NFL Wildcard Weekend Preview: Odds, Best Bets, and Player Props
Get ready for a loaded NFL Wildcard Weekend by diving into our betting guide. The LA Chargers are a slight favorite on the road against the Houston Texans in the first game of the weekend on Saturday. In the 8:00 PM slot on Saturday, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are heavy betting favorites against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Looking to the Sunday slate, the action kicks off at 1:00 PM with the Denver Broncos traveling to Buffalo as more than a touchdown underdog. The Packers will look to rebound from a disappointing week 18 performance against the Eagles in the 4:30 timeslot. In primetime, the Commanders are a 3-point road dog to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Wildcard slate wraps up on Monday with the Vikings a slight road favorite at the LA Rams.
In this betting guide we will share our two favorite bets and player props for this weekend’s slate. Get your bets in and popcorn ready, this should be an entertaining weekend of NFL Wildcard action.
Chargers (-3) at Texans
The Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans are trending in completely different directions. Los Angeles has won three in a row, while rookie wideout Ladd McConkey and second-year wideout Quentin Johnston are breaking out in front of our eyes. Against a banged-up Texans secondary, Herbert and company should cause plenty of issues.
On the surface level, this seems like Vegas projects a close matchup. With Houston losing Tank Dell for the season in what felt like a complete energy drainer in that Kansas City loss, this team isn’t good enough to keep up with LA’s physical play on both ends this weekend.
With JK Dobbins back and healthy, I fully expect Harbaugh to lead Los Angeles into the second weekend of the AFC postseason for the first time since 2018.
Steelers (+10) at Ravens
Yes, the Ravens ended the season on a four game wins streak, scoring 30 or more points in each of those outings. Yes, the Steelers lost their final four games of the year while failing to score more than 17 points in any of those matchups.
With this being said, Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson will not go down without a fight. Pittsburgh split their season series with Baltimore and outside of their game on December 21st, had played nine straight one-score games against each other with the Steelers winning eight of those.
Just because we have seen a total dip in production to end the year, I’m not yet ready to write Pittsburgh off, especially on a spread where they can backdoor cover quite easily.
| Sunday, January 19 at 6:30 PM | Spread | Money | Total |
| Baltimore Ravens | 
-1.5 (-106) | 
-115 | 
O 51.5 (-105) |
| Buffalo Bills | 
+1.5 (-118) |
+100 |
U 51.5 (-115) |
WR John Metchie (HOU) OVER 19.5 Receiving Yards
Texans wideout John Metchie is our first player prop to make the Wild Card slate. Metchie has played in around 60% of snaps for the Texans since Week 9 and has been a go-to-target with Tank Dell sidelined for the year.
In a game where we expect L.A. to take the lead earlier and drive down the field with some success, Houston will have to throw the ball downfield against a Chargers defense that has allowed just 82 yards per game on the ground over their last three outings.
TE Tucker Kraft (GB) OVER 34.5 Receiving Yards
Jordan Love and the Packers reunite for a rematch with Philadelphia on Wild Card weekend. After some ups and downs this season from Love, one thing has remained: Tucker Kraft’s YAC ability.
Kraft has been excellent for Green Bay who are now down Christian Watson for the postseason. Kraft has put up 34 or more yards in each game since Week 13 and is averaging 14.59 yards per catch in his second NFL season.
In away games, Tucker averages 44.4 YPG compared to 39.1 YPG at home. Look for Jordan Love to find him against a tough Philly defense.
Aaron White
Sports Betting Contributor
Aaron White graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Economics. His industry experience includes projects for the Chicago Cubs, The Sporting News, and QL Gaming Group. At Hello Rookie, he covers the NFL and NBA from a betting and DFS perspective.
