With six exciting games to choose from, the options for your NFL DFS DraftKings lineup this Wild Card Weekend are vast. But that also means the key to a successful lineup is narrowing down those options while still maximizing upside. This weekend’s slate is packed with potential, but there are some players who stand out as prime targets. In this article, we’ll walk you through a DraftKings lineup build, covering the key positions and some affordable options that should give you an edge. Let’s use our Single-Lineup Simulator to build a full Wild Card Weekend DraftKings lineup, powered by Stokastic’s NFL DFS projections and NFL DFS ownership projections.
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Wild Card Weekend DraftKings NFL DFS Lineup: Saturday-Monday
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Quarterback Options
Let’s start with quarterback, where there’s a bit of a unique situation this week: Nearly every quarterback has similar ownership. There isn’t one clear chalk quarterback, which gives us a lot of freedom. Personally, I’m leaning toward Baker Mayfield. He’s in a good spot and offers both upside and reasonable ownership. But we also have plenty of other great options, including Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. I’m liking all these guys this week, and they all bring different advantages depending on your strategy.
Wide Receiver Strategy
When it comes to wide receivers, a few names pop up right away. Mike Evans is one of my favorites, but he’s interestingly not pulling massive ownership despite being a strong option. He’s priced at $7,900 and is projected to have lower ownership than Puka Nacua, Nico Collins and A.J. Brown. While Evans doesn’t project as highly as those guys, he’s still a solid play in this spot.
I’m completely OK with a Nacua-Stafford stack as well, but I’m not writing off Cooper Kupp just yet. While he’s priced higher than some of the other guys in his range, Kupp is a key piece of this Rams offense and could deliver in a big way.
However, we’re better off going with Bucky Irving at running back and going with a cheaper receiver in Jordan Addison since Irving projects considerably better. He should see plenty of touches, and we can still use a run-back with Justin Jefferson alongside Nacua and Stafford, which provides a solid stack for a game that has shootout potential.
Running Back and Tight End
Running back in general gets a little tricky. The pool gets super thin, and it’s crucial to find value without sacrificing too much projection. Kyren Williams could be a top target at $7,400 and projecting for 17.5 fantasy points, which is hard to ignore, but Irving projects better, so we’ll stick with him alongside Jaylen Warren.
At tight end, Isaiah Likely is an intriguing option at just $3,200. You don’t need to spend up at tight end this week, and Likely offers some salary relief while still having the potential to deliver solid points. Another option at tight end could be Zach Ertz in the Flex, who is priced at $4,300. He’s part of a game that could shoot out, and I’m not ruling out stacking him with Jefferson in my lineup.
Defense Considerations
There are a couple of cheap defenses worth exploring. The Steelers at $2,200 and Broncos at $2,400 are the cheapest, but there are other viable options like the Packers ($2,600) and the Commanders ($2,800). I’m leaning toward the Texans at $2,700, as they’re in a solid spot to provide decent value at defense.
Here’s how the final lineup comes together:
- QB: Matthew Stafford
- RB: Bucky Irving
- RB: Jaylen Warren
- WR: Puka Nacua
- WR: Justin Jefferson
- WR: Jordan Addison
- TE: Isaiah Likely
- FLEX: Zach Ertz
- DST: Texans
