Welcome to the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs and the next edition DFS RB Coach! It was a pretty solid week to close out the year in the RB Coach last week as I had the top scoring back in James Conner (30.4 points). I also had solid plays in Aaron Jones (19.1) and Zamir White (13.1), while Rachaad White (13.3) provided a disappointing, but still okay, line. Enough about last week though, let’s look to this week. We are now into the playoffs, which means mostly tougher matchups, but also means teams leaning on their top guys more. It’s time to start putting those DraftKings and FanDuel lineups together and hit the big paydays! Let’s dive into my favorite RB plays!

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Wild Card Round Picks

NFL DFS RB Top Plays

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs did nothing on offense last week and didn't even score a TD in their win against the Panthers and yet White still managed to have himself a decent game. He rushed for 75 yards and also caught 4 passes for 18 yards. His pass-catching abilities are strong (that was his third straight game with at least 4 receptions) and that is what I like about him heading into this matchup with the Eagles. I think they will need to heavily utilize White out of the backfield to open things up a bit against this tough Eagles front. We also know White provides a pretty strong floor as he had scored at least 15.9 dk points in 20 straight weeks prior to Week 17. I expect White to at least hit that number in this game with the upside for more. 

De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

Achane had an impressive and explosive rookie season, rushing 103 times for 800 yards (7.8 YPC!) and eight touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 197 yards and three scores. His big play ability is special and the Dolphins are going to need it for this game against the Chiefs. Achane missed the game against the Chiefs earlier in the year when the Dolphins lost 21-14. Miami had far more success on the ground against them than they did through the air as Tua had just 193 passing yards on 34 attempts, while Raheem Mostert racked up 85 yards on just 12 carries. Achane is always a bit of a risky play in the shared backfield with Mostert, and Mostert could easily be an option in play too, but I am going to lean towards Achane busting off a big play in this one. 

 

NFL DFS RB Mid-Tier Plays

Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

Pollard was a massive bust this year and it feels weird to consider him this week, but he did close out the year with one of his best games of the season. He rushed 17 times for 70 yards and a touchdown while catching a pair of passes for 16 additional yards to finish the week with 16.6 dk points. That was his highest total in a month and the first time he scored over 8 dk points in that span. My hope is that his strong performance will carry him into having another one in this spot against the Packers. Green Bay has been much easier to beat on the ground than through the air, so I expect the Cowboys to try and establish the ground game with Pollard in this one. He is a risky play, of course, but one that could pay off at this price. 

 

NFL DFS RB Value Plays

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Harris was amazing to close out the year, scoring 27.2 and 27.3 dk points over the Steelers final two games of the regular season. He rushed 27 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns in Week 17 then followed that up by rushing 26 times for 112 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes for 21 yards. The Steelers offense has heavily leaned on their running backs this season and even more so of late (smart, considering the pathetic passing attack they've had). Harris shouldn't be this cheap given what we have seen from him recently. The Bills rank as a slightly above average matchup for running backs this season and the third best matchup for running backs out of the playoff teams playing this weekend. 

Leonard Fournette, Buffalo Bills

The super deep dive here with Fournette, but he doesn't have the nickname “Playoff Lenny” for no reason. He picked up 7 carries in the Bills season finale and rushed for 20 yards. The Bills made Latavius Murray a healthy scratch and Fournette was second on the team in snaps at the RB position, beating out Ty Johnson. This could be a sign that Fournette is the direct backup in the Bills rushing attack heading into the Playoffs and more than likely the power back compliment to James Cook. At this cheap of a price tag (nearly the minimum) if we were to a goal line TD from Fournette with a couple other touches, he could be a solid play on certain slates. He is far from a sure-thing though, so keep that in mind. 

*Be sure to check and make sure that he is on the roster and active before setting your lineups. 

*UPDATE: Fournette was not elevated to the active roster. DO NOT play him. 

 

NFL DFS RB Fades

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

I love Monty, but the trend has been downwards and his upside appears very limited at this point. Jahmyr Gibbs has taken over as the main back in the offense and Monty hasn't seen 20+ touches since Week 5. He hasn't scored 15+ dk points in six weeks and hasn't scored 20+ in eight weeks. Gibbs has seen more work around the goal line recently than he was earlier in the year, so there are a lot of negatives for Monty right now. This matchup against the Rams is also a terrible one as it ranks as the second worst matchup in the league for running backs this season. No matter how you look at it, there are so positive indications of Monty coming through with a big week.