Scott Engel of RotoExperts.com previews all of the weekend's Wild Card Round games from a fantasy perspective, especially for those who play in the NFL.com Playoff Challenge.
Aaron Rodgers is obviously the hottest quarterback in fantasy postseason play right now. If you were smart enough to carry him over from the Wild Card round, you can land three times the points in the NFL.com Playoff Challenge. Of course, Rodgers is also a must-start even if you are using him for the first time in the playoffs. Matt Hasselbeck was accurate against Chicago last week, but his receivers did not cooperate. Rodgers will make many more key completions and throw a minimum of two touchdown passes. Look for him to work underneath and over the middle often and make the Bears pay for trying to bring pass pressure. Donald Driver should post quality totals, and Greg Jennings will make the Bears defenders pay with some extra yardage after catches. Both are good starts this week. James Starks has upside, but there are better running backs still alive in the postseason.
The Packers will focus on containing Matt Forte early, so his numbers could be disappointing. Jay Cutler will find himself in several adverse passing situations and is a risky start this week. Green Bay can certainly bring the pressure, and that means big hits, sacks and possible turnovers from a quarterback who can still implode at any time. The Pack will devote extra defensive attention to Greg Olsen after his big performance against Seattle. He'll be hard-pressed to deliver two good games in a row. The Packers cornerbacks will also prevent the deep ball to Johnny Knox, just like Seattle did last week.
Mark Sanchez can always follow a good game with a bad one from a statistical perspective, so he should be avoided this week. The Steelers may really bother him with pass pressure, and SS Troy Polamalu could also create much havoc in coverage for the young passer. Even if Sanchez throws more than one touchdown pass, he could also turn the ball over in some critical situations and hurt his fantasy production in the process. Santonio Holmes should certainly be started, as he is a proven playoff playmaker and will certainly be primed to face his former team in a game of major significance. Braylon Edwards will also be a threat to make more big plays this week. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene appear to have a daunting matchup against the Steelers defense, yet both are capable of more playoff heroics. Since running back options are indeed limited at this point of the postseason, do not hesitate to use either Jets ball carrier.
Rashard Mendenhall remains a strong red-zone contributor against any opponent, even though the Jets can limit his yardage. The Jets held Tom Brady in check last week, and while Ben Roethlisberger presents more challenges with his mobility, he should only be used in fantasy playoff leagues if you cannot use Rodgers this week. Mike Wallace and Hines Ward will be held down by the Jets talented cornerback duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, so you are better off utilizing other options.
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