Studs and Duds: Championship Games

Mon Jan 30 10:37am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Related photo caption below

Valdes-Scantling comes up big


Well, at least one game was good this weekend. Injuries played a major role in the first game of the day, leading to a lopsided win for the Eagles. The afternoon game was much closer, making for some great viewing for football fans. Let’s hope the Super Bowl plays out that way. But from a fantasy perspective, there wasn’t a ton of scoring this weekend. Defenses played well for the most part, leading to lower fantasy numbers. 

Eagles 31, 49ers 7

Fantasy Stud: Miles Sanders. Sanders didn’t lead his team in carries but found the end zone twice, leading to a big fantasy performance. He had 11 carries for 42 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pass for three yards. It was the first time Sanders had double-digit fantasy points in a game since Week 14.

Fantasy Dud: Deebo Samuel. Samuel got a lot of touches, but did next to nothing with them. He had three receptions for 33 yards. He also ran six times for negative nine yards. The Eagles did a great job of keeping the talented Samuel in check.

Game Notes: Brock Purdy injured his arm early in the game. He was forced to leave but returned to action because of a concussion suffered by backup Josh Johnson. Purdy could not throw the ball down the field after returning to the game. The 49ers became a one-dimensional run offense because of their injuries at quarterback.

Christian McCaffrey was one of the bright spots for the 49ers offense. He had 15 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 22 yards, giving him 106 total yards. 

Chiefs 23, Bengals 20

Fantasy Stud: Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Valdes-Scantling picked a good time to have his best game of the season. He was called on for a bigger role because of injury and took advantage. He had six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. It was just his second 100-yard game of the season. He does have touchdowns two straight games. 

Fantasy Dud: Joe Mixon. Mixon didn’t do much in this one. He ran eight times for just 18 yards. He also had three receptions for 15 yards. So he finished with 11 touches for just 33 yards. Mixon had some struggles down the stretch, finishing with fewer than 40-rushing yards three of four games. 

Game Notes: Patrick Mahomes looked hobbled on his high-ankle sprain but gutted it out and played his usual strong game. He was 29-of-43 for 326 yards and two touchdowns. The extra week of rest should do Mahomes some good as he gets ready for the Super Bowl. 

Kadairus Toney, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman all suffered injuries during the game and could not finish. The Chiefs were very thin at receiver late in the game, leading to Valdes-Scantling, Travis Kelce and running back Isiah Pacheco dominating the targets in the passing game for the Chiefs. 

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

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