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This is the end, my friends. What began as a marathon race with 32 teams has left just four standing -- the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers. One of those four will raise the Lombardi Trophy, but before that happens, we get to squeeze in some more daily fantasy. Enjoy it!
The goal of this NFL Conference Championship Round column is to help find the most profitable DFS lineup stacks for daily fantasy football, while avoiding the duds. Stacking, or pairing multiple players from the same NFL team, is an ideal way to maximize your point production, which is crucial in larger GPP (guaranteed prize pool) tournaments. With only four teams to choose from, pricing becomes less of a concern. You'll want to find a low-owned gem or two, especially for tournaments, but it'll still be important to hit a high-scoring stack to build the foundation of your lineup. With that mind, instead of ranking the stacks from most expensive to least expensive as in previous weeks, we've ranked them in order of appeal.
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Conference Championship Round - Strong DFS Stacks
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones vs. Green Bay
No surprise here. The Falcons have had the NFL's top offense all season, and they showed how dangerous they can be in a convincing 36-20 win against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. Ryan continued his strong case for MVP by completing 26 of his 37 attempts for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Seattle.
Green Bay is coming off a thrilling 34-31 win against Dallas, but its defense is likely to offer little resistance against the high-flying Falcons. The over/under for the Falcons-Packers game is 61, and we're inclined to take the over, given how potent these two offenses are.
Ryan is a safe play, particularly at home in what will be the final game played at the Georgia Dome. Jones, who finished with six receptions (on eight targets) for 67 yards and a touchdown against Seattle, is the top stack option, but fellow receivers Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel are viable contrarian plays. Even running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who combined for 102 receiving yards and a touchdown, warrant stack consideration with Ryan.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Randall Cobb at Atlanta
How do you stop Rodgers? The simple answer, it seems like, is that you can't stop him. In Green Bay's nail-biting win against Dallas, Rodgers finished 28-of-43 for 355 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It marked the fourth straight game for Rodgers with at least 300 yards and two TDs.
He did throw his first interception since Week 10, but that's hardly a concern -- even the greatest machines malfunction on occasion. A matchup with the Falcons offers the perfect combination of factors for fantasy football. First, Atlanta's pass defense is middling. Second, Atlanta's offense is elite, so that will keep the pressure on Rodgers to throw.
Rodgers will likely be without top target Jordy Nelson (ribs), but he's got plenty of other weapons. Tight end Jared Cook will be a popular play, and he's a fine stack with Rodgers. But wideouts Cobb and Davante Adams are also solid bets. Geronimo Allison is another contrarian option.
Conference Championship Round - Riskier DFS Stacks
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown at New England
These two are no strangers to this weekly column. There isn't a more potent quarterback-wide receiver combination in the NFL, and Big Ben has looked Brown's way plenty through the Steelers' first two postseason games. Brown has been targeted 20 times, turning those targets into 11 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Not. Too. Shabby.
So, why are the Steelers' stars a risky proposition? Well, it's not easy to walk into Foxborough in late January and dominate a Bill Belichick-coached defense. As vaunted as the Steelers' offense has become, it's basically a three-player show -- Roethlisberger, Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell.
Pittsburgh's best bet for winning would be winning the time of possession battle with a heavy dose of Bell. Given Bell's involvement in the passing game, he's a smart stack with Roethlisberger as well.
New England QB Tom Brady and WR Julian Edelman vs. Pittsburgh
It's a broken record, but we'll spin it one more time for the 2016-17 NFL season -- it's impossible to forecast the Patriots' impact fantasy players. Brady wasn't overly sharp in the divisional-round win against the Houston Texans, finishing 18-of-38 for 287 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Expect better numbers against Pittsburgh.
The problem with a Patriots stack isn't Brady -- it's the other player(s). Brady has thrown eight touchdowns over his last three games to six different players -- running backs James White (two) and Dion Lewis; wide receivers Julian Edelman and Michael Floyd; and tight ends Martellus Bennett (two) and Matt Lengel.
Good luck trying to figure out who will score this Sunday. That being said, Edelman remains Brady's favorite target. Edelman has at least 11 targets in seven of his last eight games, so his workload remains consistent and his floor remains high.
