FanDuel Tournament Pivots for Conference Championship Weekend

Running Back

Chalk

To New England we go once again. With three weeks in a row above 18 FanDuel points, Dion Lewis will be a clear favorite at the running back position this week. Leonard Fournette will be a popular play as well, as the Patriots are the most generous defense against opposing backs of the four remaining teams, but Lewis' $800 discount will prove attractive and likely put him over the top in terms of ownership percentages. He could lose some touches in the passing game with Rex Burkhead back, but who knows how much Burkhead will be used (if at all) after being out of action for over a month. If Burkhead is inactive, then James White could also prove popular at a price of $4,800 after scoring twice last week.

Pivot

Jerick McKinnon, $6,800 (at Philadelphia Eagles)

Outside of the New England/Jacksonville game, the outlook for running backs drops off a cliff. The Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles rank first and second against rushers, respectively. That obviously does not make for an ideal situation, but on a two-game slate, you need to examine every match for differential.

If the Eagles have a weakness against opposing backs, it's against those who are adept at receiving. Philly gave up only 949 rushing yards on the ground the entire season, best in the league, but allowed 91 catches to the position this season, 11th-most in the league. In an otherwise anemic offensive performance last week, the Atlanta Falcons were able to exploit this for their only touchdown on the day, a Devonta Freeman six-yard receiving score.

The Vikings would do well to follow suit this week, which means that Jerick McKinnon should be heavily involved in the attack. His 68 targets in the regular season were four times more than teammate Latavius Murray's 17. If you want to avoid the masses in running back ownership this week, McKinnon is a solid player to target.