Pick 'Em & Rip 'Em sponsored by PrizePicks: Week 21
PrizePicks is your go-to stop for daily fantasy sports, and before you set your lineup for NFL conference championship weekend, our DFS expert Matthew Dawson offers you his insight on the best picks and plays from the NFL, the NBA and beyond! We pick 'em, you rip 'em!
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After a fantastic year of playing college football player squares, my attention has turned to other sports. Even though PrizePicks allows me to pick tennis, golf, esports and soccer players, I’ll stick to what I’m good at. This week, I’ve got some loaded lineups for you that include NFL, NBA and college hoops players. Time to lace up those cleats and make some generational wealth.
*Numbers are subject to change*
Aggie of the Week
G Wade Taylor IV
MORE THAN 13.5 Points
“Four” is back in the A&M lineup, and he looked great in the 24 minutes he played vs. LSU on Saturday. That was his lowest minute total since November when he sat out much of the game vs. East Texas A&M. I anticipate that the Aggies will need Taylor in a big way against another top-20 opponent on the road.
Lineup of the Week
(Flex Play - 10x | Power Play - 19x)
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
MORE THAN 0.5 Passing Yard
If PrizePicks is going to give us a free square this week, you’d better believe I’m playing it.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Buffalo Bills
MORE THAN 1.5 Receptions
Samuel has had at least two catches in each of his last three games. While only playing the second least amount of pass snaps of any other Buffalo wideout, he still has the fifth-most targets of any Bills player. And these targets often turn into receptions (73.5% receptions/target rate), given the nature of his average depth of target being a measly 4.4 yards. I like Samuel to snag at least two balls.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
LESS THAN 1.5 Receptions
In 2017, Kareem Hunt was very involved in the Chiefs’ passing attack. In 2024…not so much. It was thought that this might change after his Week 10 performance, where Hunt had seven catches on eight targets. However, since then, he has only had more than three targets once, which was all the way back in Week 12. With only five receptions in his last five games, I’ll take Hunt’s less than.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
MORE THAN 13.5 Rushing Attempts
The Georgia product has been an exceptional addition to this Bills rushing attack. Part of this success has come from Buffalo changing how they’ve run the ball. From Weeks 1-14, the Bills ran a gap scheme only 41.7 percent of the time. Since then, they’ve run a gap scheme over 56 percent of the time. This had led to Cook having three 100-plus yard rushing games when he only had two in the first 14 weeks. While he didn’t have a great game the last time they played Kansas City, they only ran three gap scheme plays for him vs. six zone scheme plays. I like the Bills to use Cook often in this one.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
MORE THAN 127.5 Rushing Yards
This one doesn’t have much analysis to it. You have the best running back in the league, having the best season from a running back we’ve seen in over a decade and a quarterback with a knee injury. I have to believe that the Eagles are going to ride the hand of Barkley to alleviate stress from Jalen Hurts and also keep the ball out of JDaniels’ hand. Not to mention, he had 146 and 150 rushing yards when he played against the Commanders this season.
Other Dawson Selections
(Flex Play - 10x | Power Play - 20x)
Fred VanVleet, G, Houston Rockets - MORE THAN 5.5 Assists
Kevin Durant, F, Phoenix Suns - LESS THAN 4.5 Assists
Mike Conley, G, Minnesota Timberwolves - MORE THAN 7.5 Points
Jaylin Williams, F, Oklahoma City Thunder - LESS THAN 10.5 Reb + Asts
Cason Wallace, G, Oklahoma City Thunder - MORE THAN 6.5 Reb + Asts
