FanDuel Single-Game Fantasy Helper: Wild Card Weekend Saturday Night

In the Saturday Night slot on Wild Card weekend, the 10-6 Seattle Seahawks travel to take on the 10-6 Dallas Cowboys. For the postseason, FanDuel provides a variety of contests, including single-game slates, allowing football enthusiasts to stay involved in the action.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5-times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

Bookmakers currently peg the Cowboys as 2.5-point favorites, with a 42.5-point over/under. While this affair appears low scoring, a few exploitable match-ups make this contest interesting for fantasy purposes.

MVP Considerations

Ezekiel Elliott ($16,000): Hands down the strongest play on the slate, Ezekiel Elliott enters this contest as a 2.5-point home favorite. In his last four contests, Elliott has averaged an absurd 29.25 touches per game, including 33 targets in that span. Seattle has the seventh-ranked run defense, per our schedule-adjusted metrics, but they have also allowed the seventh-most receptions to running backs in the last four weeks (25). With the Cowboys favored to win at home and with all-pro Zack Martin returning on the offensive line, Zeke remains the strongest raw play on the board. While his ownership will soar on this single-game slate, he looks almost impossible to fade.

Dak Prescott ($16,000): If a down week happens to occur for Zeke, Dak Prescott will likely end up as the main beneficiary. Prescott ended the year in strong fashion, with two games of more than 375 passing yards over his last four contests. Prescott attempted 526 passes to Russell Wilson's 427, giving him the edge from a volume perspective. The Seahawks, per our numbers, rank 7th in run defense and 11th in pass defense, creating a slight pass funnel for Prescott to exploit. Prescott offers a solid leverage play off Zeke at the same cost.

Chris Carson ($14,500): On the Seattle side, the Seahawks remain the most run-heavy team in football, putting Chris Carson squarely into consideration. Carson has averaged 24.25 touches per game in his last four contests, besting 100 total yards in three of the four. Dallas has showed cracks on the ground recently, allowing Saquon Barkley and Marlon Mack to churn out 100-yard rushing games. With one of the higher touch projections on the slate, Carson warrants MVP consideration.

Amari Cooper ($11,000): A far cheaper option as an MVP, Amari Cooper always brings potential for a big game. Since coming to Dallas, Cooper has easily led the Cowboys in targets (75) and receiving yards (719). Cooper has averaged 8.3 targets per game as a Cowboy. Noted above, Seattle's pass defense ranks 11th, per our metrics, but Cooper stands to benefit if Seattle schemes to stop Zeke.

Value Plays

Michael Gallup ($9,000): Working as Dallas' number two receiver, Michael Gallup has played at least 78% of the Cowboys' snaps in each of his last four games. In that span, he ranks fourth on the team in targets (19) but has seen the second-most air yards (239). This down-field usage for Gallup should eventually lead to splash plays. While Seattle is a strong pass defense, Gallup's big-play upside keeps him in play.

Mike Davis ($9,000): Despite running behind Chris Carson, Mike Davis has played on 40% of the Seahawks' snaps each of the past three weeks, with at least seven touches in all of them. However, Davis remains the superior receiver of the two, besting Carson in targets, 42-24, this season. With the Seahawks 2.5-point underdogs, Davis could see a larger share of the backfield touches in a negative game script. Definitely a contrarian play, Davis provides a much cheaper pivot off Chris Carson.

Cole Beasley ($8,000): Running as Dallas' third pass catcher, Cole Beasley's snaps have increased each of the last three weeks -- up to 77% in Week 17. Beasley's 22 targets in the past three games ranks second among Dallas receivers. While his low average depth of target (7.9) limits his overall upside, Beasley's target share creates a solid floor for DFS purposes.

David Moore ($6,000): In a roller-coaster ride of a season, David Moore has played at least 62% of the Seahawks' snaps in each of the last four games. In this span, he has actually out-targeted Tyler Lockett (15-14) and received more air yards than Lockett (300-214). With an enormous 20.0-yard average depth of target, Moore remains a big play waiting to happen. The Cowboys ranks 15th in pass defense, per our metrics, opening the door to a productive receiving game. At such a cheap price, Moore has slate-breaking potential.

Matthew Gajewski is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Gajewski also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mgajewski. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.