Super Bowl Preview: Betting & DFS Tips
Although this wasn’t the outcome most of us expected back in August, we have finally reached the final NFL game of the season and Super Bowl LVI is shaping up to be an exciting contest. The NFC is represented by
The NFC is represented by Sean McVay‘s Los Angeles Rams, who last won a title back in the 1999 season and last appeared two seasons later losing Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17. This is the Rams’ fifth overall appearance.
Making their third overall appearance, the AFC’s Cincinnati Bengals have never won an NFL championship and this is their time playing in the Super Bowl in 40 years. The Bengals are 0-2 in their previous Super Bowls.
Both teams were the respective conference’s 4-seeds, making this the first game since 1975 without at least one team being a top-3 playoff entrant.
As with any NFL finale, Sunday will be treated as a national holiday with plenty of daily fantasy and betting action taking place.
Our Conference Championships bets went a perfect 4-0, so Let’s break down how the game might go and pick our best bets for Super Bowl LVI.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Current Line: Cincinnati +4; over/under 48.5
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NFL Playoff Preview: Conference Championship Betting & DFS Tips
We are down to the NFL’s final four teams after a wild Divisional round that saw all four games decided on the final play- an NFL first. Football fans are now just one afternoon away from knowing which two teams
Both conference championship tilts this week feature rematches from the 2021 regular season, which can complicate matters from a betting and fantasy perspective.
Let’s break down the 49ers/Rams and Bengals/Chiefs games on Sunday and see how sports betting and NFL DFS fans should approach the penultimate week of football.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Current line: Cincinnati +7; over/under 54.5
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NFL Playoff Preview: Divisional Round Betting & DFS Tips
We’re down to the elite eight of NFL teams still alive and in just over one week, we will know who is going to be playing in Super Bowl LVI. Before we get there, we have two games each on Saturday and Sunday to determine what four teams will advance to the Conference finals next Sunday. Let’s preview this weekend’s four games and see what we can expect from a fantasy football perspective. Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans Current line: Cincinnati +3.5; over/under 47.5 This will be the first postseason tilt for the Titans, the AFC’s top overall seed. The extra week of rest afforded to the team should allow star RB Derrick Henry to return, which is huge for the offense. In his eight games of action, Henry led all fantasy running backs with 23.4 fantasy points per game. D’Onta Foreman had done a tremendous job filling in and should stay involved as a change-of-pace option. QB Ryan Tannehill had a disappointing overall season but his numbers were vastly better when he had the luxury of playing with Herny, A.J. Brown, and Julio Jones. Cincinnati’s much-improved secondary allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing wideouts, but Brown remains an elite, but pricey DFS play. The Bengals will have a fairly significant edge through the air, where QB Joe Burrow threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns in 16 games. In the regular season, the Titans surrendered the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, so Burrow remains a strong play in Week 20. Only the Vikings allowed more fantasy points to wide receivers than the Titans, so expect another huge outing out of All-World rookie WR JaMarr Chase, who has gone for 116-plus receiving yards in three of his last four games. Opposite of Chase, Tee Higgins also has a tremendous matchup and is firmly in our top-10 weekly fantasy projections. Slot receiver Tyler Boyd and TE C.J. Uzomah should also be on the radar. Best Bet: OVER 47.5 San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers Current line: San Francisco +5.5; over/under 47.5 These two rivals had some storied postseason matchups in the mid-to-late 90s and the latest matchup should be just as exciting. Both squads have high-octane offenses and enough defensive playmakers to contest every yard. The biggest question is how will Kyle Shanahan‘s squad adjust to game time temperatures currently projected to be a frigid 9 degrees? Those kinds of conditions could impact the game immediately, as San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo has never started a game where the temperature was below 40 degrees. The wind isn’t expected to be too much of a factor but Garoppolo is also dealing with a thumb injury that could further hamper San Francisco’s passing game in those conditions. Fortunately for the Niners, their offense is predicated on the rushing attack. Led by sixth-round rookie RB Elijah Mitchell, who has averaged 97 rushing yards per game over his past nine outings. In addition to Mitchell, WR Deebo Samuel has blossomed into a dangerous dual-threat option who doesn’t even need targets to make an impact on the field and in fantasy lineups. Expect Shanahan to challenge a Green Bay run defense that allowed the third-most yards per attempt in the regular season. Outside of Samuel, the only other relevant fantasy option in San Francisco’s passing attack is TE George Kittle, but Kittle has been held under 30 receiving yards in his last four games. The auxiliary wideouts in Shanahan’s attack are little more than boom-or-bust NFL DFS options that can be squeezed in cheaply. For the NFC’s top overall seed, this is a statement game for Matt LaFleur, who was in this same position a year ago but lost the NFC Championship at home to Tampa Bay after easily dispatching the Rams in the Divisional round. The adverse weather shouldn’t affect Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers at all. The Packers boast the league’s top wideout in Davante Adams and will be further reinforced by the return of slot receiver Randall Cobb. Green Bay also has two excellent running backs in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, who emerged during the season’s second half. While San Francisco’s defense was solid against the run and pass, they could be without elite pass-rusher Nick Bosa. Meanwhile, Green Bay’s own stop unit should be bolstered by the return of LB Za’Darius Smith and CB Jaire Alexander. Best Bet: Green Bay -5.5 Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Current line: Los Angeles +3; over/under 48.5 This is a rematch of a Week 3 game played in LA in which the Rams prevailed over the Buccaneers 34-24. However, with this game taking place in Tampa, it will be a much more difficult task for Sean McVay and company to sweep Tom Brady, who has won an NFL-record nine consecutive games in the Divisional round. Speaking of Brady, he lit up a solid LA secondary in that September meeting. In that game, Brady threw for a season-high 432 yards and scored two total TDs. We can’t expect that kind of producing again against a Rams’ secondary that allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2021, but backing Brady in a revenge scenario is generally a solid strategy. Tampa Bay’s offense could also be bolstered by the return of RB Leonard Fournette, who has missed a month with a hamstring injury. Fournette can make an impact as both a runner and receiver and those pass-catching skills should benefit an offense that is thin at wideout. Mike Evans ranked 2nd among all wideouts with 14 touchdowns but failed to score in Week 3. He still managed to put up a solid 8/106/0 line in that matchup, however, so we’re expecting another strong performance against an excellent LA secondary. Tyler Johnson played only three fewer snaps than Evans last week but only had an 8.3% target share, the same as Breshad Perriman, who was in on less than half of Tampa’s snaps. With Perriman ruled out, Scotty Miller makes an appealing low-cost dart throw. Since losing Chris Godwin, Bruce Arians has called more ’12’ sets. Rob Gronkowski has been heavily-featured and remains an elite fantasy option this week. Keep Cameron Brate in mind as a
Fantasy Football Sleepers: Week 18
Brandon Allen (Quarterback) Cincinnati Bengals With Joe Burrow not expected to play this week the door is open for Allen to get the start against the Browns. While the Cincy offense will be short-handed they still won’t be as short-handed as the Browns’ secondary. The Bengals will still be looking to head into the playoffs on a high note while a demoralized-looking Browns team is playing for nothing and ending the season with a sad whimper. If you are in a two-QB league you may have to dig deep this week with some of the top options sitting this one out. Another reason fantasy seasons should have ended last week. Taysom Hill (Quarterback) New Orleans Saints The quarterback position has predictably been a mess for the Saints this year, but Hill ends the season with an elite matchup against the Falcons. With a strong floor thanks to his running ability and passing upside against a terrible secondary, he should be a solid streaming option this week. He’s a must-start in Superflex leagues and a potentially sneaky good play in DFS leagues. Jordan Love (Quarterback) Green Bay Packers Love is a deeper sleeper but you may need him if you were relying on a QB like Aaron Rodgers or Joe Burrow this week. All signs point to the Packers stars only playing a series or two this week. Granted, Love is a risky play being that, unlike Burrow, it hasn’t been confirmed that Rodgers will sit out all of or most of this game. Still, if I have to choose between starting Rodgers or Love this week, unfortunately, I’d go with Love. Samaje Perine (Running Back) Cincinnati Bengals Joe Mixon is going to be sitting this one out and Perine will likely get the bulk of the touches on this offense. There isn’t much more to it than that. If you need a starting running back this week that you can likely find on waivers, Perine is the guy to pick up. Scoop him up now if you’re still looking for a running back and plug him in your lineup. Cam Akers (Running Back) Los Angeles Rams Almost inconceivably Akers is will be active this week coming off a blown Achilles this summer. It’s unclear what his workload will be but he is expected to play. There is a strong chance he is very limited, however, there is also an outside chance he gets a decent share of the workload. This return so soon is incredible. If there is one player I’m excited to see out there this week it’s Akers. I like him more as a DFS play though. I don’t think I’d have the stomach to play him in a championship matchup. Ke’Shawn Vaughn (Running Back) Tampa Bay Buccaneers This is another weekly reminder that Ronald Jones stinks and his coaches hate him. Vaughn could and likely will outperform Rojo this week. Never trust Jones because we all know his coaches don’t. Not only do I think there is a chance Vaughn is a sleeper this week. If I have the option between Vaughn and Jones I’m starting Vaughn this week. If you can’t handcuff a veteran taking the week off then this is the next best bet. Allen Lazard (Wide Receiver) Green Bay Packers With most of the Packers studs likely taking most of the week off, I anticipate Lazard playing the role of WR1 for Jordan Love. While the lack of Rodgers caps his ceiling they are still taking on the Lions and he could see an increase in targets assuming Davante Adams sits most of the game out. I’m no fan of Love, but I am a fan of rolling out a potential WR1 against the Lions. Jaylen Waddle (Wide Receiver) Miami Dolphins Despite a poor matchup, I expect a big week from Waddle in PPR leagues. It’s tough starting a Dolphin this week after last week’s debacle but I expect them to force-feed Waddle who is close to breaking multiple teams and league rookie records with a solid outing. The coaches are going to put Tua in a position to get rid of the ball quickly after last week and they are going to want to keep their young wideout happy. Feeding Waddle not only makes sense for the game plan but for keeping their young stars happy as well. Scotty Miller (Wide Receiver) Tampa Bay Buccaneers As we all saw last week Antonio Brown hopped right out of the stadium and off of the Bucs roster. The most logical wideout to be forced to step up due to his absence is Miller. Despite him not logging a single snap last week, it stands to reason that he will be elevated this week and moving forward behind Mike Evans and Tyler Johnson. He’s a risky start, but the guy who I would guess slides into the WR3 role in Tampa for the remainder of the season. We have seen him have success before with Tom Brady in big moments. We know there is chemistry and trust between the two and hopefully, that shows up on the field this week. John Bates (Tight End) Washington Football Team Ricky Seals-Jones was stretchered off last week. While he appears to have avoided a major injury, he’s unlikely to play this week. We have seen time and time again regardless of who they plug in that position the tight end in this offense will be featured. Bates is the next man up in Washington this week and is as good as a waiver add as you’ll find if you’re looking for a guy that will see a decent amount of targets and might find the end zone. If you need a desperation TE go snatch him off your wire. Luke Farrell (Tight End) Jacksonville Jaguars The Jags are another team that loves utilizing their tight end. With James O’Shaugnessy injured Farrell will slide in as the featured pass-catching
Week 17: Def vs WR Matchups Report (yardage allowed to WR1s, WR2s, WR3s)
This Fantasy Football tool shows you how well (or how poorly) each pass defense is performing against each position this NFL season.
Week 15: Def vs WR Matchups Report (yardage allowed to WR1s, WR2s, WR3s)
This Fantasy Football tool shows you how well (or how poorly) each pass defense is performing against each position this NFL season.
Thursday Night Football Preview, Fantasy Tips, DFS & Best Bets
Urban Meyer finally getting dismissed isn’t the only positive thing for football fans this Thursday. For a change, we get an excellent matchup on Thursday Night Football with two playoff teams armed with high-scoring offensive capabilities. While the Chiefs aren’t
While the Chiefs aren’t putting up their normal numbers, Kansas City enters this showdown in the midst of a six-game winning streak. The Chiefs still have the NFL’s No. 4 overall offense but it’s the defense that has really stepped up over the last month to vault Kansas City back up the AFC playoff standings.
The Chargers have won 3-of-4 and have also racked up 37-plus points in those three victories. These two rivals met back in Week 3 at Arrowhead with the Chargers coming away with a 30-24 victory. Will the Chargers be able to win at home and sweep their AFC West nemesis or will the red-hot Chiefs extend their winning streak and even the series?
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Thursday Night Football Preview, Fantasy Tips, DFS & Best Bets
Week 14 ends our two-week streak of two teams at or above .500 facing off on Thursday night. While the 6-5-1 Steelers hold up their end of that bargain, the Vikings just missed a chance to climb back to even
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Week 13: Def vs WR Matchups Report (yardage allowed to WR1s, WR2s, WR3s)
This Fantasy Football tool shows you how well (or how poorly) each pass defense is performing against each position this NFL season.
RECEIVING YARDS ALLOWED BY POSITION
This new featured tool displays how each defense performs against their opponent’s receiving yardage gained by position.
So for example, if you see a team is ranked 1st vs. WR #1, that defense is currently the best at limiting their opponent’s WR #1 yardage compared to other teams. Or if you see a team is ranked 32nd against WR #2, that defense is the worst against WR #2’s or more accurately, the defense is allowing the most yards to WR #2’s compared to the other teams in the league. This a great tool to find and exploit useful matchups. Don’t forget to check out all the positions as well (WR #1, WR #2, Other WRs, TE & RB).
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Thursday Night Football Preview, Fantasy Tips, DFS & Best Bets
Last Thursday was a bit overwhelming, with three games filling up an entire day. Week 13 sees a return to normalcy as the Dallas Cowboys travel to New Orleans in our primetime showdown. This will be the Cowboys’ second consecutive
This will be the Cowboys’ second consecutive Thursday tilt and the Cowboys, losers of three of their last four games. For Dallas to get back into the conversation as the NFC’s top team they need to quickly right the ship.
New Orleans has been even worse, losing four straight and falling out of the wild-card chase. In an effort to right the ship, Sean Payton has made a quarterback change, but will it be enough to save the Saints’ season?