Fantasy Football 2021: Daily Fantasy Advice for Wild-Card Games

The new NFL Wild Card Weekend format should be a welcome sight for daily fantasy football players.

There are now three games to choose from to put together lineups Saturday and Sunday, which means if one matchup is not favorable, you can avoid it and focus on the two other games that day.

That scenario comes into play more Saturday than it does Sunday since there is uncertainty hovering around the NFC West rematch between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

With Jared Goff's status still unknown and both teams possessing strong defenses, it may be wise to pick most of your lineup from the other two contests.

Sunday could be more of an offensive free-for-all with DFS studs Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara and Nick Chubb all playing.

The most difficult decision for DFS players on Wild Card Weekend could be which running backs to pair together on Sunday from a list of five high point producers.

Shy Away from Rams-Seahawks

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Goff is listed as questionable for the middle game on Saturday's three-game slate.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback told reporters on Thursday that he "feels good" after he underwent surgery on his right thumb, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry.

Even if Goff is healthy, the Rams could struggle to move the ball against a Seahawks defense that held them to nine points in Week 16.

The two regular-season meetings between the NFC West rivals were low-scoring affairs, as neither matchup reached 40 total points.

If the defenses continue to thrive in the Rams-Seahawks series, there will not a ton of high DFS production from the contest.

The potential for a low-scoring affair could take some luster off from Chris Carson and DK Metcalf, and Goff's injury could affect high yardage totals for Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp.

With Josh Allen and Tom Brady playing on Saturday, they should be trusted more at quarterback, as well as their respective offensive weapons, like Stefon Diggs, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski.

At running back, Jonathan Taylor, who plays Buffalo in Saturday's opener, could be a better option than Chris Carson or the Rams conglomerate of backs. He has at least 74 rushing yards in each of his last six games.

With plenty of better options in Saturday's other two games, the players in the Rams-Seahawks matchup should be used on a minimal basis.

Use Nick Chubb as the Anchor of Sunday's Lineup

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A case could be made for Chubb, Henry, Kamara, David Montgomery or J.K. Dobbins to be the focal point of your Sunday lineup.

With so many high-profile running backs playing Sunday, it makes sense to anchor your lineup with at least one of them.

While Dobbins and Henry could be popular options in their head-to-head matchup, Chubb may be the best of the five to lead your lineup to success.

Chubb averaged over three yards per carry in each of his five games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he is coming off a 108-yard performance in Week 17.

Although that total came against some of Pittsburgh's second-string players, it may help with the third-year running back's confidence heading into the Cleveland Browns' first playoff game since 2002.

Cleveland totaled over 100 rushing yards in 13 of its 16 games. Two of those low totals were recorded with Chubb out of the lineup in Week 6 and 7.

In all but one appearance this season, Chubb had 10 or more carries. He also had multiple receptions in four of his previous six contests.

If Cleveland relies on Chubb to set the offensive pace and keep the ball away from the Pittsburgh offense, he could be used at a higher volume and end up as one of the top DFS point-earners on Sunday.

Most importantly, Chubb has been a reliable contributor in the red zone. He enters Sunday on a six-game touchdown streak.

The other running backs on Sunday's wild-card slate could have red-zone touches taken away from them. New Orleans may use a mix of Taysom Hill and Latavius Murray over Kamara, and Dobbins could have scoring opportunities taken away if Jackson keeps the ball or if Gus Edwards is called upon inside the 20-yard-line.

Henry scored once against Baltimore in Week 11 and was kept out of the end zone twice in the last five games, and Montgomery faces a New Orleans defense that has allowed 11 rushing touchdowns.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.

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