FanDuel Fantasy Football: Top Lineup Strategies for Sunday Wild Card Games

Saquon Barkley had a disappointing regular season by his standards, but RotoWire's Mike Barner explains why the playoffs could be a different story, starting Sunday against the 49ers.
FanDuel Fantasy Football: Top Lineup Strategies for Sunday Wild Card Games

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After a two-game slate Saturday, Wild Card weekend continues with three games Sunday. Let's examine the Sunday FanDuel NFL DFS slate and highlight some of the top players to consider when crafting your lineups.

The Games

Over-UnderRoad TeamRoad Team TotalHome TeamHome Team Total
51.5Bills26.5Jaguars25.5
44.549ers19.5Eagles24.5
46Chargers20.5Patriots24.5

The matchup between the Bills and Jaguars has the highest total of the slate; four of the six teams have a total of at least 24.5 points.

Value Options

Rhamondre Stevenson, NE vs. LAC ($6,300): Stevenson closed out the regular season on a high, rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins in Week 18. Amazingly, he racked up those stats with just seven rushing attempts. He also caught both of his targets for 22 yards and another touchdown. Over the final three games of the season, Stevenson had four rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores. Despite the presence of TreVeyon Henderson, Stevenson is still receiving enough work to warrant consideration at his salary.

Brandin Cooks, BUF at JAC ($5,300): With the Bills searching for options at wide receiver, they took a chance on Cooks after he was waived by the Saints. He didn't do much with his new team out of the gate, but he caught four of six targets for 101 yards against the Eagles in Week 17. He sat out Week 18 for rest, but the performance the week prior might have earned him more snaps and targets in the playoffs. No one has stepped up as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Khalil Shakir, so it's not as if Cooks is facing stiff competition. Keon Coleman, who the Bills took in the second round of the 2024 Draft, hasn't even been active for some games down the stretch.

Other Value Options

RB TreVeyon Henderson, NE vs. LAC ($6,800)
WR Khalil Shakir, BUF at JAC ($6,100)
WR Brian Thomas Jr., JAC vs. BUF ($5,900)
TE Oronde Gadsden II, LAC at NE ($5,000)

Stacks to Consider

Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers

Jalen Hurts ($8,200) threw for fewer than 190 yards in each of his final three games of the regular season, though the silver lining was that he had six touchdowns during that stretch. As underwhelming as his passing stats can be, this is a favorable spot to deploy an Eagles stack after the 49ers finished the regular season tied for the 11th-most passing touchdowns allowed in the league. They also had the fewest sacks and were tied for the second-fewest interceptions. Consider pairing Hurts with A.J. Brown ($8,400), who finished the regular season with 67 targets over his last seven games.

Going to the other side in this matchup, Brock Purdy ($7,300) and Jauan Jennings ($6,700) are worth considering in GPPs. Including his dismal performance against the Seahawks last week, Purdy has 13 touchdowns over his last four games, including four to Jennings.

High-Price Hero

Josh Allen, BUF at JAC ($8,700): This game being on the road is not ideal for Allen, as he had 27 touchdowns in Buffalo compared to 12 on the road this season. Still, he tends to thrive when the lights are the brightest. In his last 10 playoff games, he has posted at least two touchdowns in nine. Another stat working in his favor is that the Jaguars allowed five rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season.

The Smash Spot

Saquon Barkley, PHI vs. SF ($8,500): After a historic 2024 campaign, Barkley was a bit of a disappointment with "only" 1,140 rushing yards this season. He also went from 15 total touchdowns to nine. However, the veteran is well rested for the playoffs after the Eagles sat most of their key starters in Week 18. The Eagles gave him at least 25 carries in three of their four playoff games last season, and he helped lead them to a championship. With the potential of at least approach 20 rushing attempts, he could thrive against a 49ers defense that allowed an average of 25.5 points over their last four games.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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