The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers on Wild Card Weekend. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Saquon Barkley.
Is Saquon Barkley Playing vs. the Packers?
Barkley is not listed on the injury report this week. Barring any setbacks, he is set to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Eagles’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Saquon Barkley on Wild Card Weekend?
Barkley is my top-ranked fantasy RB this week. Saquon Barkley is the most expensive running back on the slate. Saquon Barkley has been the best running back in the NFL this season (league-high 10 top-10 finishes).
With enough in terms of value in the WR pool, I think you can make a Barkley lineup work without having to get too crazy. Personally, I’m not.
That’s nothing really against Barkley as much as it is my preference for spending up elsewhere and living in the middle tier at running back. This Packers defense is viable, and while I don’t think they stop the All-Pro, slowing him down is all it takes given the expensive price tag.
Green Bay owns the best run defense among playoff teams in terms of running back yards gained before contact per carry this season, and they did hold Barkley to 5+ yards on just 33.3% of his carries back in Week 1, the fifth-best defensive showing against him this season.
With Jaire Alexander out, the Eagles may pick on this secondary instead of running into their solid front. Even if that’s the case, Barkley could produce enough down the stretch to pay off his price tag — heck, even with limited efficiency in his team debut, he racked up 33.2 PPR points against this defense the first time around.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Saquon Barkley’s Fantasy Points Projection on Wild Card Weekend
As of Sunday, Barkley is projected to score 26.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 26.7 rushing attempts for 122 yards and 0.8 touchdowns. It also includes 4.7 receptions for 31.1 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Saquon Barkley’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 9:15 AM ET on Saturday, January 18. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Divisional Round Superflex Rankings.
Divisional Round RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. LAR)
2) Derrick Henry | BAL (at BUF)
3) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. WAS)
4) Kyren Williams | LAR (at PHI)
5) James Cook | BUF (vs. BAL)
6) Joe Mixon | HOU (at KC)
7) David Montgomery | DET (vs. WAS)
8) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DET)
9) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at DET)
10) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. HOU)
11) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. HOU)
12) Justice Hill | BAL (at BUF)
13) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. BAL)
14) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. LAR)
15) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. HOU)
16) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. WAS)
17) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at KC)
18) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (at PHI)
19) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at BUF)
20) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at KC)
21) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DET)
22) Patrick Ricard | BAL (at BUF)
23) Carson Steele | KC (vs. HOU)
24) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (vs. BAL)
25) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. WAS)
