Stop me if you've heard this before, but the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl. They'll face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of No. 1 seeds, with the Eagles once again taking on the role of scrappy underdogs. If you built your Playoff Challenge roster around Patriots, well, you're in great shape. I can't imagine too many people relied heavily on Eagles aside from fans of the team, but if you did, you'll be in good shape to try to take home the grand prize. Below I break down our lineups leading up to the big game. As you'll see, most of us are in rough shape after taking some risks on teams not from the Northeastern part of the country.
Michael Fabiano's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @MichaelFabiano)
Death. Taxes. Fabiano riding the Patriots in Playoff Challenge. These are all things we cannot escape. Fabs' early investment in Tom Brady and co. is paying off big-time, as he has five players with that lucrative x4 multiplier for the Super Bowl.
Adam Rank's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @adamrank)
Rank's quick pivot from the Rams to the Patriots is setting him up really well. He has six players with a x3 bonus, and Rob Gronkowski carrying the x4 multiplier. He'll be hoping for a high-scoring affair in Minneapolis, with Tom Brady hopefully distributing the ball evenly to all of his playmakers.
Matt Franciscovich's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @MattFranchise)
Franchise had been riding a predominantly Vikings-filled lineup to early success ... until this past weekend. Now he's left picking up the pieces heading into the Super Bowl with no multipliers for any of his positions. This is a theme you'll see more frequently in the next few lineups as well.
Matt Harmon's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @MattHarmonBYB)
Harmon's lineup likely mirrors countless others across America. Several Patriots holding onto big multipliers ... and a hodgepodge of other new faces. The Eagles certainly shook things up in the NFC picture, as many had written them off without Carson Wentz. Harmon's hoping his picks of Jay Ayaji and Nelson Agholor help him stand out from the pack with the more heavily targeted LeGarrette Blount and Alshon Jeffrey.
Marcas Grant's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @MarcasG)
Marcas has been fighting an uphill battle since losing most of his Saints-heavy roster to the "Minnesota Miracle" last week. He has a handful of multipliers after locking in several Patriots last week, but having to reset so heavily last week has made his odds of Playoff Challenge glory long, to say the least.
Alex Gelhar's Playoff Challenge lineup (on Twitter @AlexGelhar)
I went all-in with the Vikings last week, assuming they had that "team of destiny" mojo we often see in the postseason. Well, you know what they say about assuming ... anyway, as a result, I'm now left basically building a roster from scratch. With everyone going bananas for the Patriots in their lineups, my only hope of an upset is to play the contrarian and hope the Eagles soar to their first Super Bowl victory. Plus, I'd rather see the Eagles win as a casual observer (sorry Pats Nation, you've had your time in the sun), so it'll be more fun for me rooting for the Eagles in real life and fantasy.
Those are our picks for NFL Playoff Challenge. Hit us up on Twitter with your lineup. Enjoy the final game, and good luck chasing that trip to Super Bowl LIII!
Alex Gelhar is a fantasy writer/editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexGelhar and "Like" his page on Facebook here.
