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The FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) has long been an industry leader among competitive high-stakes sites for season-long fantasy football. If you are looking for playoff action in the same vein, look no further. Once again, they are offering the FFPC Playoff Challenge and the FootballGuys Playoff Challenge with big prizes up for grabs.
As always, if there is a big-industry fantasy football event, RotoBaller is there and the NFL playoffs are no different.
Find out how this competition works, what strategies you should keep in mind, and how to build the optimal lineup for success.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Allow Me to Explain the Rules
You have to know the ground rules before you play the game. Fortunately, it's pretty simple. Not quite "red light, green light" simple, but if you've ever played fantasy football before, it won't take long to figure out.
The Playoff Challenge is unique first and foremost because, unlike DFS lineups, you can only pick one player per NFL team. That means no stacking your favorite QB-WR combo and it will be harder to avoid ugly matchups.
This year, with an extra playoff team in each conference, two extra flex spots have been added. That means choosing exactly 12 players from the 14 playoff teams. Two postseason teams will be omitted but all others must be represented.
In terms of scoring, the FFPC Playoff Challenge isn't far off from the typical full PPR format, with a couple of exceptions. Most notably, like most FFPC contests, it has a tight end premium of 1.5 points per reception. Full details are listed below.
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Begin With the End in Mind
Although your first decision would ideally come at the quarterback position, followed by tight end, it is easier to nail down the least important positions before moving on. A team defense and kicker are required, so once you've crossed off the two least desirable teams from your list, peg the next two for these spots. Mind you, these don't have to come from the teams that are the worst or expected to lose.
Choosing a defense from a team unlikely to have any big games from the Flex spot is more important than the actual performance of the defense itself. Despite the allure of the big bonus for shutouts and low-scoring games, there are unlikely to be any teams held under 10 points in the postseason. Go with a defense that can hold its own and collect a couple of sacks along with a turnover or two while getting eliminated. This has been a successful strategy in the past, which meant selecting Buffalo in 2020, New England in 2019, Chicago in 2018, and so on. This year, you might opt for the Cowboys, Rams, or Bengals.
As far as kickers go, whoever you choose will not make or break your lineup. It's best to pick someone from an inconsistent offense that is more likely to struggle finding the end zone. Nick Folk jumps to mind but Chris Boswell and Daniel Carlson are also good options.
About That TE Premium...
The availability of four Flex spots makes it tempting to add multiple tight ends to your lineup, which could pay off big. Many competitors will be gun shy about trusting tight ends because so many proved to be disappointments in fantasy this year. Travis Kelce was a first-round pick in most leagues but wasn't even the top-scoring tight end. George Kittle was a top-25 pick even in leagues without a TE premium but finished as the TE4 and completely disappeared in the last three weeks of the season. Choosing either of them over a high-end wideout like Deebo Samuel or Tyreek Hill is a risk/reward proposition.
The other question is whether you're willing to trust a rookie like Pat Freiermuth, a banged-up Darren Waller, who missed five straight games before doing little in the final game of the season, or a player like Dallas Goedert who is unlikely to play more than one game this postseason. If you set multiple lineups in FFPC Playoff or FootballGuys challenges, it might be smart to try one TE-heavy lineup by adding guys from a team that you don't expect much from at the other positions. Philly and Pittsburgh are prime examples but that might include the unpredictable Arizona offense.
Here's an example from one of my lineups:
Who's the Boss?
Quarterbacks receive four points per TD and -1 per INT, so you will probably find that the top passers wind up as the leading scorers. If there is a position to prioritize for your Super Bowl favorites, it would be QB.
There is no dearth of options as far as franchise quarterbacks go. The question then becomes, who do you trust to lead their team to multiple victories?
Tom Brady should be the chalk after last year but he's suddenly without Chris Godwin or Antonio Brown. He's thrown for 410 and 326 yards with three touchdowns in each of the last two games with no Godwin and no AB (at least for a half) so he could be just fine but the playoff matchups will be tougher. With Tampa in the Wild Card part of the bracket, another SB run could provide him another game to rack up points though.
Aaron Rodgers put a scare in fantasy managers all preseason and then again with a dismal Week 1 performance. He then proceeded to post an MVP-caliber season by leading the league in Quarterback Rating, Touchdown Rate, and Average Net Yards per Attempt. The Packers have home-field advantage so they won't play in the first weekend but they are considered favorites to represent the NFC. This decision comes down to whether you believe he's geared up for another championship run and can take down Brady.
Josh Allen might be the QB with most upside based on the bracket. Buffalo should be able to handle New England, as they did in Week 16 when he threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns. They should also be favored against either the Bengals/Raiders and could have either a favorable defensive matchup with Tennesse, who is bottom-10 in terms of fantasy points allowed to QBs, or favorable game script against Kansas City.
It's hard to argue against Pat Mahomes, whose resume speaks for itself. In the 2021 postseason, however, he was disappointing in two out of three games. He put up 325 yards and three TD against Buffalo in the AFC conference championship game but went for 255 and 270 yards with a 1-2 TD-INT rate in the other two games, Super Bowl included.
It's not worth risking a pick like Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, or Kyler Murray based on how inconsistent those offenses have been, despite their final records. The best bet is Allen, who has the rushing upside that neither Rodgers or Brady has.
Differentiation Matters (Sort Of)
If you've ever played DFS, you're familiar with this concept. If everyone picks the same player, his point totals effectively mean nothing in terms of winning or losing. You want to build the best team possible but you also want to do your best to seek out players that separate you from the competition just enough to get an edge. The trick is to do so but in a limited fashion so as not to pick an all boom/bust team that is prone to letting you down.
With such a shallow player pool, you should be able to effectively start a stud at every position so your differentiation play should be at the flex spot, not in place of a top-five QB, RB, or WR. This isn't the time to get sentimental and put Ben Roethlisberger as your QB.
Some differentiation plays to consider are: Sony Michel, Devin Singletary, D'Onta Foreman, Christian Kirk, Mecole Hardman, Cedrick Wilson, Zay Jones, and Hunter Henry.
Just make sure you don't include multiple players like this in any individual lineup you submit.
Sample Lineup
Here's one roster I'm rolling with for this year's challenge (subject to change):
If Leonard Fournette isn't 100% before game time, I will likely swap him out for Najee Harris and put Mike Evans at WR. Tyreek Hill's status is also worth monitoring. Rather than putting Mecole Hardman in his place, flexing out Travis Kelce is a viable option. The possibilities are endless, which is what makes this challenge so fun.
Take the Challenge
Now that you've got the lowdown on how the league is played and some pointers on building a championship team, it's up to you to take the next step. Sign up for the FFPC Playoff Challenge and try it out!
Playoff leagues provide a different twist on season-long fantasy football and offer a way to come up with unique strategies that will keep you invested in the NFL postseason even if your favorite team isn't involved. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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