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FanDuel advice: Wide receivers in conference championships
A bunch of these wide receivers are coming off of big games last week.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There were some big performances a week ago among wide receivers who will play again this week. It was a fantasy football bonanza in many of the conference semifinal games:
- In Arizona, Larry Fitzgerald had 176 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Floyd scored twice among his 26 yards.
- Emmanuel Sanders led the Broncos in receiving yardage with 85. Demaryius Thomas wasn't special, with only 40 yards, but he did catch a two-point conversion.
- In his first game in two months, Julian Edelman was all over the field for the Patriots, with 100 yards on 10 catches and 16 (!) targets. Guess he's healthy.
- Okay, so the Carolina receivers didn't do much (the team got 56 total yards from wide receivers), but with the team jumping out to a huge early lead, they didn't have to.
Heading into this week’s conference championships, then, we have a lot of big names and big numbers to parse in picking a FanDuel fantasy football roster. Below, I’ve ranked the top 12 wide receivers for this weekend’s games (don’t go past the 12 I list, it will end poorly for you), taking FanDuel salary into account. The chart is below, with rationales for the rankings to follow:
Wide receivers
| Rank | Wide Receiver | Team | Opp. | Salary |
| 1 | Michael Floyd | ARI | @CAR | $7,500 |
| 2 | Julian Edelman | NE | @DEN | $7,800 |
| 3 | Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | NE | $7,400 |
| 4 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | @CAR | $8,000 |
| 5 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | NE | $7,600 |
| 6 | Ted Ginn Jr. | CAR | ARI | $6,200 |
| 7 | John Brown | ARI | @CAR | $6,500 |
| 8 | Danny Amendola | NE | @DEN | $6,000 |
| 9 | Devin Funchess | CAR | ARI | $5,100 |
| 10 | Philly Brown | CAR | ARI | $5,300 |
| 11 | Jerricho Cotchery | CAR | ARI | $5,200 |
| 12 | Brandon LaFell | NE | @DEN | $6,100 |
- I know, it's weird to have Michael Floyd atop the wide receiver lists after he had 26 yards compared to Larry Fitzgerald's 176 last week. But he's $500 cheaper, and had five hundred-yard games over the season's second half compared to one for Fitzgerald. On a one-game sample, Fitzgerald is hotter, but over a longer time frame, it's Floyd who has produced.
- The thing the Patriots do the best is shutting down your strength. Meanwhile, Demaryius Thomas, while still the best Denver receiver, has 100-plus yards once since Week 7. I wouldn't be shocked if he produced Sunday, but at his price, I'd look elsewhere.
- Even off of zero yards last week, Ted Ginn Jr. is still the best receiving option with Carolina. After that? Search me. If you're looking in the secondary-Carolina-receiver market, flip a coin.
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