This article is part of our King for a Day series.
I stand corrected. It turns out that Conference Championship Sunday wasn't the final opportunity to partake in DraftKings' NFL contests this season, as the site is running a few contests that combine players from the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.
This will be even more unusual than last week's two-game slate, given that the Pro Bowl is subject to different rules, with all of the players sharing snaps. I'm not going to review the rules here, but I'd recommend reading through them, along with checking past Pro Bowl box scores. Keep in mind that some major changes were made last year, and while I don't expect another low-scoring affair, we probably won't see the kind of triple-digit point totals that became common before 2014.
Here are my favorite players for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl on DraftKings.
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. NE), $7,600 - I don't recommend using a quarterback from the Pro Bowl, as each team has three signal-callers on the roster, and all three will get a significant portion of the snaps. That leaves you with a choice between Wilson and Brady, and I just don't see much upside for Brady in this matchup. Unlike Green Bay, the Patriots don't have wide receivers capable of getting the upper hand on Seattle cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell. I don't expect Brady to crash-and-burn like Peyton Manning last year, but I think a balanced gameplan will seriously limit Tom Terrific's upside. I'd rather take a
I stand corrected. It turns out that Conference Championship Sunday wasn't the final opportunity to partake in DraftKings' NFL contests this season, as the site is running a few contests that combine players from the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.
This will be even more unusual than last week's two-game slate, given that the Pro Bowl is subject to different rules, with all of the players sharing snaps. I'm not going to review the rules here, but I'd recommend reading through them, along with checking past Pro Bowl box scores. Keep in mind that some major changes were made last year, and while I don't expect another low-scoring affair, we probably won't see the kind of triple-digit point totals that became common before 2014.
Here are my favorite players for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl on DraftKings.
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. NE), $7,600 - I don't recommend using a quarterback from the Pro Bowl, as each team has three signal-callers on the roster, and all three will get a significant portion of the snaps. That leaves you with a choice between Wilson and Brady, and I just don't see much upside for Brady in this matchup. Unlike Green Bay, the Patriots don't have wide receivers capable of getting the upper hand on Seattle cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell. I don't expect Brady to crash-and-burn like Peyton Manning last year, but I think a balanced gameplan will seriously limit Tom Terrific's upside. I'd rather take a shot on Wilson, who can provide huge games even when the Seahawks go run-heavy.
other options:Tom Brady, NE (vs. SEA), $7,900
Notes: I prefer Wilson, but Brady is really the only other option. It would be pretty shocking if the contest's highest-scoring quarterback comes from the Pro Bowl.
Running Backs
Marshawn Lynch, SEA (at NE), $7,800 - Lynch will likely be in more than 75 percent of lineups, and I can't make a good argument against fading him. The Patriots do have a good run defense, but the Seahawks rarely abandon their running game, even when trailing by multiple scores. More than anything, this selection is about the lack of viable alternatives at running back. There are a couple nice punt plays from the Pro Bowl, but it's hard to imagine anyone besides Lynch or LeGarrette Blount finishing as the position's leading scorer in these contests.
LeGarrette Blount, NE (vs. SEA), $5,500 - As great as the Seattle defense is, the team does have a bit of a weakness at defensive tackle, due to a slew of injuries that have decimated depth. I don't think the Patriots will be overly attached to their running game, but I'm also not expecting the pass-heavy gameplan that we saw against Baltimore. Blount has a good chance to find the end zone, and he may get a boost from the potential return of rookie center Bryan Stork (knee). While I like some of the Pro Bowl's running backs as bargain-bin FLEX plays, a Blount-Lynch running back combo is probably the way to go.
other options:C.J. Anderson, (IRV) vs. CRT, $3,200; Alfred Morris, CRT (vs. IRV), $2,400
Notes: The Pro Bowl will obviously be pass-heavy, but as Team Irving's only running back with a contract for next season, Anderson should see a good chunk of the snaps. Morris is cheap, and his team also has a running back (Justin Forsett) scheduled to hit free agency. I'm not expecting much from the trio of impending free agents -- Forsett, Murray and Mark Ingram.
Wide Receivers
Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs. NE), $6,300 - While the Patriots have three players with a pretty good chance to lead the team in targets, Baldwin is the clear go-to guy for Seattle. I am a bit worried that Darrelle Revis will shadow him, but either way, the Seahawks don't have much choice but to throw in Baldwin's direction. For what it's worth, Baldwin sees the majority of his targets from the slot, and Revis seems to be more comfortable on the outside.
Brandon LaFell, NE (vs. SEA), $5,500 - LaFell has been fairly quiet through the first two games of the playoffs, and the price gap between him and Edelman has reached a point that makes LaFell the preferred play. I think many will expect the Patriots to "hide" LaFell on Richard Sherman, but the Pats typically utilize LaFell and Edelman on both sides, and that's probably what they'll do in the big game. Edelman should benefit from taking a chunk of his snaps out of the slot vs. Jeremy Lane, but that's not quite enough to make up the $2,200 gap in price.
Emmanuel Sanders, IRV (vs. CRT), $5,400 - With receivers in the Pro Bowl splitting snaps, it's wise to go with the cheaper options, as production will be far less predictable than in the Super Bowl. I don't like Sanders for any particular reason, but he's the cheapest wide receiver from Sunday's exhibition, and he's obviously an excellent player.
other options:Odell Beckham Jr., IRV (vs. CRT), $7,800; Jordy Nelson, CRT (vs. IRV), $6,200; Golden Tate, IRV (vs. CRT), $5,400
Notes: My Pro Bowl strategy for wide receivers is to go cheap, but it might make sense to pay up for the fan-favorite to end all fan-favorites, Beckham.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski, NE (vs. SEA), $8,100 - Gronkowski will be watched like a hawk by Seattle's all-world safety tandem of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, but there's really no matchup too intimidating for a player of Gronk's caliber. While I wouldn't expect a great point return per $1,000 of salary, it's hard to pass Gronk up when there aren't many other options at tight end. As I've already made clear, it makes sense to pay up for the big studs in the Super Bowl, and then fill out your roster with cheap guys from the Pro Bowl.
other options:Greg Olsen, CRT (vs. IRV), $4,400; Martellus Bennett, CRT (vs. IRV), $3,100
Notes: Olsen and Bennett both come cheap, and Pro Bowl rosters only have two tight ends.
Team D/ST
Team Carter/Team Irvin, $1,000 - While it may seem odd to use a defense from the Pro Bowl, the game typically features a few sacks and a bunch of interceptions. The odds for a pick-six are also pretty good, as the offensive players probably won't give their best effort to stop such a play. And, the Pro Bowl was surprisingly low scoring under the new rules last season with a 23-21 final score. I'd rather spend up elsewhere, as I expect the Super Bowl to be fairly ground-oriented. Also, both Seattle and New England present terrible matchups for opposing D/STs, despite what we saw from Russell Wilson last week. I wouldn't worry about which D/ST to use, so just go with the team from which you have more offensive players.
