Commanders at Buccaneers Single-Game NFL DFS Picks for Wild Card Weekend

On Sunday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs.

The postseason is a fun time to play single-game NFL DFS on FanDuel.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and FanDuel Research has NFL DFS projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Commanders at Buccaneers NFL DFS Picks

MVP Candidates

As is the case with most single-game slates, the QBs are the best MVP plays. Jayden Daniels ($15,500) has the edge over Baker Mayfield ($15,000) for me, and our NFL DFS projections agree, forecasting Daniels for 21.2 FanDuel points and Baker for 19.2.

Daniels averaged 52.4 rushing yards per game this season, which gives him a massive ceiling in DFS. He played the Bucs in Week 1 and ran for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first career game. Tampa Bay's defense ranks a middling 17th overall and 22nd against the pass, according to numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, and Daniels can go off in what should be a fantasy-friendly environment (50.5-point total and 3.0-point spread).

Mayfield is plenty viable at MVP, too. He tossed a career-best 41 touchdowns this season and took a huge step forward as a runner, averaging 22.2 rushing yards per game. His previous career high was 10.3. Mayfield also gets a nice matchup as Washington sits 25th in overall defense. He has -168 odds to throw over 1.5 touchdowns.

We don't have to limit ourselves to the quarterbacks, though, as Bucky Irving ($13,000) is a solid MVP option. The rookie back had a big season and ended up as the Bucs' clear RB1, playing 72% of the snaps in Week 18. He's racked up touch counts of 24, 21 and 19 over the past three games, and Irving's receiving ability ensures that he'll be involved in any game script. We project him for 16.0 FanDuel points, and his rushing plus receiving yards prop is way up at 113.5 yards. He also owns -145 touchdown odds.

Flex Targets

Both sides have a clear-cut top wideout who could work as a contrarian MVP pick but likely fits best in a flex spot.

For Tampa Bay, Mike Evans ($14,000) has averaged 10.5 targets per game over the last four contests, and he has the slate's highest receiving yards prop by a wide margin coming in at 76.5 yards. With consistent volume and big-play ability, Evans is a quality fantasy play even if he'll probably see a lot of old buddy Marshon Lattimore. We project him for 14.8 FanDuel points.

Terry McLaurin ($13,500) is the top pass-catcher on the Washington side. McLaurin's receiving yards prop is just 59.5 yards, a big drop from Evans' prop. But while the floor is worse than Evans', McLaurin's upside is legit, and that's all we really care about in single-game DFS. McLaurin has posted at least 21.0 FanDuel points in three of his last six games, and he can cook against a struggling Bucs pass defense. A Terry-Daniels stack is super appealing.

On the Tampa Bay side, Jalen McMillan ($11,000) has really come on down the stretch. He's notched seven touchdowns over his past five games, and if Lattimore has success versus Evans, it could push more targets to McMillan. His receiving yards prop of 53.5 isn't far from McLaurin's, so McMillan is a strong play at this salary.

Cade Otton ($9,500) practiced fully on Thursday and should be back. Sterling Shepard ($7,000) is on the dart-throw radar, and Rachaad White ($8,000) isn't a bad value play as primarily a pass-catching RB now.

With the Commanders, the backfield feels a little messy as Austin Ekeler ($8,000) is back healthy alongside Brian Robinson ($11,500). Robinson (+160) has much shorter TD odds than Ekeler does (+250), but at their salaries, Ekeler is the back I'd rather play. His rushing plus receiving yards prop is a decent 44.5, and he'd benefit from Washington getting into a hole and having to air it out. With that said, if the masses are going to turn to Ekeler as a value play, Robinson could end up being a fun pivot.

Olamide Zaccheaus ($9,500) and Zach Ertz ($10,000) have been busy of late. Zaccheaus has at least five targets in three straight. Ertz has very little big-play upside but is a threat in the red zone, scoring three times over the past two outings.

In a game with a 50.5-point total, it's not likely that a kicker or D/ST cracks the perfect lineup, so I'm not all that interested in Chase McLaughlin ($9,000) or Zane Gonzalez ($9,000).

You can also check out our latest 2024-25 NFL Playoffs printable bracket.

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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.