McCloud. Even with Johnson back, McCloud saw nine targets and has eight or more targets in four of his last five games. The problem is Ben Roethlisberger, as McCloud has only four receptions or less in four of those five games with no more than six receptions. To make it easy, McCloud has 19 receptions on 38 targets over the last five games. The volume has been there for McCloud and should be there again this week, which keeps McCloud in play.
McCloud will face a Chiefs defense that ranks 30th over the last four games versus opposing receivers. They allow nearly 200 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 45 PPR points per game to opposing receivers. This could very well happen again this week as the Steelers are 13 point underdogs, meaning the Steelers should be throwing a ton on this weak pass defense. If looking to punt in cash this week, then McCloud should be on your radar.
Tight End DFS Value Plays - Wild Card Weekend Cash Games
C.J. Uzomah, CIN vs. LV | DK: $3,200, FD: $5,200
There is not a ton of value at tight end this weekend, and most will pay up for Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, or Schultz. The tight end positions are loaded this week with many options that do not make one wanting or possibly needing to punt. However, if you are looking to punt, then Uzomah is your guy. Uzomah has six or more targets in four of his last five games with three or more receptions and five or more PPR points in each of the five games. Uzomah will take that substantial workload into a matchup versus a Raiders defense that ranks 26th over the last four weeks versus opposing tight ends. They are allowing 15 PPR points per game to opposing tight ends over the previous four games, which should bode well for Uzomah. So again, you do not need to punt at tight end, but if doing so, Uzomah brings an extraordinary floor in a phenomenal matchup.
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