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FanDuel advice: TEs, Ks, DEFs in the conference championships
Thanks for making me look dumb last week, Gronk.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
A week ago, with New England tight end Rob Gronkowski banged up to the point of a hospital visit, it didn't make any kind of sense to invest in him in FanDuel fantasy football.
At least, that was my argument, as I ranked Gronkowski third at the position, behind Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. Considering Gronkowski's FanDuel salary, I just couldn't recommend a big investment in a might-be-hurt tight end. Of course, Gronkowski showed up with 83 yards and two scores, so what the heck do I know?
Regardless, I stand by the rationale of last week’s ranking, even if the results were unpredictable. Dude was, by all accounts, not all the way healthy. Spending that much on him was dodgy.
This week, he appears to be healthy. Yeah, he’s almost two grand more expensive than the next-most-expensive tight end, but whatever. There’s no safer option out there.
For conference championship week, I’m ranking all the players at each position, taking their FanDuel salaries into account. Below you’ll find the rankings for tight ends, kickers and defenses, with rationales to follow:
Tight ends
| Rank | Tight End | Team | Opp. | Salary |
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | @DEN | $8,900 |
| 2 | Greg Olsen | CAR | ARI | $7,000 |
| 3 | Darren Fells | ARI | @CAR | $4,700 |
| 4 | Scott Chandler | NE | @DEN | $4,600 |
| 5 | Owen Daniels | DEN | NE | $5,000 |
| 6 | Vernon Davis | DEN | NE | $4,900 |
- I noted above why it makes total sense to use Rob Gronkowski this week. After that, it's pretty much just Greg Olsen among usable guys. He scored last week, too.
- If you're searching beyond the two stars at the position, I can only really recommend two guys, and these recommendations are very "only if you have to." In a cash game, Darren Fells gets a small number of catches every week, so there's a decent chance at at least a couple points. And for tournaments, maybe Scott Chandler scores a touchdown. Personally, though, I'm sticking with the top two.
Kickers
| Rank | Kicker | Team | Opp. | Salary |
| 1 | Brandon McManus | DEN | NE | $5,000 |
| 2 | Chandler Catanzaro | ARI | @CAR | $4,600 |
| 3 | Graham Gano | CAR | ARI | $4,700 |
| 4 | Stephen Gostkowski | NE | @DEN | $5,100 |
- The point I always make about kickers is that it's difficult to know how a situation will affect a kicker's chances. Will extra scoring chances mean more field goals, or more touchdowns and thus fewer field goals? Will a tough offensive performance mean fewer kicking chances, or more field goals in lieu of touchdowns? It's a crapshoot, but I feel like Brandon McManus makes for the best play this week.
Defense/special teams
| Rank | Defense | Opp. | Salary |
| 1 | New England | @DEN | $4,600 |
| 2 | Carolina | ARI | $5,100 |
| 3 | Arizona | @CAR | $4,900 |
| 4 | Denver | NE | $4,800 |
- Defenses, especially in small fields, are where it makes sense to pick winners. Carolina and Arizona looks like something of a toss-up game, but New England is a pretty comfortable favorite over Denver. So, not much analysis, but I prefer the New England defense this week.
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