Playoff Challenge: Championship Week

Riding Tom Brady and the Patriots worked last week, and Jamey Eisenberg is saddling up them up again the CBSSports.com Playoff Challenge for an expected big win.

By Jamey Eisenberg

Jan 15, 2015 at 5:45 am ET • 6 min read

Compete to win this postseason with our Playoff Challenge

We found out in the Divisional Round of the playoffs that Aaron Rodgers can play on one calf, Peyton Manning might be ready to retire, Julian Edelman has a pretty good arm and, thanks to Dez Bryant, we still don't know exactly how to define a catch.

Let's hope the AFC and NFC Championship Games are just as exciting. And both games are rematches with Indianapolis at New England and Green Bay at Seattle.

In the Divisional Round, the Colts upset the Broncos at Denver behind another strong performance from Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis defense. Manning struggled again, and we learned he might have been playing through a torn right quad since Week 15.

We'll find out if Manning plans to return in 2015, but he'll have a new coach since John Fox is no longer with the Broncos. It will be an interesting offseason in Denver for sure with Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas set for free agency, and what happens with them probably depends on Manning.

As for the Colts, Luck passed for 265 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and added two carries for 21 yards in the win, but you already know he's awesome. The Fantasy impact from this game was Dan Herron was again a workhorse with 23 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown and eight catches for 32 yards. He now has 35 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns and 18 catches for 117 yards in two playoff games.

If he comes back in 2015 as the starter for the Colts -- Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent and Trent Richardson was a healthy scratch against the Broncos -- we could be looking at a solid No. 2 running back with Top 15 potential.

The Patriots won a shootout with the Ravens to advance to their fourth consecutive conference title game and ninth since 2001. Tom Brady was exceptional with 367 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception with a rushing touchdown, and Edelman even threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola, who shockingly had five catches for 81 yards and two scores.

The first time the Patriots and Colts met this season was a 42-20 New England victory at Indianapolis in Week 11. That was the Jonas Gray game when he had 37 carries for 201 yards and four touchdowns, but he missed the Ravens game with an ankle injury. If the Patriots use a similar game plan this week, we should see plenty of LeGarrette Blount.

The Patriots are 3-0 against Luck, who has six touchdowns and eight interceptions in those meetings, and New England has won each game by at least 21 points. Brady has six touchdowns and two interceptions over that span.

In the NFC, much was made about Rodgers and his torn calf heading into the matchup with the Cowboys, but he looked like his usual dominant self with 316 yards and three touchdowns. The Fantasy impact from this game came from Davante Adams, who was stellar with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, and he could be a star in 2015 as he continues to catch passes from Rodgers in an increased role.

Adams will likely be sacrificed to the right side of the field against Richard Sherman in the NFC Championship Game, but more on that in a bit. This Divisional Round game will forever be remembered for Bryant's catch that didn't count. And yes, it was a catch.

The Packers will now try to knock off the defending champion Seahawks, who eased by the Panthers behind another excellent performance from their defense and Russell Wilson. He has turned into a stellar Fantasy quarterback, and he passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina.

These teams met in Week 1 this season in Seattle, and the Seahawks won easily 36-16. Rodgers stayed away from Sherman's side of the field, and he struggled with 189 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Eddie Lacy also suffered a concussion in the game.

For the Seahawks, Wilson passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 29 yards, and Marshawn Lynch had 20 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. We'll find out if Rodgers will again stay away from Sherman and limit Adams' targets, but this should be a great game.

In the CBSSports.com Playoff Challenge, I am using my five remaining transactions to load up on the Patriots. I expect them to beat the Colts, and I already went all in on Brady, Shane Vereen and Brandon LaFell last week in our CBSSports.com Staff buddy group.

If you're not familiar with the game, you get 300 units to set your lineup, which consists of eight players (QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K and DST). You are allowed eight moves throughout the playoffs, and the scoring is standard.

Here is my lineup from the Wild Card round …

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers – 54 units
RB: DeMarco Murray, Cowboys – 62 units
RB: Jeremy Hill, Bengals – 54 units
WR: Dez Bryant, Cowboys – 47 units
WR: Martavis Bryant, Steelers – 17 units
TE: Greg Olsen, Panthers – 24 units
K: Shaun Suisham, Steelers – 18 units
DST: Panthers – 18 units

Here are the changes I made for the Divisional round …

QB: Tom Brady, Patriots – 70 units
RB: DeMarco Murray, Cowboys – 62 units
RB: Shane Vereen, Patriots – 29 units
WR: Dez Bryant, Cowboys – 47 units
WR: Brandon LaFell, Patriots – 27 units
TE: Greg Olsen, Panthers – 24 units
K: Empty (keeping Suisham there)
DST: Panthers – 18 units

And my new lineup for Championship Week is …

QB: Tom Brady, Patriots – 70 units
RB: LeGarrette Blount, Patriots – 40 units
RB: Shane Vereen, Patriots – 29 units
WR: Julian Edelman, Patriots – 36 units
WR: Brandon LaFell, Patriots – 27 units
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots – 38 units
K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots – 27 units
DST: Patriots – 23 units

If the Patriots decide to lean on their running game this week then Blount could have a big outing, but if they come out throwing then I'm covered for everyone aside from Amendola and Timothy Wright. We'll see how it works out, but this roster makes the most sense for how I played the game. I just need New England to advance to the Super Bowl.

Here are some rankings for you to use for Championship Week for whatever type of playoff challenge you're playing in. The values are for CBSSports.com, and good luck as the NFL season is nearing an end.

Quarterback rankings – Championship Week

1. Andrew Luck, Colts – 68 units
2. Tom Brady, Patriots – 70 units
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers – 74 units
4. Russell Wilson, Seahawks – 67 units

Running back rankings – Championship Week

1. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks – 62 units
2. Dan Herron, Colts – 42 units
3. LeGarrette Blount, Patriots – 40 units
4. Eddie Lacy, Packers – 60 units
5. Shane Vereen, Patriots – 29 units
6. Robert Turbin, Seahawks – 27units
7. James Starks, Packers – 21 units
8. Zurlon Tipton, Colts – 15 units
9. Brandon Bolden, Patriots – 17 units
10. John Kuhn, Packers – 15 units

Wide receiver rankings – Championship Week

1. Randall Cobb, Packers – 40 units
2. Jordy Nelson, Packers – 48 units
3. Julian Edelman, Patriots – 36 units
4. T.Y. Hilton, Colts – 39 units
5. Brandon LaFell, Patriots – 27 units
6. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks – 21 units
7. Jermaine Kearse, Seahawks – 11 units
8. Donte Moncrief, Colts – 14 units
9. Danny Amendola, Patriots – 15 units
10. Davante Adams, Packers – 17 units
11. Hakeem Nicks, Colts – 15 units
12. Reggie Wayne, Colts – 17 units

Tight end rankings – Championship Week

1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots – 38 units
2. Coby Fleener, Colts – 24 units
3. Dwayne Allen, Colts – 25 units
4. Luke Willson, Seahawks – 7 units
5. Andrew Quarless, Packers – 7 units

Kicker rankings – Championship Week

1. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots – 27 units
2. Steven Hauschka, Seahawks – 29 units
3. Adam Vinatieri, Colts – 33 units
4. Mason Crosby, Packers – 27 units