This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The wild-card round NFL main slate begins with the Bills-Texans game Saturday at 4:35 PM Eastern time and also includes Saturday's Titans-Patriots game on the AFC side, as well as Sunday's Vikings-Saints and Seahawks-Eagles clashes in the NFC. Among the players who stand out on this slate are a pair of quarterbacks with plenty of postseason heroics under their belts, as well as a running back and a wide receiver who both took over as the top options at their respective positions after previously plying their trades with other teams.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
QB: Tom Brady, NE vs. TEN ($24): New England won mostly with defense this season, but Brady still finished with a tidy 24:8 TD:INT while topping 4,000 passing yards. It wouldn't be surprising to see Brady and the Patriots take things up a notch in this home playoff game, making him a potential steal against the Titans at $24. Tennessee's defense gave up the ninth-most passing yards per game (255.0) and the 12th-fewest rushing yards (104.5), so the Patriots' hopes will rest on Brady's shoulders in this one.
RB: Dalvin Cook, MIN at NO ($30): New Orleans had the league's fourth-stingiest run defense in the regular season, but Cook is capable of overcoming even the most difficult matchups, as he produced 1,654 scrimmage yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in 14 games. Minnesota's star running back has declared himself healthy after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, and that late-season absence could turn into a blessing in disguise if it gives Cook the edge in freshness he needs to thrive in the postseason.
WR: Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. MIN ($14): With Michael Thomas playing through a hand injury in Week 17, Smith stepped up with season highs in catches (five) and receiving yards (56) while scoring his fourth touchdown in the past six weeks. Minnesota's sure to focus on stopping the Saints' more prominent weapons, so Smith's nose for the end zone makes him a low-risk, high-reward pick at $14, especially if Thomas is limited in any way.
Other Against-the-Grainers
QB: Deshaun Watson (HOU, $35)
RB: Boston Scott (PHI, $18), Devin Singletary (BUF, $20)
WR: A.J. Brown (TEN, $19), Julian Edelman (NE, $26)
TE: Jonnu Smith (TEN, $13)
DST: Tennessee Titans (at NE, $12)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
QUARTERBACK
Russell Wilson, SEA at PHI ($34): Wilson should be the chalk play under center against a shaky Eagles secondary. He posted a spectacular 31:5 TD:INT this season and is always capable of making a big play with his legs, rushing for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Despite their resiliency, the Eagles had arguably the worst season of any team to make the playoffs in either conference, so there's a decent chance Seattle runs away with this one while riding Wilson's arm over an unreliable/over the hill running back corps.
RUNNING BACK
Carlos Hyde, HOU vs. BUF ($16): Hyde reached double-digit carries in every game except the blowout loss in Baltimore and the meaningless Week 17 contest when the team's starters took it easy, and the workhorse running back handled the rock at least 19 times on six different occasions. He should be in store for a heavy workload in what figures to be a defensive battle between the Texans and Bills, making Hyde a high-floor play at $16.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyler Lockett, SEA at PHI ($24): Philadelphia's pass defense was especially poor against wide receivers, allowing the fifth-most yards (2,809) and tying for the third-most touchdowns (21) given up to the position. Lockett should take advantage of that weakness after catching 82 balls for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns as Wilson's top target in the regular season.
John Brown, BUF at HOU ($21): Brown was signed this past offseason to become the No. 1 receiver in Buffalo, and that's exactly what he did with 72 catches for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns. After resting up during the regular season finale, Brown should be ready to carve up a Texans defense that gave up the fourth-most passing yards per game (267.3) for the underdog Bills (plus-2.5), who will lean heavily on Brown should they fall behind.
TIGHT END
Dallas Goedert, PHI vs. SEA ($20): With Philadelphia's receiving corps decimated by injuries, Carson Wentz has leaned heavily on his tight ends. Goedert was a major part of the passing game with Zach Ertz healthy, and he's morphed into Wentz's top target with Ertz sidelined for all of the last game and most of the previous one due to a rib injury. Goedert turned 22 targets into 13 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown in those two games, and it appears Ertz will be limited at best and likely out entirely for this one.
DEFENSE
Houston Texans, HOU vs. BUF ($12): It's hard not to like this unit at just $12 against by far the worst offense in the playoffs. The other 11 offenses all finished in the top 15 with at least 23.5 points per game, while the Bills finished in the bottom 10 with 19.6 points per game. With the Houston crowd sure to be rocking as the Texans get star defensive end J.J. Watt back from a torn pectoral, this one could start to look a lot like Buffalo's 10-3 loss to Jacksonville in this round two years ago.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Drew Brees (NO, $35)
RB: Derrick Henry (TEN, $33), James White (NE, $15)
WR: Michael Thomas (NO, $39), Stefon Diggs (MIN, $25)
TE: Jared Cook (NO, $18)
DST: New England Patriots (vs. TEN, $20)
