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Playing in NFL Playoff leagues for fantasy football and the 2026 postseason? These playoff league fantasy football strategies will help you set winning lineups.
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 brand new fantasy football team(s) of your own in an attempt to win extra cash or good old-fashioned bragging rights amongst your friends.
Just like with fantasy football leagues during the regular season, you can draft a fresh fantasy football team for the NFL playoffs. First of all, understanding your league's scoring settings and roster requirements is of utmost importance. Is your NFL playoff league a one-and-done league, salary-cap format, normal snake draft, or best ball setup? Is it point-per-reception scoring, standard scoring, or six points per passing touchdown?
Fantasy football strategy for the NFL playoffs 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. Choose From NFL Teams With The Best Odds To Make A Run
If you're convinced that a certain team will make it deep into the postseason, then it makes sense to have more exposure to players on that team. You won't need to worry as much about that if your playoff league sets DFS lineups 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 squad will most likely be the one that features the most players that advance to Super Sunday. So choose wisely.
Here is the schedule for Wild Card Weekend:
- Los Angeles Rams (No. 5 seed in NFC) at Carolina Panthers (No. 4 seed in NFC) on Saturday
- Green Bay Packers (No. 7 seed in NFC) at Chicago Bears (No. 2 seed in NFC) on Saturday night
- Buffalo Bills (No. 6 seed in AFC) at Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 3 seed in AFC) on Sunday
- San Francisco 49ers (No. 6 seed in NFC) at Philadelphia Eagles (No. 3 seed in NFC) on Sunday
- Los Angeles Chargers (No. 7 seed in AFC) at New England Patriots (No. 2 seed in AFC) on Sunday night
- Houston Texans (No. 5 seed in AFC) at Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 4 seed in AFC) on Monday night
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 Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos (first-round byes) quite attractive in those formats. The Seahawks are the current betting favorites at +350 to win the Super Bowl, while the Broncos are at +650 to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
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.
Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton, and RJ Harvey, among others, will be popular picks in this specific 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, 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 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.
Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford, Bo Nix, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen are likely to be the most popular QB picks this year, with their teams being the best betting favorites to win the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.
Drake Maye will also be highly appealing. The second-year signal-caller finished the regular season as the overall QB3 in fantasy points, behind only Allen and Stafford, thanks to 4,394 passing yards, 31 TDs, and only eight picks. Maye added 450 rushing yards and four more TDs on the ground on 103 rushing attempts.
OMG THIS IS BEAUTIFUL 😍
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/qQpgUkN76K
— z - New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 22, 2025
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 who gets eliminated won't cost you at all in the long run.
Don't avoid an entire team just because you think it 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. It's all about the matchups and potential game script.
For example, even if you think the Steelers will lose to the Texans, don't shy away from running backs Jaylen Warren or Kenneth Gainwell, who both contribute quite heavily in the passing game with Aaron Rodgers not having many options beyond receiver DK Metcalf.
The Panthers beat the Rams already once this season, but can they do it again on Wild Card Weekend? The odds aren't in their favor, and they will most likely have to throw the ball more than they want to keep up with the high-scoring Rams offense.
Rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan will surely be busy. The 22-year-old led the team in receiving in his first year in the NFL and is coming off a four-catch, 85-yard performance in the season finale. McMillan figures to have a high floor in this matchup, with receivers Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette potentially being nice sleeper picks.
Tmac and the T is for Touchdown
Tetairoa McMillan x #ProBowlVote
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/fN5tchb342
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 30, 2025
Finding value in teams that are being overlooked is key. Zig when others zag.
4. Play The Matchups
We have all had to make tough decisions every week in season-long leagues, and it 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. The Texans defense allowed the second-fewest points per game (17.4) and was tied for the seventh-most sacks (47) in the league during the regular season.
It'll be facing future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers will be getting receiver DK Metcalf back from suspension, but Pittsburgh has one of the weakest all-around offenses among playoff teams and averaged just 23.4 points per game in the regular season.
Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson stands out as a potential big-play receiver on Wild Card Weekend while going up against a banged-up Bears secondary. The 26-year-old had only two catches for 17 yards in Week 16 against Chicago, but that was also when QB Jordan Love was injured. In the first meeting, Watson had 89 yards and two scores. Love should be back for the third meeting between the division rivals at Soldier Field this Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn't the high-end fantasy stud that most expected him to be in 2025, but that doesn't mean he won't reward fantasy managers on Wild Card Weekend against a banged-up 49ers defense that is down to its fourth middle linebacker due to injuries. In his last three games, Hurts threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions.
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 Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua/Davante Adams (hamstring), Josh Allen and Khalil Shakir, Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs, Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton, and Trevor Lawrence and Jakobi Meyers/Parker Washington.
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