NFL Wild Card Weekend Player Props and Fantasy Picks
Playoff football is back with Wild Card Weekend and the quest for the Lombardi Trophy seems more open than it has in years.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been slayed, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are out and there’s really no significant Super Bowl contender.
You’re really taking a shot in the dark this year more than others when it comes to making a Super Bowl pick, so I’m narrowing my focus to individual players, starting with Wild Card Weekend.
Here’s my top player props and fantasy picks for Wild Card Weekend.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of NFL game odds, NFL futures and NFL specials and props.
Puka Nacua anytime TD
The L.A. Rams are heavy favourites as they hit the road to face the Carolina Panthers on Saturday and Puka Nacua is a big reason. He’s an easy pick for me to haul in an anytime touchdown from MVP-favourite Matthew Stafford.
Nacua has cashed six touchdowns over his last five games and he’s averaging just under nine catches per game in that stretch. A lot of that production has to do with Davante Adams missing time because of a hamstring injury and although Adams is expected to play this week, he won’t be at 100 per cent, so Nacua should still receive the majority of targets.
Jordan Love Over 238.5 total yards
The headliner for this weekend’s games is easily the storied rivalry of Packers vs. Bears. Green Bay is clearly the better team and I’ll take what little playoff experience Jordan Love has over Caleb Williams’ complete lack of postseason football.
Love hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against the Bears a few weeks ago, but by all reports he’s healthy now, so he’ll also be rested. I think Love will feast against a Chicago defence that allows the fifth-most passing yards per play and the fourth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks.
Jakobi Meyers Over 4.5 receptions
Jakobi Meyers has been an instant fit since his trade from Las Vegas to Jacksonville in early November. In fact, he’s been such a hit, he signed a three-year, $60M extension just before Christmas.
Meyers is averaging 4.8 receptions per game with the Jags, with a 24 per cent target share since Week 12. I’m also banking on this game being a shootout against Josh Allen and the Bills, so Jacksonville will need to Trevor Lawrence and the passing attack to stay in this thing.
Jalen Hurts Over 29.5 passing attempts
Jalen Hurts is averaging just over 28 passing attempts per game this season, but I’ve got him pegged for 30+ against San Francisco. Hurts has hit that number seven times this season, but more importantly, he’s done it in closer games, which I’m expecting on Sunday.
Hurts has also noticeably shifted to more of a passing quarterback rather than a running quarterback this season and I don’t expect that to change against a Niners defence that is much worse against passing attacks than they are against rushing attacks.
