Conference Championship Weekend Outlook
Considering it is January, Denver should have nice football weather with more sun than not and temperatures likely above freezing. Seattle has a chance of showers, which if they develop might assist slightly in the number of returnable kickoffs.
Only around a third of NFL teams have a single returner handle both punts and kickoffs. As teams have been eliminated and other returners have lost touches to other players, LaMichael James is the last man standing amongst those who field both types of returns. This makes him the overwhelming choice for individual return leagues this week.
Job Changes and Injuries of Note
The Broncos used Eric Decker on punt returns, possibly due to concerns over Trindon Holliday's sure-handedness in fielding punts, as well as decision making. While Decker performed well with 3 punt returns for 66 yards, he might have had a touchdown had Decker not gone down mostly on his own just when he was breaking into the clear. His performance was enough to not count on Holliday to get both types of returns this week.
Conference championship WeekEND Team Return Projections
| Receiving Team | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 59 | 0.01 | 28 | 0.04 | 87 | 0.05 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 63 | 0.02 | 15 | 0.02 | 78 | 0.03 |
| New England Patriots | 38 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.03 | 59 | 0.04 |
| Denver Broncos | 40 | 0.02 | 19 | 0.03 | 59 | 0.05 |
Conference championship WeekEND Player Return Projections
| Player | Team | Position | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Ret Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaMichael James | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 57 | 0.01 | 13 | 0.02 | 71 | 0.03 |
| Doug Baldwin | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 47 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 47 | 0.01 |
| Trindon Holliday | Denver Broncos | WR | 36 | 0.02 | 7 | 0.02 | 43 | 0.03 |
| LeGarrette Blount | New England Patriots | RB | 34 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 34 | 0.01 |
| Golden Tate | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 27 | 0.03 | 27 | 0.03 |
| Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 22 | 0.03 | 22 | 0.03 |
| Robert Turbin | Seattle Seahawks | RB | 12 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Eric Decker | Denver Broncos | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 13 | 0.02 | 13 | 0.02 |
| Anthony Dixon | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 6 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Shane Vereen | New England Patriots | RB | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Andre Caldwell | Denver Broncos | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Omar Bolden | Denver Broncos | DB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Wes Welker | Denver Broncos | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |