Conference Championships: Deep Sleepers and DFS Bargains

This is it! The final opportunity to play fantasy football for the 2015-16 season.

With just four teams to choose from the pickings are slim. Starting your studs and carving out value is essential to winning this weekend. Here are three picks that’ll help you stay within the confines of our game’s budget.

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy: $10 could win you $10K in our $100K conference title contest]

C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos ($22)
Rushing for 72 yards and a score, Anderson was the second-best fantasy RB in the divisional round. Carrying the rock 15 times in back-to-back outings, Anderson and committee-mate Ronnie Hillman appear to be in a most equitable timeshare. Still, Anderson’s power and explosiveness give him the edge this weekend. Averaging 4.7 YPC over the regular season and 5.6 YPC over his last four contests, Anderson was ranked by the Yahoo Fantasy team as the third-best RB heading into this Sunday.

With QB Peyton Manning throwing ducks and his receivers struggling to hold on to the ball, Denver’s ground game should be heavily featured. New England’s run defense has been solid, but they did give up 76 combined yards and a score to RB Charcandrick West last weekend. Significantly cheaper than either of the two options – David Johnson ($35) and Jonathan Stewart ($31) – ahead of him, Anderson offers the most bang for the required buck.

James White, RB, New England Patriots ($19)
Trying to accurately project the Patriots backfield is like playing darts while shooting Fireball. Given a limited number of options and dollars, however, White makes for an interesting RB2 or flex option. With WR Julian Edleman and WR Danny Amendola in play, White’s opportunities in the passing game are likely to be limited. Still, both receivers are banged up and neither of New England’s other RBs have proven to be effective.

During the regular season, running backs that faced the Broncos were looked to in the passing game a whopping 141 times. That’s the third-highest target total of any run defense in the league. Additionally, five of the 14 scores that the Broncos surrendered to opposing RBs came via the air. Noting White’s particular skill set in tandem with head coach Bill Belichick’s prowess as a matchups guru, the odds of the Pats’ passing downs back hitting pay dirt are exceedingly high.

Corey Brown, WR, Carolina Panthers ($12)
Seeing over 68 percent of the Panthers' offensive snaps, Brown has been on the field more than any of Carolina’s wide receivers. While that presence hasn’t translated into targets, it is worth nothing that the second-year wideout received six looks in three of the last four games of the regular season. Additionally, he was the most targeted WR in the divisional round, catching two of five balls against Seattle.

With Ted Ginn Jr. still gimpy due to a knee injury, and likely to be followed by five-time Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson, Brown could – once again – see an increased role. A tough receiver who can be slippery in space, the former Buckeye is an ideal No. 3 receiver for DFS enthusiasts looking to pay up at other positions.

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