X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

Eight Lineup Busts and Avoids for the Divisional Round

The second round of the playoffs is here, which means that this is the final week in which we'll have four games going. Below is a potential bust for each team this weekend.

Because there are so few teams in play, these players aren't necessarily potential busts in the same sense that they would have been if this was a regular season column. Instead, these are players who might not be the most appealing daily fantasy options due to match-ups and players who could perform worse than the rest of their team due to game flow and other factors.

Below are eight lineup busts and avoids for the Divisional Round of NFL action.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

Top 8 Busts - NFL Divisional Round

Atlanta Falcons: Tevin Coleman, Running Back

The Eagles allowed the second-fewest points to opposing running backs during the regular season and Coleman hasn't had a "good" rushing game since November, though he salvaged one December game with a strong performance as a pass catcher. Coleman won't get enough touches against a strong Eagles front to produce much on the ground, but there's a chance he makes something happen as a receiver--despite allowing just six rushing touchdowns to running backs this season, the Eagles gave up five receiving touchdowns to backs, a mark that ties for second-most in the league.

Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Foles, Quarterback

The playoffs can be weird from a fantasy perspective. A few days ago, I wrote a piece here on Rotoballer and said Foles was a good bargain play on DraftKings. I still think that's true, but he's also the most likely player to bust for the Eagles just due to the fact that he's barely played for the Eagles this year. The team is likely to lean on the run game more than usual. The Falcons pass defense isn't great--they gave up the 13th-most points to fantasy quarterbacks, the most of any NFC playoff team--but it's a little tough to trust Foles against them. After playing well in his first start, he struggled in his second game and in the limited action he saw in Week 17. (Other bust candidates for the Eagles are the receivers--like, well, all of them--if Foles struggles. I'm not...umm...feeling great about Philly this week, but I do think there's a chance Foles performs solidly.)

Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, Wide Receiver

The rookie couldn't produce in the first round, grabbing just four catches for 35 yards on seven targets. Kansas City was one of the worst defenses against wide receivers in the regular season, which makes Davis's no show troubling. New England isn't actually that much better, but Davis hasn't shown enough at the NFL level to warrant fantasy playing time this weekend.

New England Patriots: Rex Burkhead, Running Back

Rex Burkhead made some waves for New England during the regular season, but a knee injury held him out of the final two games of the regular season. He's expected to play this weekend, but he won't be at 100 percent and is unlikely to see many touches with the way Dion Lewis has been playing. Burkhead was already starting to cede touches to Lewis before his injury. Yes, Burkhead has five touchdowns in the last four games he's played, but that lingering knee issue is enough to keep him off my fantasy radar.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles, Quarterback

I mean, this feels obvious, right? Bortles isn't going to be able to make things happen with his feet in consecutive weeks, which leaves us with a player who went 12-for-23 last week for just 87 yards. The Steelers defense is good, especially in terms of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. I think Jacksonville's playoff run is going to come to an end this week with a rough outing.

Pittsburgh Steelers: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver

I know the easy answer here is to just say that Ben Roethlisberger, who threw five interceptions when these teams met in the regular season, is a bad start, but Roethlisberger did throw for 312 yards in that game. I'm not expecting a repeat performance in the turnover category, though I do think the Steelers will find it a little harder to get the yards. Expect a large dose of Le'Veon Bell in the run game and Antonio Brown in the receiving game, with Smith-Schuster likely to take a little bit of a backseat. When these teams met earlier, Brown was targeted 19 times and Smith-Schuster just six.

New Orleans Saints: Ted Ginn Jr., Wide Receiver

Ginn was a huge part of New Orleans's Wild Card victory over the Panthers, catching four balls for 115 yards and a touchdown, but I don't see him reaching those heights again this week against Minnesota's strong pass defense. Ginn did catch four passes for 53 yards when these teams met back in Week 1, but it's hard to extrapolate too much from a meeting in early September when both teams looked vastly different. What I do know is that the Vikings have been shutting down receivers over the second half of the season. They haven't allowed a 100-yard receiver since Marvin Jones Jr. back in Week 12, and Michael Thomas will end up with more targets than Ginn.

Minnesota Vikings: Kyle Rudolph, Tight End

The Saints allow the fifth-fewest points to tight ends and Rudolph has been very, very touchdown dependent lately. Over the past three games, Rudolph has four catches for 26 yards. He's also been hobbled with an ankle injury, which helps explain why he's seemingly become only a red zone target. Rudolph is unlikely to get many chances this week to make plays. There's upside because wide receiver Adam Thielen is also on a cold streak, which could provide Rudolph with a few more opportunities, but I'm not sure the upside is worth the risk here.

 

More Divisional Round Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Fraley2 mins ago

Jonathan India Still Out Sick
Jonah Heim6 mins ago

Back From Bereavement List
Denver Broncos8 mins ago

Broncos Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Patrick Surtain II
Tyler O'Neill12 mins ago

Activated And Starting Tuesday
Rafael Devers15 mins ago

No Rafael Devers Again On Tuesday
Kawhi Leonard2 hours ago

Present For Shootaround
New England Patriots2 hours ago

Patriots Haven't Received "Serious" Offers For No. 3 Pick
Kadarius Toney2 hours ago

Still In Chiefs' Plans
Jake Browning2 hours ago

Bengals Re-Sign Jake Browning
Ivan Fedotov2 hours ago

Agrees To Two-Year Extension With Flyers
Timo Meier3 hours ago

To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Lucas Johansen3 hours ago

To Make Postseason Debut Tuesday
Brett Pesce3 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
William Nylander3 hours ago

A Possibility For Game 3
Triston Casas4 hours ago

' MRI Confirms Serious Injury
Adrian Kempe6 hours ago

Keeps Postseason Scoring Streak Going
Adam Henrique6 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Game 1 Victory
Andrei Svechnikov6 hours ago

Sends Out Two Assists In Monday's Win
David Pastrnak7 hours ago

Ends Goal Drought Monday
Max Domi7 hours ago

Produces Multi-Point Performance In Game 2
Brett Pesce7 hours ago

Injury "Not Looking Good"
Nikola Jokic7 hours ago

Posts Special Triple-Double In Game 2 Victory
Jamal Murray7 hours ago

Completes 20-Point Effort With Big Game-Winner
LeBron James7 hours ago

Outstanding In Losing Effort
Anthony Davis7 hours ago

Leads All Scorers In Game 2 With 32 Points
Jarrett Allen7 hours ago

Gobbles Up 20 Rebounds In Game 2 Victory
Donovan Mitchell8 hours ago

Does It All For Cleveland In Game 2
Kyle Anderson8 hours ago

Questionable For Game 2
Mark Stone14 hours ago

Starts Scoring In Game 1 Win
Sebastian Aho14 hours ago

Posts Goal And Assist In Game 2 Win
Seth Jarvis15 hours ago

Leads Huge Comeback Win In Game 2
Evan Bouchard15 hours ago

Puts Up Four Assists From Back End In Game 1
Connor McDavid15 hours ago

Dominates With Five Assists
Zach Hyman15 hours ago

Scores Hatty In Big Game 1 Win
Auston Matthews15 hours ago

Puts Away Game-Winner In Game 2
Merrill Kelly17 hours ago

"Most Likely" Headed To The Injured List
Josh Hart18 hours ago

Gets It Done In Game 2
Mitchell Robinson18 hours ago

Cools Off On Monday Night
Jalen Brunson18 hours ago

Struggles Shooting In Game 2
Joel Embiid18 hours ago

Has A Big Night On Monday
Tyrese Maxey18 hours ago

Erupts In Game 2
J.D. Martinez19 hours ago

Mets Hope To Activate J.D. Martinez Friday
Heston Kjerstad19 hours ago

Orioles Calling Up Heston Kjerstad
Justin Steele19 hours ago

To Throw In Extended Spring Game Friday
Alek Manoah19 hours ago

Set For Another Rehab Start
Ryan Mountcastle19 hours ago

Out Of Lineup With Sore Knee
Jalen Suggs20 hours ago

Returns On Monday
Kawhi Leonard20 hours ago

Questionable For Game 2
Miles Bridges20 hours ago

Pistons Could Target Miles Bridges This Summer
Malik Monk20 hours ago

Likely To Test Free Agency
Giannis Antetokounmpo21 hours ago

Not Expected To Play On Tuesday
Jalen Suggs21 hours ago

Helped Off The Court
Tyrese Maxey21 hours ago

Will Play In Game 2
Joel Embiid21 hours ago

Will Play On Monday Night
Manny Machado21 hours ago

Placed On Paternity List
Paul Sewald22 hours ago

To Begin Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Carlos Rodón22 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Allows One Hit In No-Decision
Ricky Tiedemann23 hours ago

Meeting With Doctors This Week
Brenton Doyle23 hours ago

Back In Monday's Lineup
Wade Miley23 hours ago

Put On 15-Day Injured List
Ozzie Albies23 hours ago

Starts Hitting, Could Return Friday
Max Kepler24 hours ago

Activated From Injured List
Brandon Aiyuk24 hours ago

49ers Have Received Calls Regarding Brandon Aiyuk
Frankie Montas24 hours ago

Reds Place Frankie Montas On 15-Day Injured List
Dak Prescott1 day ago

Not Trying To Be Highest-Paid Player
Pete Fairbanks1 day ago

Goes On Injured List
Zach Wilson1 day ago

Broncos Acquiring Zach Wilson From Jets
Matt Ryan1 day ago

Officially Retires From NFL
Cincinnati Bengals1 day ago

Sam Hubbard Recovering From Ankle Surgery
New England Patriots1 day ago

Patriots Listening To Calls For No. 3 Pick
Rashee Rice1 day ago

Expected To Receive Multi-Game Suspension
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski1 day ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo1 day ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR1 day ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson1 day ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen1 day ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell2 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Brock Bowers2 days ago

Jets The Favorite To Take Brock Bowers At No. 10
Drake Maye2 days ago

Giants Could Be Eyeing Drake Maye
Daniel Hemric2 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton2 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek2 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano2 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley2 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron2 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
Mike Hoffman3 days ago

Kevin Labanc, Alexander Barabanov To Hit Free Agency
Logan Couture3 days ago

Optimistic For Healthy Return
Mikhail Sergachev3 days ago

Practices In Regular Jersey Saturday
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Still "Open" To Trading Zach Wilson
Marquise Brown3 days ago

Could Have Lucrative Role In KC
Dak Prescott4 days ago

Hasn't Started Contract Negotiations With Cowboys
Zach Wilson4 days ago

Not At Voluntary Workouts
Jayden Daniels4 days ago

Not Interested In Playing In D.C.?
DJ Chark Jr.4 days ago

Visits With Chargers
Courtland Sutton4 days ago

Broncos Not Concerned With Courtland Sutton
Darren Waller5 days ago

Giants Haven't Given Darren Waller A Deadline For His Decision
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF