Fantasy Football: Eagles stack, Jayden Reed among favorite DFS lineup picks for NFL wild-card weekend
Season-long fantasy football is over but that doesn't mean you can't still play. Yahoo offers daily fantasy football for the playoffs, starting with the wild-card round this weekend and Monday night. There are options for the full six-game slate along with contests for individual days and single-game matchups. Yahoo fantasy analyst Joel Smyth goes over some of his favorite picks in the video above for DFS contests, which you can join here. Let's quickly recap Joel's picks and offer a few additional options to consider when filling out your lineup.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles ($32)Smyth likes Hurts stacked with WR A.J. Brown ($26) in his DFS lineups with the defending champs at home taking on the 49ers on Sunday. During the regular season, San Francisco allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game at 232.4. Brown posted double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games during the regular season. Hurts has dual-threat appeal with 421 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs this season.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars ($27)The Jaguars take on the Bills at home in the wild-card round. Buffalo was one of the better matchups for opposing running backs during the season, allowing 136.2 per game, fifth-most in the league. Etienne has a great fantasy floor and makes for a good play after registering 12 games of double-digit fantasy points during the regular season.
Jayden Reed, WR, Packers ($12)Smyth offers up Reed as a cheap lineup option as the Packers take on the Bears on the road on Saturday night. Reed missed most of the season due to a broken collarbone. Reed returned in December and had at least three catches in each game he was active for to end the season. Expect the speedy receiver to be involved early and often in a matchup against a generous Bears defense, which gave up the second most fantasy points to WRs during the regular season.
George Kittle, TE, 49ers ($20)Kittle is the highest-priced tight end on the slate - and Smyth also likes Bears TE Colston Loveland ($19) a bit - but it's hard to ignore the Niners' top receiving option with such a small difference in salary. Kittle creates a natural run-back with the Eagles stack above. If there are points in SF-PHI, this will give you a good piece of the pie. Kittle ended the season on a high note with at least 18 fantasy points in two of his final three games.
Bonus picksKenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers ($23)Despite the matchup against the top-ranked defense in the NFL, Gainwell is a good mid-range/value option for DFS. He finished the season with double-digit fantasy points in six of eight games, thanks to his receiving role for Pittsburgh. With Aaron Rodgers expected to be under pressure from the Texans' front line, expect plenty of dump-offs to Gainwell, which will give him a solid floor.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars ($17)Before you write this pick off, hear us out. BTJ is still playing plenty of snaps for the Jaguars. So while he hasn't been productive, he'll still be running routes against the Bills, a game that has the highest projected total at 51.5 points. The main reason to play Thomas in your lineup is leverage; most DFS players will be targeting other Jacksonville pass-catchers like Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange. He's the cheapest of those three Jags' receivers and will likely be the least rostered of the bunch. All it takes is one big play and BTJ could bring you home.