Fantasy Football Report: Wild Card Round

By - Tim Swift

Okay boys and girls, let's keep this fantasy train rolling.

Remember, fantasy playoff formats are a little different. You want to pick the best players, but you also want to pick players on teams that will win multiple games.

Top Quarterbacks:

1. Aaron Rodgers vs. Minnesota -- Pretty easy call on this one. He just had over 350 yards and 4 touchdowns on Sunday against the Vikings, and you can expect more of the same on Saturday night.

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2. Russell Wilson vs. Washington -- Wilson has had an incredible last 3 weeks of the season, with 805 combined yards and 10 scores during that period.

3. Joe Flacco vs. Indianapolis -- Huge drop after the first 2 guys, but being a 5-year veteran of the postseason, I expect him to exploit holes in a suspect defense.

4. Matt Schaub vs. Cincinnati -- The only reason I have him ranked here is because I believe Houston is going to win the game. Schaub has gone backwards, with only 3 touchdowns the last month of the season.

Rest of the Quarterbacks:

1. Robert Griffin III vs. Seattle
2. Andrew Luck vs. Baltimore
3. Andy Dalton vs. Houston
4. Christian Ponder vs. Green Bay

Top Running Backs:

1. Adrian Peterson vs. Green Bay -- Peterson is getting at least 150 yards and a score on Saturday. The problem is, if they don't win, you're only getting him for the Wild Card round.

2. Alfred Morris vs. Seattle -- A star performance on Sunday night to the tune of 200 yards and 3 TDs. He won't get those numbers on Sunday, but I expect a solid outing.

3. Arian Foster vs. Cincinnati -- On Sunday, Foster returned from an irregular heartbeat the previous week and had 96 yards and a score.

4. Marshawn Lynch vs. Washington -- Lynch should be able to find some running lanes, despite the fact that Washington's run D was 5th in the NFL this year.

Rest of the Running Backs:

1. Ray Rice vs. Indianapolis
2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (if healthy) vs. Houston
3. Vick Ballard vs. Baltimore
4. Bernard Pierce vs. Indianapolis

Top Wide Receivers:

1. Andre Johnson vs. Cincinnati -- The Texans wideout has been a top 5 producer all season, and there is really no reason to think that will change this weekend.

2. A.J. Green vs. Houston -- 97 catches and 11 touchdowns for one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL. He'll have several chances to go after a secondary that had major issues in the second half of the season.

3. Greg Jennings vs. Minnesota -- After being hurt most of the year, Jennings has come on over the last 2 weeks with 15 catches and 3 scores. Expect him to be a big factor on Saturday night.

4. James Jones vs. Minnesota -- Jones had 14 touchdowns in the regular season, which was tops in the NFL. He should score at least once against the Vikings.

Rest of the Wide Receivers:

1. Torrey Smith vs. Indianapolis
2. Reggie Wayne vs. Baltimore
3. T.Y. Hilton vs. Baltimore
4. Golden Tate vs. Washington

Top Tight Ends:

1. Jermichael Finley vs. Minnesota -- The best bet of a very bad group, he's ranked here because he has scored double-digit points 4 of the last 5 weeks

2. Dennis Pitta vs. Indianapolis -- Pitta has been ranked in the top 10 most of the season, and should get multiple looks in the red zone.

3. Jermaine Gresham vs. Houston -- Gresham has been solid most of the year, and should get the second-most targets behind A.J. Green on Saturday.

4. Owen Daniels vs. Indianapolis -- Daniels production is way down during the second half of the season, but he is getting enough targets to remain viable.

Rest of the Tight Ends:

1. Kyle Rudolph vs. Green Bay
2. Dwayne Allen vs. Baltimore
3. Zach Miller vs. Washington
4. Logan Paulsen vs. Seattle

Top Defense and Special Teams:

1. Seattle D/ST vs. Washington -- Defenses are always unpredictable, especially in the postseason. But this D has been Top 5 all year long.

2. Houston D/ST vs. Cincinnati -- Good spot for this D. Last year, they dominated the Bengals offense, holding them to 10 points and forcing 3 turnovers.

3. Baltimore D/ST vs. Indianapolis -- The Ravens defense has underachieved this year, but Andrew Luck and the Colts offense have been prone to mistakes.

4. Cincinnati D/ST vs. Houston -- It could be a low scoring game since the Bengals D has been pretty solid most of the year. They could force Matt Schaub into a few turnovers.

Rest of the Defense and Special Teams:

1. Indianapolis D/ST vs. Baltimore

2. Green Bay D/ST vs. Minnesota

3. Washington D/ST vs. Seattle

4. Minnesota D/ST vs. Green Bay