The second day of the Wild Card Round kicks off on Sunday with three games, and first up is the miami Dolphins trip to Buffalo to face the Bills. This divisional clash may have had the shine taken off it with Tua Tagovailoa’s absence, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for us as bettors to enjoy.
So let’s take a deep dive into Sunday’s game and pick our three main NFL player props for the matchup. Don’t miss our NFL prop picks for the Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills.
Be sure to also check out Ed Scimia's Dolphins vs Bills Wild Card picks and predictions!
Dolphins vs Bills Wild Card prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Dolphins vs Bills Wild Card props
James Cooks
For the longest time this season, it looked like the Bills might have been regretting drafting James Cook in the second round of this year’s draft. He wasn’t seen much earlier in the season and then the team drafted Nyheim Hines.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen his usage creep up, with the rookie leading the team in carries last week against the Patriots and leading the running back room in receptions.
He comes into this on a hot streak, having scored in two of his past three games (we’re not counting the abandoned game in Cincinnati), with one of those scores coming against the Dolphins.
His recent play has earned him more opportunity, and considering the size of the spread, we might well see the team rushing a lot as the game goes on and they have a lead. At +220, it’s well worth backing him to get another touchdown to add to his season’s haul.
James Cook Prop: Anytime touchdown (+220)
Knox turns up
The prop I’m most confident in for this game is this, and at +225 I’m absolutely loving the possibility of Dawson Knox finding the endzone.
First up, let’s look at the competition. The Dolphins have given up 10 scores to opposing team’s tight ends this season, including one against Dawson Knox himself a month ago.
Last year Knox balled out at the end of the season which saw high hopes for him, but as fantasy managers will know, he had a slow start this year — scoring just twice in his first 12 games. The reason for that wasn’t just the fault of Knox, it was primarily down to his usage as a blocker.
However, since Week 14 he’s been an integral part of the offense once again, scoring in each of the team’s past four games. Last year we saw him get hot at the end of the season, and it feels like history repeating itself. He’s on a hot streak, and at +225 and against a team with a blind spot when it comes to locking down tight ends, then he’s a must play for Sunday afternoon’s game.
Dawson Knox Prop: Anytime touchdown (+225)
McKenzie disappears
Remember Isaiah McKenzie? He was the fantasy community’s darling after the first four weeks of the season when he stepped up into the Bills' offense, scoring three touchdowns and hauling in 15 catches. In the 11 games since, he’s caught just 31 balls.
There’s plenty of competition when it comes to catching passes, not least from Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but in the past few weeks we’ve seen the likes of John Brown and Khalil Shakir all get worked more into the offense in addition to the resurgence of Dawson Knox as discussed above.
With the competition for targets so high and the likelihood being that the Bills will win this game easily, and probably rushing more, it’s hard to see McKenzie get enough looks to exceed his receiving yards line here, so we’ll take Under 25.5 rec yards.
Isaiah McKenzie Prop: Under 25.5 receiving yards (-120)
