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Tom Vecchio highlights the top FanDuel NFL DFS lineup picks for Wild Card Round, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
RotoBallers, welcome to Wild Card Round of the daily fantasy football season. In this column, you will find my recommended FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks to target for Wild Card Round of the NFL season. You can also click here to find more DFS analysis articles and tools.
The goal is to identify players to start on FanDuel this week based on various factors including the opponent, the player's opportunity, analysis of the game's matchups, and the FanDuel price.
Let's find some DFS lineup sleepers, and win on FanDuel. Good luck in the Wild Card Round! Find me @DFS_Tom if you have any questions.
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FanDuel Quarterbacks - Wild Card Round DFS Picks
Andrew Luck - QB, IND @ HOU (FD - $8,000)
Luck and the Colts come in with an implied team total set at 22.8, which is third highest on the slate and playing the game with the highest over-under set at 49 points. Luck is looking to be one of the best overall options on the slate with the positive game script and the potential ceiling of points. He comes in with multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games, which is a trend we've seen all season. That trend won't stop this week, as the Texans have the 18th DVOA versus the pass.
Nick Foles - QB, PHI @ CHI (FD - $7,3000)
Foles is the cheapest of the starting quarterbacks this weekend and should draw a bit of interest simply for the savings and what he allows you to do with your roster construction. He has posted six touchdowns in the past two games but faces a very tough Chicago defense this Sunday, who are 1st DVOA against the pass. Clearly, a risky but contrarian way to build your roster, which should help combat some of the ownership issues we see on smaller slates.
FanDuel Running Backs - Wild Card Round DFS Picks
Gus Edwards - RB, BAL vs LAC (FD - $7,200)
With so much ownership set to go to Ezekiel Elliott, it could be a good idea to fade him in some spots if you are rolling out multiple lineups. Edwards is a good bit cheaper and comes in with 16 or more carries in six of his last seven games, which includes one game against the Chargers where he posted 92 yards on the ground. Stacking Edwards with the Ravens defense brings a nice bit of correlation, as the Ravens should try to control the clock for most of the game.
Nyheim Hines - RB, IND @ HOU (FD - $4,800)
Hines is very cheap this weekend and truly helps out with the ease of roster construction due to the limited value options on the slate. If you are trying to jam in Zeke, Hilton, and Hopkins, you will need the salary relief from somewhere and Hines should be that guy. He comes in with five or more targets in five straight games and has scored one touchdown in that span. Hines has played on 37% of the snaps on average over the last eight weeks, which is solid for a backup and a player at his price.
FanDuel Wide Receivers - Wild Card Round DFS Picks
DeAndre Hopkins - WR, HOU vs IND (FD - $8,800)
Hopkins is clearly the best receiver on this four-game slate and you should be trying have him in as many lineups as possible. He faced the Colts two times this season, coming away with 14 total receptions and a touchdown in each game. The Texans have an implied team total set at 24.8, which is highest on the slate, so we will see them scoring points, meaning Hopkins is likely to be involved. He has double-digit targets in five straight games, a level of consistency and involvement in the passing game, no other receiver on this slate has.
Tyler Lockett - WR, SEA @ DAL (FD - $7,000)
The Seahawks comes in as only 1.5 road dogs against the Cowboys, which means we should see a close scoring game. If this is going to be the case, you want to be targeting Lockett for GPPs, as his fantasy point expectation will be a bit lower overall. He comes in with a 31% market share of targets in Week 17, along with a 29% market share of targets in Week 16, both of which were second highest on the team. Wilson is targeting Lockett often, which is why he led the team with 10 touchdowns.
FanDuel Tight End - Wild Card Round DFS Pick
Dallas Goedert - TE, PHI @ CHI (FD - $5,400)
Goedert is playing on a surprising amount of snaps recently and makes a viable GPP option, despite a tougher matchup. This is his snap count over the past few weeks, starting with Week 17 and going backward: 61%, 59%, 61%, 60%, and 52%. Those are some decent rates for the clear backup, who has 16 targets in that five-game span, which again is a surprising amount for a player this cheap.
FanDuel Defense - Wild Card Round DFS Pick
Baltimore Ravens Defense versus Los Angeles Chargers (FD - $4,900)
The Ravens will be one of the go-to defenses on this slate since they are just slightly cheaper compared to the Bears and still a solid home favorite. They played the Chargers just two weeks ago, where they only allowed 10 total points, racked up four sacks and added in two interceptions.
