Trips to the conference championships are on the line this weekend.
An all-NFC East conference title game is on the table, as are potential Bills-Chiefs or Bengals-Chiefs rematches from last year’s playoffs. And there’s no guarantee that the Giants’ and Jaguars’ magical runs end this weekend, either.
Wild-card weekend was a treat; now, let’s prepare for the divisional round.
In today’s Winners Club, you’ll find:
Divisional Round Betting Breakdowns
All six wild-card weekend games were rematches from the regular season, and the four divisional-round games are between teams that are familiar enough with one another.
The Jaguars and Chiefs met earlier this season, the Giants and Eagles played twice, the Bengals and Bills saw one another in the Week 17 game that was canceled and the Cowboys and 49ers played last January in the wild-card round.
So there’s plenty of familiarity heading into Round 2 when No. 1 seeds Kansas City and Philadelphia will take the field for the first time this postseason.
Before getting into each game preview, read our staff’s picks for a lock, upset and prop bet.
You can also check out Mitch Goldich’s comprehensive ranking of the 16 best possible Super Bowl matchups. And our writers singled out a few prop bets they like in each game below, and Michael Fabiano shared four more bets he likes this weekend.
Saturday
4:30 p.m. ET (NBC): Jaguars vs. Chiefs (-8.5) | Total: 52.5
JAX-KC Betting Preview and Pick | Player Prop Bets
“Jacksonville is 3-0 straight-up (SU) and ATS over its last three road games and now heads to Arrowhead Stadium for the second time this season. The clubs met in Week 10, with Kansas City emerging with a 27-17 win as 10-point home favorites. Kansas City earned the 1-seed in the AFC and is well-rested following its first-round bye. Andy Reid’s squad, despite winning seven of their eight home games, has crushed bettors’ bankrolls by failing to cover the spread six times (1-6-1 ATS).” — Frankie Taddeo
8:15 p.m. ET (Fox): Giants vs. Eagles (-7.5) | Total: 47.5
NYG-PHI Betting Preview and Pick | Player Prop Bets
“Philadelphia, which earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, beat New York in both regular-season meetings. In Week 14 at Metlife Stadium, the Eagles won 48-22, the most one-sided result for either side all year. When they met again in Week 18 at Lincoln Financial Field, the Giants sat their starters with a playoff spot already locked up. They lost 22-16 in Jalen Hurts’ first game back from a shoulder injury.” — Kyle Wood
Sunday
3 p.m. ET (CBS): Bengals vs. Bills (-5.5) | Total: 48.5
CIN-BUF Betting Preview and Pick | Player Prop Bets
“Both teams are coming in on lengthy win streaks. Josh Allen and the Bills have won eight in a row, while Joe Burrow and the Bengals have won nine. Both teams were favored last weekend, and both teams failed to cover the spread. Both teams have a top-six offense and a top-six defense.” — Jen Piacenti
6:30 p.m. ET (Fox): Cowboys vs. 49ers (-3.5) | Total: 46.5
DAL-SF Betting Preview and Pick | Player Prop Bets
“San Francisco is 9-1 at home, including seven straight wins. This game projects to have close to 60 runs with a fast-moving clock. The 49ers won their last six home matchups by a combined 117 points and each game by a minimum of 13 points. The Cowboys are a better-quality team than the 49ers faced over the second half of the season, and they have a play-making pass rusher (Micah Parsons – 13.5 sacks).” — Shawn Childs
Playoff Fantasy Rankings and DFS Plays
There are even less fantasy options to choose from this week with just eight teams in action. Allow Fabiano and Childs to make matters easier with their rankings, projections and Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em advice.
PPR Positional Player Rankings
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Quarterbacks: Avoid Dak Prescott in a tough matchup with the 49ers.
Running backs: Count on Jerick McKinnon to deliver against Jacksonville.
Wide receivers: Fade Gabe Davis at home versus the Bengals.
Tight ends: Dawson Knox could offer some value this weekend.
Stat Projections
Quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts is the highest projected scorer in the divisional round.
Running backs: Ezekiel Elliott is projected for less than 10 points this week.
Wide receivers: The Bengals’ top two receivers are both projected 20-plus points.
Tight ends: Three tight ends are projected to outscore George Kittle.
Piacenti and Childs also made their respective DFS picks for the Saturday and Sunday games. Piacenti broke players down by tiers (top-tier, mid-tier and bargain-tier), and Childs took a bit of a different approach, sharing a few possible picks for each player in a DFS lineup.
In Other News
Initial March Madness Field of 68 Projections Released: Kevin Sweeney broke down the four regions and the teams on the bubble as Selection Sunday draws near. Currently, Houston (+550) is the championship favorite at SI Sportsbook.
Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander Headline NBA Midseason Awards: See who Rohan Nadkarni would pick for MVP, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of Year and Most Improved Player if the season ended today.
Buccaneers Fire Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich: Tampa Bay parted ways with Leftwich on Thursday, days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. He began the role in 2019 and was a part of the 2020 Super Bowl-winning team.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy your weekend of playoff football. I’ll talk to you next week with the conference championship matchups decided.
