FanDuel Divisional Round Fantasy Lineup: Tom Brady Among Safest Picks

by abournenesn

Jan 15, 2016

Fantasy football is in postseason mode.

Fans still have plenty of chances to compete in fantasy games during the NFL playoffs by using one-week sites such as FanDuel.

Here’s our FanDuel lineup for the four divisional round games.

Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England Patriots ($8,600)
Brady should have his full complement of receivers for the first time since Week 10 when the Patriots beat the New York Giants. The NFL MVP candidate has dominated the divisional round throughout his career, just look at his last four games.

  • 2014 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 367 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
  • 2013 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 198 passing yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
  • 2012 vs. Houston Texans: 344 passing yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
  • 2011 vs. Denver Broncos: 363 passing yards, 6 TD, 1 INT

He didn’t need to be dominant in 2013 because LeGarrette Blount ran for 166 yards and four touchdowns.

It also should be noted the Chiefs’ two-best pass rushers, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, both are listed as questionable because of injuries. Patriots left tackle Sebastian Vollmer also is expected to return to the lineup after recovering from an injury.

Running Backs: James White, New England Patriots ($6,500); 
You’ll notice we went with expensive options at the quarterback, wide receiver and tight end positions, so the running backs are a bit of a gamble.

White finished the regular season with six touchdowns in his last seven games. He also tallied 32 receptions in that span, which is good for leagues that award points for catches, such as FanDuel.

Tolbert is a goal-line threat given his size, and he did average 4.1 yards per carry in the regular season. The best-case scenario is he scores a short-yardage touchdown.

Wide Receivers: Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos ($7,700); Brandon LaFell, New England Patriots ($6,300); Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals ($7,900)
Sanders destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers during the regular season with 10 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown on Dec. 20. He’s the most sure-handed receiver on the Broncos and should be targeted often by Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.

LaFell is a bit of a gamble, but he could play a key role for the Patriots if Julian Edelman and/or Rob Gronkowski are less than 100 percent Saturday. Let’s not forget LaFell played well in last year’s playoffs, when he tallied a touchdown reception in both the divisional round and the Super Bowl.

Fitzgerald should  take advantage of an average-at-best Packers defense that got shredded by the Cardinals in Week 16. The Packers also don’t have a shutdown cornerback to match up with Fitzgerald.

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, ($8,300)
Gronkowski is the best tight end in football and if he’s active (currently listed as questionable), you must start him. He averaged more than 10 targets per game and 16.3 yards per catch during the regular season, and he’s also the toughest red-zone cover in the league.

Kicker: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers ($4,700)
Boswell averages the second-most FanDuel points per game among eligible kickers, but he’s just the fifth-most expensive player at the position. We expect a low-scoring game in Denver, especially for the Steelers with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and No. 1 receiver Antonio Brown banged up.

Defense: New England Patriots ($4,700)
Sure, the Chiefs scored 30 points last week, but the Patriots are much better than the Houston Texans. New England gave up just 19.7 points per game and ranked ninth in rushing yards allowed per game during the regular season. This unit also will be at, or very close to full strength after injuries ravaged it late in the campaign.

Plus, the Chiefs might be without No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin, who’s officially listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

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

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