Recapping Saturday's NFL Wild Card Games

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims:

If there was one prevailing theme heading into this year’s playoffs, it was that things were “wide open.”

Yesterday’s action did nothing to dispel that notion.

The Panthers—as 10.5-point underdogs—took the Rams to the brink in a 34-31 barnburner. With 0:43 seconds left in the game and trailing 31-27, Matthew Stafford connected with TE Colby Parkinson on a spectacular, game-winning 19-yard TD.

And that was just the appetizer.

In the late game, the Bears erased an 18-point deficit and scored 25 points in the fourth quarter in a stunning, come-from-behind win over the Packers.

At one point in the game, their win percentage had reached a 3% chance.

Here are your fantasy MVPs from Saturday’s action—aka the players responsible for advancing you to Round 2 in our Guilloteenies™:

Puka Nacua (10-111-1; 3-14-1)
Jalen Coker (9-134-1)
Colston Loveland (8-137)
Jordan Love (323 yards & 4 TDs)

Today, we have three more glorious games on tap. Here’s what to watch for:

1:00 pm ET: Bills @ Jags (-1.5) - The best QB in football vs. one of the hottest teams going right now. If Josh Allen pulls this off with 32-year old Brandin Cooks as his No. 1 WR, I will ~~eat my hat~~ tip my cap.

4:30 pm ET: Niners @ Eagles (-6) - This is a tough spot for the Niners, but the Eagles offense has sputtered all year. If Brock Purdy can jump them to an early lead, this could get fun.

8:15 pm ET: Chargers @ Patriots (-3.5) - Picking Drake Maye and co. feels like a layup and yet this line indicates that the new kids in the block are due for a rude awakening in their first playoff game.

Can’t wait …

WILD CARD WEEKEND RANKINGS

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Editors’ Picks

Having fun Wild Card Weekend? Hopefully you didn’t have to go against Puka. Enjoy our great content for the latest on Guilloteenies and more. And ICMYI, check out these articles:

Dynasty Strategy Session: Blow Up, Or Nah?

We interrupt the playoffs for a look beyond the next week and month. Yes, it’s postseason, but it’s also DYNASTY SZN. We’re dropping articles regularly with plenty of Dynasty content to guide you along the way to and through rookie drafts. Jake Trowbridge advised to take a long look at rosters that have been dragging in the middle of the standings. Is it time for a blowup?

“Assess the age of your players, the strength of each position group, and how much of your recent seasons have been derailed (or boosted) by luck and injuries. Figure out how far you are from being a legitimate contender. Ask yourself if a couple of significant changes can get you to the top or if it’s time to take a sledgehammer to the whole operation.”

But that wasn’t the only content we’ve produced for our Dynasty aficionados. Here’s more:

IT MAY BE TIME TO PUSH YOUR CHIPS TO THE MIDDLE