Yahoo DFS Football: Divisional Round Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Divisional Round Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $34)

The reputation of the Jaguars defense will make this look like an oppressive matchup for Big Ben, and that may cause fantasy players to fade him. However, the Jaguars allowed the 23rd most fantasy points to QBs over the last five weeks of the season, and that included 1.8 passing TDs per game. With four excellent weapons in the passing game while playing on their home field, Roethlisberger should be a nice contrarian play.

RB: James White (NE, $12)

Tennessee gave up 73 receiving yards per game to running backs over the last five games of the season, which is by far the worst mark of any team remaining in the playoffs. Although White hasn't been a strong fantasy factor during the season, he was targeted 72 times over 14 games, and nobody exploits a weakness better than the New England coaching staff. Look for White to get plenty of work, which should give him enough upside to be a strong tournament play.

WR: Mohamed Sanu (ATL, $18)

The Eagles are very unlikely to give up very much production on the ground, as their elite front seven should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage. The best way for the Falcons to attack this defense is through the air against a secondary that allowed the 26th most fantasy points to WRs over the last five weeks of the season. Despite the great matchup, look for Philly to sell out to stop Julio Jones, which should open up plenty of space for Sanu over the middle of the field. Also, he'll serve as a great outlet for Matt Ryan when the pass rush begins to close in on him.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Matt Ryan (ATL, $24)
RB: Jerick McKinnon (MIN, $17)
WR: Adam Thielen (MIN, $29)
TE: Austin Hooper (ATL, $15)
DST: Atlanta Falcons ($16)

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

QB: Tom Brady (NE, $41)

Although they were one of the weaker units in the league against the pass for much of the season, the Titans improved to become a middle-of-the-pack unit against QBs over the last five games of the season. Regardless, Alex Smith had no trouble moving the ball up and down the field during the first half, before Travis Kelce was knocked out of the game, last week. With the Titans' secondary being their defensive weakness, Brady should have little trouble identifying mismatches that will allow him to post a strong performance.

RB: Derrick Henry (TEN, $21)

With nobody to steal away carries, Henry's one of the only RBs in the playoffs who's almost a mortal lock to see around 25 touches. Although the Patriots are known to take away one component of the opposing offense, Henry doesn't seem to have earned that type of respect, as he hasn't been a consistent runner on an every-down basis. Given the fact he's handled 54 touches over the last two weeks, he should have enough volume to come through against a defense that's allowed 4.4 yards per carry over their last five games.

WR: Dede Westbrook (JAC, $11)

Even though Blake Bortles has been awful over the last few weeks, Westbrook has been targeted at least seven times in each of the last three games. The good news is that he saw eight targets with Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns in the lineup last week, so it looks that he's become a staple of the team's passing attack. There's nothing scary about his matchup with the Steelers, as they allowed the 16th most fantasy points to WRs over their last five contests.

TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, $32)

The Titans allowed 115 more yards against tight ends over the last five games of the season than any of the remaining playoff teams, which is the wrong weakness to have against the Pats. With weapons all over the field, Tennessee won't be able to pay too much extra attention to Gronkowski. When facing the Chiefs last week, Travis Kelce skewered this defense before leaving the game with a concussion in the first half. Look for Gronk to smash in the divisional round.

DST: Pittsburgh Steelers ($16)

This defense has been struggling since losing LB Ryan Shazier, and they're simply not a very good unit. However, with the way Blake Bortles has played over the last three weeks, look for the Steelers to stack the box to stop Leonard Fournette and force the QB to beat them. Betting against Bortles seems like a great wager, especially on such a huge stage, and a pick-six is never out of the equation.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Case Keenum (MIN, $29)
RB: Le'Veon Bell (PIT, $40)
WR: Nelson Agholor (PHI, $16)
TE: Kyle Rudolph (MIN, $17)
DST: New England Patriots ($16)

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. Jim Coventry plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mvp1986, DraftKings: mvp1986.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Coventry
Coventry was a finalist for the FSWA football writer of the year in 2022. He started playing fantasy football in 1994 and won a national contest in 1996. He also nabbed five top-50 finishes in national contests from 2008 to 2012 before turning his attention to DFS. He's been an industry analyst since 2007, though he joined RotoWire in 2016. A published author, Coventry wrote a book about relationships, "The Secret of Life", in 2013.
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