We’re finally here. Super Bowl 56 has arrived and it is beautiful. It’s no secret the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals are loaded with talent—all of which you can capitalize on in DFS or daily best ball. Instead of my normal format where I tell you one player to start or sit at each position, today I’ll touch on ALL the players. So for the last time until September, let’s see who you should be starting or sitting in this weekend’s game. And feel free to hit me up on Twitter @ZachCohenFB for any more questions! Quarterbacks I could sum this section up with “you can’t go wrong,” and perhaps that’s how you view Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow. Based on the prices of the rest of your roster, you could just save quarterback for last and pick the cheaper option, depending on the site you use. But let’s dive deeper into the postseason numbers, starting with Stafford. After a shaky end to the season, Stafford has six touchdowns and one pick in the playoffs. He’s also passed 38-plus times in each of his last two games, which were both decided by three points. Meanwhile, Burrow ended the season scorching-hot, only to cool a bit in the postseason. He’s thrown four touchdowns and two picks, including a scoreless game at Tennessee. He’s also thrown between 34-38 times in each of three games, too. Obviously, a quarterback’s previous three games don’t dictate how he’ll play in the next one. Excluding Los Angeles’ 23-point blowout of Arizona, four of the Rams’ five postseason touchdowns have come in the air. Ironically, four of the Bengals’ five postseason touchdowns have also come from the passing game. The difference: It took Los Angeles two games to do that, while Cincinnati needed three. Based on those numbers, we’d have to assume Stafford will play better, right? Not necessarily. We don’t know how these defenses will adapt. We don’t know what changes they’ll make. On one hand, you’d think Aaron Donald and Co. will make Burrow miserable, but Burrow has been the NFL’s best quarterback versus the blitz. And would you look at that, Stafford has also been effective when blitzed. What does this mean for our little conundrum here? Flip a coin. Go with your gut. The numbers don't really clear anything up. My gut likes Burrow a bit more. Besides, nothing suggests one will drastically outperform the other. Both quarterbacks will be driving forces for their respective teams, but the real X-factor lies elsewhere… Running Backs Surrounded by franchise quarterbacks and superstar wide receivers, each team’s running backs feel a bit overlooked. While Joe Mixon has two-straight performances of 100-plus total yards, Cam Akers and Sony Michel have mostly shared work, with Akers as the lead. The result: 229 combined rushing yards… but zero touchdowns. Their work in the passing game hasn’t been too promising, either. Akers has 62 receiving yards on just six targets, while Michel has -8 yards on four targets. Yikes. Funnily enough, the only Ram to score a rushing touchdown in the playoffs is Matthew Stafford, and he’s done it twice from one yard out (perhaps that boosts his value ahead of Burrow’s?). Clearly, Joe Mixon is the running back to start in all formats. You’d be hard-pressed to find a reason to pick a second running back not named Akers, too. Samaje Perine may also have some value since he seems to get some third-down looks, too. Unfortunately for the Perine Fan Club, that’s translated to just six targets on roughly 23% of Cincinnati’s postseason snaps. If you’re feeling lucky, rolling with Perine may be a rewarding move. Wide Receivers NOW we can have some fun. It’s no secret these teams love to throw the ball, and boy do they throw the ball well. In the regular season, both teams were top-seven in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passer rating. The biggest benefactor was Cooper Kupp. Sometimes, it’s that easy. Kupp is a must-start in all formats this weekend, no matter the price. Just to further slam home his greatness, Kupp had just two games with fewer than 90 receiving yards all season and one of those games was the Rams’ lopsided win over the Cardinals on wild-card weekend. As for the other Rams, they get to face a Bengals’ defense that’s allowed the 24th-most fantasy points to wide receivers. That bodes well for Odell Beckham Jr., who’s either scored or hit 69 receiving yards in all but one of his last six games. Let’s not forget Van Jefferson, though. He’s been relatively quiet this postseason, but we’ve seen him hit big plays before. Of the two receivers not named Kupp, I’d roll with Beckham Jr., but he’s not my second preference… and neither is Ja’Marr Chase. Los Angeles has been pretty average against wide receivers, as they’re 15th in FPA (Fantasy Points Allowed) to them this season. While it takes just one big play from Burrow to Chase to break open the game, we saw last week what happens when Chase is kept from his seemingly astronomical numbers. Yes, it’s hard to say he was “locked down” when he scored on nine targets for 54 receiving yards. The real eyebrow-raiser came from his teammate, Tee Higgins. Higgins popped off for 103 receiving yards on 10 targets a week after racking up 96 yards on nine targets the week before. Chase will almost certainly be shadowed by Jalen Ramsey, yet he’ll likely be the most popular pick in DFS and daily best ball lineups. If you’re looking for an edge, you’ll have to be different from the consensus. That’s why I like Higgins this week, though Chase isn’t a bad play by any means. Tyler Boyd is the last Bengals’ receiver I’d consider, though his lack of compelling upside drives me away from him. This is the week to shoot for the stars. I’d be shocked if Boyd qualifies. Tight Ends The starting tight ends may look pretty different on Sunday than what we’ve seen so far. Both C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Higbee left their respective title games early with a sprained MCL. Unsurprisingly, both tight ends were listed as DNP on the injury report and are questionable for the Super Bowl. If they suit up—and Uzomah insists he will—I still wouldn’t be over the moon about either. Sure, Higbee was averaging more than 51 receiving yards in the six games prior to his injury. To me, though, that opens up the strong possibility of starting Kendall Blanton. The Rams’ backup tight end has caught all seven of his postseason targets for 75 receiving yards and a touchdown, including a 57-yard performance in Higbee’s absence versus San Francisco. If Uzomah and Higbee start, not only would I expect them to be limited, but I’d expect most people to pick them in their lineups. Like I said earlier, being different can be a difference-maker, especially in smaller contests. Blanton’s my guy this week. Sorry to Drew Sample—we just haven’t seen enough from him as Uzomah’s backup. Kickers I’ll keep it short here. Matt Gay has scored 30 points, he’s 7-9 on field goals and he’s perfect on PATs. Evan McPherson has scored 40 points and has made all 12 of his field goals and all four PATs. Simply put, the Rams have been way more efficient in the red zone, whereas the Bengals have relied on McPherson just as much as they did during the regular season. I expect that to continue in what has been a storybook season for the rookie kicker out of Florida. Roll with McPherson, though I don't expect the price to differ much between him and Gay. Defense Like with the quarterbacks, defense is a total coin flip. The Rams have allowed 18.3 points per game this postseason, while the Bengals have allowed 19.7. Let’s look at the rest of the stats: Rams Key Defensive Stats:

Sacks: 5
Interceptions: 4
Passing Yards Allowed (per game): 220.7
Total Yards Allowed (per game): 286.7

Bengals Key Defensive Stats:

Sacks: 8
Interceptions: 6
Passing Yards Allowed (per game): 243.7
Total Yards Allowed (per game): 395.7

My main takeaway—aside from three games not indicating the outcome of the fourth—is how much worse the Bengals’ defense has been in total yards allowed. However, they’re forcing more turnovers. You’ll need to check your contest’s rules before making a decision here. If it strongly favors turnovers, I’d go with Cincinnati.