3 Best NFL Player Props for Wild Card Weekend

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up in the betting market via the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to measuring a player's potential to produce in NFL DFS on FanDuel.

Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing our NFL projections as a guide, here are some NFL player props that look appealing for this week.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL Props and Predictions for Wild Card Weekend

Emanuel Wilson Over 16.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

One of my favorite Wild Card betting picks this week is the Green Bay Packers to beat the Chicago Bears. This prop correlates well with that bet, and I think the market might be underrating Emanuel Wilson potential workload.

For starters, the Packers' offense should be able to move the ball well on Saturday. The Bears' defense ranks 21st overall, per our schedule-adjusted metrics, including 20th versus the run. Green Bay amassed 192 and 117 rushing yards in two matchups with Chicago this year, and Jordan Love exited in the first half of one of those games.

The other part of this recommendation is that Josh Jacobs didn't look so hot to end the year while Wilson performed well. Struggling with an injury, Jacobs mustered a meager 2.4 yards per carry across his final two outings. One of those was a 12-carry, 36-yard effort at the Bears in a game where Jacobs essentially got benched in favor of Wilson, with Wilson racking up 82 rushing yards on 14 attempts.

After that game, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said Wilson's larger role was due to his performance and not any injury issues impacting Jacobs, so it seems to me that Wilson -- who has played at least 19% of the snaps in every game but one since Week 3 -- is going to be meaningfully involved this week.

Wilson averaged 29.2 rushing yards per game this campaign, and while it's possible a more healthy Jacobs -- after sitting Week 18 -- is leaned on as the clear RB1 in a win-or-go-home game, 17 yards is achievable for Wilson even if he's a distant number-two.

Josh Allen Over 38.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Throughout his career, Josh Allen has upped his rushing production in the postseason. I'm backing him to do it again in Sunday's matchup at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For his career, Allen averages 36.9 rushing yards per game. That jumps to an average of 51.4 rushing yards per game in the playoffs. Over the last two playoffs, he's played five total games, and he's run for at least 39 yards in four of the five, including outings of 72 and 74 rushing yards.

When the season is on the line, Allen is more prone to tuck it and run, and as much as any QB in the game, Allen can pick up a huge chunk on one run. This past regular season, Allen had a run of at least 10 yards in all but three games.

This clash has shootout upside, boasting a high total (51.5) -- highest of the week by 6.0 points -- and tight spread (1.5). The Buffalo Bills should have their foot on the gas all game, and given Allen's track record in the playoffs, I'm backing him to have a big day on the ground.

Hunter Henry Under 44.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Hunter Henry's receiving yards prop is set right at his season-long average of 45.2 yards per game. But this is a really difficult matchup for Henry, pushing me toward the under.

Not only are the Bolts a strong defense -- ranking 10th overall as well as 10th against the pass, according to our schedule-adjusted metrics -- they're really tough on TEs.

In the regular season, the Chargers held tight ends to the fourth-fewest receiving yards per game (42.2) as well as the fourth-fewest catches per game (4.1). Over their final two regular season games, LA limited Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson to 19 yards apiece (not counting Week 18 when the Chargers sat a lot of key players).

Henry had a nice year (768 yards) and is the number-two option for Drake Maye, but that resulted in only 5.1 targets per game for a New England Patriots squad that had the seventh-lowest pass rate.

Henry closed out the year averaging 39.5 yards per game over his last four outings. In two meetings with Buffalo -- a defense that gave up the fewest yards per game to the TE position (29.6) -- Henry was held to 32.0 yards per contest.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.