Ony a bold prediction would have forseen Blake Bortles’ production up to this point

Every season, there are surprising outcomes where if we only knew what was going to have taken place, we’d potentially be the ones having a bye week in the first round of the fantasy playoffs. Take for example that Carson Palmer would be the second highest scoring QB and Devonta Freeman would have the most rushing TDs of any RB through 13 weeks. Or how about knowing that Peyton Manning would have less passing yards than Brian Hoyer at this time of the year… BRIAN HOYER!

The simple point is that it would have taken a bold prediction to foresee any of those events happening. In the case of Palmer and Freeman, even if you wouldn’t buy into the notion of both doing quite so well back in August, a bold prediction may have nudged you to draft either before your competition.

With this non-conventional thinking in mind, we asked the top ranking experts in our accuracy competition to give us a bold prediction for the fantasy playoffs. Here’s what the experts had to say…

Set your playoff lineup with advice from My Playbook

Q: Give us 1 bold prediction for the fantasy playoffs

“Blake Bortles will finish the season in the top 3 among fantasy quarterbacks. With 55 fantasy points in his last two games, and two of his next three opponents among the top 10 most favorable matchups for fantasy quarterbacks, I see him finishing ahead of Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the field not named Tom Brady or Cam Newton.”
– Justin Sablich (The NY Times)

“In Weeks 14 and 16, I’m starting Blake Bortles over Aaron Rodgers in a big money league playoffs. Week 14: Indianapolis (5th-worst vs. QBs). Week 16: New Orleans (Worst vs. QBs). In Week 15, I’m going back to Rodgers when he faces Oakland (8th-worst vs. QBs). The old adage about playing your studs means nothing to me, especially since Bortles is a stud right now. He’s third in the league in TD passes (27) and seventh in passing yardage (3,274). Go for the win by going with your gut.”
– Matt De Lima (ScoutFantasy)

“Don’t be discouraged by the recent decline in output from Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans are fighting for their playoff lives, and Bill O’Brien knows that the best way to get there is to pepper Hopkins with targets. For the playoff stretch, Hopkins and the Texans have a very favorable schedule for producing big fantasy points. Each of Houston’s remaining three opponents, New England, Indianapolis and Tennessee, surrender over 24 fantasy points-per-game to opposing wide receivers, and Hopkins should command a healthy percentage of that output. ”
– Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts)

“Tim Hightower is a top 20 fantasy running back from Weeks 14-16. With Mark Ingram on injured reserve and C.J. Spiller floundering, Hightower steps in and gives fantasy owners flashes of 2008-2009 when he racked up 18 rushing touchdowns with the Cardinals.”
– Jeff Ratcliffe (Pro Football Focus)

“Despite the timeshare, Spencer Ware will be a strong RB2 that can help deliver championships. The Chiefs are playing three teams (San Diego, Baltimore, and Cleveland) that have nothing to play for. Kansas City prefers to be conservative on offense and let their defense and running game do the heavy lifting. The game scripts should set Ware up with at least one scoring opportunity in every game and lots of fourth quarter carries against defenses that are already thinking about January tee times.”
– Sigmund Bloom (Footballguys)

“Alex Smith is the #13 quarterback in fantasy, yet he’s available on the waiver wire in 69% of Yahoo leagues. He has the best remaining schedule of any quarterback (SD, BAL CLE) and should provide top 12 numbers in the fantasy playoffs.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)

“Blake Bortles will be a top 3 fantasy quarterback during the fantasy playoffs. Many teams will be led to a championship by the Jacksonville signal caller and his extraordinary consistency. Upcoming matchups against the Colts, Falcons and Saints will only add to his nine multi-touchdown and five 300-yard games this season. Late round quarterback apologists will swoon and aim for “The Next Blake Bortles” in 2016.”
– Sean Morris (Bruno Boys)

“I predict that T.J. Yeldon will be a high-end RB1 during the playoffs. In Week 14, Yeldon faces the Colts, who allow a touchdown per game and the seventh-most fantasy points in the NFL to opposing running backs. And then in Weeks 15-16 he gets even better matchups with the Falcons and Saints, who allow the most touchdowns, yards, and allow the fifth- and third-most fantasy points respectively to opposing running backs. In the next few weeks, Yeldon will make the significant jump from serviceable starter to stud league-winner.”
– Matthew Freedman (RotoViz)

“Lamar Miller will lead all running backs in scoring during the fantasy playoffs. Fears that rookie Jay Ajayi would steal work have been unfounded and, with a new offensive coordinator at the helm in Week 13, Miller received 20 carries in a game for the first time this season. All three of the Dolphins’ opponents in the fantasy playoffs (Giants, Chargers, Colts) are generous to running backs, setting Miller up for a late-season surge.”
– Justin Boone (theScore)

“If you’ve made it this far by streaming quarterbacks, you may only need one man for the next three weeks, That man is Alex D. Smith. The “D” stands for destiny. Smith has a sweet schedule the next three weeks facing the Chargers, Ravens and Browns who rank 29th, 26th and 28th in Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA, respectively. Smith is coming off two straight weeks with 20+ fantasy points in standard scoring leagues, and he could clear that mark a few more times down the stretch.”
– Brett Talley (The Fantasy Fix)

“Melvin Gordon will score a touchdown before the season ends. Kidding aside, I don’t know how “bold” this is, but the most important team over the next three weeks is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Blake Bortles has already shown an incredibly high ceiling as he has as many top-12 scoring weeks as Cam Newton and more than Carson Palmer. T.J. Yeldon has been a top-24 PPR running back in eight straight games despite being allergic to touchdowns and Allen Robinson has been one of the steadiest receiver producers over the past two months. Add in ancillary pieces like Allen Hurns who had scored in seven of nine games prior to injury, and Julius Thomas who has scored in three straight, and those guys could swing leagues as the Jaguars face the Colts, Falcons and the cherry on top, the Saints for your fantasy postseason.”
– Rich Hribar (The Fake Football)

“Jameis Winston finishes as a top four quarterback during the fantasy playoffs. He has games against the Saints in Week 14, Rams in Week 15, and Bears in Week 16. Two out of these three games are at home. Winston’s play continues to ascend each and every week. He averaged 0.67 fantasy points per drop back against the Falcons in Week 13. ”
– Eric Moody (FFLockerRoom)

“David Johnson will be a top 5 running back the rest of the way. I have a major man crush on this kid and ranked him only behind Todd Gurley for fantasy rookie running backs. He’s a dynamic receiver with steady and smooth speed. You can line him up everywhere in the offense, and as we’ve seen already, he’s a nightmare for linebackers and has a nose for the end zone. In this Cardinals offense, Johnson will put up big numbers the rest of the way.”
– Jake Ciely (RotoExperts)

“Blake Bortles is the No. 1 fantasy quarterback the rest of the way. His schedule is a dream, his defense stinks, and Jacksonville has all sorts of trouble punching in rushing scores. Advantage, Bortles.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo)

“New England proceeds with ultimate caution concerning Rob Gronkowski, who misses the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs and then acts as little more than a decoy once returning for Week 16. This opens the door for Scott Chandler, who leads all tight ends in fantasy points during the fantasy playoffs.”
– Kyle Wachtel (Forensic Fantasy)

“Sammy Watkins takes advantage of some great matchups and serves as a top-5 wide receiver the rest of the way.”
– Adam Pfeifer (ProjectRoto)

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Thank you to all the experts for making their bold predictions for the fantasy playoffs. Be sure to follow them on Twitter and good luck this week.