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Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Divisional Playoff Round

Some football fans and experts label the Divisional Playoff round the best weekend of NFL football of the year, and it might be the best weekend for playoff fantasy football as well.

Many of fantasy football’s top performers in 2017 will be on the field this weekend. But while Tom Brady, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Zach Ertz and Adam Thielen should be fantasy forces in their playoff games, fantasy players in postseason leagues and DFS contests will be counting on secondary players from playoff teams’ supporting casts to come up huge to help them win this week.

Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the second week of NFL playoff action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!

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Divisional Playoff Round Under-the-Radar Booms

Matt Ryan (QB, ATL) at PHI

The defending NFC champions and Super Bowl blowers are favored this week against the conference’s No. 1 seed, yet Ryan’s price tag in DFS contests in many formats is lower this week than all playoff QBs except for Nick Foles and Blake Bortles. While Philadelphia’s front seven has helped make its run defense tops in the league, the Eagles pass defense is only 17th and can be exploited. The experienced Ryan will not be rattled by Philadelphia’s hostile home crowd and should be able to connect on some big plays with Julio Jones. Ryan throwing for 275-300 yards and two-to-three touchdowns would not be a shock.

Jerick McKinnon (RB, MIN) vs. NO

McKinnon’s fantasy value has slid downhill quicker than Lindsey Vonn does. Latavius Murray now gets the bulk of the carries and the red-zone duty, which has neutralized McKinnon’s stats and rendered him average fantasy-wise. This could be the weekend he bounces back, though, as he is the niftier of Minnesota’s two main backs and is the better pass catcher, and the Saints had tons of trouble containing Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey last weekend (117 total yards and a TD). McKinnon has the potential to break a couple big plays, especially in the passing game, and be the perfect low-priced buy for DFS players.

Delanie Walker (TE, TEN) at NE

New England’s defense rebounded after a horrendous start to the season to hold 10 of their last 12 opponents to under 20 points. The Patriots pass defense was the Achilles heel all year long, however. While most offenses were forced to throw boatloads of passes in second halves against the Pats because they were trailing, the bottom line is that New England was ranked 30th in pass defense and not just because they had to defend against more passes than most teams did. Walker racked up the most yardage (74 yards) last week in Tennessee’s wild card win than he had in any game since the middle of November. Look for Marcus Mariota to look for his favorite and most experienced target a lot this Saturday evening, especially when the Titans are playing catch-up late in the game and passing on every down.

 

Divisional Playoff Round Under-the-Radar Busts

James White (RB, NE) vs. TEN

Fantasy owners were treated to the Dion Lewis Show the last couple games of the regular season while White and Rex Burkhead recovered from injuries. White will return this weekend, but the problem is that Burkhead will be back as well, and that Lewis has played so well in their absences that he will probably remain New England’s top tailback and get the most touches out of the lot. The Patriots could plan to throw on every down against Tennessee’s 25th-ranked pass defense, which would benefit White if that was indeed the case, but more likely Tom Brady and company will balance out the offense and the playing time for its running backs, limiting White’s worth.

Ted Ginn (WR, NO) at MIN

Ginn put a hurting on his old Carolina Panthers team last week when he caught four passes for 115 yards including an 80-yard touchdown in New Orleans’ wild card victory. The going will be 1,000 times tougher this weekend against Minnesota’s second-ranked pass defense, though. The Vikings secondary allows receivers to get 100 yards about as easily as my wife allows me anywhere near the remote when The Property Brothers are on TV. Only Detroit’s Marvin Jones Jr. had a 100-yard game against them. Ginn has also not been one to string great games together this season. He has not scored touchdowns in back-to-back weeks and in the four games he played in after he had 70-yard games this year he only had 199 receiving yards combined and failed to reach the end zone.

Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) vs. ATL

Poor Agholor. The kid was having a breakout season after a couple years of being a fantasy flop and looking like one of the worth first-round picks in Philadelphia Eagles history until Carson Wentz’s torn ACL has put a dagger in Agholor’s fantasy value. Agholor has gone from deep threat to underneath outlet as he has averaged less than 10 yards per catch in each of his past four games. Nick Foles cannot throw downfield anywhere near as well as Wentz did, so it is hard to visualize Agholor doing more than five receptions for 50 yards against Atlanta’s underrated pass defense. His playmaking ability can only take him so far when Wentz is not the one throwing to him.

 

More Divisional Playoff Round Lineup Prep




REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jonah Coleman

is an Intriguing Power Back to Target in Dynasty Leagues
Colt Emerson

Mariners Promoting Top Prospect Colt Emerson to Major Leagues
Darius Slayton

Lacking Long-Term Upside for Dynasty Managers
Keaton Mitchell

a Prime Dynasty Handcuff Option Entering First Season in L.A.
Jadarian Price

Looks Like the Running Back of the Future in Seattle
Isaiah Bond

Dynasty Outlook Clouded by Uncertain Role in Cleveland
James Cook III

Remains a High-End Dynasty RB1 Entering 2026
Lamar Jackson

Poised for Bounce Back Season in 2026
Bucky Irving

Expected to Be Ready for Training Camp
Kyle Williams

Deep Threat Kyle Williams Facing Uphill Battle for Playing Time
Michael Pittman Jr.

Could Receive Short-Term Value Uptick in PPR Leagues
Stefon Diggs

Chiefs, Commanders Could Make Sense for Stefon Diggs
Will Howard

Dynasty Value Dealt a Blow
Jaylen Warren

Should Benefit From Veteran QB's Return to Pittsburgh
Drew Allar

Could Continue to Hold Dynasty Value
Pat Freiermuth

Could See a Small Dynasty Bump With Veteran QB Returning
DK Metcalf

A Dynasty Sell Candidate With Veteran QB Returning?
Bones Hyland

Wants to Stay in Minnesota
Mike Conley

Hints He Will Continue Playing Next Season
Kevin Huerter

Iffy for Sunday Night
Caris LeVert

Questionable for Game 7
Duncan Robinson

Back on Injury Report Ahead of Game 7
Larry Nance Jr.

Likely Out Sunday Due to Illness
Munetaka Murakami

Fantastic First Season Continues With Two More Homers
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Dazzles With 13-Strikeout Complete Game on Saturday
Aaron Rodgers

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Blake Snell

to Undergo Elbow Surgery on Tuesday
Clay Holmes

Could Miss Around Three Months
Jose Altuve

Exits After Swing
Corey Seager

Absent With Back Spasms on Saturday
Jeremy Lauzon

Misses Saturday's Practice
Mark Stone

Doesn't Practice Saturday
Josh Manson

Misses Practice, Considered Day-to-Day
Brent Burns

Day-to-Day Ahead of Conference Finals
Cale Makar

Considered Day-to-Day
Alex Lyon

Likely to Start Game 6 Against Canadiens
Owen Power

Available Saturday
Isaac TeSlaa

Can Isaac TeSlaa Carve Out a Larger Role in Detroit Going Forward?
Troy Franklin

Facing Uphill Battle for Playing Time in Denver
Trevor Lawrence

Should Trevor Lawrence Be Valued as a Dynasty QB1?
Courtland Sutton

in Line for Reduced Role in Denver?
Trevor Story

Hits the Injured List With Groin Injury
Blake Snell

Likely to Need Elbow Surgery
Duncan Robinson

Nets 14 Points With Four Triples
Cade Cunningham

Contributes 21 Points in Game 6 Win
Jalen Duren

Bounces Back With Double-Double
Anthony Edwards

Finishes Season-Ending Loss With 24 Points
Victor Wembanyama

Tallies 19 Points in Friday's Win
De'Aaron Fox

Highly Effective in Blowout Win
Stephon Castle

Shines in Series-Clincher
Kyle Schwarber

on a Heater, Hits Two More Homers to Take Major-League Lead
Clay Holmes

Suffers Fractured Fibula on Friday Night
Blake Snell

Heads to 15-Day Injured List
Austin Reaves

Could Command $40M Per Year With New Contract
Jalen Duren

Available to Finish Game 6
Yanic Konan Niederhauser

Not Expected to Be Ready for Start of Next Season
Jalen Williams

Declares Himself Healthy for Conference Finals
Terrence Shannon Jr.

Will Play Friday Night
Kevin Huerter

is Available for Game 6
Duncan Robinson

is Returning for Game 6
Caris LeVert

is Cleared for Game 6 on Friday
Blake Snell

Scratched From Start on Friday for Undisclosed Reasons
Max Fried

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Bone Bruise
CFB

Julian Sayin Looking To Build Off Of Strong Debut Season
CFB

College GameDay Set for First Three Weeks
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Aiming For Ohio State Receiving Records
CFB

Keshaun Singleton Projects as Auburn's WR1
CFB

Jeremiah Cobb Impresses New Auburn Staff
CFB

Alberto Mendoza Very Likely to Start for Georgia Tech
CFB

Charles Woodson Jr. Commits to Michigan
Jordan Westburg

to Have Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Melquizael Costa

Set For UFC Vegas 117 Main Event
Arnold Allen

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 117
Daniel Santos

Set For UFC Vegas 117 Co-Main Event
MMA

Dohoo Choi Returns At UFC Vegas 117
Juan Diaz

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Malcolm Wellmaker

Looks To Bounce Back
Christian Edwards

Set For His UFC Debut
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Tarik Skubal

Resumes Playing Catch, Ahead of Schedule?
Lane Hutson

Contributes Two Assists in Game 5 Victory
Nick Suzuki

Amasses Three Points in Crucial Victory Thursday
Juraj Slafkovsky

Dishes Out Three Assists in Game 5 Win
Carter Hart

Stops 31 Pucks in Series-Clinching Win
Pavel Dorofeyev

Enjoys Second Consecutive Multi-Goal Game
Shea Theodore

Records Two Points in Game 6 Win
Mitchell Marner

Scores Special Goal in Series-Clincher
Ryan Johnson

Takes Over as Canucks GM, Sedins Promoted to Co-Presidents
Drew Helleson

Won't Play Thursday
Radko Gudas

Unlikely to Play Thursday
Jeremy Lauzon

Remains Out Thursday
Mark Stone

Misses Third Consecutive Game
EDM

Kris Knoblauch Fired as Oilers Head Coach
CFB

Virginia Tech Lands Commitment from Four-Star QB Peter Bourque
Byron Buxton

Scratched on Thursday With Hip Soreness
Cal Raleigh

Heading to Injured List With Oblique Strain
Francisco Alvarez

has Knee Surgery, Expected to Miss Eight Weeks
Quinn Hughes

Finishes Postseason With 15 Points
Cal Raleigh

Exits With Apparent Side Injury on Wednesday Night
Juan Soto

X-Rays Come Back Negative on Juan Soto's Ankle
CFB

NFL Veteran Tom Moore Joins Iowa Coaching Staff
CFB

Can Cam Cook Dominate in Return to Big 12?
CFB

ACC, Big 12 Support 24-Team College Football Playoff
CFB

Anthony Colandrea Looking to Elevate Nebraska Back to National Contention
CFB

Kwazi Gilmer Set for Big Impact at Nebraska
Justin Thomas

Trending Well Ahead of PGA Championship Despite Concerning Form
J.J. Spaun

Trending Up Ahead of PGA Championship
Adam Scott

Riding Strong Form Into PGA Championship
Patrick Reed

Looking to Make Another Run at PGA Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Looks to Build on Strong Finish at Truist Championship
Sam Burns

Must Keep Ball in Play at PGA Championship
Jordan Spieth

Looks to Complete Career Grand Slam at Aronimink
Brandt Snedeker

Not the Best Option for the PGA Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard

a Volatile Option at PGA Championship
Maverick McNealy

Seeking Better Start in Philadelphia
Harry Hall

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Aronimink
Hideki Matsuyama

Attempts to Improve Over 2025 PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler

Looks to Defend PGA Championship at Aronimink
Nicolai Hojgaard

Wants to Keep Momentum Rolling in Philadelphia
Ben Griffin

Attempting to Bounce Back After Truist Championship
CFB

Transfer Defensive Lineman Devarrick Woods Commits to Clemson
Harris English

Will Need His Putter to Thrive at Aronimink
Akshay Bhatia

Creative Flair Could Show Itself in Philadelphia
Keegan Bradley

Knows the Aronimink Golf Club Well
Si Woo Kim

Struggles at Truist Championship
Gary Woodland

Can Continue Incredible 2026 Season at PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele

In Excellent Form Heading to PGA Championship
CFB

Isaac Brown Has All-American Upside in 2026
CFB

Nyck Harbor Heading into Breakout Year?
CFB

Notre Dame, USC in Discussions to Resume Rivalry Series
CFB

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Has Eyes on ACC Title
CFB

Ahmad Hardy's Gunshot Wound Not Viewed as Career-Threatening
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