FlurrySports gives the best Underdog Fantasy NFL DFS picks for the Chargers vs Patriots NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend game, including Justin Herbert.
For Wild Card Weekend of the 2026 NFL Playoffs, Sunday Night Football features what is sure to be a great matchup between the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers and the second-seeded New England Patriots. With two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in play, this is one of the most fun and intriguing matchups of the first round.
When looking to break down this game for NFL DFS picks, New England has the advantage when it comes to the injury department, as the Chargers continue to play down both starting tackles on the offensive line. Using Underdog Fantasy, I looked through the projections for all of the available players in this game and picked my favorite three NFL DFS picks.
Use the Underdog Fantasy promo code FLURRY when signing up to get a $1000 deposit match, then play $5 on these NFL DFS picks to get an additional $75 in bonus entries! Note, you must enter the code FLURRY when creating your account to get this offer!
Underdog Fantasy NFL DFS Picks: Chargers vs Patriots NFL Playoffs
Justin Herbert HIGHER 12.5 Longest Rush
As stated in the intro, the Chargers have been playing without two of their most important pieces, in tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. That has led Justin Herbert to play hero ball in the passing game and willing the Chargers to a playoff birth. While Herbert’s best talents obviously reside in his right arm, his ability to scramble and pick up yards with his legs is very underrated. That leads me to this entry. With a beat-up offensive line, Herbert will have to use his legs more than a few times to move the Chargers offense down the field in this game.
That strategy from Herbert has come to head down the stretch of the season, as Herbert’s longest rush has been higher than 12.5 yards in six of the last eight games. With how banged up and how bad the Chargers’ offensive line has played this season, it only makes sense for New England to send pressure for the majority of the game. On the season, the Patriots rank 10th in the NFL in blitz percentage per drop back at 25.9%. With defenders running at Herbert in this game, he is sure to use his legs. And given what we have seen from him running in the past, going higher than 12.5 yards on a run is doable.
Andy Borregales HIGHER 7.5 Kicking Points
In his rookie season, Andy Borregales played as one of the better kickers in the NFL and has been an underrated part of New England’s march to the two seed. What works well for the Patriots is that they have had great success moving into enemy territory this season, which has resulted in Borregales hitting the field. Borregales attempted 32 field goals on the year, averaging 1.8 attempts on the season. On top of that, Borregales attempted 55 extra points, which equates to 3.2 attempts per game. Combining those numbers, Borregales found the field five times per game this season. Meaning that in five attempts, Borregales needs eight or more points, which feels easy.
While the Chargers’ defense has been stout in keeping teams out of the red zone, that leads to giving up a lot of field goal attempts. On the season, the Chargers are allowing opponents to attempt 2.1 field goals per game, which ranks 20th in the NFL. The Patriots will be able to run the ball in this game and if history stays true, Los Angeles will be able to hold them out of the end zone for the most part, leading to field goal attempts, leading us to profiting off going higher on this entry.
Ladd McConkey HIGHER 41.5 Receiving Yards
The New England Patriots have been one of the better teams in the NFL this season. However, the knock on them has been that they have not played much competition. The relevant quarterbacks that they have played this season have been Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield. That may inflate some of their defensive stats, which we can take advantage of here. That is where Ladd McConkey comes into play. McConkey has not been his best this season, but he is still the best receiver in this room and will need to be relied on to move the ball in this game.
As I mentioned before when talking about Justin Herbert, New England is expected to blitz often in this game. On top of Herbert running, the strong blitz will help to open McConkey in short routes, which will be quick-hitters. With the extra space, McConkey will have opportunities to make magic happen after the catch. It feels like New England’s defense is still somewhat unknown, given the lack of explosive offenses that they have played this season. Given that McConkey is the best receiver on the team, 41.5 feels way too low as Herbert’s number one option in the pass game.
