Studs and Duds: Wild Card Weekend
Tue Jan 17 8:39am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
Prescott comes up big in playoffs
Most of the games were actually pretty competitive this weekend. All but two were one-score games in the end. This made for some good viewing for football fans. It also made for some big fantasy games. Several marquee players posted some really good fantasy numbers. Hopefully, these guys were on your fantasy playoff rosters.
49ers 41, Seahawks 23
Fantasy Stud: DK Metcalf. His team lost, but Metcalf was huge in the game. He put all the fantasy owners that rostered him in a great spot to open the playoffs. Metcalf had 10 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He scored a season high in fantasy points, finishing with 35.6 points. It was a great showing, especially after doing next to nothing his previous two games.
Fantasy Dud: Tyler Lockett. Lockett was held in check after posting good numbers his first two games against the 49ers. Lockett had six receptions for 39 yards. Lockett failed to reach double-digit fantasy points for just the fourth time all season. He still had a great overall season, posting much more consistent numbers for his standards.
Game Notes: The big stage of the playoffs was not too big for rookie Brock Purdy. He was 18-of-30 for 332 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. He also ran in a score, giving him four total scores in the game.
Deebo Samuel had a great showing, catching six passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. He also had three rushes for 32 yards, giving him 165 total yards.
Jaguars 31, Chargers 30
Fantasy Stud: Evan Engram. Engram remains red hot in the Jaguars passing game. He had seven receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. He continues to play a huge role in the passing game. Engram topped 20 fantasy points in the game for the second time this season. Engram has seven or more receptions four of six games.
Fantasy Dud: Josh Palmer. You would have thought Palmer would play a big role in the passing game with Mike Williams out. Well, that didn’t happen. It was tight end Gerald Everett that got more chances. Palmer had just two receptions for 31 yards. Palmer had a pretty good season overall, but fantasy owners will look for more consistency in 2023.
Game Notes: Trevor Lawrence had a first half to forget, but somehow put that behind him and led his team to victory. He was 28-of-47 for 288 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions.
Touchdowns saved Austin Ekeler’s fantasy performance in this one. He ran 13 times for just 35 yards but found the end zone two times. He also caught just two passes for eight yards.
Bills 34, Dolphins 31
Fantasy Stud: Gabe Davis. Davis continued his flare for the dramatic in the playoffs, catching six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. He made some big plays and helped his team to victory. Davis was not as consistent as fantasy owners hoped during the regular season, but he might be a little more consistent this postseason if history repeats itself.
Fantasy Dud: Jaylen Waddle. Waddle had a pretty quiet game, finishing with just three receptions for 44 yards. Waddle scored just 8.2 fantasy points, giving him that total two of his last three games. Waddle had a big season overall, though, and should be a top pick for fantasy teams once again in 2023.
Game Notes: Josh Allen had a couple bad interceptions, but did finish with 352 yards and three touchdowns. He will need to clean up his play if the Bills hope to make a long playoff run.
James Cook had more carries than Devin Singletary. Cook ran 12 times for 39 yards and a touchdown. Singletary ran 10 times for 48 yards.
Giants 31, Vikings 24
Fantasy Stud: Saquon Barkley. Barkley had a big game in his first playoff appearance. He ran nine times for 53 yards and two touchdowns. He also had five receptions for 56 yards. So he had 109 total yards and two scores, finishing with 27.9 fantasy points. Barkley continued his big season right into the playoffs.
Fantasy Dud: Justin Jefferson. Jefferson did have seven receptions but didn’t top 50 yards. He had just 47 yards. Jefferson had a monster season but didn’t finish his season very well. Heh ad fewer than 50 yards three straight games to end the year. Even with that said, Jefferson should be in consideration for top overall fantasy pick next season. He had one of the best fantasy seasons in recent memories this year.
Game Notes: Daniel Jones showed little nerves in his first playoff game, going 24-of-35 for 301 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. He also led the team in rushing, running 17 times for 78 yards.
T.J. Hockenson got a huge workload for the Vikings, catching 10 passes for 129 yards. It was his second game with double-digit receptions and third hitting the 100-yard mark.
Bengals 24, Ravens 17
Fantasy Stud: Ja’Marr Chase. Chase had nine receptions for 84 yards and a touchdowns. He scored 23.4 fantasy points, giving him 22-plus points two straight games. Chase also has touchdowns four of five games. If not for injuries, Chase would have posted monster numbers this year. He could make a run at first overall in fantasy receiver scoring if he keeps trending this way.
Fantasy Dud: Joe Mixon. Mixon was really held in check, rushing 11 times for 39 yards. He also had three catches for 17 yards, giving him just 8.6 fantasy points. Mixon has been a little quiet lately, having fewer than 40-rushing yards three of four games.
Game Notes: Tyler Huntley had a very costly fumble, which led to the game-winning score for the Bengals, but played a good game besides that. He was 17-of-29 for 226 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also ran nine times for 54 yards.
J.K. Dobbins topped 100 total yards in the game. He ran 13 times for 62 yards and caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. He had 105 total yards and a score.
Cowboys 31, Bucs 14
Fantasy Stud: Dak Prescott. Prescott sure put his last game behind him, playing a near perfect game in this playoff opener. He was 25-of-33 for 305 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. Prescott had a season high in fantasy points, scoring 39.7 points. It was just the second time all year he had more than 30 fantasy points in a game.
Fantasy Dud: Leonard Fournette. Fournette had a really disappointing finish to his season, rushing five times for just 11 yards. But most disappointing was his one reception for six yards. Fournette was not utilized in the passing game often despite the Bucs playing from behind. Fournette had fewer than double-digit fantasy points three straight games to end his season.
Game Notes: Tony Pollard had a much better showing than Ezekiel Elliott despite getting a similar workload. Pollard had 15 carries for 77 yards while Elliott ran 13 times for just 27 yards.
Dalton Schultz had his third multiple touchdown game of the season. He had seven receptions for 95 yards and two scores. Schultz has 20-plus fantasy points two of three games.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
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The Paur Report
The Seattle Seahawks selected Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy with the 16th overall pick on Thursday evening. Murphy is credited with being an excellent run defender who can help against strong rushing attacks in the division. The Longhorn is effective when double-teamed and will join Jarran Reed and Jonathan Hankins on the interior.
From RotoBaller
With the No. 14 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Saints selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. The 22-year-old had a lengthy college career with the Beavers. While he got off to a slow start, he ended his final season by being named an All-American. New Orleans has plenty of areas that need to be addressed, but the line was arguably the team's biggest weakness. Fuaga has a chance to start right away and should help keep Derek Carr vertical more often than he was during the 2023-24 campaign.
From RotoBaller
With the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. The 24-year-old had a lengthy collegiate career, playing at Auburn before ending his career with the Ducks. He appeared in 61 games combined for both teams, throwing for 15,352 yards, 108 touchdowns, and 26 picks. He also found the end zone 38 times using his legs. With Denver recently acquiring Zach Wilson, Nix may sit to begin the 2024-25 campaign. However, no matter when he gets on the field, the Broncos don't have the pieces needed to make him a reliable fantasy quarterback.
From RotoBaller
With the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. There was talk the Jets would bring him to New York. However, the team bolstered their offensive line, so the 21-year-old will now head to Las Vegas. The Raiders are getting arguably the top tight end available, considering he amassed 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns off 175 catches in 40 collegiate games. Bowers also added five touchdowns on the ground. Nonetheless, he'll have a chance to make an immediate impact as a Raider, although concerns at the quarterback position may limit his fantasy upside.
From RotoBaller
The Minnesota Vikings are trading with the New York Jets from the No. 11 to the No. 10 spot in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings get a 2024 first-round (No. 10) selection and a 2024 sixth-round pick, while the Jets receive a 2024 first-round pick (No. 11), 2024 fourth-round, and 2024 fifth-round pick. With the Vikings unable to deal with the New England Patriots to take Drake Maye, Minnesota selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Jets ended up taking Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
From RotoBaller
After swapping picks with the Vikings, the Jets selected offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu with the No. 11 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old had a potent collegiate career with Penn State and was named an All-American in 2023. While there were rumblings the Jets would draft a tight end, the team ultimately decided to protect Aaron Rodgers, who will be entering the 2024-25 campaign coming off a season-ending Achilles injury.
From RotoBaller
The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot from 11th to 10th with the New York Jets in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings wanted McCarthy all along and ended up not needing to trade into the top five to get their next franchise signal-caller. McCarthy won a national championship with the Wolverines last year but wasn't asked to do a lot with a strong running back behind him. He ran a pro-style offense in college, which should give him a high floor at the next level, and he'll be set up well for future success in Minnesota with a great one-two punch in receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The talent is there with McCarthy, but he also didn't have the big sample size that the other big-name QB prospects in this draft did. McCarthy won't necessarily start in his rookie year in 2024 with Sam Darnold also in town.
From RotoBaller
The Atlanta Falcons selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. This is the first real surprise of this year's draft after the Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason. Injuries are the main concern for Penix, but besides that, he showed plenty of long-term upside in his two seasons with the Huskies, culminating in a national championship appearance earlier this year. The 23-year-old lefty will obviously enter his first season in the NFL as a clear backup in Atlanta, but this pick will give the Falcons insurance with Cousins returning from a torn Achilles in 2023. This selection will be debated for a while, especially given all of Atlanta's needs on defense.
From RotoBaller
The Chicago Bears selected Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Thats back-to-back picks out of Washington after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. surprisingly went eighth overall to the Atlanta Falcons. Odunze led the country in receiving yards in 2023 and is a special talent. He has length and excels at contested catches down the field. It helped that he had an excellent passer to throw him the football in Penix, but this kid is still special and should have an excellent career. The Bears have now added QB Caleb Williams and Odunze with their first two picks this year. While Odunze has plenty to like in the long-term, he'll be hard-pressed to make a huge impact in his rookie season in 2024 with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen set to be target hogs in this Bears offense.
From RotoBaller
The Tennessee Titans selected Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Titans were hoping that Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, the consensus No. 1 offensive lineman in this class, would fall to them at No. 7, but that didn't happen -- he went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5. Latham is a solid fallback option, though, and should immediately boost the protection for young quarterback Will Levis in Tennessee. The 21-year-old is a mauler at right tackle and short start immediately in his rookie season in the NFL in 2024. He weighed in at 342 pounds, so he's a mountain of a man with long arms and huge hands. This pick is great news for Levis and running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
From RotoBaller
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Chargers are unsurprisingly trying to build up their offensive line to help protect their ground game and quarterback Justin Herbert. Alt was the consensus best offensive-line prospect in this year's draft and should be a starter in LA from Day 1 in 2024 at right tackle across from Rashawn Slater on the left side. He stands at 6-foot-8 1/2 and 320 pounds and uses his size and strength to his advantage to climb to the second level. Despite his towering size, he's quick and nasty in the trenches. Not only will Alt help keep Herbert clean in the pocket, but he should be an asset in the run game, too.
From RotoBaller
The New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. There was plenty of noise in the days leading up to the draft that the G-Men wanted to trade up to draft either North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, but that ended up being a smokescreen despite the questions about Daniel Jones as he comes off a torn ACL. Nabers is one of the fastest and most explosive receivers in a stacked class at the position and will give Jones an elite offensive weapon as he looks to bounce back in 2024. He should become New York's immediate No. 1 wideout among a group that includes Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton. Nabers will make the Giants more explosive immediately, but can Jones get him the ball consistently behind a shaky offensive line?
From RotoBaller
The Arizona Cardinals selected Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. With no other team trading up with the Cardinals to make it four straight quarterbacks in a row to start this year's draft, the Cardinals will give QB Kyler Murray a big-time new receiving weapon in Harrison. It makes sense after the team lost Marquise Brown this offseason. Harrison is an absolute stud at the position and should immediately be Arizona's best wideout in his rookie year alongside names like Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Chris Moore. Harrison was a unanimous two-time All-American and scored 28 total touchdowns the last two years. He's bigger than his father and has incredible body control. Harrison should be fantasy relevant in Year 1 while being peppered with targets by Murray.
From RotoBaller
The New England Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Patriots will open the Jerod Mayo era with a new franchise QB in Maye after the team traded former first-rounder Mac Jones to the Jaguars this offseason. The 21-year-old has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, plenty of arm strength and the intangibles that coaches like. However, he's much more of a project than Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, and may need to sit for a year behind Jacoby Brisset and Bailey Zappe before New England is comfortable naming him the unquestioned starter under center. Long-term, though, Maye has the talent to be a great QB in the NFL. The problem in New England, though, is that they're lacking in offensive weapons around him right now.
From RotoBaller
The Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, as expected, in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Last year's draft trade with the Carolina Panthers allowed Chicago to move to the No. 1 spot this year. Williams was the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Bears for the entire pre-draft process, and it became more apparent when they dealt Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers a month ago. Not only is the 22-year-old the safest QB prospect in this year's class, but he's entering a situation in Chicago that should be conducive to immediate success in real life and in fantasy. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner will be the clear top pick in rookie-only fantasy drafts this fall and should be in play in two-QB leagues in 2024 as well.
From RotoBaller
The Washington Commanders selected LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Daniels should enter Week 1 as the team's starter under center after Washington traded last year's starter, Sam Howell, to the Seahawks this offseason. The 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner last year might be the most physically gifted QB in this draft class, although there is some concern that he might not be able to withstand the beating at the position, especially if he continues to take unnecessary hits as a runner. Like Caleb Williams, the upside is off the charts, and he'll have a strong No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin and a strong backfield behind him with Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr.
From RotoBaller
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has signed a three-year, $96 million contract, which is the highest for any wide receiver in NFL history. This contract keeps him as an Eagle through 2029. Brown struggled toward the end of last season, and there were growing concerns that the All-Pro was interested in leaving Philadelphia. This massive extension puts those rumors to rest. Despite the disappointing finish, the 26-year-old tallied 1456 yards and seven touchdowns. Brown will again be considered a top-tier wide receiver in fantasy drafts this year and will serve as the primary target for Jalen Hurts.
From RotoBaller
Per a league source, the current expectation is that the New England Patriots will sit tight at No. 3 overall in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night and take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. The New York Giants (No. 6) and Minnesota Vikings (No. 11) had been linked to a potential trade up to No. 3, but the Patriots unsurprisingly have been asking for a lot in return. If the Patriots do stay in the third spot, their next challenge will be getting Maye ready after he showed plenty of inconsistencies and shaky mechanics in his final year with the Tar Heels. In an ideal world for the Pats, Maye would sit and learn behind veteran Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe in 2024 and then be ready to go as the team's starter under center in 2025. The Patriots traded former first-rounder Mac Jones to the Jaguars this offseason.
From RotoBaller
The current expectation is that the Minnesota Vikings will stay put at pick No. 11 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night, and that Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be on the board when they're on the clock. The Vikings added an extra first-round pick (No. 23) to aid a potential jump into the top five to take a franchise signal-caller, but they may not need to do that after all. The Denver Broncos have been subtly linked to McCarthy as well, and they'd only have to jump from No. 12 to No. 10 to cut in front of Minnesota. McCarthy has also been linked to the New York Giants (No. 6) in recent days, but that's believed to have been a smokescreen. The Vikings are desperate for a new QB after failing to re-sign Kirk Cousins in free agency.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs have really been working to see if they can move up from No. 32 in the first round of Thursday night's NFL draft. The belief around the league is that the Chiefs moving up from No. 32 would be for one of the speed wide receivers in this talented draft class at the position. It makes sense given the fact that the Chiefs are expecting second-year wideout Rashee Rice to be suspended for multiple games in 2024 after his involvement in a car accident that involved injuries. Even with Rice in the fold, KC has the need to bolster their receiving corps behind Rice and aging tight end Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs do pull off a trade up in the latter portion of the first round, they could be targeting Texas receiver Xavier Worthy.
From RotoBaller
