While traditional fantasy football formats have dominated the landscape, managers can find numerous ways to play the game they love. Underdog Pick’em contests allow managers to put their player-projection skills to the test by predicting player stat lines.
Here are the top Underdog Pick’em plays for the Wild Card Weekend between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
Top Underdog Pick’ems for Dolphins vs. Bills
Underdog Pick’ems allow fantasy managers to predict stat lines and fantasy-point totals for almost all fantasy-relevant players. Here, the more selections you add to your entry, the higher the payout.
The levels are two players for 3x, three for 6x, four for 10x, and finally, five for 20x, progressing with each additional pick ’em you add to your entry.
With Underdog Fantasy, it’s a brand new season every week, no matter how your other leagues finished. Sign up today and get a 100% deposit bonus of up to $100. As for my recommendations, below are my top Underdog Pick’ems for Dolphins-Bills on Wild Card Weekend.
Tyreek Hill Higher Than 61.5 Receiving Yards
This game is just disappointing. Without Tua Tagovailoa playing, we’re approaching this game from one side. There are only three Dolphins players available to choose from on Underdog, and quite frankly, everyone’s projections are muted with Skylar Thompson under center, as Tua was not cleared for NFL activity.
However, I’m not going to shy away completely. I couldn’t if I wanted to because you have to choose a player from each team on an Underdog Pick’em play. I want to go to the top target in Tyreek Hill. He has the talent to go off, regardless of the signal-caller, and he saw a 22.5% target share last week on 55 receiving yards.
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His 32.3% target share and 39.8% air-yard share show how important he is to this offense, and if the Dolphins stand any chance of keeping this close with their third-string quarterback, they need to put the ball in his hands as often as possible and let him create plays after the catch.
For me, the 61.5 receiving yards projection is too low, and there is value here. I’ll take the higher on Hill’s 61.5 receiving yards projection for Underdog Pick’ems on Wild Card Weekend.
Josh Allen Higher Than 259.5 Passing Yards
There is not a chance Josh Allen is throwing for fewer than 260 yards. Allen finished the regular season seventh in passing yards (4,283) and has torched the Miami defense this season, throwing for 704 yards and six touchdowns across two regular season games.
Since Week 14, Miami is 24th in passing DVOA, 15th in success rate, and they have surrendered the sixth-most passing yards per game this season. The Bills are a team of destiny, and they only will go as far as Allen will take them. He hits the ground running and quickly goes higher than the 259.5-yard projection.
Isaiah McKenzie Lower Than 23.5 Receiving Yards
Not everything is sunshine and rainbows in Buffalo, as Isaiah McKenzie’s role in the offense has diminished, especially since veterans Cole Beasley and John Brown have been worked into the rotation. Since Week 14, McKenzie is averaging just 16 receiving yards and has failed to eclipse his projection in eight of the last 12 games.
McKenzie has seen three or fewer targets in eight of his last 11 games, and while it would only take one or two receptions to hit this projection, the recent trends are not in McKenzie’s favor. I expect him to have another quiet performance, and I will take the lower on his receiving yardage projection.
James Cook Higher Than 38.5 Rushing Yards
The Bills have made a concerted effort to get James Cook involved as of late. Since Week 11, he has been averaging 10.9 opportunities and 60.3 total yards per game, with 48.3 coming on the ground. Meanwhile, Devin Singletary is averaging 12.1 rushes and 60.7 yards per game in what has become a much closer split.
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Cook is the far more explosive back and is tied for third amongst rookies this year in rushes of 20 yards or more (six). In Week 15, when these teams met, Cook rushed five times for 34 yards but should find more success this week, given the likelihood of Miami being unable to sustain drives as effectively due to their quarterback situation. Assuming a positive game script, Cook should clear his 38.5 rushing yard projection on Underdog Pick’ems.