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Fantasy football in January? You bet.
Your season-long league might be over, but daily-fantasy sites are running contests this weekend.
If you're feeling brazen enough to enter some tournaments, take a look at some picks for the top play at each position for Saturday's games. Three sleeper players are listed at the end as well.
But first, a look at the odds and schedule for Saturday.
| Time (ET) | Away | Home | Over-Under | TV | Live Stream |
| 4:35 p.m. ET | Seattle Seahawks | Atlanta Falcons (-5) | 51.5 | Fox | Fox Sports Go |
| 8:15 p.m. ET | Houston Texans | New England Patriots (-15) | 44.5 | CBS | CBS All-Access |
Top Fantasy Picks at Each Position
Top Quarterback
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is the top play over New England Patriots QB Tom Brady for three reasons:
- The Seahawks-Falcons game has a better chance of shooting out, leading to a potential huge day for Ryan.
- The Falcons running game may not get it going against a tough Seahawks running defense (they didn't when these two teams played in October, rushing for only 52 yards as a team), forcing Ryan to pass more. The Patriots rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns when they played Houston in Week 3. It might not be a problem for them, leading to less reliance on Brady's arm.
- The Seahawks are missing superstar safety Earl Thomas, enabling Ryan to take advantage of the void in the Seattle secondary.
Ryan also threw for three touchdowns and 335 passing yards the last time these two teams met, and that was at CenturyLink Field with Thomas playing. With Thomas out and the game in Atlanta, Ryan's ceiling is even higher than the stat line he put up against the Hawks the last time around.
Top Running Back
New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis is the pick, even though fellow Pats rusher LeGarrette Blount could get more touches. (Blount's been missing practice with an illness, but the guess here is that he's ready for Saturday.)
From Evan Silva of Rotoworld:
Lewis, who has averaged nearly 17 touches a game in his last three outings, can get fantasy players some points off receptions in PPR scoring formats, and if he's getting red-zone touches, that puts him in position to score a few times in a game where the implied Vegas total for the Pats is 30 points.
The Falcons and Texans rushers have tough matchups. The Seahawks do not against a softer Falcons run defense, but Seattle's offensive line is hard to trust.
That leaves the Pats and Lewis, who gets the edge over Blount because of his proficiency catching the ball.
Top Wide Receiver
It stands to reason that if Ryan is listed as the top Saturday quarterback play, then his favorite target, Julio Jones, is the top wide receiver pick.
Apologies for nearly repeating the Ryan section, but the same logic applies: Jones caught seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown at Seattle with Thomas on the field in October. Like Ryan, he could have an even better game with Thomas out and the game at the Georgia Dome this time around.
Jones has a 300-receiving-yard upside—he did it in Week 5 against Carolina. He probably won't get to that total against Seattle, but no other wide receiver on Saturday comes close to matching his ceiling.
Top Tight End
Jimmy Graham might seem like the top pick on the surface, but this stat from Danny Kelly of The Ringer explains why taking him is a risk:
Simply put, the Seahawks don't look for Graham in the red zone.
Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett does not have that problem. He has scored seven touchdowns this season, including three in his last four games. With the Patriots capable of putting up big offensive numbers Saturday, Bennett could be a beneficiary of a Brady touchdown pass or two.
Top Kicker
Don't overthink this: The easy plays are the Falcons' Matt Bryant and the Patriots' Stephen Gostkowski, steady kickers who should have multiple opportunities to make field goals and extra points in potential high-scoring performances for their teams.
Top Defense/Special Teams
Don't overthink this either: The Patriots shut the Texans out when these two teams played each other in Week 3. Houston's offense is still deeply flawed, only scoring 279 points this season, the fourth-worst mark in the NFL. New England is the choice.
Three Sleeper Picks
1. RB C.J. Prosise (If He Plays)
If C.J. Prosise returns from a shoulder injury (he's missed the last six weeks but practiced in full Thursday), he could be a game-breaker. Head coach Pete Carroll said Prosise's availability will be a game-time decision, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.
Prosise gained 153 total yards in a matchup against New England this year. Most players may not think to play Prosise since he's been out for so long, leading to a good opportunity for folks who pay attention to the inactive list before the Falcons game.
2. Falcons WR Taylor Gabriel
A lot of people will stack Ryan and Jones together, but consider adding Taylor Gabriel to that combination to differentiate your lineup from the field.
Gabriel has scored six touchdowns in his last eight games played. During that span, he averaged five targets per game. That doesn't seem like too many, but the price for putting Gabriel in your lineup is low across the industry, and you're going to need some value plays to fit top stars like Jones in.
3. Patriots WR Chris Hogan
Hogan may not see too many targets per game (he only topped five twice this season), but he only needs one to make a big play and score a ton of fantasy points.
He has caught 79- and 53-yard touchdown passes this year, and he also hauled in a 63-yarder against Cleveland.
Like Gabriel, if you need a value play, consider Hogan.
Betting information courtesy of OddsShark.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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