NFL Playoffs 2015: Vegas Odds, Top Fantasy Picks for Sunday Divisional Games
See, the NFL knows how to please fantasy fans.
Saturday was a fantasy wasteland. Tom Brady did his usual thing, while Carolina rookie Kelvin Benjamin and Seattle's Jermaine Kearse put on shows. Overall, though, it was a ho-hum day.
Now Sunday? Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers square off when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Green Bay Packers. A better crop of fantasy quarterbacks, backs and wideouts in one showdown is difficult to name.
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After that, Andrew Luck clashes with Peyton Manning, although the latter will have plenty of help from a host of talented names.
The divisional round is a fun time for those who dip into daily fantasy sports. For those who prefer a more traditional approach to their fake football it is still important to keep an eye on how the top names perform.
Draft season is right around the corner, after all.
Sunday's NFL Divisional Round Schedule and Odds
| Dallas at Green Bay | Sun, Jan. 11 at 1:05 p.m. | FOX | GB -6.5 (52.5) | GB (O) | Aaron Rodgers is too hot at home, and the Green Bay rush will decimate a struggling Dallas offensive line. |
| Indianapolis at Denver | Sun, Jan. 11 at 4:40 p.m. | CBS | DEN -7 (54) | DEN (U) | Even if Peyton Manning struggles, Denver's ability to run the ball and Indianapolis' lack thereof will be the difference. |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 10.
Top Fantasy Picks
C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos
What, expecting Peyton Manning?
The Denver Broncos defer to the ground game right now, for one reason or another. This once again places the onus of production on the shoulders of C.J. Anderson, who is sure to be a hot commodity next fantasy draft season.
For now, enjoy the show he is about to put on against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts are miserable against the rush. In a Week 1, 31-24 loss in Denver, the unit surrendered 15 points to backs in large part thanks to 67 yards and a touchdown by Montee Ball.
Indianapolis still surrenders the ninth-most points to backs this year, and Anderson has posted 19 and 28 points in his last two outings, as well as a minimum of 23 points in four of his last six.
Anderson is set to feast while the Broncos remain grounded.
Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Luck is the second-highest scorer at his position this year in part because of a 22nd-ranked rushing attack.
The former Stanford star will need to gun his team to a victory by his lonesome once again Sunday, which is good news from a fantasy standpoint considering the Broncos allow the ninth-most points to quarterbacks this year.
Jim Irsay has the right idea, too, per the team's Twitter account:
The Denver defense surrendered 25 points to Luck in Week 1, the unit's third-highest allowance on the year.
If Luck can flirt with another 370 yards and two scores, as well as shy away from his two interceptions in that contest, he is in for a major day. Another rushing touchdown to make up for a lack of talent behind him would not hurt, either.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas also tends to favor the run thanks to the superb efforts of DeMarco Murray, but in what figures to be a bit of a shootout, the Cowboys may have to take to the air to keep pace with the Packers.
Dez Bryant will produce either way.
Green Bay is strange. The secondary ranks 10th against the pass but allows the 10th-most points to wideouts.
This opens the door for big-time fantasy production by Bryant, who has a minimum of 21 points in two of his last three outings. In that period, he has found paydirt six times.
When confronted with prolific wideouts and competent quarterbacks, the Green Bay secondary tends to fold. Hence why Atlanta receivers scored four touchdowns and 54 fantasy points on it back in Week 14. Or why Detroit wideouts scored twice and 22 points in Week 17.
Look for Bryant to land somewhere in between those tallies with his season on the line.
Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
Quietly fantasy's sixth highest-scoring back, Eddie Lacy is in for a big Sunday performance.
In theory, Green Bay will look to get out to a lead and then pound the rock with Lacy, who is in good shape at just the right time, as the NFL's Twitter account captures:
This is an especially critical approach with Rodgers nursing an injury.
Lacy owns double-digit performances in every game since Week 6, while the Cowboys land in the middle of the pack against backs. Those numbers seem inflated as of late, too, since recent opponents such as Indianapolis and Washington do not exactly run the ball very well.
Many dial in on Murray and rightfully so, but it is Lacy who seems ready for a memorable performance.
Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required). All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 10. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.
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