Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4). Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL wild-card: Jump on these two Saturday player props

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated 1/10/24

Early bird gets the worm when it comes to NFL playoff props. With lines open, we see no reason to wait, let's grab us these numbers before they move up. We've got a pair of players on our mind for the two Saturday wild-card matchups.

Joe Flacco over 271.5 passing yards (-115 DK)

I'd happily play this up to 300, which is currently +165, by the way. Flacco has casually gotten off the couch for Cleveland and thrown for 309+ yards in four straight games, averaging 340.5 passing yards in the process.

To get a line this low suggests sportsbooks aren't convinced the Flacco magic can continue, but I'm most definitely willing to hop on this ride until something changes.

Houston's secondary has been a major issue for nearly two months now. They come into this one allowing the sixth-highest yards per pass, the sixth-most 20+ yard passes, and DVOA grades their secondary as a bottom-10 unit.

Flacco absolutely carved up this defense just a few weeks ago, throwing for 368 yards in Houston. I see no reason things are going to change here.

Both Amari Cooper and David Njoku should be set for big days here, but I'm opting for the man throwing them the football.

Rashee Rice over 63.5 yards (-115 DK)

Miami has been struggling to slow down opposing wide receivers, allowing the ninth-most receptions/game to the position and surrendering the eighth-most explosive passes on the season.

Rice has grown into Patrick Mahomes's top option in the passing game, averaging 9.33 targets/game since Week 12.

Rice has a 6.5 receptions line set for Saturday, and he's over this yardage line in four of the five games in which he's logged at least six catches, averaging 78.2 yards/game.

Stefon Diggs went for 87 yards last week against Miami (and Khalil Shakir finished with 107). Zay Flowers (106), CeeDee Lamb (118), and DeAndre Hopkins (124) are just a few of the other WR1s to have productive days against this secondary over the past month. It's Rice's turn.

Follow Griffin Carroll at griffybets.substack.com for data, trends and targets for every NFL game, plus all the off-season news you can use.

More must-reads: