The final four-game slate of NFL action is upon us and, unlike last week, we actually have a somewhat competitive set of matchups. After four games decided by no fewer than 13 points – all by the home teams, too – we can assume that most of the weaker teams were weeded out in the Wild Card round.
As an added bonus, each game appears to have a comparatively clear game flow expectation, as teams’ strengths have helped carry them into the Divisional Round. These strengths will be featured as teams try to continue their season.
Sporfolio’s NFL Daily Fantasy Sports game-by-game analysis columns are driven by expected game flow. Based on a combination of our Divisional Round NFL picks against the spread and our expectations for a given game, we project the actions necessary to make these picks come to fruition. We aim to pinpoint players integral to our predicted game flow for each game of the week.
Luke May is our resident NFL DFS expert, and Mario Mergola operates Sporfolio as our expert for NFL Picks Against the Spread.
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
Luke’s DFS Take: I have been down on the Falcons’ defense for most of the 2016 season, and Seattle is primed to take advantage on Saturday afternoon. Russell Wilson should thrive against an Atlanta defense that allowed the fifth-most passing yards in the league over the course of the season, and he now has both Doug Baldwin and Paul Richardson at his disposal. Start any combination of the group. Because I am a bit higher on Seattle’s offense, as a whole, the Falcons will need to score in order to top the Seahawks. The usual duo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are in-play as Atlanta gets to take on a Seattle defense in a dome without safety Earl Thomas. Unfortunately, too many other weapons results in no other recommendations from the Falcons.
Mario’s DFS Take: Despite one team – the Seahawks – featuring one of the best defenses in the league, the matchup that has me most excited for a competitive game and a fantasy gem is Atlanta and Seattle.