Conference, Playoff Challenge fantasy rankings

Published: Jan 17, 2018 at 02:41 AM

Michael Fabiano

The Divisional round of the 2017 NFL postseason was one of the most exciting in recent NFL memory. Well, unless you're fanatical about the Pittsburgh Steelers or New Orleans Saints, in which case you'd like to forget the weekend. The Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars engaged in a scoreboard scorcher that saw Ben Roethlisberger throw for 469 yards and five touchdowns against maybe the best defense in the league ... in a loss at home! And of course, we also saw Stefon Diggs score the first "walk off" touchdown catch in the NFL postseason in what will forever be known as the "Minnesota Miracle."

In all, the top quarterback (Roethlisberger), the top two running backs (Leonard Fournette, Le'Veon Bell) and the top wide receiver (Antonio Brown) all came from this AFC shootout. The rest of the best in the Divisional round Playoff Challenge roster included Rob Gronkowski (14 points), the New England Patriots defense (14 points) and just two NFC participants (Michael Thomas, 20 points; Kai Forbath, 13 points). Next up is the Conference Championship Round, which will feature Tom Brady ... Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Case Keenum. (We all saw that coming, right?) Here are my DFS and PC rankings. Not surprisingly, at least for those of us who see New England beating the Jags and getting back to the Super Bowl (yet again), there are a number of Patriots skill position players at the top of these lists.

I'll be updating these rankings throughout the postseason, so check back after each round. Enjoy!

Wide receivers -- Divisional Round (DFS)

Adam Thielen, Vikings
1. Stefon Diggs, Vikings
2. Brandon Cooks, Patriots
3. Alshon Jeffery, Eagles
4. Marqise Lee, Jaguars
5. Chris Hogan, Patriots
6. Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
7. Nelson Agholor, Eagles
8. Keelan Cole, Jaguars
9. Danny Amendola, Patriots
10. Torrey Smith, Eagles
11. Allen Hurns, Jaguars

Wide receivers -- NFL Playoff Challenge

Brandon Cooks, Patriots
1. Adam Thielen, Vikings
2. Stefon Diggs, Vikings
3. Chris Hogan, Patriots
4. Alshon Jeffery, Eagles
5. Danny Amendola, Patriots
6. Nelson Agholor, Eagles
7. Marqise Lee, Jaguars
8. Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
9. Keelan Cole, Jaguars
10. Torrey Smith, Eagles
11. Allen Hurns, Jaguars

Tight ends -- Divisional Round (DFS)

Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
1. Zach Ertz, Eagles
2. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
3. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
4. Trey Burton, Eagles
5. James O'Shaughnessy, Jaguars

Tight ends -- NFL Playoff Challenge

Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
1. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
2. Zach Ertz, Eagles
3. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
4. Trey Burton, Eagles
5. James O'Shaughnessy, Jaguars

Kickers -- Divisional Round (DFS)

Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
1. Kai Forbath, Vikings
2. Jake Elliott, Eagles
3. Josh Lambo, Jaguars

Kickers -- NFL Playoff Challenge

Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
1. Kai Forbath, Vikings
2. Jake Elliott, Eagles
3. Josh Lambo, Jaguars

Defense/special teams -- Divisional Round (DFS)

Minnesota Vikings
1. New England Patriots
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Jacksonville Jaguars

Defense/special teams -- NFL Playoff Challenge

New England Patriots
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Jacksonville Jaguars

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Do you want the most up-to-date fantasy football news, updates and analysis? Follow Michael on both Twitter _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or **Facebook**!

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