NFL Wild Card Weekend Expert Betting Picks and Predictions

Each week throughout the NFL season, the staff here at FanDuel Research will bring you their three favorite bets on the board -- one side, one total, and one player prop. They'll share some insight into one of the picks to provide you with reasoning as to why they're on that bet. With the arrival of the playoffs, it's time for them to give their postseason picks for Wild Card Weekend.

All odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Note: Betting lines and numberFire's player projections may change after this article is published.

NFL Expert Picks for Wild Card Weekend

Jim Sannes, Digital Media Managing Editor

Side: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (-110)

I think the Bucs would be live at +3 even if the Eagles' offense were fully healthy. That's how bad the Eagles' defense is. But when you add in the injuries to Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown, I think this becomes a legit value. Baker Mayfield is banged up, too, but the plus side is that it's not to his throwing hand, and his receivers are good to go. There's potential for this line to move quite a bit as injury news trickles in before Monday, but I don't think we get a 3.5 here even if we get good injury news on the Eagles.

Total: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills Over 34.5 (-110)

Player Prop: Isiah Pacheco Over 86.5 Rushing and Receiving Yards (-114)

Austin Swaim, Senior Editor

Side: Houston Texans +2.5 (-115)

The most shocking development of this weekend's games, to me, is that over 75% of the tickets and handle at FanDuel Sportsbook are on the Browns as a road favorite. Using numberFire's Net Expected Points (NEP) as a guide, the Browns still have had the 10th-worst offense in the NFL since Joe Flacco took over (-0.02 Offensive NEP per play), and their mighty defense has allowed 0.04 Offensive NEP per play on the road compared to a superb -0.17 at home. This line feels like an overreaction to a game in December without C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Houston is ahead of schedule, but I'll take them to win outright at home here.

Total: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills Over 34.5 (-110)

Player Prop: Tony Pollard Over 81.5 Rushing and Receiving Yards (-114)

Austan Kas, Senior Editor

Side: Los Angeles Rams +3.0 (-104)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Tua Tagovailoa to Throw an Interception (-118)

Tua Tagovailoa has a lot of things working against him this weekend. He's on the road and is facing a top-notch pass defense (third-best by numberFire's metrics) in what's expected to be brutal weather conditions (windy and extremely cold). Plus, there's a chance Jaylen Waddle isn't 100% healthy. Tua played quality defenses in each of the last two games (Ravens and Bills) and tossed a pair of picks in each contest. I like him to throw another one on Saturday night.

Tom Vecchio, Editor

Side: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (-110)

Total: Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions Under 51.5 (-110)

Player Prop: Aaron Jones Under 71.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

As 7.0-point road underdogs, the Packers are likely going to be pushed into a passing game script if they are playing from behind. This will put them in a spot where the rushing game takes a backseat and leads to under 71.5 rushing yards for Jones. The Cowboys' defense allowed 112.4 rushing yards per game, which was 17th in the league. While it's a middle-of-the-road matchup, they may not get to attack that if they are playing from behind. Given the projected game script, the Packers won't have the opportunity to feed the ball to Jones and pile up the yards.

Kenyatta Storin, Editor

Side: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (-110)

Things have gotten so bad for the Eagles that they enter Wild Card Weekend as the worst playoff team in our power rankings. Losers of five of their last six games, Philadelphia finished the year 17th in the rankings, whereas Tampa Bay wrapped things up in 11th. Throw in that the Eagles' offense is banged up, and nearly everything is lining up for the Bucs to pull off the upset. The health of Baker Mayfield remains a potential issue for Tampa, but going up against numberFire's 29th-ranked adjusted defense will surely help.

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Jaylen Warren Over 18.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Aidan Cotter, Writer

Side: Los Angeles Rams +3 (-104)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Isaiah Pacheco Over 15.5 Rush Attempts (-114)

With sub-zero temperatures and high winds expected in Kansas City on Saturday night, I'm expecting the Chiefs to feed Isaiah Pacheco early and often. The second-year back enjoyed a breakout regular season and was often featured heavily on the ground. He really took off over the second half, averaging 16.2 carries in five games after their bye week. He'll benefit from Kansas City being a 4.5-point favorite but could exceed this mark regardless of game script.

Zack Bussiere, Writer

Side: Houston Texans +2.5 (-115)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Rachaad White Over 91.5 Rushing and Recieving Yards (-114)

White has been the focal point of the Buccaneers' offense for most of the season. Playing at home, against a vulnerable Eagles' defense, I expect him to have success. The Eagles' defense ranks 28th against the run and 25th against the pass, for an overall ranking of 29th, per numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics. White's role is a high-volume one in both the run and pass game -- over the past five weeks he is averaging 19.2 carries and 3.6 receptions per game. numberFire's models project White for 95.6 total yards in this contest, slightly above his line of 91.5. With their season on the line, I expect Tampa to continue to feature White on Monday night.

Gabriel Santiago, Writer

Side: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (-110)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Jared Goff Over 258.5 Passing Yards (-114)

Wily vet Jared Goff should have all the motivation he needs to take on the team that drafted (first overall) and traded him. Also, since this game is indoors at Ford Field, a passing prop could be advantageous. Goff's yardage total of 258.5 is quite approachable, so let's lean in on the UC Berkeley alum to go over his mark. Eight seasons into his NFL career, Goff has continued to shine. His current completion clip of 67.3% is his best ever. From there, Goff's 4,575 passing yards landed him in the league's top three. Through 17 contests, Goff averaged a stellar 269.1 passing yards per game (YPG). In bids at home, that clip is elevated to 280.0 YPG.

Annie Nader, Writer

Side: Green Bay Packers +7.0 (-110)

Total: Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Over 43.5 (-115)

Player Prop: David Njoku Over 56.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Since Joe Flacco arrived to the Cleveland Browns, David Njoku is averaging 78.0 receiving yards per game. In this five-game span, Njoku has a 22.5% target share (second-highest on the team) and received the third-most downfield targets (2.2) among all tight ends in the NFL. He’s got a nice matchup, too. The Texans have surrendered 1,024 receiving yards to tight ends this season, good for the fifth-most in the league.

Nick Vazquez, Writer

Side: Los Angeles Rams +3 (-104)

Total: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills Over 34.5 (-110)

Player Prop: Mason Rudolph to Throw an Interception (-102)

This is the spot for Mason Rudolph to turn back into the career backup that he has always been throughout his career. He didn't throw an interception in 2023 but had a career 2.9% interception rate before this season. Now with the weather being a huge concern and the Steelers likely trailing in this game, it's easy to see Rudolph throwing a pick this game. He'll be facing a Buffalo defense that had 18 interceptions this season, tied for the second-most in the NFL.

Riley Thomas, Writer

Side: Greem Bay Packers +7 (-110)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Cooper Kupp Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+100)

Cooper Kupp posted only five touchdowns during the regular season, but he could be poised to score six in the Wild Card matchup against the Lions. Detroit has numberFire’s fourth-worst pass defense and has given up an average of 351.7 passing yards and 2.0 passing touchdowns over their last three games. Matthew Stafford is hitting his stride at the right time with 0.13 expected points added per dropback (EPA/DB) while totaling 2.5 passing touchdowns per contest from Week 12 to Week 17 (he rested in Week 18). From Week 12 to Week 17, Kupp led the team with a 35.9% red zone target share. After scoring a touchdown in four of his last five games, Kupp is a promising anytime touchdown bet.

Skyler Carlin, Writer

Side: Los Angeles Rams +3 (-104)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: Joe Flacco Over 1.5 Passing TDs (-102)

Joe Flacco has made the Cleveland Browns a dangerous team entering the playoffs and Kevin Stefanski trusts him plenty to orchestrate the offense. The veteran quarterback has now made five starts for the Browns, logging at least 42 passing attempts in four of those starts. In all five of his starts, Flacco has thrown for two-plus touchdowns, including three touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 16. The Texans are a pass-funneling defense as they are 20th in schedule-adjusted pass defense and second in schedule-adjusted run defense, per numberFire's metrics. With the Browns leaning on Flacco's arm, there is solid value in taking him to toss multiple touchdowns on Saturday.

Scott Edwards, Writer

Side: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 (-110)

Total: Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs Under 44 (-115)

Player Prop: David Njoku Over 5.5 Receptions (-108)

Little did anyone know that when Joe Flacco took over the job for the Browns, Cleveland's offense would not only have new breath, but David Njoku would become one of the best receiving options in the league. Over his last four games, Njoku has totaled 6 or more receptions and either a touchdown or 100 receiving yards. Out of all those stats to bet on, I'm going to roll with the receptions. Throughout the season, the Texans are allowing 6.29 receptions to opposing tight ends on a per game basis. And after being burned by Browns wideout Amari Cooper for 265 yards a few weeks ago, Houston is going to make him the focus defensively. If that does indeed become a reality, it should make Njoku the prime target for Flacco and the offense.

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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.