NFL Wild Card Weekend culminates tonight with what figures to be the best game of the entire round. For the third time this season, the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are set to collide with a spot in the Divisional Round on the line. This is the ultimate grudge match considering that the two teams split their regular-season meetings. While there are all kinds of standard betting options for this game, fans are also encouraged to check out the variety NFL DFS picks and props available on Underdog Fantasy. Given the star talent on both offenses in this Cardinals vs Rams showdown, this figures to be the ideal game for NFL DFS players.
The following article provides a brief intro to the phenomenal Underdog Fantasy platform and offers up a handful of DFS picks and NFL player props to consider for the Cardinals vs Rams NFC Wild Card Game matchup.
What is Underdog Fantasy?
Underdog Fantasy might be most known for their live DFS drafts, but they also offer pick’em contests. In essence, making NFL DFS picks on Underdog combines daily fantasy sports and player props into one. Available to those in non-sports betting states, a wide variety of player props exist for tonight’s Cardinals vs Rams NFC Wild Card Game. The more props a user combines together, the greater their potential payout.
Unlike some other platforms in the market, Underdog Fantasy also allows users the flexibility to pick and choose which props they combine together. You can even combine DFS picks from multiple sports and games! When making Underdog Fantasy NFL picks, the only limitations are truly the user’s own imagination and creativity.
Underdog Fantasy Pick’em Payout
For the pick’em game format, users string player props together to form a parlay. If one pick is wrong, the entire NFL DFS parlay fails. However, cashing can give a very nice payout, with more picks meaning a higher multiplier.
- 2 Picks: 3x
- 3 Picks: 6x
- 4 Picks: 10x
- 5 Picks: 20x
Best Underdog Fantasy NFL DFS Picks | Cardinals vs Rams Wild Card Game
Much like betting odds move and update throughout the day and week, props at Underdog Fantasy also move. In other words, if there is a prop you like, make sure you place it quickly.
Zach Ertz (ARZ) Over 5.5 Receptions
While going over the Underdog Fantasy line of 52.5 receiving yards for Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is also an intriguing option, this total receptions prop figures to be the safer play. Since Arizona lost superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins, Ertz has emerged as the clear favorite target of quarterback Kyler Murray. He saw seven targets in the second regular-season matchup against the Rams and went on to garner totals of 11, 13, nine and 10 targets over the next four weeks, respectively.
Considering that Hopkins will remain sidelined for Monday’s NFC Wild Card game, Ertz figures to be a priority in the passing attack once again. After finishing with five receptions in Week 14 against L.A., he has successfully cleared the NFL DFS line of 5.5 in every game since. In addition, the Rams defense quietly allowed tight ends to haul in 90 receptions over the course of the season. That mark tied for the tenth-most completions allowed to the position of any defense.
Sony Michel (LAR) Over 58.5 Rushing Yards
Yes, the Rams have Cam Akers back in the fold following his recovery from a preseason Achilles tear. However, there is no reason to anticipate him unseating Sony Michel as the lead ball-carrier at this juncture. Other than the Rams’ Week 18 game which came against one of the best run defenses in football, Michel has been extremely effective since taking over the workhorse role following Darrel Henderson’s injury. He started the second regular-season game against Arizona and totaled 79 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.0 yards per carry). Michel averaged no fewer than 3.9 yards per carry in five straight games after taking over the Rams’ lead-back duties.
While the Cardinals’ defense grades out well in adjusted defensive efficiency against the run, note that a lot of different factors go into that overall metric. Arizona has proven to be vulnerable to giving up chunks of yardage on the ground. Opponents averaged 114.8 rushing yards per game against Vance Joseph’s defense on the season. Look for Michel to have enough volume to go over his NFL DFS prop total in this Wild Card matchup.
Tyler Higbee (LAR) Under 38.5 Receiving Yards
After leading off this column with a bullish Zach Ertz fantasy prediction, we are flipping the script for Rams tight end Tyler Higbee. Underdog Fantasy currently lists Higbee’s receiving yardage total at 38.5. That sits slightly higher than the 36 yards he mustered against Arizona back in Week 4. Unfortunately, that is the only head-to-head data point NFL DFS players have to go off of as Higbee missed the Week 14 matchup with an injury.
What we do have to work with is a season-long sample size of the Cardinals’ defense being stingy against opposing TEs. 58 receptions allowed to the position marked the third-fewest given up by any defense. Arizona also ranked fourth in yards allowed on those receptions, ceding only 585 over the full regular season. While Higbee is a popular weapon in the Rams passing attack most weeks, this tough matchup could very well take him out of the equation and reduce his target share tonight.
Matthew Stafford (LAR) Over 0.5 Interceptions
One would have to go all the way back to the last Cardinals vs Rams head-to-head matchup in Week 14 to find the last time Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford did not throw an interception. The final four weeks of the regular season saw Stafford nearly double his INT total from the first 14 games. He enters Monday’s NFC Wild Card clash having thrown multiple picks in each of the last three games. One of his 17 regular season interceptions came against the Cardinals back in Week 4.
Arizona came away with 13 INTs defensively over the course of the season as well. Stafford’s propensity to force the issue and attempt to make plays down the field that aren’t there figures to result in at least one pick tonight. Include this over among your NFL DFS picks.
Kyler Murray (ARZ) Over 0.5 Interceptions
If we’re willing to play over 0.5 Mathew Stafford INTs in tonight’s NFL Wild Card Game, it’s only fitting that we show similar “love” to Kyler Murray. The Cardinals’ star QB finished the regular season with just 10 picks. Of course, Murray missed a string of games due to injury, thus limiting his overall sample size to an extent. It’s also worth pointing out that two of those 10 interceptions came in Week 14 against the same star-studded Rams defense that Murray will have to try and solve tonight.
Los Angeles came up with 19 interceptions on the season, a mark that tied for the third-most in the of any defense. Despite being without their top two safeties for tonight’s game, players like Jalen Ramsey are fully capable of coming up with a pick at any time. Maybe savvy veteran Eric Weddle will do the honors of cashing this NFL DFS picks prop in his return from retirement.
Underdog Fantasy is a new type of DFS that combines the fun of season-long drafts with daily fantasy sports. Aside from their fun, addictive draft mode, Underdog Fantasy also has pick’em player props for many different sports and athletes!
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