NFL Wild Card Weekend has arrived, and it begins with the 8-9 Panthers hosting the 12-5 Rams at Bank of America Stadium. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is a 10.5-point favorite, and the game’s total is set at O/U 45.5 points. We’ve got a King of the End Zone contest to kick off the postseason.
For those unfamiliar, it’s simple. If you opt in to the contest and bet on the player who scores the longest touchdown across both of Saturday’s Wild Card games, you get a share of a $3 million bonus bet pool. Here’s the details:
Now that you know how it works, let’s dig into my favorite Rams wide receiver for this contest.
Best Rams Wide Receiver for King of the End Zone
Xavier Smith Anytime Touchdown (+1000)
We all know the big names in LA. Puka Nacua can dominate all over the field, Davante Adams is a dominant red-zone receiver, and Kyren Williams always finds a way to contribute. But it’s been a season-long experiment to figure out who else can be a weapon behind the studs. Xavier Smith has been the sneaky second-half breakout player for the Rams.
Over the first six weeks of the season, Smith played only 6.0% of offensive snaps, recording one catch for 36 yards. He was largely used as a return specialist while getting spot offensive duties. Then the injuries struck, as Tutu Atwell and Adams missed 10 combined games down the stretch. That thrust Smith into significant offensive usage, and he responded well.
Smith played 30% of the offensive snaps over the final 10 weeks, turning himself into a sneaky deep threat. He caught 17 balls for 267 yards, averaging a smooth 15.7 yards per catch. That includes catches of 36, 48 and 51 yards. His career week came against — you guessed it — the Carolina Panthers. The undrafted free agent caught all three balls for 82 yards in that one. Then he tried to one-up that against the Falcons with four catches for 67 yards, including this huge what-if missed throw:
It’s a big prize pool, and I want it all. No sense in playing it safe now. Smith will get situational deep threat snaps, and all it takes is one toss over the top for Smith to break the long one.
