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Joe Nicely's DraftKings NFL DFS picks and lineup sleepers for the NFL playoffs Wild Card Weekend (January 2025) Main Slate. His top daily fantasy football lineups to target for DraftKings DFS contests.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! We shift gears a bit this week, as we enter the NFL playoffs. Wild Card Weekend consists of six games spread across three days, and while the info found in this article is applicable across all the different slates that DraftKings is offering, this was written with the Sat-Mon "Main Slate" in mind.
These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based on matchups, projected DK points and ownership, overall upside/talent levels, and opportunity, as well as factors such as Vegas odds, home-field advantage, and more. There are quite a few great plays available on DK for this Wild Card slate, and this article includes a couple of my favorite options for each position.
Also, be sure to check out our weekly FanDuel DFS lineup picks and lots of other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win MORE this season! Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups -- let's dominate the Wild Card Weekend slate together!
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DraftKings Quarterbacks - Wild Card DFS Picks
Jayden Daniels - WAS at TB ($7,500)
The fact that he was pulled early in last week's regular-season finale makes it a bit easier to forget that Daniels has been on an absolute tear down the stretch. Before Week 18, the dazzling rookie had logged back-to-back outings of over 35 DraftKings points and averaged 31.36 DK points in Washington's playoff push from Week 12 to 17.
Jayden Daniels is the FIRST rookie to throw for 3,500 yards and run for 800 yards in a season in NFL history 😲
His 127 rushing yards vs. Atlanta are also the most by any QB in a game in the last two seasons 👏
Different 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ba6JhSSe9i
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 30, 2024
The definition of a dual threat, Daniels finished his rookie campaign ranked second in QB rushing yards (891) and third in rushing TDs (six). It doesn't hurt that he'll line up across from the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday night, in what looks to be the weekend's most fertile matchup for DFS scoring.
Tampa allowed the fifth-most DK points to the QB position during the NFL's regular season and yielded the league's third-most rushing TDs (six) to the position in 2024.
Justin Herbert - LAC at HOU ($6,000)
There are undoubtedly some paths that lead to this Chargers vs. Texans matchup being a low-scoring slog, but there are also avenues to Herbert smashing his $6K DraftKings price tag. We've seen him willing to run the ball more in the second half of the season -- he had six games with 25+ rushing yards after Week 10 -- while remaining rock solid through the air.
Herbert enters this matchup against the Texans having passed for 280+ yards and 2+ TDs in three straight. Despite some talented players in the secondary, Houston coughed up the league's third-most passing TDs (31) during the regular season, while also allowing an eye-popping 6.67 yards per carry to opposing QBs -- a mark that was the worst in the NFL this year.
DraftKings Running Backs - Wild Card DFS Picks
Derrick Henry - PIT at BAL ($8,200)
The trifecta of price, matchup, and the presence of Saquon Barkley should keep Derrick Henry's ownership well in check on this slate, making The King somewhat of a contrarian option for Wild Card Weekend. Though the Steelers are indeed a tough draw on paper, Henry torched Pittsburgh for 189 total yards when these two teams met in Week 16.
Entering the weekend as a large home favorite and with star WR Zay Flowers ruled out, the future Hall of Famer should get all the touches he can handle in this one. His TD equity is huge, as he had a massive goal-line role in his first campaign with the Ravens. Henry finished the regular season with the NFL's second-most total TDs (18) on the league's fifth-most red-zone touches (57).
Bucky Irving - WAS at TB ($7,000)
The sensational rookie profiles as the slate's biggest no-brainer play. Except for a Week 14 outing in which he was limited by a back injury, Irving has been unleashed by the Bucs down the stretch of the regular season. He's garnered 17 or more touches in every healthy start since Week 12 and converted those opportunities into an average of 22.41 DK points per outing across those six games.
RBs with 600+ rushing yards and 200+ receiving yards over the final seven games of the season:
Jahmyr Gibbs
Bucky Irving pic.twitter.com/luymDoDuuU— StatMuse Football (@statmusefb) January 9, 2025
Irving draws a true smash spot against the Commanders. Washington has allowed the most rushing yards (1,935) and rushing TDs (16) of any team in this year's NFL playoffs.
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DraftKings Wide Receivers - Wild Card DFS Picks
Puka Nacua - MIN at LAR ($7,600)
Since missing six of the season's first seven weeks due to an injury, Nacua has energized the Rams passing attack while not missing a beat in the follow-up to his historic rookie campaign last season. After returning to the lineup in Week 8, the BYU product averaged 10.2 targets per game and logged the NFL's fourth-most receiving yards (955) across that time frame.
Puka Nacua was one of the best receivers in football this year.
He ranked 1st in total YPRR (3.56) and was the only qualified receiver to average more than 3.0. On a per-route basis, Puka was the most efficient WR in the NFL in 2024. pic.twitter.com/eRea0TG2xE
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) January 6, 2025
A volume monster, Nacua is an obvious target against Minnesota's pass-funnel defense in the Wild Card Weekend finale. While the Vikings have been one of the NFL's best run-stopping units this season, their secondary has been routinely gashed.
Opposing wide receivers torched Minnesota for the league's most DraftKings points in 2024 and Brian Flores' group relinquished the NFL's second-most receiving yards (3,115) to the position during the regular season.
DeVonta Smith - GB at PHI ($5,700)
Even though he's a former Heisman Trophy winner who has logged over 4,000 receiving yards in his four-year NFL career, Smith can sometimes be the forgotten man in this stacked Philadelphia offense.
While the presence of A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley, and company might make The Slim Reaper go overlooked occasionally, his production across the final month of the regular season serves as a nice reminder of what he's capable of.
Smith posted two outings of over 31 DraftKings points over Philly's last four games, parlaying 33 targets into 317 yards and four TDs. The talented Eagles wideout brings tournament-winning upside to the table against a slumping Packers secondary that will once again be without Jaire Alexander.
Green Bay's pass defense has slumped down the stretch, as it has allowed the NFL's second-highest catch rate (75.4%) and a chunky 8.30 yards per target to enemy receivers over the last four weeks.
DraftKings Tight Ends - Wild Card DFS Picks
Tucker Kraft - GB at PHI ($3,700)
Though a four-game touchdown drought has limited his DFS production over the past month, Kraft has arguably been the most trustworthy pass-catcher this season for a Green Bay offense that's endured a seemingly never-ending rotating cast at the wide receiver position and will be without Christian Watson this weekend.
It's inarguably been a breakout campaign for Kraft, whose 14.1 yards per reception placed him second among all NFL tight ends in 2024.
Tucker Kraft led ALL Packers in Yards After the Catch (YAC) in the regular season
1. Tucker Kraft - 456 YAC
2. Josh Jacobs - 403 YAC
3. Jayden Reed - 380 YAC
4. Christian Watson - 149 YAC
5. Dontayvion Wicks - 139 YAC pic.twitter.com/kfRL5rJCv3— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) January 7, 2025
Philadelphia presents an inarguably difficult matchup, as it has been one of the NFL's best units against the tight-end position this season. However, it's often tough to find desirable matchups for playoff DFS slates and I'm willing to bet on Kraft's talent -- and reasonable price tag -- in this spot.
Isaiah Likely - PIT at BAL ($3,200)
Likely's floor is admittedly low, but the talented young tight end possesses very real upside at a dirt cheap $3.2K price point. Baltimore's top receiver, Zay Flowers, has already been ruled out for this matchup against Pittsburgh, which will likely increase Likely's role in the Ravens passing attack.
He went to work on the Steelers defense in two regular-season meetings, totaling 104 yards and a TD on seven catches. Struggling to contain opposing tight ends has been a notable theme for Pittsburgh down the stretch. Over the last month of the regular season, the Steelers surrendered the NFL's most TDs (three) and third-most yards (280) to the tight-end position.
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