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Here are the Lester’s Legends team defense rankings for the Conference Championship Round of the NFL Playoffs.
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1.  New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers:  The Niners are no pushover on offense, as evidenced by the 36 points they dropped on the Saints. The Giants made life uncomfortable for Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers in their two playoff wins. Alex Smith passed the first test, but will he be up for this challenge? They have the confidence right now and their defensive line is playing out of its mind. The Packers game wouldn’t have been as close as it was without some horrible officiating.
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2.  San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants:  The Niners couldn’t slow the Saints’ offense, but they were able to force them into some uncharacteristic mistakes. They were counted out last week and will likely not get the attention that the #2 seed deserves because the Giants are so hot. If the Giants don’t protect the ball, the Niners will enforce their will.
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3.  New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens:  The Patriots were highly criticized for their defense, but they shut down the Broncos last week. I know the Broncos aren’t on the level that Baltimore is, but like Denver the Broncos’ strength isn’t New England’s primary weakness (pass defense). During their nine-game winning streaks the Patriots are giving up 18.7 ppg.
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4.  Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots:  It’s not that I think the Ravens have lost their edge. The Patriots are on fire right now, averaging 37.3 points in their past three games. Not many teams have three players (Gronk, Welker, Hernandez) that are nearly impossible to account for. The Ravens have their work cut out for them. This isn’t like previous meetings where their physical play will upset the Pats. With Gronk and Hernandez they are built to withstand it.
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Also check out:

• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Conference Championship Round NFL Picks

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Here are the Lester’s Legends tight end rankings for the Conference Championship round of the NFL Playoffs.
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1.  Rob Gronkowksi vs. Baltimore Ravens:  What a stunning display. After shattering the NFL record with 17 TD passes in the regular season (plus one rushing score) he goes out and catches three in a playoff game. Gronk appears to be unguardable right now. His combination of size, speed, and hands are too much. Plus, Brady and Belichick know how to use him perfectly.
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2.  Vernon Davis vs. New York Giants:  The dude turned in one sick performance catching seven passes for 180 yards and two scores. He has the size and speed thing going for him as well. Makes him a real tough cover. The Giants do a good job against tight ends, but Davis is the primary target for Alex Smith and Harbaugh will look for ways to get him the ball.
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3.  Aaron Hernandez vs. Baltimore Ravens:  The Patriots are very creative in getting Hernandez the ball. He lined up at halfback and picked up 61 yards on five carries against he Broncos. He also caught four passes for 55 yards and a score. He’d be a star if he was on a different team (or if Gronk wasn’t around), but he’s still a top two or three option this week.
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4.  Jake Ballard @ San Francisco 49ers:  Ballard may have caught just one pass for 17 yards, but it wasn’t from a lack of looks. He saw eight targets last week and is a good bet to show improvement in the NFC title game.
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5.  Dennis Pitta @ New England Patriots:  It’s really a coin toss to see who will have a better game between Pitta and Ed Dickson. Pitta has been better of late so I’ll choose him this week.
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6.  Ed Dickson @ New England Patriots:  Had just one catch for 14 yards and two catches combined over the past two games. He could break out, but the odds aren’t great.
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7.  Travis Beckum @ San Francisco 49ers:  Caught a pair of passes for 22 yards
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Also check out:

• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Conference Championship Round NFL Picks

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Here are the Lester’s Legends wide receiver rankings for the Conference Championship round of the NFL Playoffs.
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1.  Hakeem Nicks @ San Francisco 49ers:  Nicks has scored a pair of touchdowns in each of the Giants’ playoff games, totalling 280 yards in the process. I don’t think there is any question who the top wide receiver (playing) is at the moment.
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2.  Wes Welker vs. Baltimore Ravens:  You can’t double-team Welker anymore. Not the way Gronk and Hernandez are playing. That makes Welker extremely tough to account for.
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3.  Victor Cruz @ San Francisco 49ers:  Cruz bounced back from a personally disappointing Wild Card game (28 yards) with five catches for 74 yards. Nicks is on fire, but Eli has plenty of confidence in Cruz.
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4.  Anquan Boldin @ New England Patriots:  Boldin showed his toughness as he caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in his first game back (knee). The Pats struggle against the pass and Boldin is the guy Flacco will look to.
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5.  Michael Crabtree vs. New York Giants:  The Giants will certainly look to disrupt the Niners’ passing game. Vernon Davis went nuts last week, but Crabtree did have a score. He’ll see a ton of looks as the Niners open the offense up again. Crabtree is averaging 65.3 yards and a touchdown in his past three games.
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6.  Mario Manningham @ San Francisco 49ers:  Manningham has scored in both Giants’ playoff games. When you focus on Nicks and Cruz, it’s Manningham that burns you.
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7.  Deion Branch vs. Baltimore Ravens:  Branch got away with a push off that made his line look good (three catches, 85 yards, TD). The truth is, Branch is the fourth option in the Patriots’ passing attack and sometimes there just isn’t enough trickling down to Branch.
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8.  Torrey Smith @ New England Patriots:  Smith was nearly invisible (one catch, nine yards), but he had four targets. He should do better this week against the Patriots.
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9.  Lee Evans @ New England Patriots:  Evans had a nice grab, finishing with thirty yards. He had just one target on the day.
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Also check out:

• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Conference Championship Round NFL Picks

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Here are the Lester’s Legends running back rankings for the Conference Championship Round of the NFL Playoffs.
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1.  Ray Rice @ New England Patriots:  Ball control will be the name of the game for the Ravens as they try to keep Brady, Gronk, and Welker on the sidelines. Rice was held in check (60 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards) by the Texans, but the Patriots aren’t as sound defensively.
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2.  Frank Gore vs. New York Giants:  Gore had an impressive game, running for 89 yards on 13 carries (6.8 ypc). His 42-yard dash was a thing of beauty. He added seven catches for 38 yards. Gore is fresh and he’s running well heading into the NFC title game.
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3.  Ahmad Bradshaw @ San Francisco 49ers:  The Niners are hard to run on. They ranked first with 77.3 yards, three rushing TDs allowed, and a 3.5 ypc allowed. Bradshaw has been running well in recent weeks and adding production through the passing game.
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4.  Brandon Jacobs @ San Francisco 49ers:  This figures to be a physical game so the Giants are going to need Jacobs’ bruising style. He had 92 yards in the first playoff game and scored a TD in the second. He should get a solid share of carries in this one.
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5.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs. Baltimore:  The Firm got his chances (13 carries). He just didn’t do much with them (28 yards). He has never lost a fumble so Belichick trusts him. With 24 touchdowns in two seasons, Bill won’t be afraid to give him the ball at the stripe.
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6.  Stevan Ridley vs. Baltimore Ravens:  Despite running well down the stretch Ridley had just four carries against the Broncos. Tight End Aaron Hernandez led the way with 61 yards and BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the team with 13 carries. Ridley made the most of his carriers going for 21 yards. He lost a fumble in this one, which could keep him from getting extensive work.
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7.  Kendall Hunter vs. New York Giants:  Hunter got six carries last week and managed 23 yards (3.8 ypg). He added a 13 yards catch.
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8. Ricky Williams @ New England Patriots:  Ricky ran for 27 yards on six carries (4.5 ypc). I don’t see him being much of a factor this week.
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9.  Danny Woodhead vs. Baltimore Ravens:  Woodhead ran for 25 yards on four carries. He isn’t used very frequently, but you never know with Belichick.
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Also check out:

• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Conference Championship Round NFL Picks

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Here are the Lester’s Legends quarterback rankings for the  the AFC & NFC Conference Championship Games of the NFL Playoffs.
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1.  Tom Brady vs. Baltimore Ravens:  All Tom Terrific did was throw for 363 yards and six TDs last week. He easily could have thrown a playoff record seventh touchdown, but they let up on the gas in the fourth quarter. The Pats have won nine straight games averaging 37.3 points. The way Gronk, Welker, and Hernandez are playing it will be hard to slow down Brady and company.
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2. Eli Manning @ San Francisco Giants:  Eli is red hot. He has nine touchdowns to one interception in his past three games, all must wins, against the Cowboys, the Falcons, and the Packers. He has averaged 317.7 yards per game during that stretch, and the way Hakeem Nicks is playing, the Niners are going to have their hands full. The Niners are great defensively, but were only middle-of-the road against the pass.
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3.  Alex Smith vs. New York Giants:  Smith grew up right before our eyes last week throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns. He added a nifty 28-yard touchdown run and showed great composure handling New Orleans’ pressure and delivering a game-winner. The Giants are a different team right now, but ranked 29th against the pass during the regular season.
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4.  Joe Flacco @ New England Patriots:  The Patriots ranked 31st against the pass this year. Flacco threw a pair touchdowns last week, and now that Boldin is back he at least has some chance to make plays.
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Also check out:

• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Conference Championship Round Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Conference Championship Round NFL Picks