DraftKings Conference Championship Lineup: Tom Brady, Emmanuel Sanders Safe Bets

It’s championship week in the NFL playoffs, and DraftKings is giving fantasy football players an opportunity to win prizes by playing one-week games.

Here’s our lineup for the AFC and NFC title games Sunday:

Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England Patriots ($7,400)
The Broncos have a very good pass defense, but Brady has performed well against Denver of late. He’s thrown 11 touchdown passes with one interception in his last three games against the Broncos, including the postseason. He also has his full complement of receivers available with No. 1 wideout Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski both healthy.

Running Backs: C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos ($4,400); James White, New England Patriots ($4,600)
Anderson’s best game of the season was against the Patriots in Week 12. The third-year running back ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He also played well in last week’s divisional-round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with 72 rushing yards (4.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown.

The Broncos have a great secondary and pass rush, which could limit Brady’s time to stand in the pocket and throw the ball. Therefore, he might have to look more often at check-down routes and running backs coming out of the backfield. This is where White could shine, and he’s already proven to be a quality receiver with 40 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Wide Receivers: Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos ($6,300); Danny Amendola, New England Patriots ($4,400); John Brown, Arizona Cardinals ($5,200)
Sanders is Peyton Manning’s most sure-handed target, and he led the Broncos in receiving last week with 85 yards on five receptions and eight targets. He’s one of the best posssession receivers in the league and should be a focal point of Denver’s offense, especially after tallying 113 yards against New England in November.

The Broncos probably will focus on taking away Edelman and Gronkowski — the Patriots’ two most dangerous weapons in the passing game. This could open up Amendola for some one-on-one coverage and extra targets from Brady.

Cardinals No. 1 receiver Larry Fitzgerald likely will draw the matchup against elite Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, leaving Brown and Michael Floyd on Carolina’s lesser defensive backs. Brown is the better option after tallying five receptions ad 82 yards against the Green Bay Packers last week. He’s also been pretty consistent, having recorded 60 or more receiving yards in nine games this campaign.

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots ($7,600)
Gronkowski has tallied at least six receptions, 10 targets, 88 receiving yards and a touchdown in each of his last three games against the Broncos.

Flex: Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers ($5,900)
Stewart is questionable with an ankle injury, but he’s a good start if active. The veteran running back closed the regular season with touchdowns in back-to-back games and continued his fine form against an elite Seattle Seahawks run defense last week with 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Defense: New England Patriots ($3,100)
Manning didn’t play too well in the divisional round, and his offense managed just one offensive touchdown. It should be noted that touchdown was scored because the Steelers fumbled inside their own territory late in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots were one of 11 teams to give up fewer than 20 points per game in the regular season, and it’s hard to imagine them allowing more than that to a struggling Manning.

Thumbnail photo via  Jim O’Connor/USA TODAY Sports Images