On the menu for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is a four-game slate. Below, I have featured two of my favorite bargain wide receiver plays to consider.
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Khalil Shakir ($5,000)
Shakir’s salary has inexcusably hit a season-low on DraftKings and he is good chalk to embrace at this new salary. In the Bills’ Wild Card win over the Broncos last week, a brutal matchup, Shakir hauled in all six of his targets for 61 yards (12.1 FPTS), while leading Buffalo in routes (23) and target share (24%), which has been the norm all season. While the Bills have many weapons, Shakir has been their main option in the passing game. In his 16 starts this season, Shakir has led Buffalo with a 23.5% target share — including eight red zone targets and 11 targets over 20 yards — and a 75% route rate.
Shakir has scored at least 13 FPTS seven times this season and could add to that total on Sunday, as a shootout seems inevitable between the Bills and Ravens. Outside of the Lions, the Bills and Ravens are the top scoring offenses in the NFL, so, this game carries a high 51.5-point total on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Baltimore’s secondary has improved as the season progressed, but they have still allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to receivers (2,827) and Buffalo should be forced to air out in this Divisional matchup. Not only are the Bills a 1.5-point underdog, but the Ravens’ league-best rush defense naturally makes opposing offenses rely on their passing game, which is evident by the huge amount of receiving yards Baltimore has yielded this season.
Shakir brings a strong combination of safety and upside in this spot, and is a difficult fade at only $5,000.
Hollywood Brown ($4,200)
After missing the first 14 games of the season with a shoulder injury, Brown played in Week 16 and 17, and finished with 9.5 and 8.6 FPTS, respectively. The receiver only ran a route on 40% of his team’s drop backs in these two contests, but his ability to earn targets was incredible, with Brown garnering a target on a jaw dropping 44% of his routes, including two red zone targets and two targets over 20 yards.
Along with all the Chiefs’ other starters, Brown didn’t play in the team’s meaningless regular season finale in Week 18, meaning come the time of this Saturday’s matchup with the Texans, Brown will have not played football in 24 days.
With all this rest in his favor, Brown should see his largest workload of the season and run a route on at least 50% of his team’s drop backs. With this increased role, Brown is a legitimate threat for double-digit targets and his upside is far higher than his low $4,200 salary suggests, regardless of this being a tough matchup against a Houston defense that is giving up the second-fewest yards per pass this season (6.1).
Brown ranks sixth in FPTS per snap among all the receivers that have seen at least 10 targets this season (0.40) and he should come with relatively low ownership, given he has only played in two games this season.
