Wildcard Weekend produced some big games from some of the NFL’s best players, but it also produced some duds. Standard leagues may have ended, but the itch for fantasy football has not. Many of us fantasy fiends scratch that itch with Daily Fantasy. I’ve included the Boom and Bust fantasy players from Wildcard Weekend below.
Boom
Derrick Henry BAL RB 30.6 Points
Derrick Henry finished as RB1 in Wildcard Weekend, even against the once-vaunted Steelers defense. You would never know that it was the 18th game of the season for the veteran back, who carried the ball 26 times. He gashed the Steelers for 186 yards and 2 TDs on his way to a 28-14 victory.
The Ravens will play the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff game – the team Henry rushed for a season-high 199 yards against. Henry will come at a high cost for daily fantasy, but he’s a must-play next week.
Dyami Brown WR WAS 17.4 Points
Dyami Brown may not be a household name, but this type of player is needed to fill out a daily fantasy roster. Brown was second on the team in targets, behind only Terry McLaurin. He caught all 5 of his targets for 89 yards and a TD.
He may have earned more looks as the Commanders are headed to Detroit where they may be playing from behind quite a bit. Brown could be a valuable play again in the divisional round.
Texans Defense 24 Points
The Houston defense has shown flashes of dominance this season, but none greater than their playoff performance against the Chargers and Justin Herbert.
Herbert had only thrown 3 interceptions all season but was intercepted 4 times in Houston on Saturday. This would mark the 4th game this season that the Texans defense has forced 4 or more turnovers.
Tack on 4 sacks and a TD for the defense and you have a dominating 24-point performance.
Bust
A.J. Brown PHI WR 1.5 Points
We knew that Saquon Barkley would be the focal point of the Eagles offense in the playoffs, but not to the tune of one reception for A.J. Brown. He was targeted only 3 times, which forced the 2nd Team All-Pro to resort to reading to pass the time..
Being so relaxed during the playoffs isn’t such a bad thing, but as the competition gets stiffer, I would think AJ Brown should get more involved and be worth rostering in DFS next week.
Mark Andrews BAL TE 4.2 Points
Andrews started the season off slow, causing many to lose faith in the talented tight end. He came back around though, scoring 11 TDs in the last 12 games of the season.
Unfortunately for DFS players, he was a complete non-factor during Wildcard Weekend. Andrews caught 2 passes for 27 yards and added 5 yards on a nifty QB sneak where the tight end snuck under center.
Andrews failed to record a catch in the Ravens’ first meeting against the Bills. It’s doubtful that will happen again, but he will most likely be used primarily to block for Derrick Henry.
Justin Jefferson MIN WR 8.3 Points
The Minnesota Vikings offense as a whole was a disappointment in the Wildcard round, scoring just 7 points after finishing 9th in the NFL in scoring during the regular season at 25.4 points per game. No individual player disappointed more than their best player.
Justin Jefferson was targeted 8 times but only caught 5 of them for 58 yards. In a week where Nico Collins, Mike Evans, Ladd McConkey, and Terry McLaurin came up huge for their teams, JJ did nothing but disappoint.
In the argument for best wide receiver in the league, Jefferson will certainly be a first-round pick in 2025 redraft leagues – no matter who is playing QB.
All points totals are via FanDuel Fantasy.