The Miami Dolphins will leave warm Florida and hit the road for an AFC Wild Card Game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, January 13. While this is a huge game for both teams, they will have to face off with an unexpected threat: the weather. Saturday night’s forecast is about as opposite of football weather as the teams could have hoped for.
Let’s take a look at the forecast courtesy of AccuWeather and what impact it could have on the game.
Weather for Dolphins vs. Chiefs in Wild Card round
Forecast
The high for the day is projected to be five degrees, with a low of -11. There is a 25% chance of snow. The weather description reads, “brisk and colder with low clouds; bitter cold; be sure to wear layers.” There will be 15 mph winds consistently, with gusts up to 29 mph. This will have the wind chill dropping down as low as -30.
Fantasy/betting implications
This weather forecast will likely have both fantasy and betting implications. With the wind gusts, passes and kicks could be affected. The running backs for each team should be featured early and often, which is also keeping the point total low. When these teams matched up in Germany in Week 9, Kansas City came away with the 21-14 win. The point total for this playoff rematch is 44 at DraftKings Sportsbook and would be too low, given the high-octane offenses combined with injury-riddled defenses.
For fantasy, Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa need to be downgraded, as any passes will likely have to be medium or short-range. They still have value, but not as much if they aren’t able to air it out. Running backs Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, and Isiah Pacheco should all see a boost if the offenses are forced to keep the ball on the ground. Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers Rashee Rice, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the only other pass-catchers I would trust purely because they should garner the majority of the limited target share.