Our final fantasy picks column of the season is probably the most difficult to write. And it’s not due to the decision we have to make with our players, but because of the nature of a two-game slate. We can’t list everyone as it makes for an unrealistic roster build. Therefore, we did our best to keep our list concise and as practical as possible, while still citing some value opportunities where they present themselves.
Based on our expected Conference Championship DFS game flow analysis published earlier, we can carry our thoughts into actual lineup positions. The long list of players that fit the requirements set forth by the projected flow of the game was cut dramatically by the requirements set forth by salaries.
Below are Sporfolio’s DFS Conference Championship Round Plays:
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers – Arguably one of the most difficult decisions for the Conference Championship Games was deciding between the high ceiling of Patrick Mahomes or the price savings of Aaron Rodgers. Because of the amount of stars in-play – no surprise here as each team has its share of players worth targeting – it’s hard to look past one of the best quarterbacks of All-Time at a relative discount. We saw Aaron Rodgers do exactly what was needed to win a playoff game when he connected on a long 3rd down pass to Davante Adams late in the fourth quarter, last week. With the season on-the-line, Rodgers is a good as any and will not let the Green Bay Packers fall out of the fight. And, at the end of the day, it’s not impossible that he matches whatever Mahomes does in the AFC Championship Game, making Rodgers have that-much-higher of a value.
Ryan Tannehill – It feels weird to be promoting a quarterback who has thrown a grand total of 29 passes for 160 yards in two playoff games thus far, but here we are. There is no denying that the Titans’ ideal gameplan involves giving the ball to Derrick Henry as many times as humanly possible. That obviously works against Tannehill, but eventually, that plan may have to change, and if there were ever a game to force them to change, this is the one. The biggest reason behind that thinking is simply that the Chiefs are going to force them out of their run heavy game plan by scoring early and scoring often. If the Titans find themselves playing in a back-and-forth, high-scoring game, Tannehill will be forced into a much greater workload. The second aspect is simply the strategical advantage that could come from a new game plan. If you are the Chiefs, wouldn’t your entire game plan on defense be focused on stopping Derrick Henry? The Titans surely know this, and could look to work in their play action passing game to catch the Chiefs off-guard. All of this makes Tannehill a worthwhile risk, but his body of work throughout this entire season – in which he lead the league is yards per attempt and threw for multiple touchdown passes in all but three games since taking over in Week 6 – gives us an additional confidence boost.