TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Five Strategies to Help You Win in Fantasy Playoff Leagues

If you won a fantasy football title in the regular season and are looking for more hardware, of if you want redemption after a bad season, the fantasy football season isn't over just yet. As if the NFL playoffs weren't exciting enough, you can assemble a team of your own in the postseason and root them on in an attempt to win extra cash or more bragging rights amongst your friends.

Just like with regular season fantasy football leagues, knowing the league setup and rules is the most important. Is your playoff league a one-and-done league, salary cap format 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.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

1) Decide which teams have the best chance to advance

Picking players from a team like the Patriots or Steelers, who have the best odds of representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, is the best strategy for best-ball formats -- where you set one lineup at the beginning of the playoffs and ride it out until the big game. This strategy is also ideal for leagues that do normal serpentine drafts for each team to select players.

In those leagues, you set one lineup before Wild Card weekend and let it ride until the Super Bowl, with the team scoring the most overall points coming out on top. Naturally, it makes most sense to select players you think have the best shot at playing on Super Bowl Sunday.

Ranking the teams in each conference puts you a step further and will help you target specific players from specific teams. For instance, you'd much rather draft or select Patriots players over Bills players, as Buffalo could easily be an early exit.

 

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 four-week playoff format.

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 quarterback position to be maximized to the fullest.

In those leagues, you'll certainly want to pick a QB that you estimate will be playing in the Super Bowl, which will give them at least three games to play in, thus maximizing your potential points. Tip: Choosing Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger would be the smartest way to go.

 

3) Choose key players on potential losing teams

This strategy is especially important in salary cap and one-and-done leagues. In these setups, you'll live to fight another week, so choosing a player whose team gets eliminated won't really cost you.

Actually, not choosing a player that has a fantastic week on a losing team will cost you even more in one-and done leagues, since you won't be able to use that player in the future. Instead, your goal should be to not miss out on a potential big performance, even if you aren't sold on that team winning that week.

Basically, it's all about the matchups and potential game flow here. For instance, if you think the Falcons will lose to the Rams and be playing behind that high-octane offense most of the day, quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones would be solid choices in salary cap and one-and-done leagues for the Wild-Card round.

If you aren't sold on the Rams pulling it off, you better utilize Todd Gurley, the potential NFL MVP, before you lose him. You don't see any way the Titans can pull the upset on the road? Why not use tight end Delanie Walker or running back Derrick Henry, especially with DeMarco Murray (knee) out? They'd both be cheap in salary cap, too.

 

4) Play the matchups

We all have had to make tough decisions on a weekly 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, it's all about the matchups.

Is it worth paying for Leonard Fournette in Wild-Card weekend? Well, he'll be facing the worst defense against running backs this year, so he seems like a perfect pick in a lot of leagues, especially one and done.

On the flip side, the Panthers run defense was one of the stingiest all season. Although Alvin Kamara is basically a shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year, will he be worth paying up for in salary cap setups this weekend? Same goes for Mark Ingram.

Then you have your sleepers... Titans receivers Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews and Eric Decker won't be expensive in salary cap, but they could also surprise if the Titans are forced to air it out to play catch-up, and the Chiefs allowed the second most fantasy points per game (37.4) to opposing wideouts in 2017.

 

5) Pair a quarterback with his top receiver

This strategy is often successful in season-long leagues as well, and it makes more sense for those playing in a total points league or league that awards double and triple the points if your players advance.

If you're confident the team you're choosing from will advance deep into the postseason or even be ultra-productive in a specific week, pairing a quarterback-receiver combination could yield big results.

Pairing Brady with Brandin Cooks or Rob Gronkowski or Big Ben with Antonio Brown (health permitting) or JuJu Smith-Schuster could easily be the difference if they advance to the Super Bowl.

In salary cap or one-and-done leagues, a combination of Drew Brees and Michael Thomas could get it done given Carolina's struggles in pass defense.

 

More Wild Card Weekend Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Extends His Win Streak
Derrick Lewis

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Officially Hire Mike McDaniel as Offensive Coordinator
Nathan Eovaldi

Doesn't Expect Any Limitations in Spring Training
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates in NFC Championship Game Win
Scott Wedgewood

Activated From Non-Roster List
Nikita Zadorov

Questionable for Monday
Stephen Halliday

Injured Sunday
Jack St. Ivany

Exits With Upper-Body Injury Sunday
Brock Boeser

Takes Hit to the Head
Evgeni Malkin

Suffers Apparent Injury in Sunday's Win
Sam Merrill

Still Uncertain to Play Monday
Deni Avdija

Could Miss Second Straight Game Monday
Zaccharie Risacher

Misses Ninth Straight Game Monday
Kristaps Porzingis

Still Out Monday Against Pacers
Austin Reaves

Not Ready to Return Monday
Kris Dunn

Exits Early Sunday with Ankle Injury
Cason Wallace

Sidelined Midgame by Groin Issue
Paul George

Resting Versus Charlotte
Joel Embiid

Won't Play on Monday Night
Kawhi Leonard

Will Face Brooklyn on Sunday
Norman Powell

is Cleared for Sunday's Contest
Kasparas Jakucionis

Upgraded to Available
Jalen Green

is Ruled Out for Sunday's Game
Aaron Wiggins

to Suit up on Sunday
Jose Alvarado

is Making his Return on Sunday
Trey Murphy III

is Available for Sunday's Game
Ja'Kobe Walter

is Returning on Sunday
Immanuel Quickley

is Cleared for Sunday's Game
Norman Powell

is Upgraded to Probable on Sunday
Davion Mitchell

is Downgraded to Out
Philipp Kurashev

Joins Sharks for Road Trip
Charle-Edouard D'Astous

Placed on Injured Reserve
William Nylander

Doesn't Have Timeline for Return
Teuvo Teravainen

Remains Out Sunday
David Kampf

Scratched on Sunday
Kris Letang

Expected to Return Sunday
Linus Ullmark

Dresses as Backup Sunday
Matthew Stafford

Plans to Return in 2026
Jonathan Kuminga

is Dealing with Bone Bruise
CFB

Arthur Smith to Become Ohio State's Offensive Coordinator
Bo Nix

Sidelined for 12 Weeks With Broken Ankle
Jose Altuve

to Mainly Play Second Base
Nicolas Hague

Out Week-to-Week
Yu Darvish

Considering Retirement
Simon Edvinsson

Misses Second Straight Game
Alexandre Texier

Cleared for Original Six Matchup
Anze Kopitar

Still Out Saturday
Drew Doughty

Set to Rejoin Kings Lineup Saturday
Matt Boldy

Expected to Return Saturday Night
Brad Marchand

Available Saturday
Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Finalizing Deal to Make Mike McCarthy Their Head Coach
José Ramírez

Jose Ramirez Signs Seven-Year Extension With Guardians
Gunnar Henderson

is Fully Healthy Heading into Spring Training
Bo Horvat

Rejoining Islanders Lineup Saturday
Tyreek Hill

Dolphins Expected to Release Tyreek Hill
Paddy Pimblett

Set For Interim Lightweight Title Fight
Justin Gaethje

An Underdog At UFC 324
Song Yadong

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Sean O'Malley Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Derrick Lewis

Returns At UFC 324
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Philip Rivers

Interviewing for Bills Head-Coaching Job
NFL

Fernando Mendoza Officially Declares for NFL Draft
CFB

Arch Manning Undergoes Foot Surgery
Dalton Kincaid

Played Through Torn PCL
CFB

College Football Playoff Expected to Remain a 12-Team Field in 2026
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Hire Jesse Minter as Their Head Coach
Indianapolis Colts

FBI Investigating the Death of Colts Owner Jim Irsay
MacKenzie Gore

Rangers Acquire MacKenzie Gore From the Nationals
Brandon Sproat

Dealt to Brewers in Four-Player Trade
Jett Williams

Brewers Acquire Jett Williams From Mets
Freddy Peralta

Mets Acquire Freddy Peralta From Brewers
Kyle Tucker

Expected to Bat Second or Third in Dodgers' Lineup
Brandon Aiyuk

has "Played his Last Snap as a Niner"
Cody Bellinger

Signs Five-Year, $162.5 Million Contract With Yankees
Adam Scott

Looks to Overcome Putting Woes at American Express
Billy Horschel

Looking to Rebound at The American Express
Josh Allen

Might Need Foot Surgery
Russell Henley

Looks to Build on Strong Start at The American Express
Jason Day

Looking to Start 2026 Strong at The American Express
Wyndham Clark

Looking to Regain Form at The American Express
Sam Burns

Looks to Continue Success at The American Express
Akshay Bhatia

Looking to Flip the Script at The American Express
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looking to Build on Strong Fall in Season Debut
Kurt Kitayama

Hopes To Continue Strong Start to 2026 Season at American Express
CFB

Princewill Umanmielen Expected to Sign with LSU
Scottie Scheffler

Returns To American Express After Missing Last Year's Edition
Robert MacIntyre

Keeps Momentum Rolling Heading Into American Express
Brian Harman

Can Challenge at American Express if His Putter Stays Hot
Ben Griffin

Outstanding Form Continues Heading Into American Express
Matt Fitzpatrick

Continues Playing Well Following Outstanding Finish to 2025 Season
Patrick Cantlay

Looks to Get a Jump Start on His 2026 Season
Blades Brown

Set to Make First PGA Tour Appearance of 2026
Kevin Roy

Has Some Confidence Heading to Southern California
Min Woo Lee

Poised to Make Bigger Impact in 2026
Max Homa

Needs a Better Start for 2026
Tony Finau

Trying to Reverse Disturbing Trend
Cam Davis

Aims for More Accuracy at American Express
Luisangel Acuña

Luisangel Acuna Sent to White Sox in Trade
Luis Robert Jr.

Mets Acquire Luis Robert Jr. from White Sox
Los Angeles Chargers

Mike McDaniel Expected to Become Chargers Offensive Coordinator
Carlos Beltran

Andruw Jones Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
CFB

Alberto Mendoza Expected to Land at Georgia Tech
Malik Nabers

Giants Hope Malik Nabers Will be Back for Start of Training Camp
CFB

Duke Suing Quarterback Darian Mensah
Cam Skattebo

Should be Ready by OTAs

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP