RADIO
If you won a fantasy football title in the regular season and are looking for more hardware, or if you want redemption after a bad year, the fantasy football season isn't over just yet. You can add to the excitement of the NFL playoffs by assembling a team of your own in an attempt to win extra cash or good old-fashioned bragging rights amongst your friends.
Just like with fantasy leagues during the regular season, knowing your league's scoring settings and roster requirements is of utmost importance. Is your playoff league a one-and-done league, salary cap format, normal snake draft, or best-ball setup? Is it point-per-reception scoring, half-point PPR, or six points per passing touchdown?
Fantasy playoff strategy will depend on the specific settings in your league, but here are a few that will put you ahead of your competition.
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1) Pick From Teams You Think Will Make A Deep Run
If you're convinced that a certain team will make it deep into the postseason, then it makes sense to have a handful of players from that squad. You won't need to worry about that if your playoff league sets DFS lineups for each week of the postseason.
In best-ball formats -- where you set one lineup at the beginning of the playoffs and ride it out until the Super Bowl -- the winning team will most likely be the one that features the most players that advance to Super Sunday. So choose wisely.
Here's the schedule for super wild-card weekend:
- Seattle Seahawks (No. 7 seed in NFC) @ San Francisco 49ers (No. 2 seed in NFC) on Saturday
- Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5 seed in AFC) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 4 seed in AFC) on Saturday
- Miami Dolphins (No. 7 seed in AFC) @ Buffalo Bills (No. 2 seed in AFC) on Sunday
- New York Giants (No. 6 seed in NFC) @ Minnesota Vikings (No. 3 seed in NFC) on Sunday
- Baltimore Ravens (No. 6 seed in AFC) @ Cincinnati Bengals (No. 3 seed in AFC) on Sunday
- Dallas Cowboys (No. 5 seed in NFC) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 4 seed in NFC) on Monday
In leagues that reward multipliers each week that a player advances, you will receive double the points in the divisional round, triple the points in the conference championship, and quadruple the points if your player advances to the Super Bowl.
That makes stud players on the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles quite attractive in those formats. While they won't accumulate points this weekend because they'll be on bye, you are guaranteed to receive double the points when they play their first game in the Divisional Round.
Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Travis Kelce, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jerick McKinnon, Miles Sanders, Dallas Goedert and JuJu Smith-Schuster, among others, will be popular picks in this format this year.
2) Quarterbacks Reign Supreme
Quarterbacks typically score the most fantasy points, regardless of format, so they become even more vital to your team's success in a three- or four-week playoff format. In normal postseason snake drafts, the QBs should all come off the board first.
In leagues where you must start at least one player from each team in a best-ball format, finding the right quarterback is absolutely paramount. At the most important position, you'll want your QB spot to be maximized to the fullest.
In this format, you will definitely want your QB to have a realistic chance to make a Super Bowl run, which would allow them to play in three or four games, depending on whether they have a first-round bye, thus maximizing your potential points.
Mahomes and the Bills' Josh Allen are likely to be the most popular QB picks this year. Hurts, who likely would have finished as the QB1 in fantasy during the regular season if not for a shoulder sprain, is also attractive with a bye, but he's unlikely to be 100% healthy.
3) Choose Key Players On Potential Losing Teams
This strategy is especially important in salary cap and one-and-done leagues. In these types of leagues, choosing a player that gets eliminated won't cost you at all in the long run.
Don't avoid an entire team just because you think they won't advance past the first round. Instead, your goal should be to capitalize on great matchups, even if you aren't sold on their team moving past wild-card weekend.
Basically, it's all about the matchups and potential game script.
For example, even if you are predicting the Chargers to lose on the road against Jacksonville, don't shy away from do-it-all running back Austin Ekeler, who finished the regular season as the RB1 in half-point PPR scoring. The Chargers' offense will continue to run through the 27-year-old.
Tampa's offense couldn't find their mojo in 2022, averaging only 18.4 points. They were dead-last with 76.9 rushing yards per game. They seem unlikely to make a deep run in this year's postseason, but we've also learned not to bet against the GOAT Tom Brady.
Brady led the league in passing attempts (733) and finished third in passing yards (4,694), behind only Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Even if the Bucs lose on Monday night to Dallas, Brady could rack up some nice points in the process.
Finding value on teams that are being overlooked is key. Zig when others zag.
4) Play The Matchups
We have all had to make tough decisions on a weekly basis in season-long leagues, and it usually always comes down to the matchups. As you look to maximize value in salary cap and one-and-done leagues, consider the matchups first and foremost.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (knee) is fighting an uphill battle to play this weekend and Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) has already been ruled out. The Bengals and Bills defenses have become extremely attractive.
Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans is coming off a 10-catch, 207-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 17 and will be looking to keep the momentum going despite sitting out in Week 18. As mentioned above, it's usually not smart to write Brady off. Evans had five grabs, 71 yards and a score against the Cowboys in the season opener.
Are you not sold on Jags QB Trevor Lawrence yet? We don't blame you if you aren't, but he did finish as the QB8 in overall fantasy points during the regular season. Meanwhile, his tight end Evan Engram finished as a top-five fantasy TE. Don't overlook them.
5) Pair A QB With His Top Receiver
This strategy is often successful in season-long leagues as well, but it also has merit in most playoff formats. The right quarterback-receiver combination could yield big results and set you apart from your competition.
The best combinations this year include Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins, Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen, Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and Tom Brady and Mike Evans/Chris Godwin.
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