It's conference championship week, which means one final chance this season to get in an NFL DraftKings lineup--unless, of course, you have the guts to play the Super Bowl/Pro Bowl slate. There may just be two games on tap this Sunday, but the immense scoring potential of each conference championship makes things extremely compelling for DFS purposes. Over in the NFC Championship, the Packers vs. Falcons matchup--which resulted in 65 points during their Week 8 meeting--boasts an absurd over/under of 60, while the Steelers vs. Patriots contest sits at a shootout-esque 50.5. Anyone who plays even a decent amount of his team's snaps is an option this week, so even on the small slate, you're going to have plenty of decisions to make. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my ideal DraftKings lineup, and you can click here for even more DFS analysis of the conference championship games. (Getty)
QB: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $7,700
There are four insanely good quarterbacks playing on Sunday, but it's going to be tough to get away from this game. The last time these two teams met, they scored 65 total points, while Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan combined for 534 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. And with a ridiculous over/under of 60, it wouldn't at all be surprising to see a repeat this weekend. Ultimately, neither player is a bad choice, but I'll go with Ryan, who is at home, who is $400 cheaper, who gets to go against a banged-up Packers secondary, and who has a 14:0 TD:INT ratio over the last five games. (Getty)
RB: Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steeleres
Opponent: at New England Patriots
Price: $10,300
There is certainly some temptation to fade Bell, who, at $10,300, means you have to get frugal elsewhere. But the man is averaging 31.72 DraftKings points per game over the last nine weeks, he has surpassed 100 rushing yards in seven of those games, and he caught 10 passes on 13 targets (especially noteworthy for DK's PPR format) the last time these teams met. If you don't use him, you're playing with fire. (Getty)
RB: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots
Opponent: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Price: $4,400
Ryan and Bell figure to be pretty popular picks, so we need someone to help differentiate our lineup. Blount should do just that, as he took a back seat to Dion Lewis last week and finished with just eight carries for 31 yards. He should have a low ownership percentage as a result, but he's cheap, he has tallied double-digit carries in every other game this season, and he is still the goal-line back. Expect him to be more involved against a team he trounced (with no Lewis) for 24 carries, 127 yards and two scores back in Week 7, making him one of the best value contrarian plays of the day. (Getty)
WR: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $8,200
Jones (toe) isn't practicing this week but he is expected to be a full-go for Sunday. Though he didn't do much against the Packers in Week 8, he's the safest wide receiver this side of Antonio Brown, and if you're looking for upside, he's a must-play if you also have Ryan at quarterback. (Getty)
WR: Taylor Gabriel, Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $4,900
The double-stack with Jones and Gabriel is perfectly acceptable in a game in which the Falcons have a gaudy projected team total of 32.5 points. There will be plenty of production to go around for everyone. Gabriel, a home-run threat, is a bit of a high-risk, high-reward option, but he received six targets last week and should have plenty of opportunity to hit one of his patented big plays against a defense that was last in the NFL in yards per pass allowed and gave up the fourth-most explosive passing plays this season. (Getty)
WR: Eli Rogers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Opponent: at New England Patriots
Price: $3,400
Time to save that money. The Steelers should be forced the throw the ball a bunch against a Patriots defense that is fourth against the rush and 23rd against the pass, per Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency ratings, and Rogers has developed into one of Ben Roethlisberger's most dependable options. He has received five-plus targets in four of the last five games, averaging 10.84 DraftKings points during that stretch, and he could receive even more work with Antonio Brown likely seeing Malcolm Butler for most of the game. In DraftKings' PPR format, the slot receiver is especially valuable. (Getty)
FLEX: Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers
Opponent: at Atlanta Falcons
Price: $5,600
With Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Geronimo Allison all shaping up as game-time decisions, it's extremely difficult at this point to know how to approach this Packers offense. No matter who's available in the WR corps, though, Montgomery should have a firm, PPR-favorable role against the Falcons, who allowed the most targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns to running backs this season. Montgomery's huge game last week means he won't fly under the radar, but he's tough to pass up in this matchup, and his outlook only improves if any of the receivers sit out. (Getty)
TE: Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots
Opponent: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Price: $3,300
As is the case with his teammate LeGarrette Blount, Bennett is an intriguing contrarian play. He won't have many fans after catching one pass for four yards last week, but he remains a strong bet to score after finding the end zone in three of the previous four games. Moreover, it's a solid matchup, as the Steelers allowed the eighth-most targets, 10th-most yards and 11th-most touchdowns to tight ends this year. There's certainly some risk here, but anyone who isn't Jared Cook ($5,100) is a bit of a dart throw. (Getty)
DEF: Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $2,200
With four explosives offenses, this is a toss-up. I don't think there's any right or wrong choice here, and it wouldn't be surprising if there was very little separation between all four defenses in the end. I'll go with the Falcons, who have recorded multiple sacks in five straight games, multiple takeaways in three of those games, and are facing a Packers offense that is dealing with several key injuries to skill players. (Getty)
DraftKings NFL Lineup: Optimal Conference Championship Picks & Advice