This weekend is Conference Championship weekend in the NFL, and that means it’s the last weekend for daily fantasy sports when it comes to the NFL for the season. There are two games, the AFC Championship and the NFC Championship. These both promise to be high quality games, and there are plenty of high profile players in the mix to round out your fantasy rosters. Here, we will go over both games and let you know our take on who’s worth drafting and who you should stay away from.
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
This game has a ton of hype going along with it, and not just because the Patriots are the defending Super Bowl Champions. Both teams’ quarterbacks—Tom Brady and Peyton Manning—are future hall of famers and have an already storied rivalry. But, the real point of contention here is Deflategate. The Patriots are 3 point favorites for this game, though, even though the Broncos have a stellar defense. This means that Brady is the QB to pick in this one, especially because he has an 11-5 record against Manning. Look to TE Rob Gronkowski to be his target of choice, as per usual, with wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola being secondary targets. Amendola might actually be the better pick here from a daily fantasy football perspective because of the fact that he will be cheaper and neither will be a top performer for this particular weekend. That leaves a lot more room in the value department for Amendola, and it leaves salary that can be put to better uses elsewhere.
Normally, the Denver defense would be a top choice, but not for this game. The Patriots are too strong, have the edge, and there is a high over/under for this particular game, set at 44.5 points. Denver is good, but this isn’t the right game to use them for fantasy purposes. The objects of your focus on the Broncos should be running back Ronnie Hillman and WR Demaryius Thomas. Hillman is a favorite for Manning when against stronger defenses, and will likely be relied upon a good deal for this game. Even if he has a subpar game, he will squeeze out a lot of fantasy points for you. He’s averaging only 53.9 yards per game, but it is realistic to expect more out of him this game as a subpar performance isn’t likely. Thomas is the top receiver in the post season, and that alone should give him some attention on fantasy rosters.
Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers
This game has a lot more fantasy potential than the first one, even if that is the one getting all the attention. First, Carolina QB Cam Newton is a fantasy point machine. He’s not only improved his throwing game a lot this year, but he is putting up rushing TDs like no one else, and for fantasy purposes, that’s a big boost to him. And although the Cardinals have the eighth best defense in the NFL, the Panthers have a stronger offense, coming in at number one offense.
The Cardinals rank at number two when it comes to offense, but the Panthers have a stronger defense than they do, thus securing them the 3-point edge that Vegas has given them. This should be a high scoring game with an over/under set at 48 points, which makes it even more attractive from a DFS point of view. The top fantasy pick is Newton, but you should also be looking to his main receivers: TE Greg Olsen and WR Ted Ginn, Jr. Olsen is the number two tight end this weekend, but he might be a top choice for this reason alone.
On Arizona, QB Carson Palmer is a great QB. His QB Rating is the highest of any remaining quarterback in the postseason. However, the Carolina edge does hurt him a tiny bit, even if this won’t impact his rating a ton. He is definitely worth considering for your roster. Also, look to his main target: WR Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the second best remaining receiver in the postseason right now.
