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Scott Engel's top 80 fantasy football playoff rankings for the 2023 FFPC Playoff Challenge and your playoff drafts. Use his postseason rankings to compete in NFL playoff contests.
The NFL postseason begins with one of the most challenging and unique fantasy football playoff formats you can participate in, the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) Playoff Challenge. The format is highly compelling and the rewards are generous and impressive.
The unique format allows you to pick just one player from every team. My rankings here are generated accordingly with some twists.
The starting lineup format is as follows: 1-QB, 2-RB, 2-WR, 1-TE, 4-Flex, 1-K, 1-D (Flex can be RB, WR, or TE). A complete FFPC scoring breakdown is featured here. A main scoring point to note is that TEs get 1.5 points for every reception.
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NFL Playoff Rankings Overview
The rankings here can also be utilized for fantasy football playoff drafts and other NFL postseason fantasy contests. Players are ranked based on their potential to play in the most NFL playoff games along with positional considerations. Players I think will be one-and-dones, such as Tyreek Hill and Kenneth Walker III, are ranked significantly lower.
For FFPC Playoff Challenge purposes, you should scroll down the rankings list once you pick one player from each position/team to the next available players from other teams. For example, if you pick Dak Prescott, you can then skip the rest of the Cowboys and move on to the Vikings players if you see them as the next best team after Dallas to advance.
Diversifying your picks with multiple entries is recommended, and this deluxe list can serve you well if you do so. For drafts and other formats, these rankings will function as an ideal cheat sheet.
Top 80 Rankings - FFPC Playoff Challenge
Below, I include my top 80 overall rankings at the skill positions, and the top 14 Defenses and Kickers. I then also provide analysis on the top 40 skill position players.
1. Josh Allen: QB is the most important position in fantasy football playoff formats, and Allen has a strong chance of advancing from the Wild Card Round to the Super Bowl. He is the supreme dual-threat QB in the AFC and is very bankable to play at least three playoff games.
2. Jalen Hurts: The Eagles are my favorite pick to advance to the Super Bowl and are my biggest guarantee to play three games. Hurts can be taken over Allen if you believe Cincinnati can knock off Buffalo before it faces Kansas City.
3. Joe Burrow: I would not be surprised to see the Bengals repeat as AFC Champions. They at least have a legitimate shot to eliminate Buffalo in the second round, and Burrow is the key performer in another possible deep playoff run.
4. Patrick Mahomes: They are the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl, although beating Buffalo or Cincinnati is not going to be assured. In the FFPC Playoff Challenge, you will have to decide between rostering Mahomes or Travis Kelce because of TE premium scoring.
5. Travis Kelce: He is a significant difference-maker in the FFPC postseason format. Kelce will also go quite early in some playoff drafts as a means of gaining a clear advantage at the thinnest position.
6. Stefon Diggs: If you don’t take Allen in the FFPC format, Diggs is obviously your prime choice from the Buffalo roster. None of the other Bills players qualify as ideal targets when picking one player per team.
7. A.J. Brown: He was acquired to be a significant performer on a Super Bowl-bound Eagles team. WRs are safer plays for high-end production among the non-QB picks, and Brown will shine during Philadelphia’s run to an NFC title.
8. Ja'Marr Chase: He may have the most upside of any WR among the top four teams, and if Cincinnati does win the AFC Championship again, Chase will be a huge part of the story.
9. Christian McCaffrey: Many others will rank him higher, as McCaffrey is the clear top RB from any of the projected top four teams. Push him up your board if you believe in San Francisco to play three games, but I am skeptical that Brock Purdy can take the 49ers beyond two playoff games.
10. Miles Sanders: He nearly doubled his previous career high with 11 rushing TDs during the regular season, and Sanders is the second-best RB pick from the top four team rosters.
11. Tee Higgins: He had a great three-game run in last year’s NFL playoffs, and Higgins will be ready to stand out in the postseason again.
12. George Kittle: He gets an obvious boost in the FFPC format, yet Purdy should continue to lean on him a lot and Kittle is a solid pick in this range in any playoff league.
13. Justin Jefferson: If the Vikings play at least two games, Jefferson should provide a very safe and high floor and the statistical ceiling is always unlimited.
14. Deebo Samuel: He is back in action just in time to help out Purdy with his unrivaled YAC heroics.
15. Dak Prescott: I would not be surprised to see Dallas reach the NFC title game if they do avoid the Eagles in the second round. If Prescott can steer clear of costly interceptions, it is possible the Cowboys can make their deepest playoff run since the 1990s, although I would not expect them to win the conference. Prescott could be a pivotal piece in winning an FFPC playoff tournament, as others will pass on him for the other top four QBs.
16. Brock Purdy: The performances during his six-game run have been steady, as he has two-plus TD passes in every game, but he lacks yardage upside, and expecting Purdy to win two to three playoff games is still asking a lot given his overall lack of experience. Rostering Purdy means you believe his regular-season success will extend into the playoffs, and the rest of the team will spur a push to the brink of a Super Bowl.
17. Joe Mixon: He was certainly a disappointment down the stretch in the regular season, but if the Bengals advance to the conference title game, he can contribute with versatility and TD runs.
18. DeVonta Smith: He finished the regular season strong, with four 100-yard games in his last six, and 24 receptions on 33 targets in his final three.
19. Jerick McKinnon: It is certainly worth taking the chance that his historic run of receiving TDs continues throughout the postseason.
20. Isiah Pacheco: He is not an upside performer, but Pacheco can post respectable totals in three playoff games. Being potentially available for more than two games is important.
21. Kirk Cousins: If the Vikings get to play in more than two postseason games, it will be because Cousins is finally emerging as a successful postseason performer.
22. Dalvin Cook: He is capable of a huge game at any time, and durability was not an issue during the regular season.
23. Austin Ekeler: When taking one player from the Chargers in the FFPC format, the decision between the QB and top RB is so close, but I advise picking a QB from another team to clear room for Ekeler at another lineup spot.
24. Justin Herbert: He should play in two postseason games, but I don’t see Herbert advancing any further due to his lack of playoff experience.
25. CeeDee Lamb: The Cowboys need Lamb to come up big to overcome annually pessimistic postseason expectations.
26. Keenan Allen: He is a great pick for two strong WR performances.
27. Tony Pollard: His breakout year can extend through the playoffs, and Pollard will be a key performer if Dallas pushes to play three postseason games.
28. Ezekiel Elliott: A very safe pick for rushing TD production for possibly a minimum of two playoff games.
29. Brandon Aiyuk: His output can take a hit with Samuel back for the postseason.
30. Tom Brady: He is the obvious reason the Buccaneers can play more than one game, but he may not get out of the first round and Brady was not a top 10 fantasy QB in 2022.
31. T.J. Hockenson: If you miss out on Kelce and Kittle, Hockenson can give you two good games.
32. Josh Palmer: He has proven to be a very effective fill-in for Mike Williams when needed.
33. Chris Godwin: The most dependable skill position player from the Buccaneers roster.
34. Mike Evans: His outstanding regular-season finale was encouraging, but Evans could also be out after one disappointing outing.
35. Trevor Lawrence: He has made great progress this season and the Jaguars’ chances of upending the Chargers ride on his shoulders.
36. Saquon Barkley: This is a good time for Barkley to display his best form and take the Giants at least past Minnesota in the Wild Card round.
37. Travis Etienne: Great opening matchup to exploit in his playoff debut.
38. Daniel Jones: You may be able to get two playoff games out of the dual-threat QB who has a great matchup to open the postseason.
39. Dallas Goedert: He did not meet expectations when he returned late in the season, but Goedert can make important plays for the Eagles during the postseason.
40. Gabe Davis: We saw what he is capable of in the postseason last year, and Davis might be one of those guys who turns up the production during the most important time period on the NFL calendar.
Rankings 41 - 60
42. Tyreek Hill
43. Devin Singletary
44. James Cook
45. Kadarius Toney
46. Christian Kirk
47. Zay Jones
49. Rachaad White
50. Dawson Knox
51. K.J. Osborn
52. Mecole Hardman
54. DK Metcalf
55. Tyler Lockett
56. Geno Smith
57. Jaylen Waddle
59. Evan Engram
60. Isaiah Hodgins
Rankings 61 - 80
Team Defense Rankings
- Buffalo
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco
- Kansas City
- Cincinnati
- Dallas
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Minnesota
- Tampa Bay
- Baltimore
- Jacksonville
- Seattle
- Miami
Kicker Rankings
- Tyler Bass
- Harrison Butker
- Jake Elliott
- Evan McPherson
- Robbie Gould
- Brett Maher
- Cameron Dicker
- Greg Joseph
- Ryan Succop
- Graham Gano
- Justin Tucker
- Riley Patterson
- Jason Sanders
- Jason Myers
Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.
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