Denver Broncos Versus New England Patriots: Daily Fantasy Outlook
Daily fantasy players will have some tough decisions to make when the NFL Conference Championship games takes place. If you live in a state where playing FanDuel and DraftKings is still allowed, picking the right players could fetch you bragging rights on one of the most watched games of the NFL season. There are several daily fantasy options to consider using from the AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.
The conference championship game matchups are two spectacular contests which feature the top two seeds from both the AFC and NFC.
The Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots were the class of the league all season long. To have everything culminate in the conference championships is icing on the cake for the fans. As for daily fantasy players, the icing could be even sweeter if the right players are selected in FanDuel and DraftKings.
There are several players who could provide great value at their positions. That being said, this year’s crop of conference championship games will be about the quarterbacks first, with the other position players to follow.
The storied rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will start for perhaps the final time at 3:00 EST in Denver. You have two signal-callers to choose from in a game where you may have to ignore the resumes they boast.
In the case of the Denver Broncos versus the New England Patriots, one must decide on going with Tom Brady, who will face a stout Broncos’ defense, or Peyton Manning who is losing to “Father Time.” Woody Paige of the Denver Post likens Manning to a Shakespearean character, who is pitied. If you were debating on which player, factor in how much value could each of them potentially bring you on the daily fantasy leagues. The costs for Brady and Manning reflects the point about ignoring their resumes.
Report: Jamie Collins (back) is "good to go" for the @Patriots: https://t.co/bCSj2T0vYW pic.twitter.com/F0m6Gytpyi
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2016
Tom Brady is worth $8,100 and $7,400 on FanDuel and DraktKings respectively. Peyton Manning on the other hand would take up a measly $6,700 and $5,500 in cap room. The difference between each player comes down to overall arm strength. Brady is strong enough to get the football to his playmakers at any point during a game. There is a certain dynamic to him and the short-yard passing game. His receivers and group of tight ends can catch a short pass in space and break them into long gains. The short yardage plays also elevates the running backs who will probably end up nonexistent in the running game.
Obviously, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are guaranteed to be used as options for NFL Conference Championship week in daily fantasy. The Patriots have a legitimate sleeper on their roster.
Some of the Denver Broncos would be smart plays depending on what you prefer in your daily fantasy lineups. While most people will look to avoid picking up Peyton Manning, his price is one reason to consider using him.
Another reason is because he is still capable of putting it together for one, or two more games. Manning will be facing a banged up and depleted Patriots defense. NFL.com reports that Jamie Collins will play. Jerrod Mayo though, is out.
Peyton Manning could also receive a boost if his receivers can actually catch the football.
With most daily fantasy players looking to use Brady or one of the other quarterbacks, the percentages will work in the favor of those who use Manning, provided that he can revisit some past magic.
Running back by committee is what Denver is employing these days. It is a total shell game with backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman as far as who will take the bulk of the snaps. In order to win it is no secret that the Broncos must run the ball, selecting which tailback to go with will be a difficult task.
The Broncos have gone with the most effective of the two. C.J. Anderson will get the starting nod, while Ronnie Hillman will provide the element of speed when he takes the field. The best bet to add would be Anderson, though neither of them will break the bank. Besides, there are not that many running backs of significance to choose from in this week’s daily fantasy league. It is either Arizona’s David Johnson or Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart. Beyond them, the daily fantasy options dwindle mightily unless you consider using a member of the duo of the Broncos.
Each defense could get a few points towards taking the top spot in the daily fantasy leagues.
Putting together the perfect daily fantasy team for the NFL Conference Championships. From the AFC Championship game, going with a combination of Peyton Manning, Julian Edelman and James White, or one of the Denver rushers would be ideal.
[Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]
