The Divisional Round wraps up with another two-pack of action on the gridiron as the Houston Texans take on the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams face the Chicago Bears.
- For more coverage of the NFC Divisional Round, check out our Rams vs Bears preview, which includes five picks for tonight's game.
For my top Divisional Round Sunday NFL PrizePicks and Underdog plays, I’m highlighting C.J. Stroud, Austin Hooper, Davante Adams, and Xavier Smith
C.J. Stroud
More Than 9.5 Rushing Yards
C.J. Stroud is not the first name you think of when it comes to mobile quarterbacks, but he's quietly averaged 3.3 rush attempts per game and has had at least one rush in every game he's played this season.
The caveat with Stroud's rushing numbers is that we have only seen him exceed this total once in seven games since his return from a concussion midseason. Although it's not from a lack of trying.
Given that the Patriots play plenty of man defense, while not generating much pressure, there should be running lanes open for Stroud to pick up yards safely and get him above this total.
Austin Hooper
More Than 9.5 Receiving Yards
Next, we switch sides to go back to a favorite target of mine, Patriots tight end Austin Hooper. Hooper is on the field a ton as the Patriots run plenty of 12 personnel.
While he is not a high-volume pass catcher, he's shown he can make an impact with just one reception. Hooper has exceeded this total in 10 of 17 game splayed this season as he averages 12.6 yards per reception.
Last week, he was unable to haul in either of his two targets against the Chargers, but those targets are a sign of good things to come.
Davante Adams
More Than 4.5 Receptions
We shift to the late game, where Davante Adams has a chance to have a massive impact.
The work Puka Nacua did in Adams' absence did not go unnoticed by secondaries around the league, and the extra attention to contain Nacua allowed Adams to get open a ton in his return.
He was targeted 13 times against Carolina, and while he only hauled in five of them, that type of volume gives him tremendous upside in a matchup against a Chicago secondary that ranks 22nd in opponent completion percentage and 26th in yards per pass allowed.
Xavier Smith
More Than 0.5 Receiving Yards
Building off the avenue we see with Adams is the Rams' emergent No.3 wide receiver, Xavier Smith.
Smith impressed enough during Adams' absence to outsnap Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, and Tutu Atwell against Carolina.
While he went target-less in that matchup, Smith being on the field opens the door here as we just need one catch to cash this leg. With the outside receivers drawing heavy attention, I'm confident Smith gets in the box score tonight as the Rams should expose a Bears secondary that has been far more lucky than good this season.
