👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
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

NFL Playoff Picks: Wild-Card Weekend

After one of the wildest Week 17's in recent memory and what felt like an extremely short season, we've finally made it to the playoffs. The AFC is very weak. The wild card teams have no shot at reaching the Super Bowl. The four division champs do. Over to the NFC, all six teams can make the Super Bowl.

Nothing will surprise me there. Even a rematch of last year's Super Bowl. We've seen three Cavs-Warriors finals in a row, two consecutive Alabama-Clemson championships, North Carolina basketball reach the championship two years in a row, and the Penguins win back-to-back Cups. Is it so out fo the realm to get a Falcons Patriots rematch.

I will be attempting to seek perfection in the impossible playoff challenge; the immaculate 11-0 against the spread perfect postseason.

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!

 

CHIEFS -9 vs. Titans

Saturday 4:30

All season long, I've consistently said the Titans are so overrated with an anemic offense straight from the 90's. Their offense is run, run, then a 5-yard pass way short of the sticks. That's partly due to them being 18th in yards per play. Marcus Mariota took a giant step back this year. His yards per attempt dipped from 7.6 to 7.1, and his passer rating fell from 95 to 79. More shocking was the fact that Deshaun Watson, who played in SIX games, threw for 19 touchdowns, while Mariota threw for 13 in 15 games. That wasn't a typo. You read that correctly. It's even more scary that Mariota's threw 13 touchdowns to 15 picks. Additionally (from The Action Network), he "has performed substantially worse on the road this season (8 TDs/4 INTs at home vs. 5 TDs/11 INTs on the road)."

Now the Chiefs defense has struggled at times, but they step up when it counts. They've played exceptional in primetime, not including the Thursday night road game in Oakland where they had four days rest; they held Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, and Phillip Rivers to under 300 passing yards and a combined 7.20 opponent Y/A. That was also Brady's second-worst passer rating all year and Rivers's two worst games. The've created multiple turnovers in their past four games, are second in turnover differential, and seventh in takeaways. That doesn't bode well for a Titans team who's given the ball away an average of twice on the road (29th).

Worried about the Chiefs offense? Don't be. They've turned the ball over the least amount of times in the entire league. That's in part because Alex Smith had a career year. He threw for 4,000 yards for the first time ever, set career highs in touchdowns, 26, passer rating, 104.7, and Y/A, eight, with five interceptions. It wasn't like he was throwing dinks and dunks like Mariota was. The Chiefs were second in yards per play, fifth in points per game, 26, and tied for third in 40+ yard plays (the Titans had six such all year).  The Titans have a defense ranked 21st in DVOA, and as much as they've taken care of their cake schedule, they will struggle to slow down Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt.

Andy Reid gets a bad knack for the playoffs, and rightly so. His postseason record is 11-12, and he'll do something stupid with the clock. That you can count on. However, Reid has made the playoffs 12 times in his career, and only four of those times has he lost in the team's playoff opener.

The Chiefs may struggle to stop the run, but I don't see how the Titans can keep pace with the Chiefs in Arrowhead. I'll lay the points.

Prediction: Chiefs 30 - Titans 13

 

Falcons +6.5 @ RAMS

Saturday 8:00

Doesn't the line seem two points too high? Is Vegas begging us to bet the Falcons or are they completely miscalculating this game?

The Falcons have struggled on offense this year and something is off. For a team that scored 30 points in 12 games last season, excluding the playoffs, they've broken 30 just four times. How are they only ranked 15th in points scored, one season after scoring a league leading 34.1 points, the most since the Broncos averaged 36.4 in 2013. The next best team last was second with 29.3 points. To compare that to this year, the Rams led the league with 29.9 and the Pats were second with 28.6.

Since 2015, the Falcons are 4-2 on the road on the West Coast. The two losses have been by a combined three points. One of those games was the non pass-interference on Julio Jones in Seattle. They are a dome team so playing in a warm stadium is enormously beneficial. Their entire offense relies on Matt Ryan's playmaking ability. Last year was an anomaly. Just check his career stats. He will need to play as well as he did last season for them to compete. Atlanta has the players, talent and experience. Can they execute against a top-10 defense coached by Wade Phillips?

The Rams offense reliably heavily on Todd Gurley. He accounted for 36% of the Rams offense. Atlanta's head coach, Dan Quinn, was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks in 2013 and 2014 when they went to back-to-back Super Bowls. He knows how to coach a defense and will have a game plan to slow down Gurley. The Rams also love throwing the deep ball and are extremely effective doing it. They rank seventh in 20+ yard pass plays and fifth in 40+ yard plays. However, the Falcons have allowed the eighth least 20+ yard plays, and only four 40+ yard plays, ranking fourth. The Rams are the young fun team that kind of reminds me of the Eagles under Chip Kelly in 2013 when they won the NFC East. LeSean McCoy had a great season like Gurley. Nick Foles had an incredible year like Goff. Kelly was the young hot coach of the NFL, like McCoy. And, they ended up losing in the first round to the Saints at home.

This could come down to a field goal and the Rams lost their stud kicker Greg Zuerlein a couple weeks ago. I think the Falcons win this one a really tight battle.

Prediction: Falcons 30 - Rams 27

 

JAGUARS -9 vs. Bills

Sunday 1:00

This game will be determined if LeSean McCoy plays or not. He's "accounted for more than 32% of the Bills' yards this season (3rd highest percentage in the NFL).

The Bills are the worst ranked playoff team per DVOA with a total DVOA rank of 21, offensive, 26, and defensive, 15.

What makes me nervous is the Bills are celebrating like they've made it to the Super Bowl. It's their first trip to the playoffs in 18 seasons, first this millennium, so naturally the fans and players are going to be hyped. But will they head into Sunday with the mindset of happy to be there, or wanting to prove they were a deserving playoff team?

The Jags number one ranked pass defense will feast on Tyrod Taylor. They were second in sacks and Taylor takes 3.01 seconds to get rid of the pass, bottom three in the league. Simply put, they have the best defense in the league. We all know that. But did you know they were the number one rushing team in the league averaging 141 yards per game. That's not good news for a Buffalo defense that was bottom five against the run allowing 124 yards per game. They will also struggle to get pressure on Blake Bortles. The Bills had 27 sacks, bottom five in the league. Even after all those stats, I still believe the defensive minded Sean McDermott will load up to stop the run, and make Bortles beat them.

Earlier in the week I liked the Bills to cover, but this stat was the telltale sign. The Jags are fifth in first quarter points while Buffalo is 31st.  The Jags will get off to an early lead, and let the defense take control.

And, if for somehow, it's a close game, maybe we'll get a Music City Miracle repeat. Too soon?

Prediction: Jaguars 23 - Bills 10

 

SAINTS -7 vs. Panthers

Sunday 4:30

This will be the third time these teams will meet this season. The Saints defeated the Panthers in Week 3, 34-13, and in Week 13, 31-21. New Orleans is a top-five offense predicated on outside runs and 5-yard screens to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. The major factor of this game will rely on Carolina setting the edge? Can they contain Ingram and Kamara and force the Saints to play a different game than they're used to? The Panthers are 27th in open-field tackling and that's not good news for them. However, they were eighth against the run this year. Carolina is not good against the pass. Since their bye in week 11, they've allowed Robbie Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Adam Thielen, and Mike Evans to go over 100 receiving yards. They are simply awful in the secondary. If they can't stop the run, they will have no chance to slow down Michael Thomas.

Will the real Cam Newton please stand up? This is the main other factor for this game. He's thrown for over 300 yards twice all year and that was in Week 5 and 6. He's thrown the most interceptions since his rookie year and had his lowest Y/A, 6.7, in his career. But if there's one player who can be all of a sudden play like a star, it's him. He is so mercurial. You just never know which Newton you will get.

Eight of the Saints wins have been by double-digits, the other three were by nine, eight and three. It's terrifying to go against Newton in the playoffs, but the Saints will get out to an early lead. They've scored the second-most first quarter points, 6.7, and nine over their last three, while Carolina was 18th with with 3.7. The Saints will get out to an early lead, Newton will get off to a slow start and never recover in a raucous environment.

Preditciton: Saints 34 - Panthers 24

Best of luck!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Isaiah Collier

Out Again Sunday
Immanuel Quickley

Still Sidelined Sunday
Nicolas Claxton

Won't Play Sunday
Evan Mobley

Sidelined Sunday
Jarrett Allen

Won't Play Against Indiana
Pascal Siakam

Ruled Out Sunday
Clayton Keller

Collects Four Points Against Canucks
Andrew Nembhard

Ruled Out Vs. Cleveland
Jack Eichel

Records Three Assists in Saturday's Win
Gabe Perreault

Nets First Career Hat Trick
Nicolas Hague

Exits Early Against Sharks
MacKenzie Weegar

Listed as Day-to-Day
Jack McBain

Considered Week-to-Week
Justin Faulk

Questionable Sunday
MarShawn Lloyd

a Dynasty Trade Target with Long-Term Upside?
Emanuel Wilson

a Low-Risk Trade Target in Dynasty Leagues?
Jalen Nailor

Seems Likely to Face Competition
Adrian Kempe

Delivers a Four-Point Performance
Dylan Sampson

a Candidate for Standalone Value in 2026?
Jaylin Noel

Still the Texans' WR4 for 2026?
Evgeni Malkin

Collects Four Points on Saturday
Keenan Allen

Remains a Free Agent in Early April
Mookie Betts

Considered Day-to-Day, Heading for an MRI on Saturday
Juan Soto

Day-to-Day With Minor Groin Strain, No Decision on IL Yet
Anthony Edwards

Questionable for Sunday
Andre Drummond

Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond Join Starting Lineup Saturday
Marcus Sasser

Upgraded to Available
Atlanta Falcons

Mike Washington Jr. Visits With Falcons
Tobias Harris

Cleared to Play Saturday
Jalen Duren

Available Saturday
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals "Pushing Hard" for Jeremiyah Love
Paul George

Ready to Rock Saturday
Bruce Brown

Suffers Leg Injury Saturday
Shedeur Sanders

the Favorite to Win Browns QB Job?
Kirk Cousins

Could Make Starts for Raiders in 2026
Austin Reaves

Out for Remainder of Regular Season
Travon Walker

Jaguars Sign Travon Walker to Four-Year Extension
Nick Lardis

Available Against Kraken
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Won't Play Saturday
MLB

Cubs-Guardians Game Postponed on Saturday
Mookie Betts

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Tyler Kleven

Out Week-to-Week
Mason Marchment

Expected to Return Saturday
Aliaksei Protas

Returns on Saturday
Zach Hyman

Could Miss Two Weeks
Damon Severson

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
Jalen Duren

Added to Injury Report Saturday
Paul George

Probable Saturday
Tyler Herro

a Late Scratch Saturday, Simone Fontecchio Starts
Joel Embiid

Will Sit Out Saturday's Game
George Holani

Time as Seahawks RB1 Looks to Be Short-Lived
Justin Champagnie

Active Saturday
Bilal Coulibaly

Tre Johnson Available Against Heat
Harold Fannin Jr.

Is Harold Fannin Jr. a Top-Five Dynasty Tight End?
Brenton Strange

Easily Overlooked Among Jacksonville Pass Catchers
Kendre Miller

a Dynasty Cut Candidate
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Deliver on Pre-Draft Hype in Year 3?
Marquise Brown

Outlook Dependent on Teammate's Trade Rumors
Darnell Mooney

Looking for a Fresh Start in New York?
Alejandro Kirk

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Thumb Fracture
Kansas City Chiefs

Makai Lemon Meets with Chiefs on Top-30 Visit
Christian Kirk

Could Still Produce in WR3 Role
Brashard Smith

Still Third on the Depth Chart?
Juan Soto

Mets Concerned About Juan Soto's Calf Injury
Juan Soto

Removed with Calf Tightness
PHI

Daniel Vladar Defeats the Islanders
Matvei Michkov

Has Three-Point Game on Friday
Byron Buxton

is Day-to-Day with Forearm Contusion
Byron Buxton

Leaves on Friday After Being Hit by a Pitch
Cade Horton

Headed for Injured List Stint
Isaac Paredes

Placed on Bereavement List
Jordan Lawlar

Suffers Fractured Wrist, Set to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Alejandro Kirk

Having X-Rays on his Thumb
Cade Horton

Exits Friday's Start with Forearm Tightness
Chase DeLauter

Returns to Lineup on Friday After Injury Scare
Chris Duncan

Set For UFC Vegas 115 Main Event
Renato Moicano

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 115
Tabatha Ricci

Set For UFC Vegas 115 Co-Main Event
Virna Jandiroba

Looks To Bounce Back
Brendson Ribeiro

In Desperate Need Of Win
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev

Looks To Remain Unbeaten
Ethyn Ewing

Set For His Second UFC Bout
Rafael Estevam

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Patrick Kane

Becomes NHL's Highest-Scoring American
Elias Salomonsson

Lands in Concussion Protocol
Nick Lardis

Injures Left Hand Thursday
Konnor Griffin

Secures $140M Deal; Pittsburgh Building Around Young Star
Konnor Griffin

Being Promoted to MLB Roster Ahead of Friday's Contest
Konnor Griffin

Pirates in "Deep" Negotiations for Long-Term Contract
Carlos Estévez

Royals Place Carlos Estevez on 15-Day Injured List
CFB

Gunner Stockton Looking "Great" After Offseason Injury
CFB

Sam Leavitt Showing "Encouraging Signs" at LSU Practice
J.J. Spaun

Needs the Putter to Cooperate in San Antonio
Thorbjorn Olesen

Trending Up in San Antonio
Denny McCarthy

Carrying Momentum into San Antonio
Jose Fernandez

Launches Two Home Runs in Historic MLB Debut
Chase DeLauter

Exits Tuesday's Game with Foot Injury, X-Rays Come Back Negative
Chris Kirk

Has Course History on His Side in San Antonio
Billy Horschel

a Volatile Option at the Valero Texas Open
Joe Highsmith

Still Searching for Form in San Antonio
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks to Find Form at the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

a Horse for Course History at TPC San Antonio
Robert MacIntyre

Has One Flaw to Overcome at Valero Texas Open to be a Must-Play
Maverick McNealy

In Exceptional Form This Season
Michael Thorbjornsen

Playing Well But Still Searching For A Win
Hideki Matsuyama

Playing Well Heading to the Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Heads to Valero Texas Open For Final Tune-Up Before Masters
Collin Morikawa

Withdraws From Valero Texas Open
PGA

Stephan Jaegar Still Looking For Consistency at Valero Texas Open
Nicolai Hojgaard

is Red-Hot Coming to TPC San Antonio
Tony Finau

a Risky Proposition at Valero Texas Open
Ludvig Aberg

Looks to Shake Off Collapse at Valero Texas Open
Patrick Rodgers

Needs to Make More Birdies in San Antonio
Sepp Straka

Seeks Opportunity in San Antonio This Weekend
Nick Taylor

Could Again Struggle at the Valero Texas Open
Chase Elliott

Takes Advantage of Pit Strategies for Second Career Martinsville Win
Denny Hamlin

Dominates but Finishes Second at Martinsville
Joey Logano

Bounces Back with Third-Place Finish at Martinsville
Ty Gibbs

Gains his Fourth Top-Five Finish of the Season at Martinsville
William Byron

Scores Another Top-Five Finish at Martinsville