Wild Card weekend’s second Wild Card matchup will be between the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. Tennessee punched its ticket to the playoffs by securing a No. 6 seed with a Week 17 win while the Patriots were upset by the Miami Dolphins, stripping them of a first-round bye. These two teams last met in the 2017’s divisional round, but a lot has changed since then. Let’s check out some of the best plays for this Titans-Patriots DraftKings Showdown.
Captain Obvious
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans ($16,400)
Tannehill was one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the league as the regular season came to a close. The 31-year-old has thrown 14 touchdowns since Week 12 and has thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his last six contests. He has averaged more than 24.4 DKFP since Tennessee’s bye in Week 11 despite working with a receiving corps that has been hampered by injuries late in the year. Although New England has one of the better pass defenses in NFL, it was torched in a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 and could be exposed again.
Captain Courageous
Tom Brady, QB, Patriots ($15,600)
Brady might be the GOAT, but he hasn’t played like it as of late. The Patriots’ signal caller threw for the fewest yards (4,057) he has since 2010 this season while also recording his lowest quarterback rating since 2013. To make matters worse, Brady has totaled more than 20 DKFP once since Week 7. However, he does have a knack for stepping it up in the postseason. If you think he can conjure up some of his playoff magic from years past, he’s worth picking. He should throw the ball quite a bit, which translates to high upside.
Flex Men
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans ($12,000)
We know Henry is coming off a season-high 211-yard rushing performance from Week 17, but remain skeptical about his ability to follow up that performance with a big game against the Patriots. Henry peaked toward the end of the season and rushed for more than 100 yards in five of his last six games in 2019, but he faced bottom-10 run defenses in four of those six contests. New England on the other hand has the NFL’s sixth-ranked rushing defense, which shut Henry down in his last postseason appearance. The potential is there for Henry to have a solid performance, but history isn’t on his side.
Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots ($9,400)
Brady’s favorite target might be banged up, but that doesn’t mean you should count him out in the postseason. Edelman has been known to become more of a focal point in the Patriots’ offense in the playoffs, and that shouldn’t change this year. The wideout has averaged more than 12 targets per contest in the playoffs since 2013. He’s also tallied more than 121 receiving yards per game in his last two postseasons, according to Pro Football Reference. Edelman could’ve benefited from a bye week but will still be expected to be a valuable contributor against Tennessee.