TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

DraftKings DFS Risers and Fallers - Wild Card Round

Whether due to their own play, the play of others, or injuries, players' stock increases and decreases on a weekly basis. Perhaps more than any other, the NFL is a league that experiences ups and downs at a rapid pace. With only four games, there’s little room for error and seemingly endless opportunities for improvement. The same goes for fantasy football, and managing rosters effectively is key to winning that championship.

Throughout the season, players get hot and see an increased role while others struggle and fight to stay relevant. In the playoffs, it is more about matchups and selecting the right players for your DFS lineup. In this weekly column, we’ll showcase those who have taken important steps forward and those who have taken steps back.

These are the key daily fantasy DFS risers and fallers heading into the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

DraftKings DFS Wild Card Risers

Jared Goff (QB, LAR) - $6,700 on DraftKings

Yeah I know - he's the most expensive QB this week. But I think he's worth it. Tyrod Taylor is not an option against the Jaguars and Marcus Mariota just hasn't been good enough this year to be trusted. The difference between the other six QBs is $700 total. Goff has both the highest floor and highest ceiling. His game also features the highest point total of the weekend. Goff is fully rested and when we last saw him two weeks ago, he was lighting up the Titans for 301 yards and four touchdowns.

Todd Gurley (QB, LAR) - $9,700 on DraftKings

Stack your Rams. Let's say the Rams score four touchdowns. If you have Goff and Todd Gurley, you should get all of them and possibly more given Gurley's proficiency in the passing game. In his final two games of the regular season, Gurley scored over 100 fantasy points. That's insane. He's the best RB in fantasy and is scorching hot heading into the playoffs.

Tyreek Hill (WR, KC) - $6,800 on DraftKings

The WR options are not good for Wild Card Weekend. Tyreek Hill should be the first name in your lineup. He's a full $1,000 cheaper than Michael Thomas and Julio Jones despite having just as good of a season and being way more consistent with a much higher ceiling than Jones. Thomas is the safe, reliable option. Hill is the contest winner. All he has to do is get behind the Titans secondary once, which we know he will and Alex Smith has to deliver. We've seen it countless times. His upside is well worth the price.

 

DraftKings DFS Wild Card Fallers

Blake Bortles (QB, JAX) - $6,000 on DraftKings

Blake Bortles is not good at football. He is the single reason why the Jaguars are not going to the Super Bowl this year. Bortles is simply not good enough. He had a good run against bad pass defenses. This week, he's not facing a great pass defense, but the Jaguars are touchdown favorites and very much content pounding Leonard Fournette. They will get a lead and sit on it. Bortles may not attempt more than 20 passes this weekend. Gambling on Bortles to hit for a couple touchdowns on under 200 yards passing isn't the move.

LeSean McCoy (RB, BUF) - $7,500 on DraftKings

At the ripe young age of 29, LeSean McCoy had an excellent season. He didn't show his age at all and displayed no signs of decline. Unfortunately, Shady was carted off the field with an ankle injury last week. It's only a sprain and I'm very confident that he suits up, but I am not confident in what he will be able to do. McCoy's game is predicated on his ability to make people miss. He can't do that if he can only cut on one leg. It's a bad matchup and a game that should see a lot of negative game script. You weren't starting McCoy even at full strength.

Julio Jones (WR, ATL) - $8,000 on DraftKings

Please avoid Julio Jones. You need touchdown upside with DFS picks and Jones simply doesn't have it. Jones scored just three touchdowns all season with two of them coming in the same game. His 7-149 performance against the Saints in week 16 is probably the best case. That would be fantastic. I'd sign for that right now. But the most likely scenario is  you're paying top dollar for a middling performance. Jones is not worth the cost.

 

More NFL Playoffs and DFS Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

James Pearce Jr.

Arrested Following Police Chase
Christian Yelich

Unlikely to Replicate 2025 Campaign
Emilio Pagán

Emilio Pagan Could Regress After Career Year
Conner Capel

Rockies Sign Conner Capel to Minor-League Deal
Lou Trivino

Heading Back to Phillies
Keegan Akin

Loses Arbitration Case
Deandre Ayton

Enters Day-To-Day Status with Knee Soreness
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Deemed Day-To-Day with Hamstring Injury
Kristaps Porzingis

Targeting Post-All-Star Break Debut
Stephen Curry

May Remain Out Until After All-Star Break
Grayson Allen

to Be Re-Evaluated After All-Star Break
Keyonte George

Night Cut Short by Ankle Injury
Jamal Murray

Forced Out Late Saturday vs. Chicago
Xavier Edwards

Due for Another Big Season on the Basepaths?
Andy Pages

Still an Everyday Contributor Despite Dodgers' Big Signing
Noelvi Marte

Projected for Larger Role in 2026
Addison Barger

Coming Off a Busy Season in the Majors
Isaac Paredes

Trade Talks for Isaac Paredes Reportedly Intensifying
Christian Braun

is Upgraded to Available
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic is Ready to Play on Saturday
Cameron Johnson

is Available to Play on Saturday
Buddy Hield

to Make Team Debut on Saturday
Keyonte George

is Cleared to Play on Saturday
Onyeka Okongwu

is Available to Play on Saturday
Malik Monk

Won't Suit up on Saturday
Jalen Smith

is Ruled Out for Saturday's Game
Quinn Hughes

Enters Olympics in Red-Hot Form
NHL

Juho Lammikko Returns to Switzerland
Pavel Zacha

Misses Olympics
Domantas Sabonis

Out Again on Saturday Night
Zach LaVine

Won't Play on Saturday
De'Andre Hunter

Sidelined on Saturday
Amen Thompson

Available Versus OKC, Will Come Off the Bench
Jakob Poeltl

Questionable for Sunday Afternoon
Drew Rasmussen

: High-Upside Starting Pitcher Option with Health Concerns
Gavin Williams

Looking to Build on 2025 Emergence in 2026
Jo Adell

Can Jo Adell Repeat 2025 Power Breakout?
Brandon Woodruff

Looking to Put Injury Woes Behind Him in 2026
Lawrence Butler

Can Lawrence Butler Bounce Back from Underwhelming 2025 Campaign?
Yasiel Puig

Found Guilty of Obstruction of Justice, Lying to Officials
Travis Kelce

Undecided on Playing Future, Leaning Towards Returning in 2026?
Kristaps Porzingis

Ruled Out Saturday Against Lakers
Brandon Nimmo

Carries High-Floor Profile into 2026
Trevor Story

Can Trevor Story Remain a Consistent Fantasy Option?
Spencer Strider

Carries High Risk Entering 2026
Drake Baldwin

Poised for More Productive Year 2?
Ben Rice

Could See More Time as Catcher Following Free-Agent Addition
CFB

Rutgers Hiring South Dakota Head Coach Travis Johansen as Defensive Coordinator
Vinicius Oliveira

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
Mario Bautista

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 113
Kyoji Horiguchi

Set For UFC Vegas 113 Co-Main Event
Amir Albazi

Looks To Bounce Back
Rizvan Kuniev

Looks For His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Marc-Andre Barriault

In Dire Need Of Victory
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Michael Penix Jr.

Says he's Ahead of Schedule After Knee Surgery
Cleveland Browns

Jim Schwartz Resigns as Browns Defensive Coordinator
Malik Nabers

Says his Rehab has Been "Phenomenal"
CFB

Oklahoma Hiring Former NFL Defensive Lineman DeShawn Williams to Analyst Role
CFB

Jahmal Edrine Charged with Sexual Assault, No Longer Enrolled at Virginia
Jakob Chychrun

Makes Big Impact in Thursday's Win
Brandon Bussi

Shuts Out Rangers With 16 Saves
Anze Kopitar

Reaches 1,300 Career Points
Mark Stone

Becomes First Vegas Player With 100 Multi-Point Games
Daniil Tarasov

Injured in Battle of Florida
Andrei Kuzmenko

Hurt Versus Vegas
John Carlson

Suffers Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Stafford

Named 2025 NFL MVP, Will Return in 2026
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Takes Home Offensive Player of the Year Honors
Christian McCaffrey

Named Comeback Player of the Year
Tetairoa McMillan

Named Offensive Rookie of the Year
Myles Garrett

Unanimously Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award
Brad Marchand

Evan Rodrigues Among Panthers Absentees Thursday
Calum Ritchie

Rejoins Islanders Lineup as Second-Line Center
Zach Benson

Sits Out Second Straight Game
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Available Against Predators
Rickard Rakell

Out Thursday
Brayden Point

Won't Play in Olympics
Jonathan Huberdeau

to Have Season-Ending Hip Surgery
CFB

Houston, Vanderbilt, Tennessee Land Top-Three QBs in 2026 Class
Joe Mixon

Committed to Playing in 2026
CFB

Michigan Signs Top-15 Recruiting Class Despite Coaching Change
CFB

USC Finishes with No. 1 Signing Class in 2026
Valeri Nichushkin

Sets Up Three Goals Wednesday
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Denied Medical Redshirt Waiver By NCAA
Ryan O'Reilly

Delivers Three Assists in Overtime Loss
Matt Boldy

Records Historically Fast Hat Trick Wednesday
Jet Greaves

Gives Blue Jackets Second Straight Shutout
CFB

Sam Leavitt to be Limited In Spring Practice
Jordan Love

Avoids Offseason Surgery
Matt Fitzpatrick

Back in Action at WM Phoenix Open
Sahith Theegala

Riding Hot Start Into WM Phoenix Open
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Regain Form at WM Phoenix Open
Viktor Hovland

a Volatile Option at WM Phoenix Open
Rasmus Hojgaard

Aims to Build on Solid Start to 2026
Brian Harman

Looks to Find Form at WM Phoenix Open
Daniel Berger

Has the Tools to Go One Step Higher at Scottsdale
Max Greyserman

Searching for Consistency at WM Phoenix Open
Jake Knapp

Wants Revenge at WM Phoenix Open
CFB

Joey Aguilar Granted Temporary Restraining Order Against NCAA
Joel Dahmen

Carrying Momentum Into WM Phoenix Open
Corey Conners

Unlikely to Contend at Scottsdale
Sepp Straka

Seeks a Rebound After The American Express
Jordan Spieth

Healthy Heading to WM Phoenix Open
Keith Mitchell

Building Momentum for Event in Scottsdale
Tom Hoge

The Tom Hoge Roller Coaster Heads to Scottsdale for WM Phoenix Open
Rickie Fowler

Worth a Look at WM Phoenix Open
Xander Schauffele

Making Second Appearance at Phoenix Open
Collin Morikawa

Needs a Bounce-Back at Waste Management Phoenix Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Has a Shot to Challenge at the Waste Management Phoenix Open
Max Homa

Playing Well Heading to Waste Management Phoenix Open
Ben Griffin

Will Need to Find Approach Game to Compete in Phoenix
Michael Penix Jr.

Matt Ryan Not Committing to Michael Penix Jr. as the Starting QB
NASCAR

Billy Horschel Unlikely to Right the Ship in Phoenix
Matthew Stafford

Doesn't Need Offseason Back Surgery
CFB

Joey Aguilar Files New Lawsuit Against NCAA Seeking Sixth Year of Eligibility
Davante Adams

Expected to Return to Rams in 2026
Los Angeles Rams

Rams Sign Sean McVay, Les Snead to Contract Extensions
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF