Title: 5 Sneaky NFL DFS Targets For Championship Weekend

Time is running out for daily fantasy football gamers to take advantage of big GPP tournaments at top DFS sites like FanDuel and DraftKings.

 

This weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship games don’t look like fantasy football gold at first glance, but they do represent your last chance for a legit NFL DFS experience.

 

DraftKings has been promoting a one-day NFL DFS contest, but for typical fantasy players, this weekend’s championship slate is the last one to target with any confidence.

 

The problem? Chalk should reign supreme on such a small slate. Four teams hand you just two games, which means it’s going to be difficult to gain a real edge.

 

Limited (and obvious) options should saturate the field, which may make winning big quite difficult. That’s one reason why most fantasy fans could shift to the NFL betting world, where the thrill of betting for real money will arguably be considerably greater.

 

Still, there is an advantage to be had if you can mix in the right sleepers with your studs. Step one could be gauging which stud options are both chalky (high owned) and aren’t viable fade options.

 

The second step is undoubtedly pivoting off of the options you can fade and finding out which sleeper plays could positively differentiate your lineup from the rest of the field.

 

The list isn’t long, but whether you’re playing at DraftKings or FanDuel, there could be five interesting options that not everyone will be on this weekend:

 

Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars ($5k at DK, $7.6k at FD)

 

On such a small daily fantasy football slate, you better believe Tom Brady is going to garner the most ownership in basically every format.

 

Brady is matchup proof most of the time, but he’s also in the AFC title game and at home. On top of that, Ben Roethlisberger just torched this would-be elite Jaguars defense for 5 touchdowns and nearly 500 passing yards.

 

Of course, Brady has folded in the playoffs before and it wouldn’t be that crazy to see him struggle against such a staggering pass rush (2nd in sacks).

 

If Brady isn’t the top guy, most will then be drawn to Case Keenum. He’s the only other viable play in terms of overall production this year, after all.

 

Except, there’s that Blake Bortles guy.

 

Bortles is widely known as a draft bust and terrible starting quarterback, but he’s shown glimpses of promise in 2017 and actually played a big hand in last week’s win in Pittsburgh.

 

If Bortles can maintain his composure, he could be an interesting play – and potentially an elite sleeper – against a Patriots defense that ranked just 26th against fantasy quarterbacks in 2017.

 

After all, Leonard Fournette is the main man the Pats will set out to stop in this game and if New England establishes an early lead, game flow will dictate Bortles passing quite a bit.

 

One way or another, Bortles could be an elite contrarian play in GPPs and you may not want to go into the weekend with zero exposure to him.

 

Rex Burkhead – New England Patriots ($5.4k at DK, $6k at FD)

 

On the other side of that Jaguars vs. Patriots game resides another interesting sleeper; running back Rex Burkhead. The versatile rusher has missed time due to a knee injury, but all signs point to his return in this week’s AFC Championship tilt.

 

James White benefited from an expanded role in Burkhead’s absence and even Brandon Bolden punched in a short score last week. Burkhead’s return could drop both of those guys down in the pecking order and if his role during the season returns, he could be an elite contrarian option.

 

The main draw here is few will feel great about rostering Burkhead for three reasons; he’s missed time due to injury, he’s not cheap and there’s no way in knowing what his exact role will be.

 

Oh, and he’s facing a tough Jaguars defense. So, really, there are four logical reasons not to pay for this guy.

 

Jacksonville’s main weakness is on the ground, though, and Le’Veon Bell severely exposed their inability to cover receiving backs (9 catches) last week.

 

Burkhead is active as a receiver and is a constant red-zone threat. If his role is even close to being back to normal, DFS gamers are going to regret fading him.

 

Dede Westbrook – Jacksonville Jaguars ($3.9k at DK, $5.5k at FD)

 

Back to the Jacksonville side of things, I’m not sure I can fade the explosive Westbrook.

 

If Bortles is going to be handed a positive game script that demands he throw the ball or this matchup simply allows for him to go nuts, one has to think some of his receivers will benefit.

 

One thing that was obvious last week is that Bortles has the green light to take some deep shots and he actually converted a couple. Westbrook is known for his deep threat talents and oddly enough, he really hasn’t hit a back-breaking play yet during his rookie season.

 

I think one could be coming. Not only does Westbrook have the talent and matchup to land a huge play, but he previously also had a monster role in the passing game. The return of a healthy Allen Hurns complicates things, but let other DFS games worry about that.

 

Alshon Jeffery – Philadelphia Eagles ($4.6k at DK, $7.3k at FD)

 

There’s no denying that Alshon Jeffery is not a fantasy sleeper in the truest sense. However, with Nick Foles under center, one of the game’s best deep ball targets has fallen far from relevancy.

 

To make matters worse, Jeffery will be tasked with beating Xavier Rhodes this week and that’s not something even the top wide receivers often find much success with.

 

All of this combines to make Jeffery a viable cheap play on DraftKings, but on FD he’s super expensive and could end up being severely low-owned. The other receiving options on FanDuel are far more enticing or offer better value to the naked eye.

 

While that’s true, Jeffery is still a big target that can make plays on the ball. He has the size and catch radius to dominate this game if Foles chooses to go after him, while we did see Michael Thomas score twice on Minnesota’s vaunted secondary just last week.

 

The lack of ownership and brutal matchup combine to potentially make Jeffery one of the most compelling DFS sleepers this weekend. It’s up to you to decide if he’s worth the risk.

 

Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings ($4.5k at DK, $6.1k at FD)

 

Lastly, I think tight end Kyle Rudolph deserves some consideration. This is a massive target that is always a threat to score in the red-zone, but this week especially, he’s also set to go ridiculously overlooked.

 

That threat is a borderline certainty on FanDuel, where you can only use one tight end. Rob Gronkowski and Zach Ertz were both more productive during the regular season, but just like Rudolph, they have tough matchups.

 

Those guys could easily end up being better plays, but they’re far more expensive and could just as easily struggle against stingy defenses. In fact, looking back at the 2017 data, all three of these guys have it pretty tough this week, as they all face defense that rank inside the top-14 against the position.

 

You’re looking for two things in tournaments, though; low ownership and upside. The Gronk and Ertz are great plays, but they cost more and should be highly owned. Rudolph should have the least ownership of that group, yet he’s just as much of a threat to notch a score this week.

 

If Rudolph can get 10-12 fantasy points and the other tight end options struggle, that could be the small edge you need to climb the standings in your daily fantasy football GPP.

 

Overall, the idea here is to shake things up a bit. Maybe consider fading Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette, or pay up for a guy like Jeffery that nobody will be on.

 

Perhaps you stack Pats, but still use the Jacksonville defense, hoping they rack up sacks and/or get a defensive score like they did last week.

 

Differentiate where it makes sense and eat a little bit of chalk. If you come up with the right mix, you just might win all of the money during conference championship week.