Peyton Manning is cheaper than any other quarterback playing this weekend

Let’s take a look at some of the top value options for the conference championship round of the NFL Playoffs. All references to fantasy points allowed (PA) per game come from our fantasy points allowed reports, which can be found here.

References to DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average) come from rankings on www.footballoutsiders.com. A detailed explanation of DVOA can be found here.

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Quarterback

Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos ($27)
vs. New England Patriots

Manning is the only quarterback who can be considered a value heading into the conference championship round of the playoffs. The other quarterbacks on the slate — Cam Newton, Carson Palmer and Tom Brady — are all priced between $33-$36.

In all honesty, this is a good week to pick your favorite quarterback of the four and go with him, but if you need value, Manning is the only option. A game manager at this late stage of his career, the Broncos won’t ask him to do too much unless they are forced to throw to stay in the game.

Running Back

James White – New England Patriots ($19)
@ Denver Broncos

It looks like it will be a week where the Patriots deploy White, their receiving back, over trying to run between the tackles. Denver has been quite stout against the run this season but has been susceptible to receivers coming out of the backfield. Look for the Patriots try to use short passes to move the ball against the Broncos’ top-ranked defense, putting White in line for some catches.

Other notables:

• C.J. Anderson ($22)
• Andre Ellington ($12)

Wide Receiver

Jericho Cotchery – Carolina Panthers ($12)
vs. Arizona Cardinals

Cotchery, Carolina’s primary slot receiver, looks to have the most favorable matchup among the receivers on the Panthers. Arizona lost one of the league’s top slot corners, Tyrann Mathieu, in Week 15 against the Eagles. The Cardinals’ new slot man, Jerraud Powers, is not nearly as proficient in coverage and the Panthers can take advantage of that, especially with Ten Ginn Jr. likely getting locked up by Patrick Peterson.

Other notables:

• John Brown ($21)
• Brandon LaFell ($12)

Tight End

Owen Daniels – Denver Broncos ($12)
vs. New England Patriots

In a similar situation as quarterback, the best tactic would be to spend up for Rob Gronkowski or Greg Olsen instead of looking for values at tight end this week. Daniels represents the best value option as he’s currently Denver’s top option at tight end, and while he’s not a strong threat to score, he should be called upon to move the ball between the 20s.

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Matthew Terelle is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @supermt.