Yahoo DFS Football: Conference Championship Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Conference Championship Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

Whether or not you found DFS success during the NFL regular season, Yahoo! will give you a chance to add to your winnings with contests throughout the playoffs. This weekend's contests focus on the Conference Championship Round, which begins Sunday at 3:05 PM Eastern time. Among the options primed to pop this weekend are a quarterback who excels at home and a running back who has stepped up in recent weeks.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Tom Brady, NE at KC ($30): Brady and road playoff games generally don't mix -- he has fewer career road playoff wins (three) than Mark Sanchez (four). That being said, he doesn't need to lead his team to victory to deliver a strong DFS performance against a Chiefs defense that surrendered 273.4 passing yards per game during the regular season -- second-most in the league.

RB: James White, NE at KC ($19): It's hard not to look White's way again after he tied an NFL postseason record with 15 receptions last week. That output came in a game which New England led 35-7 at the half, so you can only imagine how many catches White might have if the Patriots fall behind and are forced to employ an especially pass-heavy game plan.

WR: Sammy Watkins, KC vs. NE ($17): Watkins saw the field for the first time since Nov. 19 last week, and he certainly wasn't eased in during his return from a foot injury, playing all but six of Kansas City's offensive snaps. New England tends to game plan around taking away the opposition's best weapons on offense, so Watkins could be called upon early and often with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce likely to get the majority of defensive attention. With wunderkind Patrick Mahomes throwing Watkins the ball, the fourth overall selection from the 2014 draft is primed to provide excellent value at just $17.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Jared Goff (LAR, $27)
RB: C.J. Anderson (LAR, $20); Sony Michel (NE, $20)
WR: Ted Ginn (NO, $16); Brandin Cooks (LAR, $20)
TE: Gerald Everett (LAR, $10)
DST: Kansas City Chiefs ($13)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

Quarterback

Drew Brees, NO vs. LAR ($34)

Brees' first pass in last week's win over the Eagles was picked off, but he put on a clinic from there to finish with 301 yards, two touchdowns and that one interception. The veteran quarterback has long done his best work at home, and this season was no exception. He sat out the regular season finale, but posted a 21:1 TD:INT and 2,251 passing yards in his seven regular-season games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, easily outperforming the 1,741 yards and 11:4 ratio he posted in eight road contests. Expect Brees to get it done in front of the home crowd once more, especially against a Rams team that he roasted for 346 yards and four touchdowns in their Week 9 meeting.

Running Back

Damien Williams, KC vs. NE ($19)

Williams has become Kansas City's go-to backfield option in recent weeks, accumulating 332 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 59 carries to go with 19 catches for 134 yards and another touchdown through the air over the past four games. He proved capable of handling a workhorse role with a career-high 25 carries in last week's win over the Colts and will be counted upon to provide the crucial balance that keeps Kansas City's offense so dangerous.

Wide Receiver

Robert Woods, LAR at NO ($21)

The Rams' passing game shifted down a gear or two on the road this season (more on that below), but Woods was able to avoid the road woes that plagued his teammates, posting nearly identity home-away splits. For comparison, fellow Rams receiver Brandin Cooks had 53 catches at home to 27 on the road while Woods recorded 43 receptions apiece in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Julian Edelman, NE at KC ($21)

With tight end Rob Gronkowksi making most of his contributions as a blocker nowadays, Edelman and White have become responsible for the lion's share of New England's production through the air. He may not surpass the 151 yards he racked up last week, but Edelman should at least approach the nine catches and 13 targets he posted in that contest.

Tight End

Travis Kelce, KC vs. NE ($27)

Assuming you have the money for him, Kelce's a no-brainer at the tight end position. The Saints and Rams don't utilize their tight ends much in the passing game, and Gronkowski has been a near non-factor as a receiver more often than not this season. Meanwhile, Kelce's 108-yard performance last week gives him eight games with at least 95 receiving yards to go with 10 touchdowns this season.

Defense/Special Teams

New Orleans Saints, NO vs. LAR ($16)

None of these defenses look particularly appealing here considering no unit eclipsed 0.0 fantasy points in the regular season Chiefs-Patriots and Rams-Saints matchups. New Orleans' unit certainly showed the most late-season progress of the four, however, racking up 9.0 or more fantasy points in six of nine games since that meeting with the Rams. Throw in Jared Goff's home/road splits (2,737 yards, 27:3 TD:INT at home vs. 1,951 yards, 10:9 away), and you can actually start to feel pretty good about the Saints' defense here.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Patrick Mahomes (KC, $39)
RB: Alvin Kamara (NO, $29); Todd Gurley (LAR, $34)
WR: Michael Thomas (NO, $31); Tyreek Hill (KC, $34)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, $17)
DST: New England Patriots ($11)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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