NFL Wildcard Weekend Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for January 12, 2025
Last updated: Jan 11, 2025, 12:07AM | Published: Jan 9, 2025, 11:07PM
Draftstars Australia's NFL Wildcard Weekend DFS contest commences at 8:30am AEDT on January 12, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NFL contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Sunday and beyond.
Featured NFL Games
Draftstars' NFL Wildcard Weekend slate includes the following games:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Washington Commanders
- Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
- Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans vs Los Angeles Chargers
- Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to make some of the most accurate DFS projections available.
With the latest NFL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NFL fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best picks on Sunday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lamar Jackson (BAL, QB) | $18,220 | 22.6 | 1.2 |
| Value | Austin Ekeler (WAS, FLEX/RB) | $8,030 | 11.4 | 1.4 |
| Fade | Mark Andrews (BAL, FLEX/TE) | $11,710 | 10.6 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Tucker Kraft (GB, FLEX/TE) | $6,320 | 8.5 | 1.3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
QB (Quarterback)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lamar Jackson (BAL) | $18,220 | 22.6 | 1.2 |
| Value | Jalen Hurts (PHI) | $15,770 | 21.8 | 1.4 |
| Fade | Justin Herbert (LAC) | $15,050 | 16.9 | 1.1 |
| Cheapie | Kyle Trask (TB) | $8,000 | 0.3 | 0 |
WR (Wide Receiver)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Mike Evans (TB) | $14,630 | 18 | 1.2 |
| Value | Romeo Doubs (GB) | $8,270 | 10.2 | 1.2 |
| Fade | Khalil Shakir (BUF) | $12,170 | 11.5 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Calvin Austin (PIT) | $6,580 | 7.6 | 1.2 |
TE (Tight End)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Mark Andrews (BAL) | $11,710 | 10.6 | 0.9 |
| Value | Tucker Kraft (GB) | $6,320 | 8.5 | 1.3 |
| Cheapie | Dallas Goedert (PHI) | $7,820 | 8.7 | 1.1 |
RB (Running Back)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Saquon Barkley (PHI) | $18,450 | 18.1 | 1 |
| Value | Austin Ekeler (WAS) | $8,030 | 11.4 | 1.4 |
| Fade | Derrick Henry (BAL) | $18,140 | 16.6 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Jaylen Warren (PIT) | $9,470 | 11.5 | 1.2 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NFL Wildcard Weekend teams, consider starting with a value player like Austin Ekeler. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Lamar Jackson is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Tucker Kraft.
On the other hand, according to our model, Mark Andrews is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NFL Wildcard Weekend slate closes at 8:30am AEDT on Sunday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NFL DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NFL fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NFL Wildcard Weekend contest. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NFL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NFL Wildcard Weekend line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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