Steelers vs. Patriots: Top Fantasy Bets, Predictions for 2017 AFC Championship

Fantasy football players are undoubtedly sad this week, as Sunday marks the last time they'll be able to play until next season.

If you're wondering why that's the case when your season-long league ended in December, daily fantasy sites are offering contests (yes, even for just two games) this weekend, meaning some money is there to be won for any folks looking to take a shot in the dark.

If you're interested in doing so, read on to find the best plays and some predictions for the AFC Championship Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.

Quarterback and Running Back

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We're combining these two positions because they go hand-in-hand in this matchup.

Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger are clearly the third- and fourth-best options on the week, with Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan expected to play in a shootout in Atlanta.

Brady threw for 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 12 games this season, leading the Pats to an 11-1 record when he was on the field.

But the issue, for fantasy purposes, is twofold for Brady this Sunday.

First, he has a giant running back named LeGarrette Blount in the backfield who hogs quite a few touchdown opportunities (he scored 18 rushing touchdowns this year).

Blount only had eight carries last week, but don't be surprised if he goes for a stat line like he put up against Pittsburgh earlier this season: 24 carries, 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Second, Pittsburgh's pass rush is formidable. It sacked Miami five times in the AFC Wild Card Round and hit Kansas City signal-caller Alex Smith five times in the divisional round, sacking him once and forcing an interception a second time.

Danny Kelly of The Ringer wrote about the Pittsburgh blitz if you care to read more, but it's going to be a tough matchup for New England even though it has more than held its own against the pass rush this year (per Football Outsiders, the Pats' adjusted sack rate is 4.7 percent, which is sixth-best in the NFL).

The guess is that both sides get their wins, with Pittsburgh getting to Brady a few times but Brady evading the rush and finding some success down the field.

For Pittsburgh, Big Ben has three problems.

First, he has to find a way to beat his road woes. He only has nine touchdowns (and a matching nine interceptions) away from Heinz Field this season, compared to 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions at home.

Second, Roethlisberger only has one dependable receiver in Antonio Brown. In fact, the Steeler with the second-most receiving yards this year was running back Le'Veon Bell.

And speaking of which, Bell is the best chance the Steelers have of winning this game. The game plan last week worked to perfection, as Bell carried the ball 30 times for 170 yards and the Steelers possessed it for over 34 minutes. That should be Pittsburgh's goal this week in order to keep the ball out of Brady's hands for long stretches of time.

That, of course, means Roethlisberger could have fewer opportunities to accumulate fantasy points, though he doesn't care about that.

Prediction (QB): Neither Brady nor Roethlisberger scores more fantasy points than Rodgers or Ryan. Brady throws three touchdown passes but doesn't hit 300 yards. Big Ben gets two touchdown passes but throws a couple of interceptions.

Prediction (RB): Blount scores a touchdown, as does Dion Lewis. Bell rumbles all night and hits the century mark yet again, also scoring a touchdown.

Wide Receiver

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The wide receiver position is a little murky on both sides (for different reasons).

As said before, a running back is Pittsburgh's second-best receiver this year. Every other healthy pass-catcher has had inconsistent production. In fact, during the Steelers' 30-12 Wild Card Weekend win over Miami two weeks ago, Eli Rogers, Demarcus Ayers, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Cobi Hamilton only combined for five targets. Antonio Brown had nine alone.

Therefore, it's difficult to pick any Steelers wide receiver to do well outside Brown, who caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Brown faces a tough matchup this week against Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, but given that the slate is so small and only features two elite wideouts (him and Julio Jones), it's hard to avoid picking Brown, who's still going to win some one-on-one battles on the field this week.

For New England, three wide receivers are battling injures: Danny Amendola (ankle), Chris Hogan (thigh) and Malcolm Mitchell (knee). All three practiced on a limited basis Friday, which is a good sign for their availability Sunday, but they may not be as effective.

No one is without bumps and bruises at this portion of the season, but Julian Edelman and Michael Floyd stand to be the two healthiest wideouts for the Pats. The problem is Floyd just joined the team in December after Arizona cut him, and he hasn't found his footing in a new offense yet.

Edelman doesn't have that problem, having been on the Pats for the better part of a decade. He should see the football early and often Sunday.

Prediction: Brown has over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. No other Steeler wideout has over 30 yards. Edelman catches 10 or more passes. No other Patriots wideout catches more than five.

Tight End

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Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett has disappeared for some odd reason. He's a great talent, and yet he hasn't seen more than five targets in any of his last eight games. Bennett only caught one pass for four yards against Houston last week.

Still, Bennett had a productive year, with 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. It wouldn't be a surprise if he caught a touchdown Sunday.

For Pittsburgh, Jesse James enjoyed a breakout game against Kansas City on Sunday with five catches for 83 yards. If he can continue his momentum into this week, he can be the X-factor the Steelers need to potentially win this game.

Prediction: Neither tight end comes close to matching Green Bay Packers tight end Jared Cook's stat line this week.

Kicker

Like the matinee, both kickers in this game are dependable and can pile up points. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell has knocked in six field goals in a game twice this season. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been one of the best for over 10 years.

Prediction: Both see the field often for extra-point attempts but only knock home one field goal each.

Defense

Either defense has a chance to be the No. 1-scoring fantasy unit of the week. As mentioned before, the Pittsburgh pass rush is on fire and could sack Brady multiple times or force him into some mistakes. New England had the best scoring defense in football, and the pass defense has a good matchup against Roethlisberger in New England.

Prediction: New England predictably emerges as the week's best scoring defense in fantasy, but it's by default, as it lets up "only" 24 points in a 31-24 win. A few interceptions help seal the deal for the Pats.