FanDuel NFL DFS Picks: Wild Card Weekend Saturday Main Slate

It is officially Wild Card Weekend in the NFL, and we'll see four AFC teams duke it out on Saturday. The Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans will kick things off before the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers face each other for the third time this season.

Using our NFL DFS projections as a guide, let's take a look at some of the best daily fantasy football plays at each position -- accounting for salary -- on the Wild Card Weekend Saturday main slate.

Slate Overview

Here is a snapshot of each team's outlook, including opponent, implied team total, over/under, and spread based on the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $8,700
Matchup: vs. PIT

While some could be wary of playing Lamar Jackson against the Steelers in a playoff setting, he leads all QBs on the slate in FanDuel points (FDPs) per game (26.1) by a wide margin, and he produced 21.5 FDPs versus Pittsburgh in a blowout win just a few weeks ago. No other QB on the slate comes close to possessing the upside that Jackson does as he's tallied multiple passing TDs in 10 of his last 11 starts while he's rushed for 63-plus yards in four of his last five.

Justin Herbert, Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $7,500
Matchup: at HOU

I'm not going to overcomplicate things, so I'll be rostering the two highest-salaried QBs on the slate, with Justin Herbert facing a Texans defense that is allowing the 12th-most FDPs per game to QBs (18.2). Herbert finished the regular season strong, posting 23-plus FDPs in each of his last three starts, and the Chargers have the second-highest implied total (22.5) on the slate.

Running Backs

Derrick Henry, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $9,800
Matchup: vs. PIT

The Ravens boast the highest implied total (26.5) on the slate, and this is the time of year where tackling Derrick Henry becomes even less fun for defenders as he's tallied 22-plus FDPs in three straight appearances -- including 22.9 FDPs against Pittsburgh in Week 16. Our projections have Henry forecasted for the most rushing attempts (19.9), rushing yards (95.2), rushing TDs (0.8), and FDPs (16.5) among RBs on the Saturday main slate.

J.K. Dobbins, Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $7,100
Matchup: at HOU

Even if Gus Edwards returns for the Chargers following a two-game absence, J.K. Dobbins reverted back to being the featured rusher for LA in the final two weeks of the regular season, averaging a solid 22.5 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) per game, 79 scrimmage yards per game, and a 54.5% red-zone rushing share, via NextGenStats. While Edwards could unfortunately steal some goal-line touches, Dobbins figures to have a decent-sized role in a win-or-go-home game.

Jaylen Warren, Steelers

FanDuel Salary: $5,600
Matchup: at BAL

At the moment, the Steelers are nearly double-digit underdogs on the road to the Ravens, which makes Jaylen Warren more enticing than Najee Harris in a potential negative game script. When Pittsburgh lost 34-17 to Baltimore in Week 16, Warren notched a modest 11.7 FDPs, and the Ravens surrender the 11th-most receptions (80), 4th-most receiving yards (674), and 12th-most yards per route run (1.20) to RBs.

Wide Receivers

Nico Collins, Texans

FanDuel Salary: $8,600
Matchup: vs. LAC

Despite the Texans carrying the second-lowest implied total (20.0) of the slate, Nico Collins is the only wideout on the Texans we can place confidence in ahead of Saturday's bout. Across the 12 games he was healthy in, Collins led Houston in target share (24.8%), air yards share (36.6%), and yards per route run (3.04) while Los Angeles is coughing up the fifth-most FDPs per target (1.54) to WRs.

Ladd McConkey, Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $7,500
Matchup: at HOU

Ladd McConkey has logged 11-plus FDPs in each of his last seven contests, and he's registering team-best marks in target share (25.2%), downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game (3.9), and yards per route run (2.93) during that span. Aside from the Texans ceding the 11th-most FDPs per game to WRs (28.4), they are allowing the 9th-highest target rate (20.5%) and 3rd-most receiving TDs (21) to the position.

George Pickens, Steelers

FanDuel Salary: $6,900
Matchup: at BAL

It's safe to say George Pickens didn't have a stellar finish to the regular season, scoring fewer than seven FDPs in three of his last four outings -- including 0.5 FDPs in Week 18 versus the Cincinnati Bengals. While Baltimore's defense has made vast improvements in the latter part of the year, the Steelers are expected to be playing from behind in this game, and Pickens has 6-plus targets in 12 of his 14 appearances.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $6,000
Matchup: vs. PIT

With Zay Flowers being ruled out for the Ravens, Rashod Bateman becomes the No. 1 WR for Baltimore. Along with the Ravens potentially needing to replace Flowers' team-high 25.4% target share and 29.7% air yards share, Bateman has the highest average depth of target (14.7 yards) and second-highest end-zone target share (23.1%) with at least one TD in five of his last seven games.

Tight Ends

Mark Andrews, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $6,200
Matchup: vs. PIT

Speaking of TDs, Mark Andrews can't stop finding the end zone as the veteran TE has hauled in at least one receiving score in 10 of his last 12 contests -- including 6 straight. Since scoring his first TD of the season in Week 6, Andrews is recording the second-highest target share (17.6%), highest red-zone target share (33.3%), highest end-zone target share (31.0%), and second-most yards per route run (2.43) on the Ravens during that sample.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

FanDuel Salary: $5,400
Matchup:

Among the Steelers' skill players who saw 50% or more of the offensive snaps in the final seven weeks, Pat Freiermuth led the team in target share (21.3%), red-zone target share (30.4%), and yards per route run (2.01) during that span. Baltimore's defense is permitting the 9th-most receiving yards (963), 4th-highest catch rate over expected (+4.1%), and 13th-most FDPs per game (10.2) to TEs.

Will Dissly, Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $5,000
Matchup: at HOU

After dealing with an injury down the stretch, Will Dissly ended the regular season on a high note by corralling 5 of his 6 targets for 42 yards and a TD en route to 12.7 FDPs. With most TEs being TD-dependent, Dissly gets to face a Texans defense that is giving up the fifth-most end-zone receptions (6), second-highest end-zone catch rate (85.7%), and seventh-most receiving TDs (8) to the TE position.

Defenses

Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $4,800
Matchup: vs. PIT

Baltimore's defense produced 14-plus FDPs in each of their final three games in the regular season -- which includes a meeting versus Pittsburgh -- and the Ravens are massive favorites at home. If the Ravens jump out to an early lead and force the Steelers to drop back consistently, then I don't hate the idea of stacking Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Baltimore's defense together.

Los Angeles Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $4,200
Matchup: at HOU

The offense of the Texans has been a mess for the majority of the season with C.J. Stroud being sacked the second-most times (52) among starting QBs. Our projections currently have LA's D/ST as the best point-per-dollar play (1.9x value) among defenses on the Saturday main slate.

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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.