Daily Fantasy Football: Best FanDuel, DraftKings 2015 Wild-Card Lineup Advice

Admit it, watching football isn't as fun without any fantasy rooting interests.

It's one thing for fans of teams vying for a Super Bowl bid, but anyone in Cleveland isn't thrilled to view the rest of the AFC North competing this weekend. Yet with the regular season over, football enthusiasts have no choice but to sit back, relax and appreciate postseason football at its finest.

Just kidding. Fill out a daily lineup to spice up Wild Card Weekend. This way, you don't have to worry about the games' outcomes ruining your fantasy postseason.

FanDuel

Position	Player	Opponent	Price
QB	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	vs. BAL	$8,500
RB	Jeremy Hill, CIN	at IND	$7,400
RB	Justin Forsett, BAL	at PIT	$7,000
WR	Antonio Brown, PIT	vs. BAL	$9,200
WR	Torrey Smith, BAL	at PIT	$7,100
WR	Martavis Bryant, PIT	vs. BAL	$5,600
TE	Heath Miller, PIT	vs. BAL	$5,000
K	Adam Vinatieri, IND	vs. CIN	$4,900
D/ST	Carolina Panthers	vs. ARI	$5,300

With so few games pervading the weekend's player pool, it makes sense to stack up on one offense. This lineup goes all in on the Pittsburgh Steelers passing attack.

The Baltimore Ravens struggled to stop the pass all year, surrendering 248.7 yards per contest through the air. Meanwhile, the Steelers ditched their ground-and-pound approach for a faster, high-octane system that led Ben Roethlisberger to a career-high 4,952 passing yards.

When he last faced his AFC North foe, he accrued 340 yards and six touchdowns. It's probably not worth mentioning Antonio Brown's 11 catches, 144 yards and score, because the consistent monster delivered at least five receptions with more than 70 yards in every game this season.

Only Odell Beckham Jr., who many managers stole off the waiver wire, was owned on more ESPN.com championship squads than Brown.

NFL's reception leader is well worth the money this weekend. To afford him, go bargain shopping on teammate Martavis Bryant, who scored two touchdowns during that Baltimore beating.

With only 26 catches through 10 games, the rookie is far more volatile, but he also tallied eight touchdowns during that stretch. The upside is certainly there for him to single-handedly win some contests.

If that wasn't enough to whet gamers' appetites, the Steelers will have to pass more than usual with Le'Veon Bell hurting. While the star running back noted some improvement in his hyper-extended right knee, he also exuded caution to NFL.com's Aditi Kinkhabwala.

Chances are even an active Bell would function at far below 100 percent, so it wouldn't behoove Mike Tomlin to push his 22-year-old phenom against Baltimore's No. 4 rushing defense.

That doesn't mean Baltimore won't put up any fantasy points on the other side. Despite a knee injury dampening his availability for two games, Torrey Smith has registered 10 touchdowns in his final 11 games, usurping Steve Smith Sr. for the team's top billing at wideout.

Pittsburgh allows 4.4 yards per carry, and Justin Forsett leads all qualified running backs with 5.4 yards per run. Sounds good.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

After going back and forth between Heath Miller and Owen Daniels—both cost $5,000—Miller gets the upper hand for his higher floor. Who would have thought a Pittsburgh-Baltimore matchup would ever feature the best fantasy options?

This is a rare recommendation, but pay up at defense and kicker. While Adam Vinatieri amounted more to having enough cash left over, the Carolina Panthers defense is absolutely worth the investment. It allowed 10.8 points per game during December's four-game winning streak, and the Arizona Cardinals have mustered a mere 13 points a contest during that same stretch.

Without the luxury of streaming whichever team faces the Jacksonville Jaguars, pay up for the top defense that's afforded the premier matchup.

DraftKings

Position	Player	Opponent	Price
QB	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	vs. BAL	$7,300
RB	Jeremy Hill, CIN	at IND	$6,200
RB	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	vs. ARI	$5,300
WR	Antonio Brown, PIT	vs. BAL	$8,900
WR	Golden Tate, DET	at DAL	$5,500
WR	Markus Wheaton, PIT	vs. BAL	$3,100
TE	Greg Olsen, CAR	vs. ARI	$5,500
FLEX	Daniel Herron, IND	vs. CIN	$4,700
D/ST	Carolina Panthers	vs. ARI	$5,300

Big Ben and Brown remain essential targets on DraftKings, but a different teammate comes along for the ride. Since DraftKings awards a full point per reception rather than FanDuel's 0.5 allotment, Markus Wheaton gets the nod over Bryant. 

In two games against Baltimore, Wheaton posted seven catches on a dozen targets for 100 yards and a touchdown. At this microscopic price tag, a five-catch, 50-yard day is enough to justify the investment.

Saving on Wheaton opens up money at tight end, where Greg Olsen is the week's clear No. 1 choice. The Cardinals allow the fourth-most opposing points to tight ends under DraftKings scoring, and Cam Newton looked his way 122 times all year.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

He soured down the stretch, amassing three catches for 48 yards in the last two matchups, but the season's full picture still depicts him as a heavily-utilized option. With Kelvin Benjamin occasionally lined up against Patrick Peterson, Newton won't forget about his safety net this weekend.

Don't let Arizona's No. 13 rushing defense scare you away from Jonathan Stewart. Formerly a top-five unit, it surrendered 473 rushing yards during the season's final two games. Despite a quiet Week 17, Stewart averaged 108.8 total yards through the final five tilts.

The only concern lies in the returning DeAngelo Williams taking away touches. According to the team's Twitter account, he'll likely play for the first time since Nov. 30.

Nevertheless, Stewart earned a prominent role in Williams' absence, so he remains a fine No. 2 running back to Jeremy Hill, now the Cincinnati Bengals' unquestioned starting running back. Receiving 70 carries during the final three weeks, the second-year pro generated 395 rushing yards and three scores.

The Indianapolis Colts are on the hook for 4.3 opposing yards per rush, so expect Cincinnati to lean heavily on Hill to overcome its postseason struggles. 

Since Ahmad Bradshaw went down for the season, Daniel Herron is averaging 73.5 total yards and three receptions per game. Given a shallow pool of choices, that will serve well enough as a flex play. Also joining the fray due to his PPR prowess, the 99-catch Golden Tate is a valuable option against the Dallas Cowboys' No. 26 passing defense.

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