What Are Fantasy Football Playoff Leagues? How To Play, Join and Draft A Playoff League Team

John explains what Fantasy Football Playoff Leagues are and how to play the FFPC Playoff Challenge for anyone interested in postseason fantasy football after the regular season ends.

The 2024 NFL regular season is over. After Week 18, there won't be any way to play more fantasy football, and managers will be forced to sit down and watch normal playoff football with absolutely nothing on the line... right? Not really! There are actually ways to play fantasy football throughout the playoffs.

And we're not just talking about Daily Fantasy Sports, which obviously can exist any time a game is happening. While the formats are a bit different, and teams being eliminated obviously creates challenges, there are options for new fantasy football leagues that last the duration of the NFL playoffs.

Let's dive into what fantasy football playoff leagues are, how you can play, join and draft a team, like the one of the biggest ones offered each year from our friends over at FFPC -- the FFPC Playoff Challenge.

What Are Fantasy Football Playoff Leagues?

As stated above, they are brand new leagues that form after the NFL regular season ends -- where you can build and draft a brand new roster, and have that last through the whole playoffs. Of course, your roster will score a lot less when the players on it see their seasons end due to their NFL teams being eliminated, but that's just part of the strategy!

Two contests. Same awesome format.

The game that everyone loves this time of year is BACK with more massive prize pools.

Just pick one player per playoff team and beat out the competition at https://t.co/DZP6BDjeNO. pic.twitter.com/nzH0VMVDTb

— The FFPC (@FFPC) January 2, 2025

The Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge is the biggest (in terms of money) of these leagues, though there are other options as well, such as Apex Fantasy Leagues,  The Second Season, and Fantasy Postseason, among others. The Second Season coincidentally also has a challenge called the Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge, but it's a generic phrase anyway.

Playoff Leagues, Prizes Available, Orphans & Survey 🏆 - https://t.co/ny3Fm0tNiI

— Apex Fantasy Leagues (@ApexFFML) January 2, 2025

Where there are gamblers, there are websites set up to try to get people to buy into their competitions, of course. There are also free options (The Second Season specifically offers them), which can satiate the thirst of those looking to have some fun without putting any money on the line.

Not all platforms will offer the exact same formats, so finding one that's best for you is always good. Some platforms feature formats where you can only pick one player per NFL team, while others implement salary caps that you would typically see in DFS.

There are yet other formats where players are put into groups of similar skill levels, presumably based on regular season production and the perceived value of each player fantasy football-wise. Then, teams can pick players from each box and try to maximize value that way.

Time to get your postseason leagues setup! https://t.co/OdL2bN1niM pic.twitter.com/Em4A0nRiWp

— Fantasy Postseason (@FntsyPostseason) December 26, 2024

As with anything you spend money on, be sure to carefully vet the platforms you decide to use. Scams are widespread in just about everything these days, so make sure you carefully ascertain a site's credibility before you decide to buy into any kind of league.

How To Play FFPC Playoff Challenge

If you're looking for a massive prize pool and high-stakes contests, the 2024/2025 Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge from FFPC is offering its 22nd year of the largest playoff-long fantasy football competition.

The featured image in this article is the $35 entry fee, $100,000 grand price contest with $476,500 in total prizes, but there is also a higher-stakes, $200 entry fee contest with a $500,000 grand prize and $1,387,750 in total payouts.

So your fantasy season just ended. You may have taken down some big leagues, you may have not.

But either way, you can keep your fantasy season going into the new year!

Just sign up for the $35 FFPC Playoff Challenge and compete for the $100,000 grand prize today! pic.twitter.com/B4adWvs66A

— The FFPC (@FFPC) January 3, 2025

This challenge runs from the beginning to the end of the playoffs, so you'll need to enter before the first game of the NFL postseason, obviously. You'll have to sign up by clicking "JOIN NOW" at the top right of the screen, creating an FPPC account with your information, and then clicking the big green "Register" button at the top right of the linked website above.

From there, you'll choose which contest you want to enter (or both if you want to enter both). Each still has plenty of slots available. As for the rules, FPPC is unique in that you choose one player for each playoff team, for a total of 12 players, to fill out your roster.

The scoring rules are similar to those of typical fantasy football leagues. Players are awarded four points for passing touchdowns, six points for non-passing TDs, one point per 20 yards passing, one point per 10 yards rushing or receiving, one point per reception (1.5 for TEs), and docked one point for each interception thrown and fumble lost.

Play fantasy til' hell freezes over.

Register for the FFPC Playoff Challenges today and keep your fantasy season going all the way through the winter. pic.twitter.com/tyFPBcl8iX

— The FFPC (@FFPC) January 3, 2025

Players are also rewarded two points per two-point conversion. Kickers one point per Point After Touchdowns made, three points for every field goal made, and 0.1 points for every extra yard beyond 30 on field goals that they make. D/STs get two points per takeaway, one per sack, six per touchdown, and five points for a safety, which is a break from typical scoring rules.

The D/STs also earn 12 points for shutouts, eight points for allowing one to six points, five points for allowing seven to 10 points, and so on.

The official rules show the rest of the scoring statistics. Each week, your team's total score will be tallied up and added to your overall score, and the ending prizes will be based on that final score. Importantly, players who play in the Super Bowl will have their points that week counted for double towards your final score.

Thus, one of the best ways to win this challenge will be to accurately predict who will make it to the Super Bowl and be able to determine which ones will score the most points in that game. That's not an easy task, but since when has winning a ton of money been easy? Of course, be sure to gamble responsibly.

Your fantasy season might have just ended yesterday, but there is no reason you cannot keep it going.

A combined $1.8 million is up for grabs in FFPC's two Playoff Challenges this year.

Just pick 12 players and ride 'em all the way to the Big Dance! pic.twitter.com/1fBc4vXi2j

— The FFPC (@FFPC) December 24, 2024

Both the tournaments side-by-side are shown above. The lineups consist of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, four FLEX players (either WRs, RBs, or tight ends), one kicker, and one defense. There is no draft or salary cap -- you simply choose the players you want (remember, just one from each team!). On Saturday, January 11, 2025, 1:00 PM ET, all rosters will be locked.

You can't change your roster in any way for the duration of the contest, so you'll have to make sure to pick wisely. And since there are 12 roster spots and 14 playoff teams, you'll have to ignore two NFL teams to draft from. Obviously, you'll want to go with the teams that you think will get knocked out in the Wild Card round.

Good luck!

More Fantasy Football Analysis