NFL Playoff Fantasy League?! Say no more!
Almost every fantasy football league out there has now wrapped up. Congratulations to you if you were one of the lucky bastards who had Alvin Kamara, Davante Adams, or Stefon Diggs go off for them in Week 16. Also, I would highly recommend NOT gambling on the upcoming Week 17. I know that we are degenerates and if you can’t hold back, I won’t hold it against you, but betting on the likes of Mason Rudolph or Chad Henne just doesn’t get me going. My advice: Save your money for NFL Playoffs next week. However, this article isn’t to tell you how to spend your money, it’s to tell you how to make money these NFL Playoffs. I introduce to you, the NFL Playoff Fantasy League.
Some of you may have done things similar to this before and some work is required by your Commish, but it is all worth it. Here is how it works… You create a roster filled with the amount of NFL Playoff teams (14 this season) so for instance, my NFL Playoff League is ran with this roster setup:QB (3 spots)
RB (3 spots)WR (3 spots)
TE (2 spots)FLEX (3 spots)
You can replace a couple of the FLEX spots with a Kicker or Defense but I say fuck that noise. We want to see points and touchdowns, plus it provides a little bit more strategy when taking your players. So, you’re probably thinking “Everyone will have Mahomes and Hill and Kelce.” WRONG. You can only take ONE player from each playoff team, so yes, you will have to decide on a player from whichever shitty NFC East team makes it to the dance. So many factors go into it but I am going to share what you should do from someone with experience in this type of league, because experience is key, and “getting cute” is sometimes exactly what you need to do.
The key is finding players at the QB position who are going to make it to the Super Bowl. With QB typically being the highest scoring position, you want as many weeks as possible to score because once your player is eliminated, you cannot replace them. Obviously each week, you’ll have players eliminated because teams are going to lose, this we know. Let’s look at who the top options are at each position with the NFL Playoff teams that we have for this season.
Quarterback:
Like I said before, you want QB’s who will go the distance, but remember, if you take Patrick Mahomes, you’re automatically taking a ZERO in the first week due to his bye week. That also means if you take Aaron Rodgers, you’ll also be taking a ZERO assuming they can beat the Chicago Bears this Sunday. So who SHOULD you take? I personally would still take Patrick Mahomes just because he is the best player available and yes, this leaves you out of Kelce and Hill, but Mahomes is different. Josh Allen is also an option to fill your Buffalo Bills spot, even with Stefon Diggs shitting all over everyone he plays. You could also take Tom Brady, knowing he has all the weapons in the world and he is going to have the opportunity to play the NFC East winner in his first matchup. Outside of Brady or Rodgers, I would try to stay away from the boomer’s of the playoffs like Roethlisberger, Rivers, Brees, etc… this leaves you with a choice of about 5-6 potential options. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, and Tom Brady. Don’t load up completely on AFC or NFC, make sure you mix it up.
My Picks:
Patrick Mahomes – Reigning champ. Best QB in football
Lamar Jackson – He’s been playing hotter than a $2 pistol
Tom Brady – Fairly easy matchups on paper, could go God Mode in playoffs
Running Backs:
The importance of this position can’t be overstated. Make sure you have the elite guys, whereas at wide receiver and tight end, you can take some chances. At running back, there will be a lot of similar guys in your league picking the “chalky” guys like Kamara, Henry, etc… After Derrick Henry became the father to the Baltimore Ravens defense last season, you have to take him. He’s the only player who I feel gets significantly stronger the longer the year goes on. Lock him in. As for Kamara, don’t overthink it. Unless he’s OUT of their first game with COVID, you choose him. He was one of the best backs all season and they’ll ride him like a horse this postseason. Now, who else? With KC, BAL, and TB spots already filled from my QB spot, I have a ton of options left. This is where you stick with the hot hand and roll with Jonathan Taylor (if IND makes playoffs) because he’s got fresh legs and should be ready to run wild. If IND doesn’t make it, then you take a guy like Nick Chubb. Even if his team loses in the first week, he has the best opportunity to make a splash and get you 20+ points because I can assure you they will not be relying on Baker to win them the games.
My Picks:
Derrick Henry – Stronger as the season goes on. Titans could go far
Alvin Kamara – Because he’s the most dynamic weapon in playoffs and we aren’t taking Slant Boy
Jonathan Taylor (Nick Chubb if IND misses out) – Young, wild, and running free all over defenses this postseason
Wide Receivers:
You see where we are coming along now? With our team absolutely loaded, we still have room to get even better. One thing you may notice about the wide receivers left is that all of these receivers’ QB’s are really good. So here, where you have Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and DK Metcalf, others probably went a different route and took their quarterbacks. Are there other options you could look at? Sure. I like taking a gamble in Diontae “Drops” Johnson or maybe even go after DeAndre Hopkins or Allen Robinson to whichever guy’s team can get into the playoffs. But remember… that’s why we have the FLEX spot. If your Playoff League runs a PPR format, you’ll want to do everything you can to fill those 3 FLEX spots with a receiver over a running back, in my opinion. Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and DK Metcalf is one hell of a start with 3 teams who could make a run late into the postseason.
My Picks:
Davante Adams – Do I really need to explain why?
Stefon Diggs – Can’t be covered and he’ll get you damn near 10 points off receptions alone
DK Metcalf – Not everyday you get to take an alien to be on your fantasy team
Tight Ends:
Here is the deal, I got good news and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news first… your tight ends are going to suck. Now for the good news… so will everyone else’s. You only need two from this position, so if you didn’t take Travis Kelce, then they’re all the same. At this point, you’re going to need to take guys like Mike Gesicki, Logan Thomas, Tyler Higbee, Austin Hooper, etc… you get the point. They’re all terrible. So take the guys with the highest ceiling because there is a chance you may not have any tight ends left after the first week when you’re choosing from the teams I mentioned above.
My Picks:
Mike Gesicki – Miami’s only real threat in the passing game
Tyler Higbee – Has had some big games this season and if Kupp or Woods gets banged up, Goff could look for his big safety blanket TE
FLEX:
The nice part is that with the flex, you take the remaining guys that you like at the RB or WR position. So with the remaining teams in CHI, PIT, and WFT, you can take whoever you like, but the decisions aren’t going to be easy. Montgomery or Robinson? Juju or Diontae? Gibson or Scary Terry? The rest is for you to decide.
My Picks:
David Montgomery – Scores damn near every week and has the ability to break the big one
Diontae Johnson – The guy gets a lot of catches, even when he drops half of his targets but no denying he’s Big Ben’s favorite target
Terry McLaurin (CeeDee Lamb if DAL wins the NFC East) – Scary Terry is so incredibly underrated and if Alex Smith is ready to go, Terry could easily get a deep score.
This is all a really fun way to keep your fantasy league going and maybe throw some skin in the game. In my fantasy league, this is how we are deciding our draft order for next year so the standings at the end of this NFL Playoff League will determine that. Get ready for some crazy shit because this NFL season is technically still tied to the year 2020. Good luck to all!